“You’re not leaving, are you? You just got here.”
“I, um.” She coughed and cleared her throat. “Let’s just say there’s been a change of plans.” Even though she wanted to appear as cool and aloof as he was right now, she couldn’t stop herself from drinking him in—every magnificent, glorious inch of him.
Lawd, have mercy.
Jaxon hiked a single groomed brow. “I hate to hear that. More importantly, I hate to see you leave before we had the chance to get know each other…better.”
Their eyes locked.
This was the part where reason and logic should’ve been injected, but Zora was having problems in those departments, as well. To hell with his fiancée, she wasn’t around now.
“How come you’re not draped across some lucky bastard’s arm tonight?” he asked.
She smiled, wondering how he would’ve taken it if he’d known that he was supposed to be that lucky bastard. “Not all women need to be draped on a man’s arm,” she stated.
“True,” he conceded. “But all jewels should.” His dark gaze continued to drink her in. The crowd around them continued to thicken. Zora moved closer toward Jaxon and then suffered the consequences of her body tingling and pulsing like crazy. Zora had never experienced anything like it before. Everything about the man oozed sex: his scent, his eyes, his shoulders, his chest.
Then he did something that she would have never expected. He reached out and removed the bejeweled hair clip from the back of her head. Her thick, black hair fell down around her shoulders like a curtain.
“There. That’s better.” His smile mesmerized her. “You should always wear your hair down. It makes you…irresistible.” His hand caressed her face and before she knew it, the pad of his thumb drifted beneath the lining of her bottom lip. No doubt about it, her panties were dampening by the second.
Zora watched his sexy lips like a dieter standing before a three-tier chocolate cake. If she wasn’t mistaken, she might have even licked her lips.
“I have to tell you, Ms. Campbell—”
“Zora.”
“I have to tell you—Zora—that I have half a mind to toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of here.” His smile grew even sexier. “And if you keep looking at me like that, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
Snap out of it, Zora’s brain screamed, but her body ignored her. She was acting like a…she didn’t know what…with an engaged man.
Engaged isn’t married, the small voice in the back of her head reminded her.
She swallowed hard at that very real fact, but was she really the type of girl to make a play for another woman’s man?
Jaxon looked around, frowned at the growing crowd. “What do you say that we go somewhere where it’s a little more private?” His hand left her face only to pop back up on her bare shoulder. She would have expected such a large hand to be heavy, but it was as light as a feather and yet powerful enough to stroke a lustful fire to life.
“It’s a big house,” he continued, his voice now a low, husky whisper. “Big enough for two people to get lost.”
Zora sank deeper into this man’s trance, a willing lamb trotting docilely to the slaughterhouse.
“I do have to warn you,” he said, reaching for her hand and then bringing it up to his lips. “I have quite a reputation.”
“Is that right?” she asked silkily.
He nodded. “Unfortunately, most of it is true.”
His confession only turned her on more. Then again, bad boys always had a way of turning a good girl’s head. “In that case, I heard a rumor tonight,” she said, surprised by her own courage to broach the subject. “It involved you and the woman you escorted here.”
He sighed, but his smile remained. “I was afraid of that.”
“I believe it was something along the lines of her being your, um…now, what’s that word I’m thinking of?” She made a show of rolling her eyes toward the ceiling as if in deep thought. “Oh, yeah.” Zora snapped her fingers. “Fiancée.”
Unfazed, but amused, Jaxon said, “It’s complicated—but I’ll be more than happy to explain it to you if you agree to meet me in west-wing upstairs library. Second door on the right from the spiral staircase. How about—in one hour?”
Zora hesitated.
Jaxon leaned down, whispered, “Say yes.”
His hand fell from her shoulder and brushed against the small of her back. She shuttered with another miniorgasm. What the hell would happen to her if she allowed him to really touch her?
“There you are!” Richard’s voice blasted like a sonic boom.
Zora leaped away from Jaxon as Richard swooped in, cheesing like a Cheshire cat but shooting silver bullets dead at Jaxon.
“Should’ve known you would be around the most beautiful woman in the room. I guess old habits are hard to break, huh, Jaxon? I mean with you now being off the market and all.”
Jaxon’s hard glare turned to black ice.
Richard held out a small plate toward Zora. “Hors d’oeuvres?”
Zora cleared her throat and reached for a cube of fancy cheese, but kept her eyes diverted. She really needed a moment to collect herself or fan herself off. Better yet, maybe she needed a cold shower.
“By the way,” Richard said, taking a stand next to Zora as if staking a claim, “where is the future Mrs. Landon anyway? Surely she knows better than to let you roam without a leash.”
Jaxon’s eyes shifted back to Zora just as she looked up. “Don’t worry, my future wife is closer than you think.” The statement took all three of them by surprise. But the ever cool Jaxon was the first to recover. “If you two will excuse me.”
“Absolutely,” Richard said flatly.
Jaxon held up a slender finger, reminding Zora of the one-hour request and then he turned and maneuvered back into the herding crowd.
Zora watched him go with an unexplainable longing for his quick return. Her emotions must’ve been written on her face because when she glanced over at Richard, he was shaking his head. “What?”
“Charming devil, isn’t he?”
There was no point in trying to pretend she didn’t know who he was talking about. “He is.”
Richard looked pleased by her honesty. “Then just remember that it’s never a fair game when you play with the devil.”
Zora’s gaze cut back across the room just when Jaxon’s fiancée returned to his side. After delivering a quick kiss to the glittering woman’s cheek, he glanced up. His black, intense gaze zeroed on Zora like a laser beam. “One hour,” he mouthed.
The temperature in the room easily hiked another ten degrees—at least to the point where Zora hand-fanned herself in order to cool off.
Across the room, Melanie, Veronica, Jessica and Vincent all captured the public—yet intimate—moment between Zora and Jaxon and then shared knowing smiles.
“Looks like you’re going to get your miracle after all,” Vincent deadpanned.
Melanie beamed. “Let the church say ‘amen.’”
“Amen,” Veronica and Jessica chimed as they clinked their champagne glasses together, and then continued to watch the evening soap opera unfold.
Chapter 6
I’m not meeting him in that library.
Zora lost count how many times she told herself that. She also reasoned that she had stayed at the party long enough and that she should call it a night. Yet, she never made another move toward the front door—and no matter where she was at the party, she was very aware of her proximity to Jaxon Landon. She couldn’t help it. The man was like a six-foot-four magnet.
Still, to her right, handsome Richard Myers was working overtime trying to pull off what Jaxon had done in mere seconds. Maybe if it had been any other night, she would have given him some play—but with Jaxon Landon in the room, Richard could never be more than second best.
Within the past hour, the crowd changed the words to the traditional “Happy Birthday” song to sing “Happy Anniversary.” At the son
g’s conclusion, Tony Bennett magically appeared next to the pianist and crooned “The Best Is Yet to Come.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the place when Carlton Landon took his wife into his arms and glided across the grand room floor while singing along in Sylvia’s ear.
The moment made for a perfect modern fairy tale. Zora thought about her parents and how their love also seemed to grow with each passing day. Envy plus a touch of jealousy pricked her heart. Such lifelong soul mates were now few and far between. Of course one would have to put themselves out there if they ever hoped to find their happily-ever-after.
Zora’s gaze floated over to Melanie Harte—who held up a flute of champagne in a silent toast. No doubt her best bud knew exactly why she was still at the party. The missing puzzle piece was why would she fix her up with someone who was already engaged? Her pride prevented her from asking right now, especially since she’d cursed her out an hour ago.
Why am I still here?
Every time the question drifted through Zora’s head she couldn’t come up with a good answer. Her night was a bust, her date showed up with a fiancée, and she hardly knew anyone at this party.
Yet—there she was. Laughing and cheesing on Richard Myers’s arm like she was having the time of her life. Okay. Maybe a small part of her wanted to put on a show for Jaxon Landon—to try and make him as interested in her as she was in him. Though, she still didn’t know why.
“You know this is the perfect time for us to make a move,” Richard whispered.
Zora frowned, not sure that she understood his meaning. She glanced back over her shoulder and up into his smiling face.
“I’d love nothing better than to get a little one-on-one time with you,” he said. His meaning twinkled in his eyes.
Despite her heavy flirting, Zora wasn’t half as charmed by Richard as he thought she was, and the last thing she wanted to do was lead him on any further than she probably already had.
But then she sensed it.
Jaxon’s heavy and intense gaze felt like a physical thing even from across the room. Like she had most of the evening, she reveled in any attention he tossed her way. Before she knew it, she was smiling at Richard and agreeing to him leading her through the thick crowd.
Across the room, Veronica leaned toward her aunt. “Where is she going?”
Melanie shook her head while trying not to panic. But then she took one look at Jaxon and saw raw jealousy flicker across his face. “Don’t worry. Clearly, my girl knows exactly what’s she doing.”
Veronica shook her head. “If you say so.”
Zora had no idea where Richard was taking her, but she vowed that if it was too far that she would fake having to run to the bathroom and do a complete 180. Turned out, he led her down a hall to a billiard room just a couple doors down. “If you hoped to challenge me to a game of pool, I have to warn you that I’m not much of a player,” she joked.
Richard laughed. “Trust me,” he said, looking steadily into her eyes. “The last thing I’m interested in is playing games with you.”
His seriousness melted the playful smile right off Zora’s face. “Richard…I may have given you the wrong impression. I—”
With a sly smile, Richard pressed a finger against Zora’s cherry-red lips. “The only impression I have is that of a beautiful, intelligent woman that has been gracious enough to spend a little time with me.” He broke out in a wide smile. “I have to tell you that I thought tonight was going to be a big snoozer. I mean, I like the Landons well enough. Our families have been more or less friends for a good number of years—but I anticipated a dull evening—until I spotted you.”
What could she say to that? “Thanks. You’re being too kind.” Zora drew a deep breath and then tried again. “But the truth is—”
“I’m not sure that I’m interested in the truth,” he said bluntly.
Surprised, Zora arched a lone brow.
“I’m no fool,” Richard continued with an awkward laugh. “I’m sure a beauty such as yourself has a long line of admirers—including the idiot who stood you up tonight.”
She glanced away, cleared her throat.
Richard moved in even closer. “All I’m interested in is the here and now. This one moment in time where I escort you out there onto the terrace—” he indicated the glass doors behind her with a simple nod of his head “—and we’ll look up at the stars and listen to the music drifting from the party. Is that too much to ask?”
When he leveled his soft hazel eyes on her, guilt stirred in her heart. The man had been nothing but a perfect gentleman all night while she, on the other hand, had been actin’ like a bitch in heat from the moment she’d laid eyes on Jaxon Landon.
“Well?” he pressed.
“No,” she finally said. “It’s not too much to ask.”
A brighter, wider smile exploded across Richard’s handsome face. “Good. Then how about that view?” He offered her his arm and then promptly escorted her out to the terrace.
They had been gone for way too long.
Jaxon’s gaze peeled from his dancing grandparents to dart to the hallway where Richard and Zora had disappeared. To say that his imagination ran wild would be putting it mildly. He imagined everything from the two being snuggled up in a dark corner lip-locked to—more. He didn’t like any of those scenarios. But each and every one of them was possible with a snake in the grass like Richard Myers.
Kitty leaned up onto her toes and whispered, “What is wrong with you?”
“Um? Nothing.” He shoved his near-empty glass of champagne toward her. “Hold this for me. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait. What?” She grabbed his glass before it dropped and shattered at her feet. When she finally got her bearings and glanced up again, Jaxon was gone. Now where in the hell is he going?
Out on the billiard room’s balcony, Zora drew in the night’s cool air and stared up at the sky. With the soft music in the background and a picture of a clear crescent moon hovering above her, it was the perfect romantic spot—like something out of a movie or an oil painting. Why didn’t she take time to enjoy more scenic skylines? Sure she was always on the go, burning both ends of a candle, but surely she could stop every once in a while and drink in the moment.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Richard murmured softly against her ear.
Zora jumped. Somehow she’d forgotten about him. Recovering, she flashed him her million-dollar smile. “It is. Thank you for bringing me out here. It’s…perfect.” She sucked in another deep breath and returned her attention to the night’s skyline.
Richard eased up behind her. “The only perfect thing I see out here is you.”
The man didn’t give up. She’d give him that much. “Thanks,” she whispered. She tilted up her champagne glass and drained its contents in one long gulp.
Richard’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth as he watched her down her drink like a seasoned sailor.
“Aaah. That was good.” Zora smacked her lips.
“Would you like another drink?”
“I would love one.” She shoved her glass toward him. “Oh, and another one of those cheese-and-sausage thingies,” she added. Richard looked a little stunned.
“Yes. Models do eat,” she joked.
Richard laughed. “All right. I’ll be back,” he said, accepting the glass and stepping away.
Zora waved as she watched him walk backward off the terrace and into the billiard room and then finally out of sight. At which point, she rolled her eyes and expelled a long breath. The things I get myself into.
Kitty glanced around the crowd and noted that the gorgeous Zora Campbell was missing, as well. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She may be a lot of things, but she was no fool. She saw and felt the kinetic energy charging between Jaxon and the buxom supermodel. Hell, everybody felt it. The question now was what was she going to do about it?
Tony Bennett finished the last few notes to “The Way You Look Tonight” and the glittering crowd applaud
ed. When the next song began, everyone started pairing up to join in the dancing. Being that this wasn’t her normal crowd, Kitty wasn’t about to just stand in the center of the floor, looking lost and confused. Deciding then and there that she wasn’t about to go down without a fight, Kitty maneuvered through the crowd, set the empty champagne flutes on the first tray she came across—then she went in search of her missing fiancé.
Jaxon always hated this house. And now that he was faced with trying to guess which room Richard had shut Zora away in, he hated it even more. Searching for the couple would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Still, knowing that fact, it didn’t stop him from looking.
The first two rooms he checked were dark but after walking around in them, they were mercifully empty. When he pivoted and marched toward the third door, it dawned on him that perhaps he should have some kind of excuse in case he did bust in on Richard and Zora doing God knows what. Something like, “Oh, hey. I thought this room was empty” or, he could play innocent and simply ask, “Hey, what are you two doing in here?” or, his personal favorite, “Dick, get your damn hands off her before I punch your goddamn lights out!”
Yeah. The last one was perfect.
The third door was to his grandfather’s favorite billiard room. It was a bit dark, but there was no one…Jaxon’s gaze snagged on the open glass door, leading out to the terrace. Curious, he started toward it but was interrupted when Kitty’s kittenlike purr floated from behind him.
“There you are!” Her smile lit up her face. “What are you doing in here?” She glanced around. “You’re not the only one who could use a break from that crowd, you know.” Kitty sashayed over to Jaxon and slid her arms up his massive chest. “In fact, now that I have you all to myself, I can think of a few things we can be doing.” She leaned up on her toes and planted a soft, sensuous kiss on his pillow-soft lips.
On the terrace, Zora caught the intimate moment between the engaged couple and felt a sharp kick of jealousy—which was strange, since she had just met the man tonight. Then she realized that if she could see them then it was just a matter of time before one of them saw her.
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