by Jess Dee
Jack didn’t attempt to interrupt. He listened to her side of the conversation, content to hear Claire’s just-woken-up voice ringing through the car. He couldn’t make out what Maddie said in response, he just heard a faint rumble through the phone.
He did not for a minute think Claire had accepted his decision to drive her to another shop. It was clear she was way too stubborn to let him convince her of anything, including agreeing with him to let the lease remain with Parker. A minute later she proved him correct.
“Here’s what I need you to do, Mad. Can you phone Epstein please? Fill him in on what’s been going on with the lease, find out exactly where we stand, and tell him we’re willing to take whatever action is necessary to either get that property or… Uh-huh. I think we should… Look, if legal action is our only option, then that’s what we’ll do… Yeah. Of course you should talk to Julia first.”
Her conversation continued on, and Jack knew most of what she said out loud was voiced for his benefit.
Still, Jack wasn’t panicked. Yet. Probably had a lot to do with his next destination, and the fact that Miss Jones’s smoky voice was tying his balls in knots again.
Ten minutes later Jack pulled into another parking spot, this time in a trendy area, not quite so up-market as Mosman.
“Glebe?” Claire looked not the least bit impressed.
“Glebe,” he confirmed. “There’s an empty shop I want you to see.”
Sandwiched between two universities, Glebe was like a little village, crammed full of coffee shops, restaurants, vintage clothes stores and funky bookshops.
“I’m sure there is.” She nodded at his door. “So why don’t you go look at it, and I’ll wait here in your car. When you’re done, you can take me back.”
“Nope.”
“No?”
“I’m not going in there without you.”
“Then it seems we’ll both sit in the car. And if we’re both sitting here doing nothing, you might as well drive me back to my car.”
“No, again.”
“No?”
“See, if I’m forced to sit here beside you, I won’t be doing nothing.”
“What will you be doing? Trying to convince me of the delights of Glebe?”
“No, much more simple than that.”
“What then?”
“You have two choices. Either I can sing out loud, to the radio or to a song of your choice…”
She pulled a sour face, telling him without words exactly what she thought about that option. “Or?”
“Or, regardless of your thoughts about getting to know me personally, I’m going to lean over and kiss you again. And this time I won’t stop because we’re parked on a public road.”
With a vicious growl, Claire turned up the volume.
Fortunately, Jack recognized the song playing, a Katy Perry tune, and he sang in time to it. Or tried to, anyway.
“You know you have got to stop that God-awful racket?”
He shook his head. “No can do. Until you walk into the shop with me, I’ll sit singing my heart out.” And with that he threw said heart and soul into the song. Pity for Claire he had no idea what the words were and had to make up his own as he went along, but the originality just added more soul.
Claire turned off the radio with a harrumph.
He grinned at her, and continued singing, projecting his voice as far as he could when he reached the high notes.
For the second time that day, Claire scrambled out of the car. “How old are you anyway?” she grouched as he followed suit. “Fifteen?”
“Close. Thirty-five.”
“You act like a child.”
Jack fell into step beside her with a triumphant wink. “Then I figure I’ll be perfectly happy in your shop.”
“You’re welcome there anytime—so long as you don’t sing. You’ll scare off my other customers.”
“You’ll love this place.”
“I’m not interested in this place.”
“I kissed a girl and I liked it.”
Claire clamped her hands over her ears.
He nudged her arm out of the way. “I did like it. Heaps.”
“The song?”
“The kiss. Both kisses.”
“You really are fifteen.”
“You really need to give this place a chance.”
And in a move he didn’t see coming, one he’d never have expected from the lovely Miss Jones, she placed her hands on her hips, glared in his direction and…pulled a tongue at him.
Jack snorted. And she’d had the gall to question his age? He chuckled out loud as he unlocked the door, liking Claire more with every moment that passed.
Chapter Five
Much as Claire hated to admit it, Jack was right. She did love the shop. Heaps. From outside she couldn’t see much. Someone had pulled the blinds down and it was locked up tight. But Jack opened the door, revealing beautiful, polished wooden floors, bright color-washed walls and ample space to set up all their goods. There were even shelves made of beech wood lining one wall, which would serve as perfect display cases for their books.
It didn’t take a lot of imagination to picture the store set up as Li’l Books and Bits. Without lifting a finger to renovate, they could move straight in. And the fact that it stood open only acted as an added benefit. They could take occupation immediately.
The only two problems? It was in the wrong freaking area, and it wasn’t the shop Claire had set her heart on.
“Go on,” Jack nudged her arm with his elbow. “Admit it. You like the place.”
Claire refused to give an inch. “Yes. I do. It’s a lovely shop. And whoever rents it will be lucky. But it has no bearing on me or Li’l Books and Bits.”
He pushed the door closed. “Have you seen the back area? It’s huge.” He led her through, and although Claire didn’t want to get excited, she couldn’t help the little flare that sparked in her belly. Again, he was right. The back room was huge. More than double the size of the Rose Bay shop. And right behind it was another room, perfect for storage, which the Rose Bay shop didn’t have any of.
“Eight-fifty a week,” Jack said. “You can have it for eight. At a nine-percent increase every year for three years.”
Okay, that was an undeniable bargain. She whirled around to glare at him, then had to swallow because he looked so…damn appealing. Like a gorgeous giant. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“You like the place, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll acknowledge it’s a great area to set up a second store.”
“Trying to avoid a lawsuit, Mr. Wilson?” Darn it. Did he have to be so big and so beautiful? It was difficult to hold on to her cool when all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and pull his face down to hers. Or maybe fall on top of him again so they could land in a big, tangled pile on the floor.
Refusing his dinner invitation had taken every last ounce of her willpower.
He smiled, his delicious, full lips curving at the sides, showing off his sexy dimple. Her stomach flip-flopped at the sight of it. “The only thing I’m trying to avoid is throwing you to the ground and fucking you mercilessly for the rest of the afternoon. I’ll tell you something, Miss Jones, that is a battle I find myself losing quite hopelessly.”
His outlandish comment whipped the breath from her lungs. Claire wanted nothing more than to be thrown to the ground by her G.G. and fucked until she could hardly stand. At this second in time, she wanted it more than the Rose Bay shop. “You’re incorrigible.”
He shook his head. “Nope. What I am is aroused and horny and half-blind from wanting you.”
“Then you’ll have a good idea how I feel about the property on New South Head Road.” Yeah, it was a wimpy comment. She should have been more honest with herself and him. Should have confessed she felt the same. That all she wanted was to strip off her clothes and his and get very naked with him on this very floor at this very time.
But too many factors played agai
nst her wishes. First and foremost, the lease. Secondly, if she gave into the temptation that was Jack even once, she suspected she’d be putty in his hands forever. And third, but not least of all, Jack had switched on all the lights, and although the blinds were down, the shop couldn’t have been brighter.
Which to anyone else may not have been a problem, but to Claire it was. Nudity was a big issue for her. Having been cut down by previous lovers because of her size, she’d developed an inhibition when it came to getting naked around men she desired. Experience had taught her that most men weren’t attracted to large women. And Claire was not small.
It was one thing arguing with Jack with her clothes on, kissing him with the cover of her shirt and skirt.
But the thought of him stripping them away terrified her. In essence it would be akin to stripping her defenses away. Clothed she could be the confident, self-possessed woman she knew herself to be. Stripped bare she could focus only on her flaws and insecurities.
Much as Claire wanted to be free of her clothes, the thought of Jack seeing every blemish in her very flawed body ensured she stayed good and truly covered up.
He looked surprised. “You lust over the Rose Bay shop?”
“I want that shop. Badly.” Not quite as much as she wanted him at this moment, but badly nevertheless.
He lowered his voice. “Does it make you horny…like you make me?”
Claire cleared her throat, finding it difficult to talk. “I have no idea what I do to you so I can’t answer that.”
“Okay, lemme ask you more specific questions. Does the Rose Bay store make your blood race?”
She stared at him, not gracing his question with an answer. Her blood was racing all right, taking one-hundred-meter sprints whenever he spoke, but that had nothing to do with the shop.
“Does your chest get tight every time you look at it? As if taking another breath is a task too monumental to manage?”
“I’m not answering you.”
“Does it start your skin tingling? Or send goose bumps racing over your flesh?” As he asked, he ran his finger over her bare arm, and a million tiny goose bumps flared to life.
Jack noticed them and smiled a sinful smile. “Same thing happens to me every time I think about you, look at you, imagine your touch on my skin, or better yet—your tongue.” A shudder shook his body. “I break out in goosies.” His eyes were glued to the telltale bumps on her arm. “If you ran your fingers over my back now, you’d feel them.”
Claire raised her hand, intent on doing just that, on helping herself to handfuls of his firm, muscled flesh, then dropped it when she realized what she’d been about to do.
“Touch me, Claire.” Jack’s voice had dropped to a deep, slumberous baritone. “Run your hands over my back.”
He met her gaze, and Claire couldn’t look away, didn’t want to. “I-I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I shouldn’t.”
“So you’ve said. But you should. You most definitely should. Stop pretending there’s nothing between us. There’s more to you and me than properties and rentals. We’ve moved beyond professional. We hit personal the first time your lips touched mine.”
Again her hand fluttered in mid-air, then dropped back down to her side. No, she really shouldn’t. It didn’t matter how badly she wanted to. It wasn’t about keeping things professional between them. For Claire there was so much more at stake.
Sharing kisses with Jack might be a huge boost to her ego, and it might make her pussy weep with need and excitement, but she wasn’t ready to face the disenchantment she was sure to see on his face when he got a look at her dimpled thighs and soft belly.
Claire preferred to let them both hold on to the fantasy that Jack found her attractive. Soon as he got a peek at her naked body, that fantasy would burst like a popped soap bubble.
“Claire,” he demanded. “Touch my back.”
The huskiness in his tone couldn’t be ignored.
Reaching up, she ran her hand over his shoulder, forcing herself not to squeeze, not to hold on and never let go. He was huge. Solid. Touching him made her insides all squishy and needy.
“No goose bumps.” Her throat was almost too dry to speak.
“That’s not my back.”
Her hand moved by its own volition, sweeping up to his neck, brushing her fingers over the hot skin there. Ah. Yeah. Definitely goosies.
It was her turn to shiver.
He stared down at her, his green gaze compelling, trapping her. “Still not my back.”
With no other choice, Claire stepped closer. She was too far away to reach his back from where she stood. As soon as she stepped forward, so did he.
“Now…” his voice was hoarse as a whisper, “touch my back.”
The second she curved her hand over his shoulder and onto the swell of muscle beside his spine, he moaned. “This is personal, Claire. Very personal.”
Jack ducked his head and fused their lips together.
Goose bumps were forgotten in the heat of the kiss, as were property leases and shops for rent. All Claire knew was the giant taking possession of her mouth and her will. The giant who hauled her against his body, molding his hips to hers, pressing his hands on her ass so she had no choice but to cradle his solid erection with her pelvis.
Pelvis shmelvis. That was her pussy rubbing up against his cock. Her very aroused, very alert and very wet pussy. And it was her clit that swelled in response. Her clit that sent shock waves of desire through her with every twist of his hips.
His erection caressed her tender nub, and his hand moved her ass and hips rhythmically, pushing her against him every time he thrust into her, then releasing her as he pulled back.
They rocked together in a simulation of sex. The only reason she wasn’t stuffed full of his cock right now was the layers of clothing that separated them.
He tore his mouth from hers, panting hard, but didn’t stop their erotic dance. His eyes brimmed over with lust, with a hunger so raw it sent a hot chill up her spine.
“I swear, Claire, I may only have known you a day, but it feels as though I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
As she reeled from the sensuality of his words and honesty in his voice, he tripped her. Stuck his foot behind her ankle, kicked her heel off the ground and took her down.
For the second time in two days she toppled like a hippopotamus.
But she hadn’t counted on his strength or his size. Where any other time she’d have landed hard, now he caught her before she hit the floor.
His arms were her safety net, and rather than dropping like a stone, she was lowered gently to her back. Even as she strove to catch her breath, he was all over her. His mouth was on hers again, nibbling greedily on her tongue and lips. His chest pinned her back to the floor, and his knees urged her legs apart. Her skirt fluttered around her thighs as Jack settled between them, and once again his cock was pressed against her pussy. He stretched out those long legs of his, placed his hands on her hips and rocked against her.
Claire was right there with him, kissing him back, giving him her tongue, her lips and her mouth. Her arms had circled his shoulders, and her hands were buried in his hair. She needed no encouragement to raise and drop her hips in time with his.
Jack may have no ear for music, but his body danced to a magical beat.
Claire began to climb again, reaching for that orgasm she’d ruthlessly suppressed yesterday. She’d have moaned in pleasure, but her mouth was occupied, otherwise entertained, enticed by his.
He must have sensed her growing excitement because he ground down harder and with more precision, zoning in on her clit, making Claire want to yell from the stimulation.
As she neared her peak, as her muscles tightened in anticipation and her thighs clasped tight around his legs, Jack stilled and broke their kiss again.
“Uh-uh, Miss Jones.” His throaty denial almost made her cry out in frustration. “You’re not coming like this. No
t with me dry humping you like an animal.” He arched his back and bent his knees, lifting off her.
Claire couldn’t contain her shock. “No!” Damn it. Where was he going?
“Hush, beautiful,” he murmured and pressed the softest kiss to her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.” His hands found her shirt and swiftly undid the buttons. As he nudged her blouse open, he pressed those soft kisses over each millimeter of exposed flesh.
If Claire thought she’d had goose bumps earlier, now millions of them scuttled across her skin. Her breasts pushed against the confines of her bra and her nipples hardened into beads.
Jack raised his head to stare down at his handiwork, and instinctively Claire tried to cover herself. There was no need for Jack to see how her stomach spilled over the top of her skirt.
He shoved her hands away. “No hiding from me. Not ever. You…” His voice trailed off as her blouse opened all the way, revealing her belly.
Claire’s heart dropped. That time had come. His disappointment was imminent.
She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, not wanting to face the visual proof of his distaste.
“You…” he tried again, but seemed to have no luck voicing his displeasure.
Claire’s muscles tensed, preparing for rejection. Regret swept through her. It was her own fault for letting things get this far. Her own fault for losing herself to his taste and his raw sensuality. She should have left well enough alone, left the fantasy intact.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she squeezed her lids shut, forcing them back. Now every time she’d have to face Jack again, she’d know she hadn’t lived up to his expectations. That was if she could ever face him again. Maybe from now on Maddie could see to the lease agreement?
“Claire,” Jack managed at last, his voice so hoarse she had no idea how he spoke at all. “You are beautiful.”
She froze.
“So…real, so fucking sexy.”
What?
His fingers grazed over her belly. “You’re every man’s fantasy.”
She turned to look at him, opening only one eye in case he was messing with her head, but he didn’t even notice. His gaze was pinned to her breasts, and his expression was one of reverence.