by Cherry Adair
The good news was he obviously had no interest in children, nor did he want anything to do with any progeny. Which was fine and dandy with Jessie. What he didn't want, he wouldn't take away.
She squared her shoulders and took a fortifying sip of wine. Exhilaration made her heart pump harder. She resisted the urge to run her hands over her hips to make sure the silk jersey wasn't bunched anywhere, men righted the circlet of holly she'd woven into a wreath for her hair. Feeling like a gunslinger checking his holster, she choked back a laugh.
The smile died on her lips as she caught Joshua's gaze, holding it, although it took every ounce of her newfound sophistication to do so. Her chin lifted a notch and she saw his lips twitch. Their eyes locked as he started across the room toward her. Blood pounded in her ears. Forty feet… thirty feet… don't talk to him, lady! ...eighteen feet…
Joshua was taller, fitter, better looking than any other man in the room. Her heart pounded so hard she barely felt the individual beats. Everything about him assaulted her senses as he moved inexorably toward her. Adrenaline raced in effervescent bubbles through her bloodstream. The wine was tasteless as she took a gulp then held the cool glass against her hot cheek. Sixteen feet…
Simon almost gave her heart failure as he came up beside her and circled his arms around her waist. She hadn't noticed his approach. He kissed her cheek. "You look like a Christmas angel in that red dress, honey. What are you staring at so intently—Oh, Joshua's here."
"Stay, Simon." Jessie held on to his arm like a lifeline. "Just long enough to introduce us, okay?"
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Jessie?"
She'd fibbed to Joshua's uncle, only telling him half her plan. Her laugh sounded strained even to her own ears. "No."
For seven years she'd imagined making love with Joshua. She'd dreamed about it. Longed for it. Ached for it Every time she read about him, either in the business section of the newspaper or a sleazy tabloid, Jessie had wished she were the woman on Joshua's arm. In his bed.
She'd tried unsuccessfully to banish her husband from her mind and heart while putting her nose to the grindstone in the intervening years. She'd finished high school, gone to college, all the while carefully managing to avoid him. Until tonight.
Now there was method to her madness.
The physical attraction she was experiencing was as powerful, as terrifying now as it had been all those years ago in the diner. Lust made her mission easier. And if the feelings were reciprocated…
It had taken forever, yet, in a second, he was right these within touching distance. His cologne was mote subtle, more sophisticated, than she remembered, but the base scent, the essence of the man, remained. She'd never felt more female in her life as Joshua's hot gaze burned through the thin silk of her dress to the pulsing skin beneath.
"Simon." Joshua greeted his uncle, his voice low and husky, his eyes on Jessie.
"Joshua." Simon sounded atypically jovial as he clasped his nephew's hand. "How're you doing, son?"
"Introduce me to the lady." Joshua watched the sunrise of a blush paint her cheeks as he allowed the heat of his gaze to travel slowly from her lush mouth to her eyes and back to her mouth. A cloud of dark, Raphaelite curls framed her face and drifted about her shoulders as she looked up at him. Her brows, dark and silky, formed a gentle arch above eyes of sparkling chocolate brown.
Joshua had reluctantly accepted Simon's heavy-handed invitation to the Christmas party. He didn't do Christmas. For a second when he'd spotted the dark-haired beauty beside his uncle, he'd imagined she was Simon's surprise. Considering every surprise he'd ever had at this time of year was a bad one, and familiar with his uncle's wily manipulations, he'd almost turned around and driven up to his cabin in Tahoe as he did every year during the holidays.
He felt sufficiently mellow to wait his uncle out. With her supple, slender body, she was enough of an inducement to make him stay. For now. Her subtle fragrance teased him. A holly wreath nestled in her dark hair. Her skin looked smooth and pale against the flame-red floor-length gown. The matte fabric covered her from throat to ankle in a sensuous sweep, without showing so much as a panty line.
He felt a rush of heat as her small breasts shifted with her breathing. She was doing her damnedest to appear unaffected, but the lady was as aware of him as he was of her.
Joshua felt the familiar adrenaline rush for the start of the chase and wondered if she, too, was thinking of tangled sheets and sweat-dampened skin.
"Jessica Adams, my nephew, Joshua Falcon."
Her name was familiar. "You're the interior decorator my uncle's always talking about. You do good work."
A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks. Simon and Patti are always a pleasure to work with."
And she'd be a pleasure to have in his bed. "Go away, Simon," he told his uncle without looking at him. Jessie's mouth curved slightly as she observed him maneuvering his uncle. Joshua couldn't remember reacting so explosively to a woman in his life. The shiny strings of the tiny Christmas balls in her ears tangled in the darkness of her hair. She rubbed her wineglass against the pulse pounding at her throat
He used every vestige of control to keep from tossing her over his shoulder caveman style and dragging her to his lair.
The very thought startled him. He was not an impulsive man, nor was he given to flights of fancy. He stuffed his hand in his pocket. He was almost tempted to cut his losses and walk away. Sex was one thing, an excess of emotion another.
Hell. Christmas always brought out the worst in him.
He knew he was looking at Jessie with unabashed hunger. His blood pressure shot up another ten points as he heard her stifle a moan. "Are you here alone?" he asked.
She either was or wasn't available. He'd never competed for a woman in his life. Although, Joshua thought surprised by his reaction, he might be tempted in her case.
She smiled. "Just me and 299 party guests." She had an extraordinary mouth, generous, her lips pouty without being petulant. Joshua needed a taste. Just one. He almost leaned over to take it but managed to remain fixed in place, his libido jumping. She was available, he wanted her and she appeared interested. It was turning out to be a good party, after all.
He smiled. "Can I take you home?"
"Actually, I just got here," she drawled, eyes bright. "But thanks for offering. Simon," she turned to his uncle with a smile that made Joshua's skin tingle, "I'd love another glass of this excellent Chateau Whatever."
Simon gave them both a pointed glance before he snatched her glass and went off to the kitchen.
Jessie tilted her head a little to look up at him. Brown eyes twinkled as bronze lights of laughter danced in the sparkling depth. She was all sass and flirty eyes. And damn well irresistible. Joshua wanted to bury his hands up to his elbows in her hair, assure himself that it was as soft as it looked. He wanted to run his fingers along her slender curves. He wanted to lay her on cool sheets in a candlelit room and make love to her until she melted like warm honey.
But first things first.
"Before we leave," he said flatly. "I need to make something perfectly clear. I'm married."
Obviously taken aback she gave him a startled look. "Goodness, a philanderer with integrity. How refreshing."
He realized he'd tensed for her response. There was something about her that led him to believe she was nothing like his female companions to date. He hadn't paused to wonder why he'd told her the truth when he'd never bothered to tell anyone else before. She'd be just as capable as any other woman to run directly to the tabloids with the news flash.
His marriage wasn't a marriage at all. It was a piece of paper, nothing more. He knew it, the girl knew it. But this woman, with her glowing eyes and ripe mouth, might not understand.
For the first time since he was a boy, Joshua felt a flush ride his cheekbones. "It's purely a business arrangement. She doesn't give a damn what I do. We've been separated for seven years."
"Poor her.
"
"The arrangement was mutually agreed on," he said flatly.
"Why bother telling me?"
"Because I don't want any misunderstandings. I'm powerfully attracted to you. Hell, flat-out, I want you, Jessie Adams. But I'm not interested in a long-term entanglement and marriage will never be on the table."
"Because you're already married."
"Because I never have, nor will I ever have, any interest in the state of holy matrimony. I married to facilitate a business deal, she married me for money. If this is a problem, tell me now."
"The problem," Jessie said sweetly, "is I don't care one way or the other. And I think it's a bit presumptuous of you to think I would since we've known each other all of two minutes. Your marital status has no effect on me at all one way or the other."
"Good." Joshua only now realized how damned boring life had been lately. It had been a long time since he'd felt the roar of his blood and the thrill of the chase.
"Let me guess. Your wife's a petite, blue-eyed blonde?"
Joshua stared at her blankly. He vaguely remembered Vera as a tall, skinny… blonde? Redhead? Whatever. Somehow he'd lost control of the conversation. He wasn't sure where or why, but it mildly annoyed him. "What's that got to do with anything?"
Brown eyes gleamed devilishly. "I'm trying to point out that I'm not your type."
"How do you know what my type is?"
Jessie fluttered her long eyelashes at him. "Small, blond and busty. Would you like me to name them for you?"
"I think I can remember," Joshua said dryly, narrowing his eyes in mild annoyance. CEOs had quailed at that look. She—damn her sassy hide—had the nerve to grin.
"And why would you be so interested in my lady friends?" he asked silkily, suddenly finding tall, slender dark-haired women extremely appealing. The air about her seemed to crackle with electricity.
"What?" Little Sass was distracted for a moment watching his mouth. "It's hard to miss your exploits when every tabloid and newspaper finds the subject absolutely fascinating."
A point to the lady for her swift recovery.
Joshua glanced down. Her nipples were clearly delineated by the fabric of her dress. As he watched, the small buds peaked. He stifled a groan and shifted his stance.
"Lord," she said, voice thick, "you are direct, aren't you?"
"If I was any more direct, I'd come right out and tell you I want to take you to bed."
She smiled. "I believe you just did."
"I'm hardly the first man who's wanted to sleep with you."
"You're the first man who's said it straight out within moments of meeting me, with about three hundred witnesses." She didn't move away as he rested his hand on the small of her back. He could almost feel her skin vibrate beneath his fingers.
"I want to see you."
"You are seeing me."
"Without all these people around."
"If you're staying with Simon for the weekend, we should bump into each other sometime."
"That's a little too vague for me." He scanned her animated face. Her eyes still danced as she crossed her arms over her chest. At the view of her plumped breasts on the shelf of her arms, his mouth went dry.
He wanted her. He planned to have her. Soon.
"Several of us are going parachuting tomorrow, and since it's too far to drive home, then back again so early in the morning, I'm spending the night here. You're welcome to join us, Joshua."
Her husky voice saying his name made him want to yank her into his arms. He craved her mouth under his. He wanted to back her against the wall and have her, right there in Simon's sunken living room, in front of hundreds of guests. Lord. He couldn't remember ever being this hot, this fast.
Jessie glanced at him under her lashes. She took a small step back. "I've heard people should live life as if their personal diary would be published in the newspaper every day." She looked up at him with those big brown eyes. "I've read your personal diary in the tabloids for years. Just standing here talking to you is going to give me notoriety I've never had before. I'm not sure I'm ready for prime time."
More than likely their first meeting would be splashed across every tabloid by tomorrow morning. He didn't give a damn—unless she cashed in on his weak moment of honesty concerning his marriage. Then every snoop reporter in the country would be on the hunt for Vera.
Despite the risk, pursuing Jessie held an indefinable, underlying attraction that had nothing to do with her slender body. Something about her made his heart go from zero to a hundred in seconds and he'd be damned if he knew why.
"Do you realize," he asked, his voice thick, "that we're standing right under the mistletoe?"
Her long lashes fluttered as she glanced up, then directly into his eyes. Yes, her eyes told him. Of course she knew where they stood.
"Lord, woman, don't look at me like that." He didn't recognize the roughness in his own voice. "What do I have to give you for just one kiss?"
"Here?" Jessie scanned the room.
"Yes, damn it."
"Chloroform?"
"Oh," he mocked, "I think I can find something that works just as well and is far more accessible." He hailed a waiter, and handed her two brimming glasses of pale wine. "Here."
Jessie automatically clutched both glasses as she looked up at him. "What am I supposed to d—"
He touched her cheek, just the barest of touches, and she closed her eyes, tilting her face up. He kissed her softly on the mouth. Christ, it was as bad as eating one damn peanut. She tasted of Simon's excellent Chateau Coutet, laughter and something he couldn't quite put a name to.
His fingers tightened briefly in the springy silk of her hair as her tongue shyly touched his. His lips moved with expertise over hers, Jessie's lashes fluttered then drifted closed. He felt her small breasts brand his chest as she leaned into him. He swallowed her ragged moan as he deepened the contact and lost himself in her response.
And then she was gone.
One moment he was standing with an armful of pliant willing woman, the next he was holding two dripping glasses and she was several feet away.
"Give me a call sometime." Jessie fluttered her fingers and melted into the crowd, disappearing from view before he could recover.
Joshua felt as if he'd been poleaxed.
* * * * *
Jessie's purple-and-pink parachute floated over the vineyard toward the eucalyptus tree windbreak on the south side of the clearing near Simon's house. Joshua shaded his eyes against the sharp winter sun and scowled. He'd had precious little sleep the night before. Thinking about her, knowing she slept under the same roof, had caused him to toss and turn. So near and yet so far.
In his imagination she'd appeared larger than life somehow. Vibrant and intoxicatingly alive. She had what the French called je ne sais quoi, an indescribable something.
Joshua didn't consider himself a fanciful man, but he needed to see Jessie Adams again. Needed to assure himself that what he remembered from the night before was as simple as her unmistakable sex appeal.
Joshua enjoyed sex. He considered himself a considerate lover. He wanted Jessie. It seemed simple enough. And yet… He narrowed his eyes trying to put his finger on it There was more to her. Something complex. Something intriguing. Something, damn it, that called to much more than his libido.
Which was, of course, a ridiculous assumption based on a few minutes of conversation the night before.
He wanted to chat with her once more before he left to drive back to San Francisco. Get rid of this stupid fantasy he'd built up during the night. Frankly, he reminded himself grimly, he didn't have the emotional fortitude to deal with a woman for more than companionship and sex.
They didn't call him The Glacier for nothing.
High above him, a gust took hold of the thin silk, and Jessie's slender arms madly manipulated the controls against the sudden shift in wind direction. She was losing the battle.
"Hell." Joshua started to run as her feet skimmed the
treetops. Behind him, the follow vehicle revved, then bit a wheelie into the dirt road running alongside the vines behind Simon's house. Joshua sprinted to the other side of the trees just in time to see the billowing silks covering Jessie's prone body.
Roughly he gathered the fabric, flinging it behind him until he unveiled her. She looked up into his face and grinned.
"God, that was fabulous!" She sat up, brushing twigs and dirt off her arms. A skintight purple and fuchsia spandex bodysuit clung to every sleek, tight inch of her long body.
"You little idiot," Joshua said furiously, his heart still pounding. "You could've been killed."
Jessie's hand stilled and her smile slipped a little as she unbuckled her fuchsia helmet and tugged it off. Something he didn't recognize flared in her eyes.
"Yeah, my landing left a little to be desired." She tossed her braid over her shoulder. "I'll have to work on that." She stuck out a hand. "Pull me up."
He hadn't imagined it. She seemed to inhale life, to eat it with a spoon, relishing each delicious moment at a time. He knew she'd be like that in bed. Eager. Hot. Passionate and wild. He could drown in those hot, brown eyes. "You like living dangerously, don't you?"
"You have no idea," Jessie managed to say breathlessly as he suddenly tugged on her hand, drawing her to her feet and against his chest in one quick move.
"I want to taste it on you." Joshua breathed in her already familiar scent that even dust and eucalyptus couldn't mask.
"Taste what?" she asked, a hairsbreadth away from his mouth. She looked up at him, her hand in his against his chest. Her fingers flexed under his but her eyes were steady. "Taste what?" she repeated, her husky voice low.
"Danger." He brought his mouth down on hers like a starving man at a banquet. He knew after he'd slept with her a few times the gnawing want would lessen and become manageable enough to ignore.
Jessie's lips held the sheen of his kiss as he stepped away from her. Joshua handed her the helmet. "I'll call you January first," he told her. Ignoring her bemused look, he turned and walked away. It was one of the hardest things he'd done in years.