“Just like it was a big leap trusting me enough to follow me to the hotel room. How did you know you could trust me?”
She bit her lip between her teeth to think but he ran the pad of his thumb across her lips and she let go, desperate to feel his touch. As if he knew, his thumb traced her mouth and dipped in to scrape over her teeth. Her body shuddered at the intimacy of it and the deep throbbing in her womb intensified as his eyes devoured her.
“Tell me, Whisper. Why did you trust me?”
“You’d been there, on the bus every morning for months. You got on at the same time, dressed in your perfect suit, your hair always perfectly groomed and your shoes polished. You seemed like the quintessential businessman. Strong, reliable, honest. I wanted to ruffle your feathers and get under your skin. Did I succeed?”
He nodded as he leaned toward her, taking her mouth in a hard demanding kiss. Her in-control businessman appeared to have lost all control, his actions admitting that she’d succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. Losing herself in the kiss, she bowed to his will, welcomed his domination of her mouth and held on for dear life. The man possessed the potential to suck it right out of her.
When he began to remove her clothing, she struggled with the desire to give in and help him bare her body. Instead, she tussled playfully, stretching out the time and causing him to growl into her mouth in frustration. Roxanne chuckled and then gasped when he tore his lips from hers and spun her around. With her back to him, she couldn’t counter his speed and stood naked in mere moments before he pulled her hard against his rigid body. In silence, he cupped her breasts and fondled her, making her achy and restless for more.
“What’s your favorite color?”
Twisting her head, she frowned up at him. “Pardon?”
“Favorite color, what is it?”
“Red, why?”
He rolled his eyes and then kissed her nose. “Are your eyes really that color?”
“Jett, what—” Seeing his eyes widen made her shut up. In an instant she realized what he was doing. “Oh. Yes, my eyes are really this color.”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
Everybody commented on her eyes. “No one believes a person can have reddish eyes without looking bloodshot.”
“For the record, I think they’re crimson and they’re absolutely beautiful.”
Her cheeks heated at his unexpected compliment but something else about the moment made her ears prick up and pay attention. Addison had admitted to knowing very little about Jett, even after working together for five years. And yet here Jett was, prepared to open up to her when she hadn’t asked him to. She suddenly felt overwhelmed by his faith in her and the fear of disappointing him roared back into life with such strength it made her shake.
“Whisper?”
She pulled out of his hold and crossed the room. All her dismal failures of the past returned to haunt her and it took everything she had not to grab her clothes and run out of the room. She might have, had he not been standing in front of the door. Covering herself with a cushion from the sofa, she risked a glance at him only to find him confused.
“Before you ask, let me get dressed.”
“Ask what?”
She moved toward her shirt thrown over the arm of the sofa but Jett met her there, his curious gaze penetrating her.
“What was I going to ask, Whisper?”
“You were going to ask me what’s wrong. The trouble is I don’t know how to answer.”
“So why do you look so scared? Did I say something to upset you?”
Roxanne shook her head. “No.”
His warm hand curved around her biceps. Through the simplest touch he invited her to trust him, to open up to him. “Please, Roxanne.”
“You trust me to do the right thing, to say the right thing. You’re putting so much faith in me when the truth is, I don’t have that much faith in me.”
The confusion in his gaze faded away and the smile on his lips gave her hope she didn’t expect to feel.
She looked so vulnerable, so trusting that all he could think of was wrapping her up in a warm, cozy embrace. It seemed like his trust in her scared her as much as it did him. On the one hand, it could make her appear wishy-washy, but he knew she possessed more strength than she gave herself credit for.
“I know you won’t hurt me, Roxanne.”
“How can you know that? I could be playing you to get your job.”
He surprised them both by laughing but promptly stopped when she crushed the cushion tighter against her chest. “In all honesty, you wouldn’t need to discredit me. You are damn good at what you do, though I suspect somewhere in your past a coworker has done something of that nature to you.”
He gave her a moment to respond and when she didn’t, he stepped closer. Buoyed by the way she held her ground, he tugged on the cushion. She held tight, her gaze avoiding his. The discomfort between them forced him to think laterally and rather than fight her for the pillow, he removed the rest of his clothes. When he stood naked before her, he touched the back of her hand to reestablish their connection.
Her hand came away from the cushion to tangle with his. “Let’s take this slow. We’ve got all weekend.”
The tender smile on her lips took his breath away and when he reached for the cushion a second time, she didn’t fight him.
Fuelled by the need to lighten the tension between them, he pulled her closer and took her face in his hands. He’d stare into those eyes all night if she’d let him. He pressed his lips to hers in an advance gesture of thanks, never thinking she’d use the contact to ignite an entirely different type of tension. The heat that engulfed his body made him hard and his cock lengthened and thickened against the soft curve of her belly.
Why are we so physical? It took virtually no effort for each to get lost in the pleasure of the other and while he had no answer, he knew he couldn’t stop. Touching her deepened their communication and he only hoped he said the right things.
Lowering her to the sofa, he waited for her to get comfortable on her back before settling between her thighs.
“We should be careful,” he whispered, rubbing his cock against the inside of her thigh. “I don’t have a condom handy.”
Her eyes flashed and she gave a nod. “What was it like, growing up with witchcraft? Did you use it on others?”
Sliding a stray strand of hair from her forehead, he relaxed. “My mother had very strict rules about that. She loved the Craft but she didn’t want everyone to know. I never understood why she worried so much because she’s a healer. I’m the one who dabbles in clean-up-my-apartment spells, though until I met you, I’d never used much besides healing magic.”
Whisper’s lips curved. “And what does she think of the clean-up-your-apartment spells?”
He huffed. “I think she’d skin my hide if she knew. She doesn’t like magic to be used carelessly, says it gives people the wrong impression.”
“But Greg knew about it?”
He nodded and kissed the warm skin in the valley between her breasts. “Our mothers are good friends. His mum, Kathy, is rather smitten with the whole concept but she’s always been true to my mum. They’ve shared a special bond since my mum helped her heal after a long illness. If she knew Greg had threatened to expose me, she’d probably want to knock him senseless.”
Her hands traced the lines of his face, bringing him up so she could kiss his cheeks, his chin and finally the corners of his mouth. Her taste drew him in and he sampled her further, caressing her lips with his in a slow, yearning kiss. Too many sensations pulled at his consciousness. The feel of her body beneath his. Her hands in his hair. The way her tongue danced with his. He didn’t want to talk anymore. Would she understand?
He strayed from her mouth, kissing and licking the delicate skin of her throat, down the slope of her chest and then up the rise of her breast. For a brief moment, he hovered over the peak of her nipple but she arched toward him and he took the rosy tip on of
fer, sucking it deep into his mouth where he could lave and nip. Her murmurs of contentment struck a cord deep in his heart and he rocked against her to the rhythm in his ears.
Though he wanted nothing more than to be buried inside her, he needed her to be ready for his entry. With great regret, he released her and lifted his head. Her pleading eyes speared his heart but if she allowed him to use a little magic, their lovemaking would be more meaningful and longer lasting.
“I want to use magic on us.”
“No, Jett.” Her hands in his hair tugged him forward. “Let it just be you and me, no magic this time. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
Disappointed, he nodded and shifted to get up, but the fear in her eyes made him stay. “I need to protect us,” he whispered, easing her worry. “Can I get you anything while I’m on my feet?”
“Just yourself, back here in a hurry.”
He kissed her before rising and hurrying over to the counter. He rolled the latex on, poured two champagne flutes and then carried them back to the sofa. Seeing his hands full, she sat up and took a glass. A voice in his mind warned that the herbal tincture he would give her went against her wishes, but his knowledge of his Craft assured him the results would soothe her ire when he explained why. He needed her to feel what he felt, to know him inside out and this was the only way given the time they had.
“To us,” he smiled. “And to learning everything I can about my Whisper.”
They clinked glasses and he watched her drink, swallowed at the sensual way her throat moved with each gulp. He finished his glass quickly, needing to chase away the dryness in his mouth and control the fire she’d ignited within him. With their glasses safely on the table, he returned to the warm, moist cradle of her thighs and pushed into her in one motion. She gasped and arched and he used the rhythm she set to bring her close to climax. Her legs hugged his hips, her heels digging into his buttocks urging him deeper.
It was an impossible task but he tried and, when he felt the beginnings of her orgasm, he quickened the pace. The herbs began to work and the meeting of the minds mimicked the meeting of their bodies. He heard her voice though she did not speak and her wide, surprised eyes told him she heard him. Their union took them deeper into the other and in the moment they both climaxed, her life flashed before his eyes. Every memory from her first kiss to her sixteenth birthday, to the jealousy of her former boss who used her and then cut her out of the business at the peak of its success.
He saw something else and it almost broke his heart.
She buried herself in work for fear of being hurt, of hurting another. She was driven by the need to prove herself as a woman in a male-dominated industry and had given up all hopes of finding love and happiness. She never thought she’d find it in him, saw him as a source of physical pleasure. The wall surrounding her heart cracked and though she wanted him to open up to her, she didn’t think she could do the same in return. And as he saw that in her, he also knew she hadn’t wanted to disappoint him.
The revelation and the shock of the connection jolted him back into reality. Beneath him, her face was turned but there was no hiding the tears. Jett pulled away, backing up to his knees, but the damage was done. She scrambled to her feet, staring at him accusingly. Her bottom lip trembled as she crossed her arms over her chest in a vain attempt to hide from him.
“I asked you not to use magic.”
“Roxanne, let me explain.” He reached for her but she swatted his hand away in fury.
“How can you explain that? I was clear, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, but—”
“No!” Her tears flowed, each one a stab to his heart. “I can’t believe you would do that.”
Helpless, he watched her gather her clothing. She’d go but not before he explained himself. “I only wanted us to be closer. I know you better, you know me. Don’t you understand? I used the magic to help us, not to hurt you. I would never hurt you, Roxanne.”
She haphazardly stepped back into her clothes and then stopped to glare at him. “But you did. I asked you not to, Jett. All those things I saw about you—” She squeezed her eyes shut and held her palm to her forehead. Was she reliving the events of his past or trying to block them out? “I could have learnt that about you over time.”
Seeing her in pain brought him closer to her. He brushed off her attempt to hold him back and took her by the shoulders. “I did it for us,” he insisted. “Please look at me.”
He waited for her to look at him but he never got to see those crimson eyes. She shook her head and pushed him away, picking up her bag and struggling with the lock on the door.
“Don’t go,” he pleaded. She stopped but didn’t look at him.
“Just tell me why?”
“Because it was the only way I knew how. You’ve offered to help defend me against Greg and I needed you to know the kind of man you were trying to help.”
Roxanne sighed and turned her head to the side. Tears glistened on her cheeks. “But don’t you see? I needed to learn that for myself, in my own time. You’ve forced your life into my mind and maybe I wasn’t ready.” She finally looked at him. The sadness rendered his lungs useless. “You used magic when I asked you not to. If you can’t respect my wishes then what hope is there for us?”
Chapter Six
It took Roxanne all of ten seconds to understand why Greg O’Connor sat in her office at nine o’clock Monday morning. And she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. Not after a weekend of Jett’s flashbacks running through her mind and his presence still swimming around in her soul. But her manners and her sense of ethics kicked in and she greeted him politely.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.”
Roxanne hung her coat and lifted her light scarf off her neck. The early burst of winter only added to her dour mood. “That would assume I know who you are, which I don’t. So why don’t we begin with an introduction?”
He snapped to his feet, smoothing his hands down his tailored suit jacket before offering one to her. She tried not to flinch at the feel of his clammy palm and reasoned it away as nerves. No doubt his last time in the building played on his mind and she guessed he’d come to her only as a last-ditch effort to climb out of trouble.
“Greg O’Connor.”
Now that she got a good look at him, she saw who he was. Mr. Football. September’s hunk in this year’s Stars of the Australian Football League calendar. Clean-shaven, immaculately groomed and cocky to boot. The kind of guy who believed himself to be God’s gift to women. His arrogance filled the room and made her itch. Such a stark contrast to Jett’s quiet confidence.
She made a mental note to skip straight over September and drool over October for two months instead. What kind of friend used inside knowledge, trusted knowledge as blackmail? A heartless, ruthless one, she supposed, and after she pulled her hand free and rounded her desk, Roxanne understood his very presence in her office could be misconstrued.
A quick glance at the windows lining her office wall showed the hall outside empty but she knew it wouldn’t last. Murphy’s Law would see to it. The quicker she could send him on his way, the better.
“And how can I help you, Mr. O’Connor?”
He blushed but she refused to let that cutesy grin slip by her defenses. “I’m in need of your services, Ms. Whisper. You see, I used to be represented by this firm but didn’t see eye to eye with the consultant handling my account. I’ve heard you can work miracles and to be blunt, I need one right about now.”
Lowering herself into her chair, Roxanne bit her lip. Dozens of comebacks scrolled through her head but she needed to choose her words carefully. Giving O’Connor the slightest hint that she had any intention of representing him would be unethical, since she’d rather stick her finger in a light socket.
How she could think of defending Jett after his Friday-night faux pas baffled her, but she didn’t have the time or the energy to go over the situation again. He’d gone against her wishes and s
he wouldn’t let him get away with it, but ignoring her problem with Jett didn’t help her with O’Connor.
“I’m your last resort, aren’t I?”
“I won’t lie to you.” He sighed heavily and sat back down. “Yes. It seems no one wants to give a guy with a short fuse a go. I have a temper and I lose it.”
“And you get in trouble,” she surmised. “Which isn’t great for your career. The problem for you, Mr. O’Connor, is that if you don’t address the problem you will keep landing in hot water and no amount of magic will fix that.”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her though he said nothing. She could practically see the cogs of his mind churning but, lucky for him, he chose to play it safe and not utter a word about Jett.
“I know I need help and I will get it, but right now no one wants to know me. I’m out of options.”
Roxanne rubbed her chin and thought it over. Agreeing to represent him felt like professional suicide. Addison hadn’t hesitated to release O’Connor from his contract. She doubted the boss would be happy for her to bring the rogue footballer back into the fray. The risk to the firm in handling his public image was high, maybe too high. As for how Jett would feel, Roxanne wanted to groan. On the one hand, she didn’t want to think about his needs. On the other, she hadn’t been able to put him out of her thoughts.
She leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other and immediately scowled at herself as her skirt rode up her leg. The flash of flesh caught O’Connor’s attention instantly. He practically drooled over the inch of skin bared.
“To be honest with you, Mr. O’Connor, I don’t think my boss is interested. I doubt he’ll consider this at all and considering he has the final say, your chances are slim. I might however have a solution for you.”
The man’s greedy eyes locked with hers and she suppressed a shudder at the hunger in them. Strange how this good-looking, sexy guy didn’t arouse her at all. And yet, she knew that if Jett walked in the room, she’d go weak in the knees. “Ms. Whisper?”
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