by Cherry Adair
"You're sleeping away this beautiful day," Jessie complained, running her warm hands up his bare chest. He saw his own sleepy face reflected in her sunglasses. Gulls glided above them in a painfully blue sky and the white sails snapped in a breeze he couldn't feel.
"There's a nice big stateroom downstairs," he suggested, lazily running his hand around her back under the short top. She wore no bra. Her skin was hot, smooth and slightly sweaty.
She arched her back at his touch. "With a nice big bed, I suppose?"
"Probably."
"How about lunch first?" She wriggled her eyebrows.
Trust Jessie. Laughing, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him below deck.
Chilled lobster and a dozen mouthwatering salads vied with fresh fruit and several dessert dishes, the fare spread out artistically on a long, linen-draped buffet table. The crew discreetly returned to their duties after closing the door.
He watched as Jessie helped herself to a bit of everything. Her plate was piled high by the time she brought it to the small table at the large window overlooking the bow.
"You're going to be sick again if you eat all that," he warned as she bit into a chunk of lobster. She had acquired more of a tan and her skin glowed with health and vitality.
It was hard to believe she was the same woman he'd helped into bed last night. He'd never experienced anything like the terror he had felt seeing Jessie on the floor of the casino. While she'd slept the night away in his arms, he had been wide-awake and waiting to see if he'd need to call the doctor.
"No, I won't." Jessie dribbled mayonnaise on the succulent white flesh before picking up another chunk with her fingers.
She was so damned stubborn. Joshua pushed her bangs out of her eyes then settled back to watch her eat.
There was not a morsel of food left on her plate when she finished. After rinsing her fingers in the finger bowl beside her plate she yawned. "I'm not taking a nap," she warned as if she could read his mind. She dried her hands on the napkin he handed her. Hers was probably on the floor.
He looked at her coolly. "Who said anything about a nap?"
"You have that let's-take-a-nap look about you." She wore not a scrap of makeup and she looked so beautiful she took his breath away.
"I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, Jess. Take pity."
"You just want to do nasty things to my body."
"That, too."
* * * * *
It was a darn good thing they'd taken a nap after they had made love after lunch. Joshua figured he had another long night ahead of him. Because by dusk when they got back to the hotel, Jessie was as sick as a dog again.
She came out of the bathroom, her face pasty. "Don't you dare say 'I told you so.' "
"Crawl into bed, Jess. I've called the doctor." God, he hated this. He watched her, worried out of his mind, as she limply climbed under the covers and closed her eyes.
Joshua paced while the doctor examined her.
"It's not fair. I didn't understand a word either of you said," Jessie complained after the doctor had presented his bill and left.
"He still thinks it's some kind of food poisoning." Some of her color had come back, but she still looked washed out and limp.
"Thank you for being so good to me, Joshua," she said with a simplicity that made him certain that very few people in her life had been good to her. The thought infuriated him. He felt overwhelmed by a damned heart-wrenching emotion he'd never experienced before he'd met Jessie.
He traced the dark circles under her eyes. Was the doctor right? Could a touch of food poisoning and jet lag make her this sick? More than likely, she had caught that damn bug from him last month.
"I did this to you," he said, feeling guiltier than he could ever remember feeling. He felt helpless in the face of her illness. There wasn't anything he could do.
"You don't make me sick." She gave him one of her special smiles, one that pierced his heart, as she reached up to touch his face.
"I probably gave you my cold." Joshua smoothed a thumb across one silky eyebrow and her eyes fluttered. "Close your eyes and rest."
"I just want to go home. I'm too embarrassed to throw up in that fancy bathroom again," she said in a woeful voice, which almost made him smile. "I want to be sick in my own toilet and sleep in my own bed."
"Then home it is," he said gruffly, as she looked up at him with the absolute trust of a puppy. "Close your eyes and rest while I make the arrangements."
* * * * *
Perversely, as soon as the plane took off she felt fine. "What are you doing?" she asked from the sofa where she had been made to lie down and take a nap.
"Paperwork. Why are you awake?"
"I'm lonely."
"I'm only four feet away from you, Jess." She tried to look pitiful. He smiled and held out his hand. "Want to sit in my lap?" he asked softly. She felt her heart smile.
"I have to go to the bathroom first." She threw off the light blanket and picked up her purse.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be back before you've noticed I'm gone."
Jessie made quick work of the birth control. She came out, snapped the door closed behind her, tossed her purse in the general direction of the sofa and padded over to his seat while he watched her with those pale eyes of his. His hair was smoothed back neatly, and he was wearing his yellow Tahoe shirt and jeans. She removed the papers from his lap and placed them carefully on the table beside his wide leather chair.
The engines hummed as she straddled his lap. He leaned back and settled her against his chest, her bottom nestled against him. She put one arm around his neck and the other around his waist, resting her head against his chest. She loved the way his arms enfolded her with gentle strength. "Make love to me," she demanded softly, her hand running lightly down his midriff to the snap of his jeans.
"I don't think that's such a goo—"
She smiled up at him, then her lips came down on his, cutting off words and thought. She rubbed erotically against his instant erection as her mouth clung and seduced. He nibbled gently but Jessie was having none of that. She brought both binds up to hold his head in place as she aggressively deepened the kiss.
He widened his mouth, giving her only moments to be the aggressor before he took over.
"What if Joe comes in—?" she asked suddenly.
"He won't. Don't look away, Jessie. You started this. Finish it."
"Is that a dare?" She ran her fingernail lightly down his now open shirt, and he shuddered. He smelled of soap and the brandy he'd been sipping.
Static electricity spun her hair into wild ripples and curls around her shoulders and down her back. She probably looked like a wild woman. "Make love with me. Now."
The top button of his jeans came undone at her touch, and she slipped her hand inside. There, she encountered crisp hair and hard flesh. He dragged his mouth across hers in a brief searing kiss and then held her wrist firmly away from him.
"There's nothing I want more right now than to make love to you, but let's make it last." Joshua drew her hand up his chest and kissed her palm, and she curled her fingers against his cheek. It felt rough—he needed a shave. Her skin tingled as the tip of his sharp teeth skimmed over the pad of her thumb.
He reached over and picked up the phone beside him on the wall. As he instructed the flight crew, he slowly pulled her T-shirt over her head. His breath felt warm on her bare skin. He put the phone gently back in the cradle. Lifting her with both hands on her hips, he set her on her feet. Methodically, he removed her jeans and underwear in one clever move. Jessie kicked them aside, her hands going to his jeans.
"Let me do it, darling." He rose quickly to shuck off his jeans and shirt, then sat and pulled her onto his lap.
"Here?" Jessie looked over her shoulder. The door between cabin and cockpit was only a few dozen yards away.
"They can't hear us." His mouth found the sensitive spot beneath her ear.
Jessie wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he
guided her hips down. The learner chair felt cold on the outside of her calves, his thighs hot. Her back arched as he filled her liquid heat. His hands held her still. "Don't move," he whispered against her mouth then nibbled at her lower lip.
"Oh, God." Jessie closed her eyes. The sensation of him filling her was exquisite. She felt the roughness of his hand move up her side, lingering on the indent of her waist before climbing to her breast. He caught her nipple between his fingers, manipulating the hard bud until she moaned. Instinctively, insistently, she wanted to press down.
His left hand held her hips still. "This is torture," she complained, panting now, body on fire. She blindly found his mouth, sliding her tongue inside only to shudder deliciously at the dark, familiar flavor of him.
She used her own hands to tease and torment him. His nipples were just as hard as hers, his skin just as slick, as he drew out the agony for both of them.
Jessie tasted the salty skin on his shoulder, nipping him with her teeth until she felt him leap inside her. She trembled and pressed down, her body desperate to start the rhythm that would bring them both release.
His hand firmly on her hip frustrated and aroused her. She used her hands to drive him wild, feeling his low growl of excitement in her own bones and tissue. Blood rushed in fiery trails through her body and electrified her skin.
Joshua shifted his hips slightly, lifting her enough to lave her breasts with the hot, dark promise of his mouth. She clung to his shoulders, digging her short nails into his skin, wild with wanting, frantic for release.
I love you. I love you. I love you, Jessie wanted to cry out loud. She bit her lip instead, her mind spinning, her reason going. She pressed down against the punishing grip of his hand on her hips.
He muffled her shout against his chest as he plunged inside her with enough force to convulse her body, the sensation so piercingly exquisite, tears squeezed between her tightly closed lids. Every muscle, every nerve in her body participated. She arched her back, grinding in counterpoint as she felt the sweet waves of release building.
Joshua's face was sheened with sweat, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Jessie could feel her internal muscles pulling him deeper. She watched through her own sweat and tears as his jaw grew rigid and the tendons in his neck stood out in relief.
The climax they shared seemed to go on forever. Their bodies locked in mortal combat until they collapsed, satiated.
Jessie leaned weakly against him, her arms leaden, her body limp. Sweat cooled on her burning skin. Small tremors shook her as sharp aftershocks clenched muscles and nerve endings already pushed beyond endurance.
One moment she was awake. The next she wasn't. Her hand lay curled against his chest, and her breathing was deep and still uneven. Joshua watched her with a bittersweet twist in his gut. He ran a light finger down her bare arm, her skin feeling like satin. She didn't move. He'd still been inside her when she'd fallen asleep as easily as turning off a light switch. She hadn't even twitched as he'd carried her to the bedroom in the back of the plane.
In that fleeting moment, she was more precious to him than his most priceless sculpture, his most exquisite work of art. Her loveliness had increased as he'd known her—not just the animated face she showed to the world, but the soft, intensely private face she wore when no one was looking.
It was becoming almost impossible to keep any emotional distance from her. Jessie could always make him smile. And each time, he felt an unfamiliar softening inside him. He wasn't sure he liked it but didn't know how to prevent the odd sensation.
He wanted to gather her against his body, hard, and never let her go. She was a priceless treasure, and he'd been complacent in his possession of her, until he'd seen her so pale and weak.
Only then had he instantly and painfully realized that unlike a painting or sculpture, Jessie could be taken from him. By something even he couldn't fight, couldn't negotiate and couldn't buy.
Chapter 9
Although Jessie had lost some of her tan, she glowed with good health tonight. The lighting illuminated her face as she leaned forward in her seat, absorbed by the action onstage. Joshua smiled as her lips moved silently with the music. Alone with her in the small secluded box overlooking the stage, he couldn't resist running his hand lightly up her back, letting his fingers rest under the thick fall of her hair. She wore a tangerine-colored dress with straps that crossed her smooth back. Her long coral-and-jet earrings made a soft tinkling sound against the back of his hand.
Jessie turned, giving him the special smile that touched his heart. His fingers tightened slightly and her smile widened. "Phantom is absolutely wonderful," she whispered, her breath soft against his face as she leaned over. In the flickering light Jessie's eyes sparkled. "Thank you so much for bringing me t—"
She was just too damn hard to resist. He kissed her. Not the way he needed to. That would have them thrown out of the theater. Joshua simply ran his tongue back and forth over her lower lip, tasting the liquid sunshine of her smile. The arm of the plush seat dug into his ribs.
The theater and music disappeared. She moaned as he pushed aside the hem of her dress and slid his hand up her thigh.
The audience applauded and the house lights came up.
Jessie giggled as they abruptly parted. Joshua leaned back in his seat, and pushed his hair back with both hands in a frustrated attempt at control. He felt his own lips twitch in response to her amusement.
"You're going to get us arrested one of these days." Frustration made his voice low.
Jessie's big brown eyes widened mockingly, dancing with naughty highlights. "Who me?" She pulled her skirt down over her knees. "It's not my fault you can't keep your hands to yourself."
"Yes, it is." Joshua untangled an earring from her hair. "What the hell am I going to do with you, Jess? When I'm around you I behave like a randy schoolboy." And when he wasn't around her he thought like one.
Jessie fleetingly traced his mouth with her fingertips, bringing him sharply back into focus. "And I behave like a randy schoolgirl. So what?" She rose out of her seat, her slender body sensuous and graceful as she reached down to take his hand. "It's hot in here. Come on. Let's go downstairs for something cold to drink during intermission."
By the time they traversed the crowds and descended the stairs to the lobby, Jessie looked pale under her makeup. Joshua thought she'd been feeling better since they'd returned from Monte Carlo. She'd refused to see a doctor. He didn't like worrying about her. He wasn't used to worrying about anyone.
"I'm taking you home."
Jessie looked up at him sharply. "Why?"
"You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm not. It's just warm in here." She licked her lips. "I'm loving the play. I'm fine, truly, Joshua. Let's stand outside for a little bit and get some fresh air. Okay?"
"It's freezing out there. Wait here. I'll get your coat." He glanced over her head. "Damn, this is all I need."
"What? Who?" Jessie glanced around. "Oh, Paul and Stacie."
Joshua watched as his cousin and wife came toward him. Paul was a decent enough guy, if one didn't expect him to work for a living. As tall as Joshua, with equally dark hair, they had often been mistaken for brothers. But while Joshua worked seven days a week, twelve hours a day, Paul seemed to think the world owed him a living. His cousin had never resented Joshua having the controlling interest in Falcon's. He was more than happy to cash his dividend checks and continue his carefree lifestyle. Joshua hadn't seen either of them in almost a year. He could have gone another year without seeing his cousin's wife.
Petite and blond, Stacie hadn't changed her Grace Kelly hairstyle in ten years. She always wore discreetly elegant, understated clothes and maintained a superior aloof air that had, years ago, driven him mad. She looked dull and far too controlled to Joshua now as she smiled up at him with collagen-enhanced lips.
"Paul. Stacie." Joshua's hand tightened at Jessie's waist as she listed against him. He gave her a worried glance
before glancing back at the other couple.
He could look at Stacie dispassionately, her cool blond beauty seemed soulless against Jessie's vibrancy. He couldn't believe he'd ever asked this woman to marry him.
Stacie's contact-lens-blue eyes flickered from Joshua to Jessie and then, dismissing the other woman, back to Joshua. He noticed she and Paul stood several feet apart.
"You've met Jessica Adams?" He asked though he didn't give a damn. The room was hot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint sheen on Jessie's face.
Diamonds sparkled in Stacie's ears as she shot an amused glance up at Jessie. "Oh, yes, darling, we've met your calendar girl." She laughed. He used to think that trilling laughter sexy. Now all he wanted to do was put his hands around her diamond-encircled throat and squeeze. Hard.
Stacie stroked his arm. Her nails were fashionably long and a deep wine color. Joshua shook her off. He felt as though a spider had crawled along his sleeve.
"No need to be angry, darling. It is an indisputable fact you only keep your mistresses for a year."
"We were just on our way outside for a breath of fresh air." He ignored Stacie. "Nice seeing you, Paul. Come to a board meeting sometime." Holding on to Jessie he moved through the crowd to the doors leading to the street.
"Oh, Lord, it is hot in here." Stacie fanned her perfectly made-up face with her program as she followed them. Her perfume, while ridiculously expensive, was as repulsive to Joshua now as fly spray. The foyer was packed, body to body. There was no moving quickly, no matter how much he wanted to. Her voice rose as she said over her shoulder, "Get me a drink, Paulie. I'll meet you outside."
As people gave way, Joshua kept a careful arm about Jessie's waist. Her face was paler now and damp strands of dark hair clung to the moisture at her temples.
"Do you need to sit down again?" He felt her slender body tremble against his arm and saw her swallow convulsively. "Bathroom?" He was already steering her in that direction as Jessie nodded mutely.
It seemed as if she were inside for hours. Joshua held up the wall. Ignoring the few people lingering about the lobby, Joshua finally pushed open the door to the ladies' room.