Jovonnie? Look nice? She was still wearing the brown slacks and beige top she’d put on for her meeting with Pam earlier. JoJo figured he must have decided to throw some playacting into her kissing lessons to set the mood. Without saying anything, she stepped back as he entered the house. Something about the look in his eyes gave her pause.
“Stern,” she said, trying to fight the lust consuming her. “Thanks. You look nice, too.” She moved toward the center of her living room.
He closed the door behind him and walked toward her with movements that were so full of virility she felt weak in the knees. And when he came to a stop with only one inch keeping their bodies from touching, she realized she was attracted to him more than ever before. He was tall and handsome, with a beautifully proportioned body that would make any woman take notice.
The outline of his body strained against the fabric of his dark jacket and emphasized the width of his shoulders. The denim jeans covered his long muscular legs and rounded off what she considered a powerfully sexy male physique.
He cupped her face in his hands and whispered in a deep, husky voice, “Have I told you lately just how utterly beautiful you are?”
Utterly beautiful? She dismissed his words, trying to remember they were playacting. Even so, as she looked into the darkness of his eyes, she heard herself saying, “No, not lately.”
He smiled and the way his lips curved made a deep yearning spread all through her stomach. “Definitely an error on my part,” he said huskily. “One that I need to correct immediately.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers.
He didn’t take her mouth right away like he had the last time. Instead, he hovered over her mouth as if to allow her to absorb his heated breath into her own. Then he leaned in closer and slowly slid his tongue between her parted lips.
On instinct, her own tongue was there to meet his and they began a dance that had fire rushing through her body. She closed her eyes as the sensations became almost unbearable.
The kiss intensified. He locked their lips in a way that made hers a willing captive to his. He greedily feasted on her mouth, causing her to moan deep within her throat. This kiss was deeper, more thorough and more arousing than the other one had been, though she wasn’t sure how that could be possible. How could a kiss meant for teaching be so convincingly arousing?
All too soon he released her chin and dropped his hands. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. As he tried catching his breath, she tried doing the same. Even as he drew in deep gulps of air he gazed at her with a seductive look. She couldn’t help wondering how he’d been able to play his role so well.
“So,” she said, finally finding her voice. “How do you think I did just now?”
The look of obvious approval in his eyes pleased her. “Very well,” he said softly as his eyes raked boldly over her.
It was then that she had to remind herself that the look in his eyes was only a part of his role-playing. The person who’d just kissed her was her best friend—Stern—and the kiss hadn’t been a real kiss at all but a lesson. But it had been some lesson!
He reached out and took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s sit down on the sofa and talk about it.”
She lifted a brow. “Talk about it?”
He nodded. “We need to cover every aspect of that kiss in full detail.”
She swallowed tightly, thinking, Oh, boy.
* * *
Stern sat down on the sofa and gathered JoJo to his side, not ready to let her get too far away just yet. The kiss that had been meant as a learning lesson for her had overwhelmed him, making him fully aware of just what power JoJo packed and how easy it might be for a man to take advantage of her vulnerability.
His reaction to the kiss had been quick and magnetic—and that really wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to remain aloof, detached and indifferent. Definitely disengaged.
But he’d gotten engaged, connected and way too involved.
“Well?”
He saw her watching him expectantly. Turning to her, he continued to hold her hand. If she found it odd, she said nothing about it. It seemed her focus was on what he had to say.
“First of all,” he started off, “my approach tonight was one of setting the mood. You should have picked up on what my intentions were the moment I arrived.”
She nodded. “I did. I saw that look in your eyes and noted your body language and knew you had gone into playacting mode.”
He wondered what she would think if she knew he hadn’t been acting. When she’d opened the door and he’d seen her standing there, his reaction to her had been purely sensual and definitely real.
“To start things off,” he said, “I gave you a compliment about how nice you looked. That was intended to soften you up, make you mellow. That should have been another hint at my intentions. However, there shouldn’t have been any doubt in your mind what I intended to do when I cupped your face.”
She nodded. “There wasn’t.”
“Good. That kiss was one I classify as an I like you kiss. A French kiss between two people wanting to know each other better. Not too light and not too heavy.”
“Do you think that’s the type Walter will use?”
Stern flinched at the thought of the man kissing her using any method. “More than likely, if he’s a smooth sort of guy,” he said, forcing the words from his mouth. “If he tries rushing things, then he’ll use one of those I want you kisses. Those can be dangerous.”
“In what way?”
“Those are intended to make a woman lose her head because the man has only one thing on his mind—getting you into the nearest bed.”
“Oh,” she said.
He watched her nibble at her bottom lip and knew she was thinking about what he’d said.
“So what should I do if he gives me that kind of kiss and I’m not ready for it?”
“End it immediately,” he said with more force than necessary. “A woman can end a kiss at any time, especially if she thinks it’s aggressive or if it’s more than what she’s ready for.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Let’s try one.”
He raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I said, let’s try one of those. I need to make sure I can tell the difference between an I like you kiss and an I want you kiss.”
Grinning, he said, “Trust me, you’ll be able to tell the difference, JoJo.”
“I want to be sure.”
He stared at her, certain she had no idea what she was asking of him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why? It’s me, Stern. JoJo. I’m the last person you would want to take to bed, but for this kiss I need you to pretend so I can know the difference. I want Walter to like me, but I’m not ready to sleep with him.”
Stern sighed deeply, glad to hear that.
“But I don’t want him to catch me with my guard down. What if I return the kiss not knowing what kind it is? That wouldn’t be fair to him and he might think I’m a tease.”
Stern didn’t give a royal damn what this Walter guy thought. And he had to bite his tongue not to tell JoJo that very thing. She was trying to impress a man who might not deserve all the trouble she was going through.
“Stern?”
He looked at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. She actually didn’t know the power of such a kiss, much less where it could lead. Maybe he should make sure she did. “Okay, JoJo, but only because you asked.”
He stood, removed his jacket and placed it across the back of the sofa before sitting back down. “Remember, with any kiss you can pull back at any time.”
“What if I pull back and the guy doesn’t stop and keeps kissing me anyway?”
“Then you slap the hell out of him.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
He returned her smile, knowing she wouldn’t hesitate to do so. “All right, let’s get started. Be prepared because there’s an intense degree of French kissing in this sort of kiss. Just thought I’d warn you.”
“All right.”
He leaned toward her. She smelled good, and whether she knew it or not, she exuded a heavy dose of femininity just the way she was. She had her hair in a ponytail, didn’t have on any makeup and was wearing slacks and a blouse. Although he’d been the one to suggest a makeover, he wasn’t sure whether one would suit her. She was JoJo, and as far as he was concerned, she had an inner beauty that was an innate part of her no matter what she was wearing on the outside.
“Stern?”
It was only then that he realized he’d been sitting there staring at her. “Yes?”
“Is something wrong?”
He could come clean now and tell her that yes, something was wrong—he just didn’t know what. He could also tell her he didn’t want this Walter guy to come within five feet of her, but if she asked why, he wouldn’t know what to tell her other than just because.
“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just trying to figure out why someone as beautiful as you are doesn’t have men constantly knocking at your door.” He pulled the band off her hair and then wound his hands into the dark strands.
She rolled her eyes. “Role-playing again?”
“Yes...” If that’s what she wants to believe...
“Then I guess I need to get into the act, too,” she said, placing the pad of a finger into the dimple in his chin. She’d done that before but her doing it now had his flesh zinging.
“I like this dimple right here,” she said, smiling.
“Apparently,” he said, trying to control the way her touch was making him feel. “Just like I have a thing for your hair.”
“Do you?”
“You know I do. I’m not very fond of your cap.”
She chuckled. “But you know why I wear it. Can’t have hair falling in my face while changing a battery.” She thought for a minute. “I think my profession turns off most men.”
“And I can see how it can turn some men on.”
She lifted a brow. “Really? How?”
“A woman who can change spark plugs and a tire in record time and doesn’t need a man to install brake pads has to be dynamite in every other facet of her life.”
“I like that theory of yours.”
“And I like you.” Stern felt a web of desire building between them and knew it wasn’t pretense. It was the real thing. Suddenly, he reached out and swept her from her spot on the sofa and into his lap, ignoring her surprised gasp. Before she could skim out of his grasp, he placed his arms around her.
“Now,” he said huskily, “this is where I want you for the time being. Do you have a problem with it?”
She stared down at him for a long moment before saying, “No, I don’t have a problem with it.”
* * *
A part of JoJo wondered whether or not she should have problems with this scenario. Stern had no idea of her feelings for him, of how she constantly fought them. He had no clue that it was his face that invaded her dreams at night, that it was his lips she fantasized about kissing. He had no idea how much she wanted his kisses. This role-playing was kind of fun. She could let herself go, let herself enjoy the attraction she felt for him without him knowing the truth.
“JoJo?”
Was she mistaken or had his eyes gotten darker? She must be mistaken. “Yes?”
“We can decide not to do this and call it a night.”
Was that reluctance she heard in his voice? “No, I’m good. I want to do this, Stern. I need to do this.”
More than you could ever know.
He stared down at her, and then he asked, “Does this Walter mean that much to you?”
She thought about his question. It was on the tip of her tongue to say that no, Walter didn’t mean that much to her, Stern did. She wanted to say that she was only using Walter to make her forget about Stern. Instead, she said, “I don’t know the answer to that. All I know is that I want him to notice me. To take me seriously. I want him to see me as someone other than the mechanic who keeps his car in check.”
“Well, I’m going to be plenty angry if I find out he doesn’t appreciate you and the beautiful person that you are. And I’m not saying that as your best friend—I’m saying that as a man who has dated a lot of women and can recognize a gem when he sees it.”
His words filled her. No reply could come out. She felt tears trying to gather at the backs of her eyes. Why did he have to go and say such sweet things to her? Words that would give any woman pause and make her long for a man like him?
“Thank you,” she finally said when she was capable of speaking.
“Don’t ever thank me for any compliments I give you, JoJo, because I mean them.”
JoJo bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling as her heart pounded in her chest. She wished he wouldn’t play his role so well. It only made her wish even more that they could move beyond being best friends. Unfortunately, that would never happen. They were best friends and that was all they could ever be to each other.
But, for a short while, as he educated her in the fine art of kissing, she could pretend—and boy would she pretend. “Kiss me, Stern.”
He fanned her face with his heated breath as he eased his mouth closer to hers. “Asking a man to kiss you in a voice like that can be dangerous. He’ll think he’s already won half the battle.”
At that moment, she didn’t care and to prove she didn’t, she placed her arms around his neck. In one smooth, forward motion she leaned up and tilted her mouth to his, blatantly inviting him to do just what she’d asked.
He took her lips in slowly and leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world and intended to make sure she felt every demand he was making on her mouth. He tightened his arms around her and took her mouth with a greed that had her head spinning. This kiss was definitely different from the other two. Its intensity made a moan escape her lips. As he continued to enjoy tasting her, she settled back against his chest, sinking deeply into his warm embrace.
If the purpose of this kind of kiss was to make a woman willing and ready for the bedroom, then she could see it happening...but not with Walter. She doubted she could get into a kiss like this with him. In fact, a kiss like this from him just might turn her off because she would be pretending he was someone else. She would imagine Stern as the man holding her in his arms, as he was doing this very minute. Stern was the man using his lips and tongue to send warm shivers through her.
She wasn’t certain who shifted first, but her back was suddenly pressed against the sofa cushions and she was no longer in Stern’s lap. She was lying on the sofa with him over her.
He hadn’t let up with his attention to her mouth and he hadn’t let go of her. The hunger in his kiss was building a passion in her she’d never experienced before. The kiss had started off slow and drugging. Now it was fiery and hot, sending ecstasy spiraling within her, nearly robbing her of all conscious thought.
But she knew the exact moment when he began unbuttoning her blouse, and she moaned when air touched her chest. Then his hands were there, rubbing against the material of her bra and—
Her cell phone rang and Stern jerked away from her as if he’d been burned. He almost tumbled over in his quickness to get off the sofa. She eased up into a sitting position and, after buttoning her blouse, she picked up the phone off the coffee table. It was a cousin calling her from Detroit and she let it go to voice mail.
“Why didn’t you stop me?” Stern asked, seeming to barely get the words out. He had a fierce expression on his face.
She shrugged before saying, “Because I liked it,” she told him honestly.
He stared at her
for a second before grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. Angry eyes pinned her when he said, “Not sure these kissing lessons were a good idea. I’ll call you sometime tomorrow.”
By the time she was on her feet, he was already out the door and had slammed it shut behind him.
Six
The next day Stern paced his office in a bad mood. He was glad Dillon hadn’t called any meetings today and that he mostly had the office to himself. Riley was out for the rest of the week because he and Alpha had flown to Daytona to visit her parents. Canyon had taken off at lunch to meet with Keisha and go shopping for a swing set for their son, Beau.
Stern stopped in the middle of the floor and rubbed his hand down his face. He hadn’t called JoJo like he’d told her he would, and he didn’t plan to do so until he pulled himself together. That kiss last night still had him reeling in a way no kiss ever had before.
He let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t as if they were lovers. Far from it. They were best friends who’d agreed to study Kissing 101. The prior kisses with her had left him believing he’d probably imagined their impact. But after last night he knew his imagination wasn’t responsible. That kiss, the one that was supposed to be the I want you kiss, had done just that—it had left him wanting her with a vengeance. That’s why he was so angry and annoyed with himself. She trusted him in a way she trusted no other man and last night he had violated that trust. He had been two seconds away from stripping her naked.
He drew in a deep breath when his cell phone went off and he recognized JoJo’s ring tone. He wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. He needed time to come to terms with last night. To her, it might have been a kissing lesson, but to him it had been more.
Now, what was he going to do about it?
* * *
When she woke up Friday morning JoJo was convinced Stern was avoiding her. She’d called him yesterday to make sure things were okay after he’d stormed out of her place Wednesday night. But he hadn’t returned her call. Usually, even if he was in a meeting when she called, he would call her back at the first opportunity. But he hadn’t this time.
Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Collection: ZaneCanyonStern Page 41