“Thank you.” He turned to her and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Again he stared at her and she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
“So I assume she’s someone special to you,” Janna said of Zoe. He had to know she was going to ask questions.
“My ex-fiancée.”
“Fian...fiancée?” Janna stammered. She didn’t know what she expected, but it wasn’t that. “You have a fiancée?”
“Ex-fiancée.”
Now she was the one staring. He had always wanted to marry and have a family. But the fact that he’d been close to marrying someone other than her left her mind reeling.
He removed his hands from his pockets and rubbed the back of his neck as he approached her. Draping his long arm around her shoulders, he turned off the light in the room and guided her back to the front of the cottage-like house.
They sat on the sofa in silence until he said, “I was never really in love with her.”
She lifted an inquiring brow to him, but remained silent. He said the words as if that fact explained everything.
“We started off as friends, and though I cared for her, I was never in love with her.”
“Then why’d you ask her to marry you?”
“I thought I was in love...and I was ready to settle down. Or at least I figured I was. She broke off the engagement.”
“And how did you feel?”
“Zoe said I was incapable of really committing. I had asked her to marry me, but I could never agree on a wedding date. After six months of being engaged and still no date set, she told me she couldn’t marry me. We recently broke up. She believed that there was something holding me back, something in my past.”
“Was she right?” Janna held her breath.
Austin slumped forward, his elbows on his thighs. He rubbed the back of his neck again as the silence between them grew.
“I denied it,” he said, staring down at the floor, “but she didn’t believe me. And she was right not to.”
He glanced over his shoulder at Janna, and her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she had no doubt that he could hear it. The love she saw brimming in his eyes showed way more than what he was saying.
“I never stopped loving you, but—and I hate to say this—I tried. God knows I tried.” He sat back on the sofa and stretched his arm behind her without touching her. “What I felt for you was so unbelievably powerful.”
Janna knew she shouldn’t be doing a happy dance inside, but she was glad to hear that she wasn’t the only one suffering emotionally during their years apart.
He sat back against the sofa and draped his long arm behind her.
“Not many days went by that I didn’t think of you—” he ran his hands through her damp hair “—yearn for you. I couldn’t seem to let my memories of you go.”
She so wanted to ask how he felt about her now, but she didn’t dare. Instead she turned in her seat, propping one of her knees on the cushion when she reached for one of his hands and said the first thing that came to mind.
“Just think. Your ex-fiancée caught you frolicking in the pool with a supermodel.”
He chuckled. “Be quiet and kiss me.”
He gently yanked on her hand and pulled her into his lap. He cupped her face and lowered his head. The kiss started sweet and gentle, but the heat between them grew into a roaring fire. She felt promises of new beginnings with every nip of his teeth and every swirl of his tongue.
Emotions she had only ever felt with him came rushing back with force. Without breaking contact, she straddled him, placing one hand on the back of his head and holding him close as she ground against him. His hands lowered to her waist.
What did all of this mean as far as she and Austin were concerned? Janna knew the type of chemistry they shared didn’t come along every day, and she so wanted to see where this deep attraction could take them.
She pulled back to catch her breath and Austin slipped his hand to the tail of her T-shirt, lifting the flimsy garment over her head. Janna’s nerves were getting the best of her as it felt like the first time. The first time she’d made love with the man she cherished more than anything.
Austin laid her back on the double-width sofa and hovered above her, his eyes blazing with passion. She wanted him so badly she was tempted to pull him down on her and have her way with him.
“You are absolutely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” His desire-laden voice washed over her like a cool breeze.
Going braless definitely made for easy access. Janna forced herself to let him get his fill of her bare breasts as his gaze raked down her body. He lowered his head and snaked his tongue out over a pert nipple and Janna practically leaped out of her skin. A wave of lust rushed through her body when he paid the same homage to the other breast. Sucking, licking—his mouth had always done wicked things to her.
When he lifted his head, she quickly helped him remove his shirt, tossing it to the side. She wanted him more than a starving woman wanted food and she couldn’t wait. Her gaze took in all of him, from the way his broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist and his rock-hard abs. Her hands moved up the side of his smooth body and rested again on his chest, where his heart hammered a staccato beat beneath her touch.
“You’re even more magnificent than I remember.” She tweaked his taut nipples, chuckling when his body jerked and he swore under his breath. He grabbed her hands and lifted them above her head, holding them in place while his mouth covered her breast. An electric current gripped her.
“Austin.” She rocked her hips beneath him, wanting to feel more of him.
Heat rushed through her veins and she knew she couldn’t take much more of this seductive scene. It had been too long. Too long since a man made her body hum with need and too long since a man made her feel so desired.
Austin groaned and with a hand on her left hip halted her movements. He placed a soft kiss on her nose, on her chin and then another against her lips before he lifted himself slightly. He must have seen the question in her eyes—Why’d you stop? He pushed all the way up and grabbed both their shirts from the floor.
“Put it on,” he said, clearly frustrated when all she did was look at the garment. He slipped his over his head. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my life, but I don’t want to rush this. I don’t want us to have any regrets.”
Regrets? Hell, the only regret she was having at the moment was the fact that he had stopped. Irritation coiled inside her gut as she jerked her shirt over her head and stuffed her arms through the sleeves. She’d suffered years of not having him in her life. There was no way she would have second thoughts about them finishing what they had started.
“I remember our first time. Do you?” he asked quietly.
Janna exhaled a small breath and glanced up, staring into his gentle eyes. A peace like she hadn’t felt in years suddenly settled over her at his words. She would never in her life forget their first time. How could she? It was the single most astonishing day of her life.
“Very few women can actually say that their first time was with the man they loved. A man who made them feel like the most important person in the world. A man who took his time and worshipped her body as if she was some type of priceless gem. But I can.”
She’d been sixteen and they had been dating for a year and a half. His parents had gone away for the weekend, leaving him and his brother home alone. Austin had invited her over for brunch. He had cooked everything from pancakes to salmon croquettes, all to impress her with his culinary skills.
She smiled up at Austin and kissed him.
“I had never been so nervous in all of my life.” He chuckled. “I knew early on that you were the one for me, the one I had planned to spend the rest of my life with.”
The smile that had onl
y moments earlier covered his mouth slipped as he lowered his eyes. Janna prayed he wouldn’t bring up how she left or how she had tossed their future away.
Instead he said, “I didn’t want to disappoint you, knowing it was your first time.”
Her heart melted.
“You definitely didn’t. You were gentle, thoughtful, and I felt safe. Most importantly, I felt loved. Never disappointed.” If she were honest, she would have to admit that she’d wanted him to make love to her well before then. They had come close a number of times, in his car, at the park and even in his parents’ den when they weren’t home. But he had always put the brakes on before things went too far. Like tonight.
His smile returned. “I’m glad to hear that.” He slid his arm behind her neck and pulled her close, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I never want to disappoint you, which is why I stopped what we were about to do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If we start this...whatever this is between us, with sex, I’m concerned it will screw any chance of us having more, and I want more. I want us to spend some time together, get to know each other again. If that’s okay with you.”
She wanted to say that he could get to know her after they were reacquainted with each other’s bodies, but she didn’t. She hadn’t been intimate with a man in almost a year, and she’d never been with anyone who meant as much to her as Austin did. She had to admit, she wanted more, too.
Chapter 9
Austin whistled as he walked down the hall toward his office. After two meetings that involved hashing out budgets for a couple of the firm’s biggest projects, normally he would be ready to call it a day. Not today.
For the last week and a half, he and Janna had spent every day together. Dinners at his place, movie marathons that included action flicks, long talks over wine, and some serious kissing sessions that only stoked the sexual tension between them. Her presence in his life made him realize just how much he had missed her.
“Hi, Austin. I see you made it back,” Beverly, his secretary, greeted him when he stepped into the front office. She stood and handed him his messages. “Nice tie.”
Austin absently ran his hand down the length of the gift Janna had given him a few days earlier. He tended to wear designer ties, but he had a feeling the multicolored silk neckwear exceeded even what he would normally pay for one.
“Oh, and Janna Morgan called and said she should be here around noon,” Beverly said. Austin glanced at his watch, noting that it was twenty minutes till. “I didn’t realize you knew the supermodel. It’s going to be great to meet her.”
“Yeah, we grew up together. I’ll make sure I introduce you two.” Actually, he was sure Janna would introduce herself upon arrival and make Beverly fall in love with her the way everyone else did.
Fall in love. He had never stopped loving Janna, but his feelings for her now had risen to a whole different level.
He turned from Beverly’s desk to head to his office.
“Oh, and your brother is waiting in your office.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Austin stopped in his office doorway and frowned at seeing his brother sitting in his chair with his feet on his desk.
He closed the door. “Don’t you have an office of your own?” He swiped his brother’s feet down. “Get up.”
Malcolm took his time standing. At just over six feet tall, he was a few inches shorter than Austin. They had the same build and probably weighed close to the same, but personality wise, they were on opposite ends of the spectrum.
“Yeah, I have my own office, but can’t I come and hang out with my little brother sometime?”
“Only when you want something.” Austin stood at his desk and sifted through the messages Beverly had given him. “So what do you want?”
“Your secretary was right. That is a nice tie.” Malcolm dropped down in one of the guest chairs. “As a matter of fact, it doesn’t look like anything you would pick out for yourself. I’d say that beautiful supermodel you’ve been spending so much time with is trying to bring you into the twenty-first century with your style. Thank goodness.”
Austin shook off his suit jacket and hung it on the back of his office chair before sitting down. The way he felt about Janna, she could do whatever she wanted to him. He didn’t know what he was going to do when she headed back to New York in three days. He wanted to beg her to stay in Atlanta with him, but she was at the apex of her career. He couldn’t put her in a position to choose between him and her job again.
“There you are staring off into space again,” Malcolm cut into Austin’s thoughts. “It’s a wonder you’ve been able to get any work done with Miss Hottie in town.”
Austin sat back in his seat and folded his hands on top of his head. “Are you in here for a reason? Because if you’re not, feel free to show yourself to the door.”
“As a matter of fact, I am here for a reason.” His brother turned serious. “What would you need from me in order to increase my department’s budget? I thought we could go another year with the CAD/CAM, the computer-aided design and manufacturing system, that we have, but I don’t think so. Ours is so outdated, I think we’re going to have to upgrade sooner rather than later.”
Despite his brother’s partying ways, Austin had to admit that Malcolm was the best building designer. As the director of that department, his brother was brilliant when it came to thinking outside the box and offering their customers unique and fresh ideas.
“Do like everyone else is required to do, submit a request.”
“I can do that, but brace yourself. This system is not cheap.”
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
“Come in.”
The door swung open and a gust of adrenaline swept through Austin like a bullet from a high-powered rifle. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the sight of Janna.
Those seductive eyes. That smile that lit up his life. And that body. God, that body. It was no wonder he hadn’t been able to think straight these last few weeks. Dressed in a red blouse with a plunging neckline and fitted jeans with her signature ponytail, she had his body tightening with desire. Hell, she could wear a burlap sack and still have him drooling. He fought the desire to march across the room and take her right up against the far wall. He couldn’t do that. Not only because Malcolm was in the room, but also because he wanted their first time back together to be more romantic—and on a bed.
“Good afternoon, fellas.” She closed the door and strutted into the room with all the confidence of a woman who was used to being the center of attention.
Austin’s gaze went to the picnic basket in her hands. Funny how he hadn’t noticed it when he first spotted her in the doorway. She carried it as if it were an accessory to her outfit, and damn if she didn’t make it work.
He and Malcolm stood.
“Hey, beautiful,” Malcolm said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek before Austin could get to her. “Surely by now you know you’re hanging out with the wrong brother, right?”
She set the basket down on a nearby table and cast smoky eyes on Austin. “Mmm, I think I have the right one.”
Austin stepped around the desk and she walked into his open arms. He covered her mouth and kissed her with enough passion to let her know for sure that she had the right brother and how glad he was to see her.
Once he let her up for air, she said, “I definitely have the right brother.”
Malcolm chuckled. “I guess that’s my cue then. I’m outta here.”
Austin ignored his brother and captured Janna’s lips again, eliciting a moan from her that spurred him on.
“Don’t mind me. I’m just going to go and get back to work,” Malcolm said as he left the office.
“I thought he’d never leave,” Austin mumbl
ed against Janna’s mouth. “But I’m glad he did.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Hi.”
She grinned. “Well, hello.”
Stepping out of his hold, she lifted the picnic basket. “Ready?”
“Uh, yeah, but I didn’t know we were going on a picnic.” He glanced down at his clothing. “I had planned on ordering lunch in. That way we could eat while we discussed more of your business plan.”
“Yeah, about that. I forgot to bring it.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I thought the whole point of lunch was to work on it.”
“Well, that wasn’t the whole point of lunch,” she said seductively. She walked up to him, her hands against his chest and her lips a breath from his. “I also wanted to see you.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep, and I wanted to do this.”
Her mouth settled over his, and he suddenly didn’t give a damn about lunch or anything else for that matter. Strawberry lip gloss, he realized when he tasted her lips again. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. Like years ago, he was powerless to resist anything she offered. Her hypnotic scent floated around him, weakening his defenses even more.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth greedily and knew that a kiss today wouldn’t be enough. He wanted all of her. His hands made contact with bare skin when they went to her waist, pulling her closer so that she could feel the effect she was having on him. Smooth, soft and warm were the words that came to mind when his hands traveled up her back beneath her blouse.
Oh, yeah, he definitely wanted more. He needed more.
Breathing hard, he broke off the kiss. “Maybe we should just skip lunch and take this back to your place.”
“What about work?” she asked. A glimpse at her kiss-swollen lips turned him on even more.
“It’ll be here when I get back.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, they were barely able to get inside Janna’s hotel room before they were ripping each other’s clothes off.
“I’ve never seen this side of you,” Janna said, panting and shimmying out of her jeans as she backed her way toward the bedroom with Austin following. She had already tossed her top and they were leaving a trail of clothes and shoes along the way.
Model Attraction Page 10