by Reese Ryan
“You think I’m stubborn?”
“You’re rather determined. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” He smiled. “When we were kids, it became painfully obvious to me that I wasn’t meant for the family business. I was dreadful with numbers, but I was good with my hands. I could sketch and mold just about anything into little sculptures.” He smiled wistfully. “Even then, my parents weren’t very impressed by that. But my sister encouraged me. Always told me how clever I was to be able to do such a thing. That she envied my ability to make magic out of nothing. She believed I’d grow up and be an artist, even when we were as young as nine years old. She’s the reason I’ve never given up on my art or given in to my family’s demands.”
“You were lucky to have her as your sister.”
“I was. Jeanette wasn’t just my sister. She was my best friend. The only one I’ve ever really had.” He blew out a long breath. “So I’m determined to create a sculpture in her honor that will grace a public park. I hope it will make people happy long after I’m gone.”
“What’s your idea for the sculpture?”
There were few people he discussed a piece with before it was complete, unless it was commissioned. While the sculpture had been commissioned by the city, they’d given him free rein to create whatever he liked.
He blew out a long, painful breath. “Nothing that will resemble my sister in a literal sense. It will be reminiscent of the things I loved most about her, and I’m dedicating the public art piece to her memory.”
“What prompted you to honor your sister with this sculpture?”
“I was sitting out here about a month ago when it struck me that when I’m gone, there’ll be no one to remember her. Or to mourn the loss of what she might’ve brought to the world. I named my gallery after her, but that didn’t seem like enough.”
“I thought your sister’s name was Jeanette?”
“Sorella means sister in Italian. We lost her in Italy while on holiday.”
“Jordan, I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” When Sasha turned to him, her beautiful brown eyes welled with tears, and her voice trembled with emotion. She seemed to truly understand his sense of loss, and it touched her. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to Jeanette? Was she ill?”
It’d been so long since he’d heard another person utter his twin sister’s name.
“She drowned.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. His lungs were still on fire and acid burned in his gut. That day and the role he played in it forever etched in his mind.
Sasha slid her warm hand in his, threading their fingers. A lifeline he needed at a moment when he felt he was falling apart. Fury, sadness and regret had churned inside him all night, desperate for release. He’d tried to tamp down the bitter brew of emotions. Carrying on as if everything was fine, cocktail in hand. But the more he’d tried to pretend, the more agitated he became.
He’d been grateful for Sasha’s small acts of kindness. Her ability to recognize his pain beneath his smiles and laughter. Her insistence in escorting him home. Agreeing to come in for coffee and be a listening ear. And now this.
Jordan gently squeezed her hand. Acknowledged the act and his appreciation for it without a word.
They stood in silence, her hand in his, staring at the city across the bay. Her silent comfort wrapped itself around him. Warmed the chill he felt inside. Made him feel whole again, if only for as long as they stood there together in silence.
“I’d better go.” She turned to him, slipping her hand from his. “But thank you for the coffee and the tour of your lovely home.”
“The pleasure was mine.” Jordan shoved his hands in his pockets. “Thank you for the ride and the chat.”
There was something in her eyes as they met his. She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it quickly, dropping her gaze.
“What is it, Sasha?” He should let it go. She’d decided against saying it. He should just leave it at that. But he couldn’t. He needed to know.
Sasha inhaled a deep breath as if gathering her nerve. She flattened her palms against his chest and rose on her toes to kiss him.
Jordan didn’t fight the kiss or give in to it. His fingertips drifted to her sides as she pressed her soft, sweet lips to his. As the idea settled over both of them.
He needed to know that they weren’t just swept up in the emotions of the moment. That neither of them would regret what was happening between them.
Sasha seemed to recognize his reluctance. She looped her arms around his neck, signaling the need for more contact.
Jordan wrapped his long arms around her waist and hauled her closer. He kissed her back, gliding his tongue along the crease between her lips.
She opened them to him, a soft murmur escaping her mouth as his tongue slid along hers.
Heat filled his body and his heart hammered against his chest as he claimed her mouth. From the moment he’d first laid eyes on Sasha, he couldn’t stop imagining the taste of her full, sensuous lips. How it would feel to hold her in his arms.
He kissed her hard, his tongue delving deep as he swallowed the small murmurs of passion emanating from the back of her throat.
His hands glided down her back and cupped her round bottom. He pulled her as tightly against him as the laws of physics would allow. Still, he wanted more. Jordan fought the urge to tug that little dress higher so he could feel more of the creamy thighs he’d been dreaming about since the day she’d worn those little shorts on their second not-quite-a-date.
He found the strength to break their kiss, but not enough to break his contact with her warm skin. Jordan trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Over her beautiful, bare shoulders.
“You know I want you, Sasha.” He pressed a kiss to her ear. “But don’t do this out of pity. I couldn’t bear that. Not when I’ve looked forward to this for so long.”
She trembled slightly. As if the reality of what was happening between them had finally dawned on her. She didn’t respond.
Jordan slipped his hand beneath her jaw, lifting it gently, so their eyes met. “Whatever your answer, it’s okay, love. I’ll be disappointed, perhaps. But I’ll get over it. There’s always tomorrow.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She scanned his eyes as if she’d find the answer she sought in them.
“Earlier tonight...when we nearly kissed...” For the first time since he’d met Sasha Charles she seemed almost shy. Lowering her gaze to his mouth, she sank her teeth into her lower lip. “I wanted you to kiss me.”
His body ached with need for this woman. His mother’s meddling aside, something drew him to Sasha. Like opposite poles of a magnet attracting one another. Sasha, with her virtue, sensibility and need for order, was most definitely the North.
Jordan’s hand glided down to her neck, his gaze dropped to her mouth. He was desperate to kiss her again. To learn every inch of her curvy frame. But he couldn’t ignore the persistent voice in his head. The one that reminded him that he did indeed possess a bloody conscience. And he’d never be able to live with himself if he took advantage of Sasha’s kindness.
He looped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer again. “Then you should know that if I kiss you again, I’ve no intention of stopping until I have you in my bed. And I have every intention of making you mine tonight.”
A small frown furrowed her brows when he said “tonight.” She glanced out onto the water as if debating his terms of engagement in that beautiful head of hers.
Sasha had made it clear she wanted a relationship. One that could lead to love, perhaps even marriage.
That was more than he could offer.
He’d been up-front about that, and his position hadn’t changed. Perhaps he hadn’t met his parents’ expectations of a proper English gentleman. But he wasn’t a scoundrel who’d say or do anything just to have a romp with
a beautiful woman. Especially one as sweet and kind as Sasha.
Not even if it meant his night would end in bitter disappointment.
“I know you want something more serious.” For the first time, the words felt like an apology. “But I can’t give you that. So, if you—”
Sasha pressed her open mouth to his again, cutting him off. She seemed intent on shutting his gob before he could talk her out of what she’d obviously decided.
His tongue crashed against hers. Lowering his hands to her full bottom, he pulled her soft, feminine body against his hardened knob. Made his intentions for the evening crystal clear. In case she’d chosen to ignore his earlier words.
He kissed her until they were both breathless and frustrated by the need for skin-to-skin contact.
Jordan forced himself to pull his mouth away, his chest heaving. He glanced around at the nearby homes. They’d already given his neighbors quite a show. It was time they moved inside.
Jordan gripped her hand and led her inside and up to his master suite, dimly lit by a bedside lamp. He moved to kiss her, but she turned around.
“Unzip me?”
Jordan slowly tugged the zipper down between her shoulder blades to the curve of her bottom. She shimmied out of the dress.
The lacy band of her thong was her only visible covering. Her perfect, round bottom was even more glorious than he’d imagined.
When she turned around, it was evident that a bra had been built into the dress. Because he was greeted by brown, pebbled peaks, straining for his attention.
Jordan gripped her waist and hauled her against him, kissing her neck and shoulders. His kisses trailed down her chest until he found one of the hardened peaks with his mouth. Laved it with his tongue. Grazed it with his teeth. Then he gripped the round globe in his hand and sucked.
“Jordan.” She braced his shoulders as she whispered his name. Made soft, approving murmurs that went straight to his bollocks. Ratcheted up his need for her to a full-blown inferno.
He moved to the other peak, lavishing it with the same treatment. Then he lifted her onto the bed and gently laid her back. He trailed kisses down her trembling belly, then along the band of the lacy thong.
He kissed his way down the silky fabric, then pressed a kiss on her most delicate flesh through the damp fabric covering it. She squirmed, but allowed her legs to fall open wider.
Jordan smiled as he pressed another kiss there. Then he trailed kisses up her inner thigh. Kissed the back of her knee before tracing the flesh with his tongue.
She tensed, a small gasp escaping her mouth.
Good. She anticipated what came next. That he’d taste her there until he got his fill of her. Until she could no longer stand it.
Jordan tugged aside the damp fabric. Pressed one kiss to her slick, swollen flesh. Then another and another. He glided his tongue along her glistening, pink slit. Relished her salty taste before spreading the flesh and diving his tongue inside her.
Sasha tensed, her heels driving into the mattress. She gripped the bedding, as if trying to control her reaction.
“Look at me, Sasha.” He pressed soft little kisses to her flesh until she met his gaze. “It’s okay, darling. You don’t need to hold back with me.” He pressed another louder, more intense kiss to the hardened nub between her legs.
She screwed her eyes shut, her head lolling back. “Oh God, Jordan. That feels so good.”
“That’s exactly what I want. To make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before.”
She dug her heels into the mattress and slipped her fingers into his hair, tugging his mouth closer. Angling his head to exactly where she needed him.
Her hips moved against his mouth and she repeated a chorus of yeses and “Oh Gods” until finally she called his name. Her belly tensed and her inner walls convulsed.
Watching Sasha fall apart, his name on her lips, was a thing of incredible beauty. One he wanted to experience again, this time plunged so deeply inside her that they’d barely realize where one of them ended and the other began.
He rose from his knees and retrieved a foil packet from his bedside table. Jordan undressed and sheathed himself, then joined her beneath the covers.
Sasha’s soft gaze met his. She cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to his lips. And he felt...something. Something he hadn’t felt since he was a bumbling teenager, head over heels about his first real girlfriend.
The feeling was exhilarating and comforting, yet disconcerting. Because this wasn’t about love. They were simply two people responding to a persistent desire. Filling a common need.
Jordan shook off the thought, hovered over her and pressed the head of his knob to her entrance. He concentrated on the inhalation of her breath and her sensual murmur as he slowly entered her. Until he was fully seated, his width stretching her.
He kissed her again, his tongue seeking hers as he rocked inside of her.
Sasha dug her fingers into his back, then gripped his arse, pulling him in harder and deeper.
He moved inside her, both of them damp with sweat, until her body stiffened and she clutched his shoulders. She called his name as she reached her peak again. Her walls spasmed around his heated flesh. Heightened the intensity of his arousal. His mouth pressed to her ear, he whispered all of the dirty things he had in store for her.
The sensation built with each movement of his hips, with each soft whimper coming from her sexy, little mouth. He cursed, his body stiffening as pleasure rolled through him like a freight train.
Jordan released a long, shaky breath as he collapsed into a sweaty heap beside her. He wrapped his arms around Sasha and pulled her to him.
He didn’t want to think about the look he’d seen in her eyes. Or the feeling it triggered deep in his chest. He would enjoy the intimacy they’d shared and ignore the niggling feeling that, after tonight, neither of them would be the same.
Chapter 9
Sasha awoke surrounded by warm skin and a solid male chest. Her eyes shot open and she blinked, adjusting to the unfamiliar space.
Jordan had one arm thrown over her waist. The other was pinned beneath her. And they were both completely naked.
Her heartbeat raced.
What have I done?
She breathed quietly, her eyes closed against the morning sunlight creeping through the wide expanse of windows on two sides of the space.
You slept with your client, that’s what you’ve done, genius.
Even now, her body tingled from the memory of Jordan’s skillful touch. Their night together had been incredible.
She was by no means virginal. But no man had ever given her such indescribable pleasure. Or made her feel the way she had when she’d looked in his eyes.
Until last night, Sasha had never slept with a man she wasn’t in a relationship with. And yet, the emotions that swept through her, as she and Jordan made love, were deeper than anything she’d felt during her two-year relationship with a man she’d been sure she was going to marry.
How could that be?
She sighed softly. Jordan couldn’t have been more wrong about her being with him out of pity.
Yes, she’d been moved by Jordan’s loss and his decision to dedicate a public art sculpture to his sister. But she hadn’t kissed Jordan because she felt sorry for him.
When he’d opened up to her and revealed his heart, she’d felt an intense connection to this complicated man. In that moment, she’d stopped fighting her desire to be with him.
Maybe she had been motivated by the need to comfort him. But what they’d shared had soothed something deep inside of her, too.
The toe-curling pleasure was a happy bonus.
But in the morning light, faced with the reality of what she’d done, a growing sense of panic filled her chest. The strong arms that made her feel safe and warm throughout the night, su
ddenly felt heavy. Suffocating.
She needed air and space.
Sasha gently removed the arm draped over her body, careful not to wake him. She wasn’t prepared to deal with the awkwardness of the morning after.
Sitting up slowly, quietly, she clutched the sheets to her chest. She glanced back at his sleeping form.
God, he was beautiful. His broad chest, covered with a smattering of hair, rippled with muscles. The sheet was slung low over his waist, allowing her gaze to follow the trail of hair that disappeared beneath it.
Sasha bit her lower lip and groaned silently, her nipples beading and the space between her thighs growing damp. She shut her eyes against the vision of how he looked, towering above her, as he made love to her.
A shiver ran down her spine and her hands trembled slightly. She needed to get out of there and go home. Take a shower, get changed and go about her day. As if this never happened. Jordan had made it clear that this meant nothing to him. Why couldn’t she take the same approach?
Because it did mean something to you.
Sasha clenched her teeth and ignored the little voice in her head that chose now to give her a much-needed dose of reality. Her faulty, internal alert system was as useful as a passenger who warned of an impending collision after the vehicle was already wrapped around a tree.
She slipped from beneath the sheet, found her clothing scattered on his bedroom floor and slipped into the bathroom.
Her image, reflected in the mirror, condemned her for breaking her most important business and dating rules. Don’t date clients and don’t get involved with anyone who isn’t serious.
Sasha showered, got dressed and hoped to hell Jordan would still be asleep when she left.
* * *
Jordan blinked against the sunlight spilling through the blinds in his bedroom. He usually closed the motorized, blackout shades before going to bed. But last night, he’d wanted to see Sasha in the moonlight.
Sasha.