by Dyanne Davis
He grabbed her and pulled her to him so quickly and so hard that the air left her lungs with a whoosh. He kissed her then, not soft, but hard and demanding. He felt her attempt to pull away but tangled his hands in her hair and held on. He used his tongue to attack her barriers. He felt her tremble, felt her moan and continued with his oral assault. When he released her, her eyes were glazed over with lust and passion and she was swaying.
“Don’t underestimate me,” he warned.
Chapter Sixteen
Underestimate Simon. She wouldn’t do that in a million years, Janice thought as she woke slowly, moaning as she moved. She was deliciously sore. Simon’s legs were still tangled with hers and his hand was trapped between her thighs. She couldn’t believe they’d fallen asleep like that.
During the night something had changed in their relationship, something she couldn’t put her finger on. She felt Simon move against her, his fingers going inside her, and she smiled. He was faking, he was awake. And then she had a glimmer of the change. Somehow in the hours they’d made love, Simon Kohl had taken almost complete possession of her.
The only thing she’d withheld from him were the three little words he’d fought to hear. He had no idea how close she’d come to screaming the words out.
“I’m sore,” she said, attempting to shove his hand away from her heat.
“I know just the cure,” he answered, moving his hand over her until she was aroused. She glanced at the clock. “Simon, I want to but I don’t have time. I told Tommy I would be in at eight today.”
“Fuck Tommy.”
“I don’t want to,” Janice quipped, thinking to make him smile.
Simon, caught by surprise, suddenly pulled his hand away.“What did you just say?” he asked.
“I was only answering your question. You told me to…Well, you know what you said and I said I didn’t want to.” She groaned and tried to roll away.
He pulled her back.
“Don’t turn away from me.”
“You can’t order me around.”
“We’re getting married.” He kissed her deeply. “We’re getting married. Get used to the idea of my input.”
She groaned.
“What?”
“Is there now a leash around my neck?”
“You’re putting Tommy before me again and I will not come last in your life. Is that clear?”
“How is my keeping my commitments making you last in my life?”
“You’re worried about keeping your commitments to Tommy, but it’s me you should worry about keeping your commitments to. We’ve done things your way,” he said, his voice getting louder. “Now we do things my way. I love you and I don’t think that my saying that should make you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be marrying you if I didn’t love you.”
She looked at him. It hit her again that something in her had changed.
“Call Tommy and tell him you’re not coming today. In fact, tell him you’re not coming tomorrow.”
“No, I will not.”
“You will.”
“I won’t, I gave my word.”
“Fine,” he said and got up from the bed, strolled over to the desk and picked up her personal directory. Janice watched in amazement as he picked up the phone. She didn’t believe he would do it; he was bluffing.
“Mr. Strong, this is Simon Kohl. I’m calling to tell you that Janice will not be able to keep the appointments she made with you.” He glanced over to the bed where she sat watching him in shock. “She’s going to be busy for the next week.”
“Why didn’t she call me herself?” Tommy asked.
“She doesn’t have to, I did.”
“She’s scheduled to do a signing today.”
“Then I suggest you cancel it.”
“If she starts backing out on signings she’s going to lose fans, and if she loses fans she’ll lose sales, and then you won’t make any money.”
Simon laughed. “Do you really think I’m worried about money or her sales? Check the bestseller list. Her book’s number one.”
“You bought her the number one slot.”
“Why not?”
“Maybe she’d like to earn it.”
“Maybe she’d just like to be number one, which she is.” Simon hung up the phone and looked at Janice, narrowing his eyes. “Now baby, this is my game.” As he walked toward her, she moved away on the bed, but it didn’t matter. Last night he’d staked his claim and he wasn’t going back to letting her control things. He’d done that for three years and what had it gotten him?
“Simon, who the hell do you think you are? You can’t just cancel my appointments.”
“I already did,” he said, bending and scooping her up into his arms. She was squirming to get away, hitting him, and he growled low, “You’d better stop that right this minute or I’ll drop you on the floor.”
She settled down and he smiled. “That’s better,” he said, taking her into the bathroom. He filled the massive tub while he held her, then plopped her into the warm water.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she finally asked.
“Staking my claim.”
“What am I, a piece of property? You have a lot of nerve.”
“All’s fair in love and war.”
“So we’re at war?” Janice asked.
“I’ve tried the love route but you seem to think I’m a doormat. So yes, I guess you could say this is war and it’s a war I intend to win. You’re going to be my wife, the mother of my children. We’re going to be a family and it’s about time I set some ground rules for you. I’ve warned you that I am not as gentle as you think. Let’s see how much you like fighting when I don’t let you win.”
He laughed as she squinted, knowing that the edge was being taken off of her anger.
“You let me win.”
“That’s right, my evil love, I let you win. You want to play in my league, then get ready. I don’t lose and I’m not about to start now.”
He poured body wash on the sponge and began rubbing her back. “Hold still,” he said softly as she tried to move away. “I’m going to bathe you. You said you were sore. When I’m done you’ll feel better.” He laughed at her expression. “I promise, now hold still.”
Janice couldn’t help noticing that his voice was not harsh, but in fact filled with, she couldn’t believe it, passion. She glanced over the rim of the tub and saw his erection. Yeah right, she thought. Like heck he was in charge.
“You think the evidence of my wanting you puts me at a disadvantage?” Simon asked. “Think again. I’ve worked against a handicap all my life.” He smiled at her and began washing her breasts in circular motions. His eyes moved over her as desire pooled in his belly. He wanted her with an intensity born of love, but he would wait. He would prove to her that he couldn’t be controlled by his lust. Still, he wanted to throw down the sponge and use his tongue to finish her bath but from the look in her eyes that was what she was expecting. She propped her leg on the rim of the tub, giving him a full view of her secrets, and half closed her eyes, looking sexy and sultry. He grinned.
“You are evil,” he said and averted his gaze though his arousal intensified. He didn’t try to hide the fact. Hell, he was naked and couldn’t hide it if he tried. He just continued bathing her as she laughed at him. When he went to her thighs her laughter slowed, then stopped.
Gotcha, he thought but didn’t say a word. He did drop the sponge and put more body wash in the palm of his hands. “The sponge is too rough for such a delicate area,” he said as he rubbed the liquid soap over the curls nestled between her thighs.
He dipped his hand in the water and put one finger into her and moved it around until he felt her muscles tightening. Then he slapped playfully at her.
“This is a bath, you hussy, not play time.” She was panting. She was so hot and so was he. And God, how he wanted her.
“Simon, stop teasing me,” she whispered. “You know you want to.”
�
�Of course I want to, but baby, this is war.”
“Couldn’t we call a truce?”
“I don’t think so.”
He inserted another finger, then rotated them and felt her shiver. But he wasn’t done with her. “Give me your foot,” he said, moving his hand from her treasure to massage her foot, kneading the heel and working his way around to rub her toes. She was teasing him by touching herself and moaning.
She was definitely playing to win but then so was he. He let her go abruptly, then headed for the shower, turned the water on full blast and jumped under the cold stream. He was so hot from wanting Janice he barely shivered. He should never have let them go so far in the first place. He could kick himself for going along with all of her silly rules for so long, but hell, he’d wanted her so damn badly that if she’d told him to cover himself with honey and dance down Broadway with a hive of hungry bees in pursuit he would probably have done it.
Simon heard the splash of water and paused. If Janice dared come into the shower the war would be over. He would win the skirmish. But there was no way he could withstand an assault of either her hand or her mouth at the moment. He leaned against the cold tiles made colder by the falling water and held his breath, waiting.
* * *
Janice thought about going into the shower after him. She thought about tasting him and could almost feel his heaviness in her mouth. She had the urge to taste him from head to toe, then start all over again. With a doubt he would yield to her hands, her mouth, and her teeth. But then what? They would make love and he would still think in his smugness that he’d won.
No, she had to remain focused and talk to him about making her decisions for her. Maybe with clothes on and a table filled with food before them, she’d at least have a chance to restate her position.
She wrapped a towel around her body and picked up the extension that connected her with the house staff.
“We’ll be down for breakfast in thirty minutes.”
Simon’s head popped out of the shower. “You ordered breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Why downstairs? Why not up here?”
“Because we need to talk.”
“And we can only do that downstairs?”
“Downstairs lends itself to a more serious conversation.”
“Do you concede defeat?” Simon asked, staring intently at her.
“Are you kidding? I thought we could both use some replenishing.”
“Speak for yourself,” Simon said as his hand darted out and he grabbed for the end of her towel, spinning her toward him. She landed naked against his nakedness, warm dry flesh against wet cold flesh and the feeling was so erotic she trembled. Janice closed her eyes and nibbled at his lips, kissing him, enjoying having him home. Ten days was ten days too long. “I really did miss you.”
“I can tell. Maybe I should leave more often.”
“Not without telling me.” She bit down harder on his lip, then licked the area. “You only get one time to leave me, Simon, no more.”
“I’ll remember, but like I already told you, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” she answered, moving away. “Let’s have breakfast; we really do need to talk.”
Janice marched out of the bathroom. Knowing Simon was watching the wiggle of her behind as she walked away, she added an extra jiggle and turned to catch him watching.
“Evil,” he grinned. “You are pure evil.”
* * *
Two cups of coffee and a sampling of everything on the table and Janice was ready to talk business. “We have a lot of things to discuss,” she began, “and not all of them pleasant.”
He smirked. “I can imagine what the unpleasant topic will entail. ‘Simon, you can’t run my life, you can’t tell me who to see, what to do, you can’t cancel my appointments, you can’t tell me I can’t see Tommy.” He laughed at the shocked look on her face. “Come on, baby, don’t you think I knew how you would react to what I did? Next subject.”
“Next subject? We haven’t discussed this one yet.”
“It’s finished. I don’t want you spending so much time with the man. Period, final, end of discussion.”
“End of discussion.” Janice laughed, and speared a strawberry and watched as the juices squirted out.
“Are you imagining that’s me and that it’s my blood spilling out?”
“How did you ever guess?” she asked.
“Because you have a vicious streak. When you’re crossed, you go for the jugular.”
“If you know that, why do you always tempt me?”
“I love the fire in your eyes when you’re angry and I like living dangerously.”
“I think your little stunt with Tommy was despicable. Do you have any idea what kind of explaining I will have to do when I see him?” Oops, I said the wrong thing. She watched as his gray eyes narrowed and turned icy.
“You need to explain my behavior to Mr. Strong?”
“Of course,” she answered. “That caveman routine was cute, but come on, do you really think I would go along with that nonsense if I didn’t want to?”
Simon studied her. She was baiting him. Round two, but he wasn’t going to give in easily. “What do you have planned now that you’re free?”
“You have plans?”
“We could go for a drive, pack a lunch, have a picnic somewhere, just the two of us and then,” he smiled even wider, “maybe make love under a tree.”
“Forget the tree. We can make love out in the open, on the grass.”
“If we get caught we’d get arrested for public lewdness.”
“Your lawyers would have us out in seconds.”
“Yes, but think of the publicity. Bad press can kill you.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” Janice smiled. “About my book, thanks, Simon, but I really don’t want you doing things to make my book number one. I want to do that on my own.”
He looked thoughtfully at her. “Your writing’s very important to you, isn’t it?”
“Of course, you know that.”
Simon lifted the china cup to his lips and took a sip of the coffee. “Am I important to you, to your life? If I couldn’t help your career, would you care?”
“The only way you’d ever know the answer to your question would be for you to get out of the publishing business. Stop pushing my career, Simon. I love the things that you do for me but maybe you should stop.”
“I love making you happy.”
“But you have to ask yourself if the price is too high.”
“It wouldn’t be if you’d just tell me what I want to hear.”
“You already know the answer, Simon.”
“Would it really kill you to tell me?”
Janice smiled slightly, looking serious. “I’ve given you everything that I can. You know how I feel about you and to answer your earlier question, yes, Simon, you’re very important to me. I’m glad that you’re in my life but I can’t help wondering if my saying those three little words would be the end of us. You’re used to making people bend at your command. Maybe it’s the challenge, the fact that I won’t, that intrigues you.”
Simon blinked and stared at Janice. She really didn’t believe totally in his love and therefore was afraid to tell him that she loved him. He was beginning to understand.
“You think if you tell me that you love me I’m going to stop loving you? Love doesn’t stop that easily.”
She didn’t answer.
“Listen to me. Love doesn’t stop that easily, not real love.”
“What if I’m just another pretty thing for you?”
Simon pushed his chair back, sighing as he allowed his gaze to land on the woman he loved. He stood and walked toward her. “I love you with all my being, Janice. You have to trust me, trust me not to hurt you. Please don’t keep making me pay for things I didn’t do. I’ll never hurt you.”
“I want to trust you, Simon, I really do.” She rose to meet him. “And in most t
hings I do. But look around you. How many people say that they love someone today and tomorrow they’re sleeping with someone else and saying they love them?”
“Do you think I slept with someone else while I was gone?”
“No, but—”
“No buts, not about that. I’ve told you that I believe in total fidelity. That’s supremely important to me. I’ve never cheated on you and I hope you’ve never cheated on me.” He raised a brow.
“I’ve never cheated on you, Simon,” Janice said softly, meeting his gaze, determined to keep the memory of the kiss she’d shared with Tommy from her eyes.
“Then why won’t you trust me and trust us?”
“Because you ask too much. You said you wanted my soul. What would that leave me with? I would be your puppet.”
“As I am yours.”
“But I don’t want to be a puppet. Total surrender to me is like…like…like…it’s like slavery!” she blurted out. “I can’t do it.”
“Is that really how you feel?” he asked, his voice heavy. He reached out to touch her cheek, running a long slender finger down the side of her face. She caught it, kissed it and gazed into his eyes.
“Yes, Simon, that’s how I feel.” She looked down, then back at him. “The thought of not having you in my life sends me into a panic. I want you to be in my life. I could live without you but I wouldn’t want to.”
He gave in, pulling her into his arms. “I know that little speech was supposed to make me feel better, but I could have done without you saying you could live without me. You are definitely rough on a man’s ego.”
“In that case I’ll have to soothe that bruised ego, won’t I?” She pressed her body against his, drawing him into a kiss. This she could do. She could show him with her body what she couldn’t tell him with words. “Give me just a couple of hours to get this scene down that’s been floating around in my head, and I’ll be more than ready to join you for that picnic under the tree.
“And the lovemaking under the trees?”
“Especially the lovemaking.” She grinned, kissed him and headed to her office to write.
* * *
“Leave me alone,” Tommy shouted at Neal for the fourth time. “God, I hate that man! Who does he think he is?”