Slow Burn: Seducing Mr. RightTake Me

by Cherry Adair

  He sighed, slitting open his eyes. “Have your wicked way with me.” Her nimble fingers slid unfairly up his sides. “I’ll only touch if you beg me to.”

  “I won’t,” Jessie assured him with false confidence as she nibbled his mouth.

  The air smelled of the pine needles she was crushing under her knees. Dusty sunlight filtered through the tall trees, dappling her tanned, lithe body as she drove him wild with a deep, wet kiss. He allowed her to believe she was suppressing him with her small hands pressing his above his head into the leaves and needles that made up their bed.

  He had never seen her like this. She tormented him with her mouth. Slowly. Maddeningly. Joshua lay where she had pushed him, half on, half off the blanket. Her eyes got so dark there were almost no pupils. She kissed his cheekbones, his nose, his eye sockets and his forehead before she got down to some serious lip action.

  He could smell her sensual woman’s essence as she broke contact. He thought he would explode without her moist heat surrounding him. Her breasts heaved as she gulped in air, her hands braced on his chest. She must be able to feel his heart thundering beneath her palm.

  Her hair, never tamed, slipped from confinement and tumbled into a dark cloud around her shoulders as she kept her hot center inches away from his straining flesh. She slid slowly down his body, kissing a path toward very dangerous territory.

  “This is torture, you know,” he groaned as her tongue discovered his navel. He sank his fingers in her hair. She tasted lower. “Jessie—”

  “I’m busy!”

  He laughed on a huff of frustration as she finally did something about his agony. They probably heard his groan as far away as Sacramento when she skimmed that clever little tongue around his erection.

  Joshua gritted his teeth and he closed his eyes, fisting his hands against her scalp. Nothing in his life had ever felt this good.

  Cool air blew on a hot place. His eyes shot open. Jessie looked up the length of his body. “Uh...what now?” she asked uncertainly, her short nails digging into his flanks as though if she let him go he would disappear.

  Oh, God, she had been doing just fine. Joshua closed his eyes on a prayer before pulling her to sit astride him.

  “Whatever you want. Just don’t stop,” he panted, seconds before she sank home to the hilt. No testing the waters for Jessie. His vision blurred as she started to move. Hot, slick, tight. Agonizingly perfect. He held her hips long enough to start the rhythm.

  “I can do it, I can do it,” she said through clenched teeth and he let go and left her to it. She was doing a damn fine job.

  Her breasts were slick, her nipples dark and fully aroused. “Touch me!” she demanded. He slid his hands up her slim hips to her rib cage, feeling her heart fluttering beneath his fingers like a frantic bird. Fascinated by the absolute concentration on her face, Joshua lost track for a moment. Sweat glistened on her skin, sticking her hair to her cheeks, making her skin glow. Eyes narrowed, her concentration complete, she growled ferally as his hands closed over her breasts. He knew exactly how Miss Adams liked those pert little breasts touched, and he did his humble best.

  She rode him with a fierce and beautiful savagery, her rhythm perfect. Her primal mating brought them both to the point of no return before easing up just enough to drive him wild—a high-speed chase over a precipice only to slow down to the speed limit at the last second.

  “Your...hands aren’t...m-moving.”

  “I’m in ecstasy.” Joshua was polite enough not to remind her of her command.

  “You’re in me,” Jessie reminded him, his hands on her hips gently showed her he knew exactly where he was and who he was with bare-ass naked, outside, in broad daylight.

  Sweat stung his eyes as she leaned down and bit his shoulder, hard. He knew he would leave fingerprints on her bottom. No one had ever made love to him like this. Hell, he’d never considered making love in the wide-open wilderness until he’d met Jessie.

  She was his amazon, a Valkyrie. Pagan in her beauty as she loved him ruthlessly. She was as focused and intense as he had ever seen her. Wild and erotic, as sweat glistened on her skin out here in the woods where any hikers could trip over them. He didn’t give a damn.

  Her back arched as she took him deep into her womb.

  The pleasure was agonizing.

  Joshua reached down, touching his fingers to where they joined. Her stomach muscles clenched as he unerringly found the small nub.

  Eyes tightly closed, Jessie rose and fell, losing momentum as she got closer and closer to climax. Internal muscle pulsing around him gave him fair warning.

  Bracing her, his hands enormous on her pistoning hips, Joshua helped her to a faster rhythm. Until she clenched, curved and cried out his name...

  Then she threw back her head and screamed.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “COULD YOU EXPLAIN to me, Felix,” Joshua asked grimly, looking at his lawyer across the expanse of the other man’s desk, “how the hell Vera can run up twenty thousand dollars in bills in one month and I can’t even get Jessie to use one credit card?”

  “Which one are you angry with?” Felix asked, keeping his eyes off Simon who sat across the room flicking through a magazine.

  Joshua had arrived half an hour ago. Accustomed to his uncle’s presence in his lawyer’s office, Joshua got down to business immediately. That done, he leaned back in Felix’s cordovan leather guest chair and stretched out his long legs.

  “Neither. Both. Hell, I don’t know. I don’t give a damn how much Vera spends, you know that. I just wish to hell Jessie would let me do more for her.”

  “Signing over the Tahoe house should do it. Have you told her yet?” Simon asked from across the room.

  “No.” Joshua rotated his shoulders while squeezing the back of his neck. “I’ll wait for the right moment before I give her the deed.”

  “December?” Felix asked, checking the thick stack of papers Joshua had just signed to make sure his signature was where it was needed.

  “It’s not a parting gift,” Joshua said more harshly than he intended, then modified his tone. “She loves the house. I wanted to give her something....” He smoothed back his hair. “I want to make sure she’s taken care of when I... She should have the house,” he finished brusquely, having no intention of telling either his lawyer or his uncle how happy he and Jessie had been in the Tahoe house. It was none of their damn business.

  And he sure as hell wasn’t thinking about what Jessie would be doing after December 23. Giving Jessie the Tahoe house was a smart move. He would never be able to take another woman there without thinking of her. It was logical to give it to her.

  “She seems content not to be seeing as many clients as she did before.” Joshua cleared his scratchy throat. “But it will take her a while to build up her clientele after...later. The property will be a good investment for her.” He paused. “Has she said anything to either of you about being bored?” he asked casually, picking up his briefcase.

  “No,” both men admitted in unison.

  “Fine.” His tone indicated he was done with the conversation. “I’m on my way to the airport. When I get back from Russia I’ll give her the deed.”

  “Jess going with you?” Simon asked.

  “No. I’m not taking her on this trip. The schedule is too grueling, and I don’t think she’s getting enough sleep as it is. Keep an eye on her while I’m gone, will you, Simon?”

  “If I can convince her to make the time to see me,” Simon said dryly from across the room. “Every moment she isn’t with you is spent at your house. Gives her more time to fool around with that mausoleum you live in and fiddle around in your garden. Never seen her happier.”

  “Is that enough for her?” Joshua asked, recapping his pen and sticking it in his pocket.

  “She enj
oys being an interior designer, but I’ve never gotten the impression she’s a career woman. Despite the way she looks, Jessie is a homebody.” Felix slipped the paperwork into Falcon’s personal file. “Hate to rush you, Joshua, but Simon and I have a date with a racquetball at three, and you said you had a plane to catch.”

  Joshua glanced at his watch. He had plenty of time to get to the airport. He rose, shaking hands with Felix and resting his hand on his uncle’s back as he passed Simon’s chair. Clearing his throat, he said briskly, “Bring Patti for dinner next week so you can both see the house. Jessie will have everything finished by then, no doubt.” He smiled. “Anyone else would take a year to do what Jessie does in a week. She really has a damn fine talent. I’ll have her call Patti to set it up.” He turned to Felix. “Rustle up one of your attractive blondes and come, too.” He coughed dryly before opening the door.

  “Sounds like you have a cold there, son.” Simon rose, slapping the magazine he’d been pretending to read on the coffee table.

  “Allergies,” Joshua dismissed. “I’ll see you both sometime next week. Thanks for taking care of this, Felix.” Joshua indicated the desk where he’d signed several dozen business contracts and his wife’s bills. “Oh, by the way,” Joshua turned and said casually to Felix, “where is Vera living now?”

  Felix’s gaze shot to Simon, then back to Joshua. “Uh...Phoenix, when last I heard. Why?”

  “Get her number, will you, Felix? I’d like a word.”

  The moment the door closed behind him Felix turned to Joshua’s uncle. “Holy hell, Simon. What was that all about?”

  “God only knows,” Simon said with a frown. “We’ve told him for years how much Vera loves to travel. He’ll buy that she’s on another trip. An extended trip.”

  “For how long?” Felix asked. “I’m a lawyer, Simon. Joshua is my client. I could be jailed for conflict of interest here. Or worse.”

  “Never happen.” Simon waved away the possibility.

  Felix’s expression was serious as he said to his best friend, “If he ever finds out what the hell you and I are doing, he’s going to have our asses in a sling, you know.”

  “By then he’ll be so madly in love with her he won’t be able to see straight, let alone care one way or the other.” Simon shrugged on his jacket, loosening his tie.

  “Then why are we doing this?” Felix demanded.

  Simon scowled. “Just in case he doesn’t see the treasure stuck under his nose. There’re five months left. If—and I say if, mind you—Joshua is going to give Jessie her walking papers, she’ll have a nice little nest egg to tide her over.”

  “She most certainly will.” Felix grabbed his sports bag from the credenza and flicked off his desk light. “I received the copy of her portfolio from the brokerage house last week. Hell, I never expected that Senses stock to split so quickly. So far we’ve almost doubled her money. We’re up to six million dollars for Vera.”

  “Close, but no cigar,” Simon reminded him. “We decided on ten.”

  “You decided on ten.” Felix hefted his bag on his shoulder. “I hope to hell you’re working on how we’re going to explain to Jessie why we ignored her instructions and continued taking money every month from Joshua, long after she told me to stop.”

  Simon opened the door for his friend. “And to think she’s been slavishly depositing hefty chunks of her pay checks to pay him back. What she’s scrimped and saved will be a mere drop in the bucket.” He gave a quick nod of the head. “If he does leave her, I have no doubt she’ll be dammed grateful to have financial security. She won’t give a damn where it came from.”

  “I hope you’re right about this, Simon.” Felix crossed to the elevator beyond his office and pressed the down button. “The more I know Jessie, the more I realize she doesn’t give a damn about material things.”

  “She sure as hell likes not working,” Simon told him. “They all like not working, Felix. As soon as Jessie has that money in her hands, she won’t feel as bad. You and I have had her best interests in mind ever since that farcical wedding, for God’s sake. Joshua wouldn’t care or even miss the money. To Jessie, it could be a lifesaver.

  “I’m betting on a wedding in the very near future. Hell, he’s given her the Tahoe house. You know how much he loves that place. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I love that girl as if she were my own daughter. And I know women.” Simon laughed, slapping Felix on the back as they stepped into the elevator. “Hell, I had my share of lady friends before I married Patti. Trust me on this. I really know women.”

  * * *

  JESSIE YANKED A navy velour robe off its hanger and pulled it on over her naked body. Its soft folds engulfed her, surrounding her with Joshua’s scent. She rolled up the sleeves and tugged the belt around her waist before going downstairs to wait for him.

  Too tired to bother eating, Jessie flopped down on the new sofa in the family room. She tried to read. Even the latest terrifying vampire novel couldn’t keep her awake. After laying the book on her lap, she channel surfed and found an old movie. She tried to concentrate on Fred and Ginger, pulling down the soft folds of Joshua’s robe to cover her bare toes.

  He’d gone to Russia this time. As usual, she’d overdone it while he was gone. Sick of the sterility of his house, she’d persuaded Joshua to let her do something about it while he was away.

  Conrad and Archie had been so good to give her a job when she had no experience years ago. This commission would balance things out. And the money meant nothing to Joshua, so for once she had no compunction about spending some of it. At least it was for him.

  She had adamantly refused his offers of money and expensive gifts for months. She’d refused money, the car, a condo and a hundred other perks he’d offered. When he realized she was in deadly earnest, he’d started giving her beautiful costume jewelry. It was obviously expensive, but at least she wasn’t having sleepless nights worrying about losing it. She had to admit she loved the clothes he insisted on buying for her. Things she could never have afforded herself. Things she would never have needed. He moved in elite circles. To him, the designer gowns and jewelry were part of her uniform. She hadn’t been able to refuse, given his logic.

  Little did he know that most of the clothing she had was from her college days. College and clothing he had paid for. That was why she’d worked so hard to pay back every cent he’d given her as Vera. She refused to be bought and paid for. No matter how this relationship progressed, she didn’t ever want Joshua to think he’d had to pay for her services.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about their trip to his cabin last month. It had been a magical time. For both of them. But it had made her reluctantly reassess what she was trying to get out of their relationship.

  They had been sleeping together for months and she was still not pregnant. Each month the crushing disappointment had warred with a strange feeling of relief. The relief that the gods were giving them a little more time together.

  That weekend had nudged a little place in her mind that said perhaps what she felt for him was more than the need to cold-bloodedly procreate. She’d been struggling with the decision for weeks.

  She’d originally decided that having the baby alone, raising it alone, would be ideal. However, the better she got to know The Glacier the more certain she was that she would never walk away from him once she was pregnant with his child. She was positive now that Joshua would track her down to the ends of the earth if he ever found out she had stolen something so precious from him. Because, even if he didn’t know it himself, Joshua would make a terrific father.

  Once he forgot about his image and they were alone, he could be tender and demonstrative. The man had potential. They deserved the opportunity to explore this relationship. He made her happy. She made him laugh. Surely, there was more to what they had than just sex?

  Jessie
wanted to find out.

  She had shed a bucket of tears before going to the drugstore. She had spent a whole day packing all the baby things and putting everything in storage.

  Luckily Joshua was on one of his long trips. For days she had been alternately weepy and then optimistic. Finally she had become sick of the inactivity. The decision had been made.

  The small pouch wouldn’t fit into her little purse because of the divorce papers. In a moment of indecision she looked at the papers, then at the birth control packet. There was room for only one in her purse...and in her heart.

  The decision was remarkably easy. She tossed the papers into the back of a drawer. The birth control fit just fine in her purse.

  She’d packed a small bag and had been at Joshua’s since.

  Redecorating his house into a home had been exactly what the doctor ordered. The busier she was, the less time she had to think. In the last ten days she had supervised painters and wallpaper hangers, had furniture and live plants delivered and generally had a wonderful time changing the house into the home she’d always wanted. Except, of course, she’d never, even in her dreams, pictured a home quite so grandiose. And it was the first time she’d approached a job with her teeth gritted for battle and her brain conjuring up untold fairy tales.

  She was worn to a nub, she thought with sleepy satisfaction, letting her head fall back on the plump pillows. The room still smelled faintly of paint. She smiled.

  Not a trace of his corporate colors survived. Instead, she had filled his home with light. Beautiful fabrics and textured wall coverings, flowers and wonderful antique accent pieces had brought it all together. She’d rearranged his priceless art collection, consigning the boring pieces to the attic.

  The house had been crawling with people for days, sending Joshua’s security staff into fits.