by Lisa Dyson
“What kind of beer do you have?” Jack asked.
She named a local microbrewery.
“Sounds good.” When she asked if he wanted a glass, he said, “Bottle’s fine. What are you having?”
In reply, she returned from the kitchen with two beers in hand, giving him one. They clinked bottles and grinned at each other. “To Harvey,” she said.
“To Harvey,” he repeated. They both took long drinks of the flavorful brew, their gazes never wavering.
Then Allie put her bottle down on the coffee table and reached out to take his. She set it down next to hers and held out her hand.
Not knowing exactly where she was going with this, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him to the couch. She put both hands on his shoulders and gave him a nudge. “Sit.”
He did as instructed. Then she removed her shoes, and the next thing he knew, she was straddling his lap, facing him. Their mouths met in a rush. Their passion ignited instantaneously from spark to wildfire.
* * *
ALLIE COULDN’T GET enough of Jack. She’d held herself back from giving over to her overwhelming attraction to him for way too long. But after he was so sweet to her tonight, she knew it was the right thing to do. She could trust this man. This man who knew how she was hurting at the possible loss of Harvey. This man who had been kind to her parents, was a good friend to Charlotte. This man wouldn’t hurt her. She was sure of it.
So sure that she was prepared to give herself to him, body and soul.
His mouth was sexy, tasting like the beer they’d just drunk, and oh, so very hot.
She adjusted her pelvis to feel his hard erection against her most sensitive spot. He groaned, grabbing her hips when she moved against him.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” His words came between kisses in a gasp. “You’re treading on dangerous ground.”
She chuckled, deep in her throat. “Trust me. I’m completely aware of my actions.” She moved her hips again to punctuate her statement.
She was as clearheaded as ever. She’d already been emotional about Harvey’s departure, and was glad now that she’d stayed away from alcohol at dinner so she could be sure this was a rational decision.
Her hands roamed his upper body, loving the play of his muscles in his arms and chest. His amazing abdominal muscles twitched when her hand lightly fluttered over them. She flattened her hand on his stomach, reaching beneath his waistband with her thumb to touch and tease the skin there.
He groaned and grabbed at her mischievous hand, holding it hostage behind her back. Meanwhile, his other hand traveled her body, stopping to concentrate on certain areas—the nape of her neck, the inside of her elbow, the bare skin above her breasts she’d never known was so sensitive—as if memorizing them.
She wore a deep blue tank top under a sheer blue top, and she sucked in a breath when his hand slipped under and untucked her tank top from her jeans. She nearly cried out in ecstasy when he touched her bare back with his hands—hands so hot they nearly burned her.
Jack released her hand so he could use both of his to caress her entire back from waist to shoulders. He moaned. “No bra?”
She giggled. “Built into the tank top.”
He moaned louder, and she wiggled her pelvis, loving the feeling of power as well as the heat he intensified in her core.
Allie raised her hands over her head as Jack stripped off her sheer top, leaving her in the tank. He tossed the blouse aside and lowered one strap of the tank, lightly nipping at her shoulder.
She giggled.
Then he focused on her breasts, using his thumb and forefinger to tease her nipples through the light support of the tank top’s cups.
Their gazes met and held.
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” His words came out raspy, about as sexy as a voice could get. “You know I can’t make you promises beyond tonight.”
This was her chance to stop things before they went too far. He was giving her an out.
Which made her want him even more.
In answer, she crossed her arms and stripped her tank top over her head, tossing it in the same direction as her blouse.
Taking that as the yes it was intended to be, Jack immediately grasped her breasts in both hands. His thumbs teased her nipples, and her core went from hot to molten. She nearly burst into flames when his mouth replaced his hands on her breasts.
Before she realized it, he had her on her back on the couch, and he was on top of her. The weight of his body on hers was a heady sensation she’d only dreamed about, both asleep and awake. She wrapped her legs around his waist, anxious to feel his erection again.
She ran her hands over his back. More than anything, she wanted to be skin to skin. She tugged at his shirt and he cooperated by removing it. Her hands roamed his bare chest, sliding down his abdomen to his belt.
He unbuckled it with less-than-steady hands and stripped it off quickly. That gave her access to the top button of his plaid shorts as well as his zipper and the pleasure beyond that she could only imagine.
Before opening his pants, she teased him with her thumb, running it slowly up and down the length of his solid shaft until she could see in his face that he couldn’t take much more.
He moved out of her reach and took off her jeans, leaving her in scanty blue underpants. She watched in wonder as his gaze took in all of her while his hands caressed. His fingers inched up her inner thigh, teasing her as he slowly moved the thin cloth to the side to access her most intimate and sensitive region, which pulsated as if screaming for release.
All thought left her as his mouth joined his fingers in giving her the pleasure she craved.
Then, with her legs wrapped around his waist, he lifted her from the couch. On the way to her bedroom, she heard him shut and latch Harvey’s crate door.
* * *
JACK WAS STARTLED awake by a whimper coming from Harvey. The dog probably needed to go out, but Jack didn’t want to move. He was too comfortable in Allie’s bed, her naked body curled into his.
He smiled at the memory of how she’d responded to his every touch, every movement. He ignored the guilt that nagged at him, knowing he couldn’t give Allie more than a pleasurable night here and there.
Harvey whimpered again, and Allie moved.
“Stay here,” he whispered close to her ear. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Mmm.”
He was tempted to wake her and go for round three, but Harvey was insistent.
The bedside clock said almost three-thirty. He pulled on his underwear and shorts, thinking he should probably leave after taking Harvey out. Tomorrow was a workday, and he didn’t want to overstay his welcome. Besides, sleeping together was one thing. Spending the entire night and waking up to face each other the next morning was quite another.
The last thing he needed was to have Allie misinterpret him spending the night to mean he wanted a committed relationship.
He donned the rest of his clothes and shoes in the living room. “Come on, boy,” he said quietly while he fastened Harvey’s leash. They hurried down to the street in the elevator and were back in Allie’s apartment in minutes. He got Harvey settled in his crate and made sure the latch was secure.
Jack should have walked out of Allie’s apartment and gone home, but he couldn’t help himself. He went back into her bedroom. He’d intended merely to watch her sleep for a minute, but he couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss her lightly on the forehead. He straightened and turned to leave.
“Jack?”
He spun around.
Allie hadn’t moved. “Are you leaving?” Her voice was low, sexy from sleep.
“I thought it was for the best.” He scrambled for an excuse. “We both have work tomorrow.”
“Right.”
He returned to the bed and sat down. She curled into his body and rubbed his back. He automatically put a hand on her hip, which was only covered by the sheet.
“You don’t
have to go,” she said. “Unless you really need to.”
He was sorely tempted to stay, especially when the sheet slipped to reveal her breasts. His fingers itched to stroke her flesh, now that he’d begun to learn what would make her scream and what would make her beg for more.
“I’d need to get up very early if I stayed,” he said. “I don’t have clothes for work, so I’d drive all the way to Newport and back.”
Unexpectedly her hand touched his knee, and he flinched. Her fingers inched their way up his inner thigh.
“Whatever.” Her words were nonchalant, teasing, daring him to go without experiencing her passion one more time. “Leave now. Leave later. Doesn’t matter to me.”
He stood, already missing her touch. In record time, he stripped off first his clothes and then the sheet that barely covered a beautifully naked Allie. He was on top of her and inside her before he could remember why it wasn’t a good idea for him to spend the night.
* * *
CHARLOTTE WAS UP early the next morning. She’d already showered and eaten breakfast and was on her last sip of coffee by the time Jack pulled up in front of his house.
“Hey, there.” She waved from her porch as he was getting out of his car. “You were out early this morning.”
His face turned bright red.
Charlotte’s jaw literally dropped when understanding dawned. She quickly covered her open mouth with her hand. “Never mind!” She had clearly embarrassed him by catching him doing the walk of shame.
He laughed it off and walked across the street to her porch.
“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t prying. I was making conversation.” She hoped he’d been with Allie, but she wouldn’t ask him—she’d carefully pry it out of Allie. Unless he’d been with someone else? Charlotte really should stay out of it just in case.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said. He checked his watch and looked up at Charlotte. “Have any more of that coffee?”
“Absolutely. Come on in.”
Jack followed Charlotte straight to her kitchen. She poured him a cup, and he asked, “What’re you doing up so early? Couldn’t sleep?”
“No, I’m stressed,” she told him. “Between my art show in three weeks that I’m not prepared for and the mystery of my mother’s money, the appearance of my exact double and so many questions about my adoption—” She took a breath. “You can understand why I’m not sleeping well.”
“Allie mentioned you sent for a DNA test. Has it arrived?”
“I was hoping for yesterday, but it will probably come today.”
“How long will it take to get the results?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. The lab said it depends on how busy they are.” She filled him in on her conversation with Marie. “I’ve got the distinct feeling there’s more that she’s not telling me.”
“I agree. Does she have any kids or someone else who might know what she’s hiding?”
“That’s a thought. I think she has a daughter several years older than I am. But I don’t know how to contact her. I haven’t seen her in at least a decade. She wasn’t at my mother’s funeral, which is the last time I saw Marie.”
They talked for a few more minutes before Jack pointed to her laptop on the kitchen counter. “Mind if I check my email quickly? My laptop’s in my car, and I need to see if I’ve gotten an update on an account.”
“Sure. I’ll be right back. I need to run upstairs for the pictures I’m having framed. If I don’t take them today, I might end up having to do it myself. And I don’t have time for that.”
“Good luck with that! And thanks for the coffee.” He drained the last of it and set the cup in the sink. “I’ll let myself out if you’re not back before I finish.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later.”
* * *
JACK’S JAW DROPPED when he opened Charlotte’s laptop.
Was it a simple, but weird, coincidence that the website for Fairleigh, Connecticut, was open and glaring at him? The same town that wanted to hire Empire to help boost their tourism?
He didn’t bother checking his email and instead closed the computer.
Did Allie somehow know about the town’s needs, too? Was that why she’d closed her laptop so quickly when he came to pick her up last night? Had she been looking at the town’s website?
He’d never talked about the town or the account with Allie, unless he’d said something in his sleep, which he seriously doubted. What other connection could there be to explain why Charlotte was checking out that specific town?
He left Charlotte’s and grabbed his things from his car. He unlocked his front door, entered and dropped everything right inside. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called his office.
“Stan, it’s Jack.” He paced the length of his living room. “Who else knows about this Fairleigh deal?”
“No one that I know of.” Stan sounded bewildered at the question. “You’re the only one I’ve told. No one else in the office even knows yet, unless you said something.”
“I haven’t discussed it with anyone.” Except his grandfather. But Granddad wouldn’t have talked about it.
“Okay, thanks, Stan. I might just be paranoid, but let me know if you find out that the news actually did leak. I’m working from home this morning. Call my cell if you hear anything.”
They disconnected, and Jack headed upstairs for a shower.
A little while later, he was eating breakfast and finally reading his email when he decided to check out the Fairleigh website himself. Might someone in the mayor’s office have posted something there about wanting a new advertising campaign? According to Stan’s info, they didn’t want to waste the time it would take to open it up for competition. That’s why it was so hush-hush. The town council had only just voted on moving forward with the plan at their meeting Friday evening.
The first thing he saw on the town’s website was an ad for an annual art show. Maybe that was why Charlotte had been looking at the website. Had he gone ballistic for no reason?
He exhaled and his blood pressure returned to normal. What a relief.
When had he become so suspicious? Was it because he knew how Allie chose to conduct business?
Deciding to head into the office now that the mystery was solved, he ran into Charlotte packing up her own car. “Need any help with those?” he asked.
“I’m good.” She struggled to hold on to several tubes that he assumed held her work.
He crossed the street to talk to her. “Hey, I couldn’t help noticing when I opened your laptop that you had a website open for Fairleigh, Connecticut. Do you have anything to do with the art stuff that goes on there?”
“Funny you should ask. I’ve never been there, but I’m going to check it out. Probably one day this week.”
“Why the sudden interest? Don’t you have a show to prepare for?”
“That’s what I said to Allie when she asked me to go with her. But she convinced me that I could get some work in while we’re there.”
Jack chose his words carefully. “Allie told you about the advertising campaign Fairleigh’s looking at doing?”
“Oh, so you know about it?” Charlotte obviously hadn’t been told not to say anything.
“I do.”
Did Allie already know he was working on the campaign, too? He’d been under the impression from Stan that there was no competition for this account. When had that changed?
“I should get to work,” he said abruptly. He had to figure out what was going on if he wanted to get his grandfather’s firm back on its financial feet. The Naturally Healthy Animal Food income would last only so long.
* * *
ALLIE AWOKE TO the sound of her phone alarm going off. She hit the snooze button and glanced around the room. She was alone.
The last thing she remembered, although vaguely, was Jack kissing her goodbye. He’d done such a good job of satisfying her after she’d lured him back to bed that she’d passed out immedia
tely afterward.
She stretched out in the bed, her pleasantly strained muscles reminding her of the night’s activities. The smile on her face felt permanent.
When the alarm sounded again a few minutes later, she turned it off and dragged herself out of bed and into the shower.
She fed and walked Harvey before they headed to her office, her smile still in place as she passed the receptionist’s desk.
“Good morning,” she said pleasantly to Penny, who gave her a surprised look. She understood Penny’s confusion—Allie wasn’t usually a morning person.
Allie couldn’t help that she was in such a good mood.
She and Harvey went into her office, and she shut the door. She checked her schedule to see what day would be best for a trip to Fairleigh. Allie still couldn’t believe the lucky happenstance that Fairleigh was home to an artists’ community and Allie knew a pretty famous artist.
“Hey, it’s me,” Allie said when Charlotte answered her phone. “How does Thursday sound for Fairleigh?”
“Works for me.” Charlotte hesitated a few seconds, then asked in a singsong tone, “So how was your evening?”
“Fine...” She drew out the word, wondering what Charlotte was hinting at. Could Jack have told her about spending the night together? He didn’t seem like a kiss-and-tell kind of guy.
“Just fine?” Charlotte prompted.
She filled Charlotte in on dinner with Jack and getting Harvey back.
Charlotte’s response was, “Oh.”
“Oh, what?”
“Well, I happened to see Jack early this morning—”
“You got me!” In all honesty, Allie was bursting to tell someone. “He spent the night. Are you happy now?”
Charlotte chuckled. “Extremely. And Jack looked pretty happy, too.”
Allie grinned. “Really?”
Charlotte laughed. “Yeah, really.”
After a few more minutes of chatting, they set a time for Thursday and made a plan for what they wanted to accomplish before disconnecting.