Wow, she must be hot after all.
“Are you laughing at me, Izzy?”
“Only a little.” She giggled.
“There could be a punishment for that.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Why did I ever think you were sweet?” he grumbled half-heartedly.
“I still am.” She grinned. “But with added spice.”
The hand splaying the base of her spine, turning her bones into hot noodles, reminded her she was stepping out of her depth. To her satisfaction the sharp intake of Jack’s breath told her he was paddling in there too.
He dipped his head to whisper in her ear. “Fortunately, I like things hot,” he said, making Izzy stumble once more. “Careful. You don’t want to be getting yourself into trouble now, do you?”
Her glossed lips suddenly seemed stuck to her teeth as she heard the warning yet deciphered the invitation.
Waiting at the top of the steps of the grand entrance stood an elderly looking couple. Both held welcoming smiles as they walked over to greet them.
The man, who stood maybe only a few inches shorter than Jack, held out his hand for Jack to shake. Both men looked at each other with keen gazes. As she watched their interplay, she was gripped in a warm hug from the petite lady with the salt-and-pepper hair.
“Hello, my dear. Welcome to Daleford Manor.”
Izzy returned a smile. “Hello, I’m Iz—”
“Allow me to introduce you. Ellie,” Jack emphasized. “This is Frank and Sarah Daleford.”
She was gripped in another hug. “Ellie, my dear, congratulations on your wedding.”
“I... Thank you,” she responded, cringing inwardly at the close call.
She scanned the impressive hallway, the intricate detailing on the oak staircase, the beautiful artwork framed upon the walls. She moved over to look at one piece that had caught her eye.
“Do you like art, Ellie?”
Izzy sucked in a breath, hoping that when she spoke, truths wouldn’t leak from her mouth.
“I do,” she answered honestly. So far, so good. “I enjoy art and photography in my spare time.”
“Really!” Sarah beamed. “I have an art studio here I must show you later. You really need a tour if you intend to live here.”
Izzy offered a weak smile.
“But I’m surprised you have time, my dear. After all, aren’t you planning a new tour soon?”
Was Ellie?
“I must confess I was a fan of yours when you were a youngster. I saw one of your performances in London when you were just a slip of a girl. You have a beautiful soprano voice. I admit I was somewhat disappointed when you switched from classical to pop music.”
So was Izzy. Ellie’s image took on a drastic change at that time. That was when management and Ellie’s state of mind became her downfall.
Jack cleared his throat behind her. “Let me take your coat.”
Izzy complied, opening the buttons on her long coat as Jack’s hands rested on her shoulders.
Giving a shimmy of her shoulders, the coat slipped away and into Jack’s hands. She knew Jack was rooted to the spot as she walked ahead with a smile curving her lips.
His heavy footfalls told her he’d caught up. The flutter in her belly and his breath at her cheek confirmed it.
“Christ. Is that one of Ellie’s?” he whispered, his voice husky.
“Too much?” She tipped her head back to gaze up at him with wide mock innocent eyes, thrilled she had the ability to affect him. She fluttered her long lashes in his direction.
“Too damn little,” he growled back, the set of his jaw tightening.
Izzy bit back her giggle as she followed the elegant grace of Sarah’s trail. She swayed her hips, feeling Jack’s gaze like a caress over her curves.
It was a perfectly modest dress. From the front. Long-sleeved, black, and the hem falling just below the knee. The column of the dress fit her like a glove, molding to every curve. Its neckline was a slash that rested at her collarbone. The view Jack had from behind was of her bare back as it dipped dangerously below her waist.
It would seem her plan was working.
* * * *
What was she playing at?
Whatever it was, Jack was tempted to join in the game.
The teasing going on under the table was a very welcome distraction from every emotion churning away in his head. He was even enjoying the company of the man he wanted to hate. As it was he was finding his company interesting, and though he was reluctant to admit it, enjoyable too. He had a very sharp mind. Frank was nobody’s fool, of that there was no doubt.
Again, as he drifted away from the here and now, Izzy’s foot slid up the bottom of his trousers lazily, teasing and stroking his calve. Each time he seemed distracted or he called her Ellie she began her sensual punishment.
“Ellie dear, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind singing for us this evening?”
Payback time.
“Of course you would love to, wouldn’t you, sweetheart?”
Izzy cast him a withering glance. “But, darling, I’ve had a sore throat, remember?”
He hid his wince as she used the skill of her foot to kick him in the shin.
Disappointment flickered over Sarah’s face although her manners swiftly masked it. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the couple in front of him. Sarah was openly warm and Frank with his hard scrutiny seemed to bask in his wife’s company. He swallowed as he thought of Izzy. She was soft, open, and giving and he—well, he was a cold, hard bastard.
“But I can play a piano piece for you, if you like? You have a beautiful piano.”
Jack looked at her in surprise as she glanced at the piano in the opulent room. He had no idea she could play.
“I haven’t played for a while, so while I set up, Jack can tell you all about our whirlwind romance. Tell them about your proposal. It was so romantic. And so original too!” She beamed, throwing him a cheeky wink over her deliciously bare shoulder. Although the glow of her cheeks hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Witch. He grimaced. “But, darling, I don’t want to make you blush. I think all I am able to share is that it involved the treehouse where we shared our first kiss. The rest...well...let’s just say is a very fond moment.”
“I notice you don’t wear wedding rings. Don’t you agree with them?” asked Frank as he watched Izzy walk enticingly over to the piano.
Jack forced a neutral expression and darted a quick glance at Izzy, who looked like she’d just nearly tripped over an invisible tree stump.
Jack cleared his throat. “I think wedding rings are very important. But because our wedding was a spur-of-the-moment decision in order to keep it private, I haven’t yet found the right ones yet.”
Sarah patted her husband’s hand. “Well, that’s perfectly understandable! After all, you hope to wear those rings forever. You’re quite right not to rush.” She smiled.
Jack hoped some of the captured breath filling his lungs was leaking unnoticed out of his ears. How had they forgotten rings?
A now composed Izzy was seated at the piano. Her face still held the earlier deep pink hue hugging the sweep of her gorgeous cheekbones. He smiled. He could play her teasing game all night.
Jack’s smile faltered and disappeared as Izzy worked her slender fingers masterfully over the keys. Like her, the music was beautiful and expressive. Each note seemed to make his chest swell that bit more as emotion undulated over him until it found its way inside.
She deserved so much better than him. She deserved to be loved, and although it pained him to even think it, a family of her own. An image of Izzy cradling a child flashed in his mind, turning his stomach into a tight twist.
When he lifted his narrowed gaze it was to see a quizzical look from Frank. For a moment he thought he saw something flash behind the old man’s gray eyes, but he must have been mistaken. Or had he figured out his plan? Impossible.
“I said that Ellie plays beautifully,�
� Frank repeated the comment Jack was unable to hear for having his head filled with Izzy. Hearing Izzy being called by the wrong name was beginning to rankle with him now. So much for being a hard-ass.
When Izzy finished to their exuberant applause she sat back down at the table with the flush of her cheeks obvious.
“You were wonderful,” he murmured as he caught her brown-eyed gaze.
She gave him a grateful smile. At that moment, audience or not, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. For one last time.
“It’s getting late,” Sarah commented. “You two should stay the night.”
Oh, hell no. Being there this long was wrong on every level. No, they would leave now and he would kiss Izzy goodbye.
Izzy beamed a smile that reached as far as his groin. “We would love to!”
Ah, hell.
Chapter 11
Izzy followed Sarah down the long corridor, her feet sinking into the plush carpet.
Discomfort crawled over her yet again as Sarah gave her a tour of the home she perceived she might be about to be moving into. In a mock whisper, Sarah told her Frank had turned down other buyers and was keen for it to go to Jack.
But why?
Both men throughout the evening had seemed to be sizing each other up. Eyeing each other with obvious suspicion. And now as the men had been left behind and were now discussing the sale, suspicions of her own had arisen. She hoped she were wrong.
The further they walked the more noticeable Sarah’s uneven gait became. Izzy slowed her pace to allow Sarah to do the same as she was given a tour of each room. It was a beautiful home. It seemed to be missing something though, and the more she saw, the more she was convinced Jack had no intention of living there...ever.
Jack in a twelve bedroom house with a stable? This was a family home, and Jack made it clear he wouldn’t need one of those.
As Izzy looked up at another impressive ceiling, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you selling? You have a beautiful home.”
Sadness clouded Sarah’s blue eyes. “Sweetheart, this house hasn’t seemed like a home for many years. It’s beautiful, yes, but this house lost its soul when we lost our son.”
She put a hand to the woman’s fragile shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t you worry, dear. This estate has been in our family for generations, but we are planning to move to Spain. I have arthritis and Frank...well, Frank seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders these days. A move will do the both of us good.”
“But won’t you miss it here?”
“Yes. We had some good times here, but sad ones also. Sometimes you have to let go.”
Izzy shuffled her feet at the recognition of words Jack had said to her. Should she let go?
“We want this house to become what it is supposed to be,” Sarah continued. “A family home. We were only blessed with one child, and I must admit he was a late surprise.” She laughed softly. “So this house became a lonely one after he...he died.”
“What happened?” Izzy questioned gently.
“My son was a lovely man. Hard working and kind. Very much like his father, but with a lot less control. He was a handsome man, and his wealth made him a target for women. Women became his weakness. After dinner with his fiancée they rowed about something on their journey home. Another woman, I believe. His distraction caused him to lose control of the car, and he died on impact. Fortunately, his fiancée survived.”
At the sight of moisture brimming in Sarah’s eyes, Izzy gave her a swift hug.
“If you do buy this house, I hope you fill it with lots of children and laughter.”
“Oh, I—”
This time Sarah gave her a gentle hug, making Izzy squirm inside at their deception. “I have no doubt the two of you will be very happy.”
Izzy wasn’t feeling happy at all. In fact, she feeling miserable.
“You look so sad. Is there something wrong?”
She paused before answering the only way she could. Honestly. “I just...I feel that my feelings are so much stronger than Jack’s, you know?”
Sarah’s tinkling laugh startled her. “My dear, you are very much mistaken. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Your wedding photographs speak for themselves. That lucky young man is very much in love with you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Did he really? And if he did, did he know it himself?
Sarah’s face lit up as she directed her to her art studio.
“This is my work room and also our private gallery,” she explained as she pushed open wide double doors.
Izzy scanned the L-shaped room, reveling in the collection of paintings combined with photography. Sarah pointed out her personal ones, so vibrant and beautiful. Izzy gave a wide smile.
As she turned the corner Izzy stifled a gasp. Her breath froze, her heart pounding in her chest like a jack hammer.
Now she knew why Jack wanted to buy this place.
Somebody was going to get hurt. Even more than he already was.
* * * *
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jack, sitting on the side of the bed with his elbows propped on his knees, dragged a hand through his hair before he lifted his head to meet the gaze that mirrored his own anguish. Izzy joined him in the darkness, standing with her back against the bedroom door she’d just closed behind her.
He didn’t know how she’d found out but she had.
“You don’t intend to live here, do you?”
He shook his head, fighting against the tension in his neck.
Frank was going to agree to the sale. Jack should have felt pleased, some sense of satisfaction. But somehow he didn’t. Instead, the knot inside his gut had got even tighter, and the heaviness in his chest threatened to overwhelm him.
Or was that because he was looking at Izzy?
“No.”
Living here in these walls was the last place he wanted to be.
Her shoulders seemed to sag deeper into the solid oak door. “Then what? Development? Is that the plan you were working on? Because, buddy, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m sure this is a listed building. If it is, the only thing you’ll be changing is the paintwork.”
“I don’t care. If I can’t build here then I shall leave it to crumble.” He winced inwardly at his words. Suddenly they didn’t feel so right. Letting Daleford know his precious family home was about to become nothing but dust didn’t sound so good anymore. Didn’t add that fire to his belly.
“But why?”
He rose suddenly, and with two long strides, the flats of his arms pinned Izzy at either side of the door. The curves of her body licked heat through his veins. He felt anger...no, frustration...flare.
“Because that’s who I am, Izzy. I do bad things to get what I want.”
Despite the harshness of his tone, she lifted her chin in defiance.
“You don’t scare me, Jack.”
He leaned his weight against the length of her body. “Really? Then why are you trembling?”
“That’s not fear, that’s want.”
His gaze swept over her face, catching the speed of her breath, the parting of her lips, the way her dilated pupils turned her chocolate eyes almost black.
“You don’t want someone like me.”
“Why?” she demanded.
“I’m not a nice person.”
“Yes, yes, you are, Jack.”
“Am I? Would you think I was nice if I were to take you here—now—up against this door?”
“Stop trying to scare me away. It won’t work. But if sex will make you feel better right now, then go ahead,” she challenged as she widened her legs. The arch of her body against his erection told him she meant it. “But I’m offering you more, Jack. You just need to let me in.”
“I don’t want more.”
“That isn’t what your eyes are telling me,” she said softly as she peered up at him through thick, long lashes.
Jack pressed his palms harder into the door, trying to resist the urge to stroke his hands over every lovely bone in her body.
“Sex is all I have to give.”
“Fine!” Lifting on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arm around his neck, her fingers sliding into his hair before tugging his head down. “Then let me prove you wrong,” she whispered.
She brushed her lips against his mouth like the wings of a butterfly, soft, tentative, yet alluring. She moved her lips achingly slowly, stirring the need inside of him like a whirlpool. What could he do but kiss her right back?
As her lips grazed, his teased back. As her tongue stroked, his swept. Still the pace was slow. It was the most sensual kiss of his life, and to be honest, it scared him. With each touch, each taste, she was getting deeper inside of him. And he was at risk of liking her there.
He caught her soft moan in his mouth, allowing it to kick-start every cell in his body. He dropped his arms to grasp her hips. Izzy took advantage of her freedom and pressed her flattened palms on his chest. Did she feel the pound of his heart beneath her fingers? The flare of her eyes said yes. With a strength he didn’t know she had, she pushed him back. Walking backward without letting go, he allowed her to steer him to where she wanted him. To the bed. Good.
The fixed determination in her gaze, the lift of her delicate chin, told him she was in charge. Who was he to argue? he decided, as the back of his legs met the firm mattress of the huge bed. With another shove, he found himself seated with Izzy’s breasts in line with his eyes. He sucked in a breath. God, he needed this. Needed her?
He clenched his jaw tightly. He didn’t deserve her, but damn, he couldn’t deny her any more than he could deny the throb of his groin or the intake of air. With a ragged sigh, he folded his arms around her waist and buried his head against her breasts as he breathed in the sweet, feminine scent of her.
Izzy raked her fingers through his hair, making him tilt his head back in pleasure. His mouth brushed against the tight peak of her nipple, taunting it into a hard tight bud. Her head tipped back, the fall of her hair sweeping across his fingers like a fall of silk on a breezy day. She stroked down the sensitive sides of his ribcage, making him shudder. He sucked in a breath as he felt the tremble of her fingers as they bunched at the bottom of his v neck sweater. He let go of her, allowing her to strip it from his body.
Best Fake Day Page 14