Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1)

by Ashland, Jodi

  “No, sorry, I’ve been a little preoccupied.”

  Bryce glanced at Aleks. She was definitely not the type Jim normally went for, which was blonde and blue eyed. He wouldn’t judge. Jade wasn’t exactly his type either, and somehow that seemed to be working out.

  “We’re even now.” Steve grabbed his shoulder. “Best two out of three?”

  “You’re on.” Bryce was going to kick Steve’s ass.

  JADE SAT AT THE BAR next to Aleks. “So, you and Jim, huh?”

  “I don’t know, maybe.” Aleks glanced at Jim, who was still talking to Richard.

  “Well… if that doesn’t work out, I know this really cute detective.” Jade wiggled her eyebrows. “If you’re interested, I could introduce you.”

  “A cop, seriously?”

  Jade lifted her shoulders. “He’s a really good guy, and he would never hurt anyone… ever.”

  Those words seemed to have an effect on Aleks. Jade saw hope in Aleks’s eyes she’d never seen there before. Not that Aleks didn’t one day want to have sex again, but this was a hope related to being with a man who would never hurt her, a man she could trust with all her heart.

  “We’ll see.” The spark in Aleks’s eyes fizzled out, and Jade’s heart sank. Somehow, she had to find a way help Aleks.

  Jade scanned the bar. “Do you know where Bryce is?” She knew when Aleks needed a change of subject. It wasn’t something her best friend could talk about. It had taken years for Jade to get enough bits and pieces of the story to put it together. Rape never went away, even after five years.

  Aleks nodded toward the pool table. “He’s over there playing darts with Steve.”

  It was easy to read the “Shit!” that came from Steve’s lips when Bryce’s dart hit the inner circle.

  Aleks laughed. “They’re a little competitive.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it.” Jade sipped her beer. This was the first time she’d seen Bryce in jeans, and they were practically molded to his ass and thighs. His black T-shirt, the one he’d worn before, accentuated the muscles in his arms and chest. If he’d been wearing that outfit her first day on the job, she would have reverted to the flustered schoolgirl she was before. “He’s a hottie.”

  “Who, Bryce or Steve?”

  “Bryce, of course!”

  “Steve’s a hottie too,” Aleks whispered, so Jim couldn’t hear.

  “Maybe to you, but he’s like a brother to me. We grew up next door to each other. We used to do everything together.”

  It was Bryce’s turn to curse when Steve hit the bull’s eye and won the game.

  Steve patted Bryce on the shoulder and pointed to the bar. “Five more shooters,” Steve said to the bartender when they walked up.

  Jade shook her head. “None for me, thanks.”

  “Come on Jade, it’s a party.” Steve put his arm around her.

  “Yeah, well I’ve got work I need to do in the morning.”

  “Going soft on me?”

  “Maybe, a little.” It had been months since she’d partied hard in college. After her grandmother’s death and taking over the company, partying was the last thing on her mind.

  “Bryce can keep up, can’t you, old boy?”

  Jade could tell Bryce was about to decline, until that last comment.

  “I’m up for it.”

  “See, Bryce isn’t going soft.”

  “Have fun, you two.” Jade walked over to watch Amber and Kenzie in a foosball match. Kenzie scored. “Nice one.”

  Steve came up to Jade.

  “Where’s Bryce?” She browsed the room.

  “He’s playing darts with Jim.” Steve wrapped his arm around her again. “How come nothing ever happened between us?”

  Jade looked into Steve’s drunken eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Why didn’t we ever hook up?”

  “Probably because the last time I had a crush on you I was eight. Besides, you never looked at me that way.”

  “I am now.” Steve smiled and not so subtly looked down at her breasts. “We’re not little kids anymore. You know, you’ve got a really nice ass.”

  “Steve, you’re drunk. You don’t really feel that way about me.”

  “Yes, I do.” He gripped her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss.

  “Whoa!” Jade pushed against his chest, but she wasn’t strong enough. Panic bubbled deep in her stomach. “Steve, don’t,” she said with his lips pressed firmly against hers.

  “Get your hands off her!” Bryce pulled Steve away and punched him squarely in the mouth.

  Steve fell back into a chair and started to get up.

  “Stop!” Jade tugged Bryce’s arm as he lunged for Steve.

  Bryce gripped Steve’s shirt and punched him two more times in the face before Jim and Richard grabbed his arms to haul him away.

  “What are you doing?” Jade rounded on Bryce. Steve’s nose and lip were bleeding.

  Bryce was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with menace. “He forced himself on you.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to hit him like that. I was taking care of it myself.”

  “Some job you were doing.”

  Her throat tightened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Bryce pulled away from Jim and Richard. “He’s been coming on to you all night.”

  “He has not. We’re just friends.”

  “Friends don’t kiss each other.”

  “I didn’t kiss him.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact he kissed you.”

  Her eyes stung. “Is that so? Fine… just fine. If you don’t trust me, this relationship is over.”

  “Jade?” He grabbed her arm.

  She jerked it free. “Don’t touch me.”

  Bryce stepped back, and a haunted look swept over his face.

  Jade grabbed her purse and ran out to the parking lot with Aleks on her heels. “Jade, wait up. Are you okay?”

  “I can’t believe he did that. He had no right going after Steve like that.”

  “Maybe he overreacted, but he’s your boyfriend, and Steve kissed you even when you told him to stop.”

  Jade understood why Aleks would go to Bryce’s defense. She’d been forced to have sex, she’d begged her attacker to stop. But this was different. Jade calmed herself before she spoke again. She didn’t want to upset Aleks. “I know Steve was being pushy because he was drunk, and it wasn’t right. But Bryce didn’t trust me to handle it on my own.”

  Jim walked up to both of them.

  Jade glared at him. “What do you want?”

  “I come in peace.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I know Bryce screwed up in there. Please trust me when I say he doesn’t normally drink like that.”

  “Then why did he?”

  “Because Steve was egging him on. Look, Jade, it was obvious to all of us that Steve wants to be more than friends with you. That was hard for Bryce. I’ve known him for ages, and this is the first time he’s fallen so hard for anyone. I’ve never seen him look as hurt as he did when you told him your relationship was over. This is new to him. Give him another chance.”

  Jade put her keys in Aleks’s hand. “Can you give me a ride home? I’ve had too much to drink.”

  “It’s a good thing I didn’t drink that shot yet. We’ll pick up your car tomorrow.”

  “So what do you say?” Jim asked Jade. “Will you give Bryce a second chance?”

  She’d trusted Bryce, especially after the whole Kenzie fiasco, and he had to trust her too. He wasn’t getting off the hook that easy.

  Jade scowled at Jim. “I’ll think about it.”

  CHAPTER 24

  THE ALARM THUNDERED in his skull like a freight train. Bryce rolled to his side and pulled the pillow over his aching head to drown out the piercing sound. He groaned… as if that would help. When the pillow proved insufficient to block the noise, he tossed it in the direction of the alarm clock, knocking the damn thing to the floor. Ah, blessed quiet. He�
�d fix the alarm clock later. Right now, he just wanted the pain to go away.

  The shrill ring of the phone made him lunge forward. He had to make it stop. Another loud noise would likely kill him. “What do you want?” Bryce growled.

  “That bad?” Jim asked.

  “Hmmph,” was all Bryce could get out.

  “You need anything?”

  “Uh-uh,” he moaned.

  “I should have stopped you last night. Sorry, bud.”

  “My fault, not yours.”

  “I know, still—” Jim went quiet.

  “How bad was I?”

  “Bad. I’ve never seen you like that before.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve never been like that before.”

  “If it helps, I put in a good word for you with Jade.”

  Oh shit.

  The memory of what had happened last night was making his head throb worse. “Maybe it’s better this way. I shouldn’t have let things go this far.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re crazy about her.”

  “That’s the point. I can’t control my emotions when I’m around her. This isn’t the first time I’ve messed up.” When Jim didn’t respond, he continued. “I, well…” He tried to find the right words for it. None came to mind, so he just said it. “I forced her to kiss me.” He waited for a response. “At work.” Still no response. “In my office.”

  “Do that often?”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Exactly what I said. Do that often?”

  “No, I don’t do that often.” Bryce sat up. “She threatened to fire me, I got pissed, she tried to leave, I kissed her.”

  “And that’s a crime because…?”

  “Because she’s the CEO, because I work for her, because I forced myself on her.”

  “And she asked you to stop?”

  “No, but I wasn’t nice about it.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You two have some kind of love-hate steamy thing going on. From what you’ve told me, you both know how to irritate the hell out of each other, and from what I’ve seen, you do it to each other intentionally.”

  Bryce looked at the phone, then put it back to his ear. He dropped his head to the pillow. “That’s the problem. I don’t need this kind of drama.”

  “Are you still dwelling on your parents’ divorce? You need to snap out of it, man. Your dad was a drunk who hit your mom. That doesn’t mean you’re going to do the same.”

  “I hit Steve.”

  “I would have hit Steve too. He deserved it. It doesn’t mean you’ll ever hit a woman.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No maybes. Now get your sorry ass out of bed and call her to apologize.”

  “Think she’ll forgive me?”

  “Only one way to find out.”

  Bryce hung up, grateful the conversation was over. What did he say to Jade? How could he possibly make it up to her?

  WHAT WAS JADE DOING TO HIM? Bryce sat staring at his office monitor, the cursor blinking in the same place it had been for the past ten minutes. Jade hadn’t returned any of his calls yesterday, and her calendar was booked solid today.

  He needed to talk to her about what had happened with Steve, beg for forgiveness, do whatever it took, but she wasn’t giving him the chance.

  What if she didn’t forgive him? Could he work side by side with her knowing he wouldn’t see her eyes sparkle when he walked into a room, or feel her warm lips against his, or run his hands in her silky hair? How could he get any work done when he was in a constant state of turmoil? All he could think about was running his hands up her bare legs or having her naked body under—

  “You need to get your girl under control.”

  Bryce focused abruptly on Timothy, who’d just walked into his office. “What? Who?”

  “Jade.” Timothy sat in one of the chairs in front of Bryce’s desk.

  “What are you talking about?” Bryce cleared his throat. “She’s not my girl.”

  “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.” Timothy’s lips curved up on one side. “Get on with it already. With Stan gone, there’s no one else to get her in line.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “Besides the fact that she has a detective asking me questions?”

  Bryce leaned back, easier with this part of the conversation. “He’s asking us all questions.”

  “Well, hell. If she wasn’t so damn impulsive, she wouldn’t act before she thinks about the consequences.”

  “What did she do now?”

  “She’s asking for discrepancy reports, return reports, and a whole other slew of reports. Who does she think she is? I’ve been doing this job for eighteen years. I’ve had enough.”

  “Jade’s trying to figure out why the company is in trouble. What can it hurt to give her the reports she wants?”

  Timothy tossed the stack of papers he was holding across Bryce’s desk. “You taking her side now?”

  “I’m not taking anyone’s side. She’s the CEO, and she has every right to ask for this information.” Bryce gathered the papers into a neat stack.

  “Well, I don’t like it. If she doesn’t watch it, she’ll lose more than her entire management team.”

  Bryce’s eyes burned. He stood with his hands fisted on his desk and leaned forward. “Is that a threat, Timothy? If anything happens to her…”

  “I’m just stating the facts. You know what’s at stake. Get her under control, or I will.”

  Timothy stalked out of the office, and Bryce unclenched his fists. What the hell was he supposed to do now? There was no controlling Jade. Hell, he’d be happy if he could get himself under control.

  BEG FOR FORGIVENESS OR END IT FOR GOOD. That’s what Bryce had been thinking for the last seven minutes while standing in front of Jade’s condo. He’d denied his attraction to her for so long, now that he’d had a taste of her, it was difficult to let go. He took a deep breath, knocked, and prepared for the onslaught.

  Jade opened the door. Her eyes narrowed. Bryce took two courageous steps closer.

  “I’m busy.” She crossed her arms in defiance and blocked him from coming inside.

  “No you’re not. You’re avoiding me.”

  “So take a hint.” She attempted to shut the door on him.

  He should let it close. Then it would be over and they’d make a clean break on her terms. Instead, he blocked the door with his foot. “I shouldn’t have hit Steve. I don’t usually drink that much.”

  “That’s what Jim said, but it doesn’t change the fact that you did hit him.”

  Didn’t she understand that he was trying to protect her? And Steve had no business kissing her, not when she was his. “No one has the right to touch you when you don’t want it.”

  “You’re right, they don’t. And I was telling Steve that just before you butted in. If you don’t trust me, this relationship can’t go anywhere. I won’t let you push me around the way Gran did. We have to be equals, Bryce.”

  Two kicks in the stomach wouldn’t hurt as much as hearing her say the relationship couldn’t go anywhere. On the phone with Jim, talking about breaking up with her seemed perfectly rational, the right thing to do. But now that he was facing the reality of losing her… Shit. Of all the things Jade would object to, it was someone trying to tell her what to do. She’d rebelled against Gloria. He sure as hell didn’t want her pulling away from him. And that, he realized, was his reality.

  “I never told you why my parents got divorced.”

  “What does that have to do with Steve?”

  “My dad hit my mom.”

  “Oh.” He’d disarmed her. A good sign.

  “I was eleven and scared shitless of him. I couldn’t fight back, couldn’t keep him away from her. When Steve… I literally wanted to beat the hell out of him when he touched you. Call it a deep-seated male instinct, but I needed to protect you.”

>   Jade placed a hand on his cheek. “Thank you for telling me. But it doesn’t mean you can go around punching people.”

  “I know, you’re right. It’s just that I’m—” He ran his hand through his hair.

  “You’re what?”

  “I’m crazy about you.”

  Her eyes softened. “How crazy?”

  Bryce took another step toward her. “Seriously crazy.”

  Heat flared in Jade’s eyes just before she grabbed the zippers of his leather jacket and pulled his lips to hers.

  The kiss was unexpected. The very act went straight to his gut. Bryce drew her into his arms, desperately wanting to taste her, to touch her. His lips sought hers possessively. She was his, dammit, and he needed her.

  Jade pulled him into the foyer, kicking the door closed with her foot. She folded her arms around him and pressed her body against his.

  He took the kiss deeper, trying to satisfy his aching need for her. He released her only when she started tugging the jacket from him. The minute it dropped to the floor, his hands were in her hair, his lips ravaging hers.

  Bryce pulled the T-shirt Jade was tugging from his jeans over his head and threw it somewhere down the hallway. His hands were immediately on her again as he pinned her body against the wall. His mouth ravished her neck, and his hands found the buttons to her blouse.

  Jade let her head fall back, which was sexy as hell, as his lips trailed along her collarbone and down toward her breasts. With each button he released, her breathing accelerated.

  He pulled her blouse halfway down her arms and held them captive behind her back. She gasped as his mouth found her firm breast under a thin layer of satin. A quick flick and he opened her bra, his teeth nipping, his mouth devouring.

  She arched her back, encouraging him to take more. She freed her hands from the shirt and thrust them into his hair, over his back, and down to his ass, which she used to pull his hips against hers. He moaned at the contact; she felt so damn good.

  Her hands found the button to his jeans and tugged at it.

  The wallet in his back pocket was getting in the way. He threw it on the table next to him, allowing her to pull his jeans down. He stepped out of his pants, hating every second he wasn’t touching her, and attacked her other breast with his mouth, while using his hands to rid her of her slacks. He didn’t take the time to see what kind of underwear she was wearing. He just wanted them off.