She warmed at his compliment, knowing she’d transformed herself into the frigid Mallory for that very purpose. “Thank you.”
After pouring his vodka and her wine for much needed courage, she returned to the sofa. With any luck she could remain in control of herself and her reactions at the same time she tested his.
She handed him his glass and their hands touched. Brief and accidental, yet a tremor of awareness ricocheted throughout her body. So much for control, Mallory thought. Since he was here in response to her invitation and he didn’t seem inclined to bolt now that he realized she was the invitee, she willed herself to remain calm, forget business and concentrate on Jack.
By the time the evening was over, Jack would have no doubts regarding Mallory’s womanly attributes and feminine wiles. Point made, things between them then could return to normal. As if anything could ever be normal again now that she’d come this close to her fantasy.
She seated herself beside him and silence followed. “So tell me about the Terminator,” she said, before he could take charge of the conversation.
“It’s a great movie but the first was better than the sequel,” he said quickly.
Too quickly and his expression grew shuttered as it had earlier, when he’d discussed the two sides of human nature.
She sensed his discomfort and wondered at the cause of his withdrawal. She lifted her drink to her lips and took a long sip.
The fruity liquid slid down her throat, wetting her mouth so she could speak. “I agree. Sequels are rarely as good as the original. In Terminator Two, there were too many muscles on Linda Hamilton. Yet she made the men drool.” Mallory shrugged. “I always thought men liked their women on the softer side.”
Surprise at her response registered on his face. Obviously he thought she’d continue to push him for answers about what made him the office terminator. Her cousin Julia would have taken a more overt approach. Mallory preferred subtlety. She was coming on strong enough as it was.
And this way, he wouldn’t know he was easy to read. His poorly timed movie joke had given her a more personal glimpse into his feelings about being the marriage terminator than if he’d answered with dry facts. There was time enough for those.
She ran her tongue over the rim of the glass, savoring every droplet of wine. She was gratified when his gaze followed the movement and his eyes dilated with desire.
His stare locked with hers and though he’d obviously been caught again, he didn’t back off or look away. He was as direct as she’d been in bringing him here and she appreciated his forthrightness.
“So what’s your take? How do you like your women, Jack? Soft and feminine or harder with an edge of steel?”
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth into a sexy grin. “I like them to possess a bit of both. Strong and capable on the outside, yet soft and pliant, warm and giving within.” He reached forward and grasped her glass, easing it out of her fingers and placing it on the table beside the couch.
“Sort of like you,” he murmured. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
His touch was warm and sexy, like the timbre of his voice and she reacted. Her nipples tightened beneath the silk and the bare wisp of a bra she wore. Another gentle caress like that last one and she’d lose what little semblance of control she possessed.
He placed his glass beside her own. “Unless of course, this is an act.”
Aah. He wanted to test her limits and see if she turned back into uptight, frigid Mallory. He wanted to see who would run first. Poor Jack. He had no idea she was prepared to see this through and deal with the consequences later.
“Maybe it is an act. Maybe it isn’t. The point is you still aren’t sure, are you?”
“Not yet.” He leaned forward until his lips were mere inches from hers. “But the night’s still young and I plan to find out.”
His mouth hovered close to hers. Hot with a hint of Absolut vodka, his breath teased her with seductive promises she wasn’t ready to make or keep. Yet.
“Not so fast.” She playfully pushed back on his shoulders before he could possess her mouth in the kiss she so desperately wanted despite the need to back off. If there was any kissing to be done tonight, she’d be the one to initiate. Otherwise she had no prayer of proving her point. And that’s what tonight was all about, she reminded herself. Proving a point not gaining pleasure, though she sensed she’d experience that, too.
But she couldn’t risk serious involvement with Jack Latham and anything beyond this playful evening would constitute involvement. Something neither her emotions nor her career could afford.
She’d spent too many years building toward a partnership. Too many lonely, unfulfilled years maybe, but if she was going to receive the ultimate payoff in the end, she couldn’t succumb to emotional need or desire with the one man she’d always wanted. Not now. She hoped Jack took her teasing in the right light or she’d ruin everything anyway.
Forcing herself to remember her priorities, which wasn’t easy when kissing Jack was within easy reach, she rose from her seat. “You said you were hungry.” She walked over to the table where room service had left a full meal including hors d’oeuvres.
“Starved.” His deep chuckle reverberated behind her.
He wouldn’t be amused by the time she was through.
“I thought you were staying in the main hotel.”
She appreciated the switch to mundane conversation. “Keeping tabs on me?”
“If I wasn’t before, I will be now.” She pivoted toward him in time to see Jack shake his head. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Sure you did. That’s why we’re here.” She toyed with a tray of grapes and assorted cheeses displayed in an elegant spread. One she’d added her own finishing touches to before Jack had arrived. The only question that remained was whether she had the nerve to carry out her plan.
Frigid facade, frigid facade. His words echoed in her mind and rankled every one of her feminine instincts. He didn’t know anything about her and she wanted him to learn.
She didn’t ever want him to forget.
“Actually, my secretary made the reservations so I know we’re on the same floor. Across the hall, in fact,” Jack said.
“These villas are available to rent for special occasions.” She set the tray in front of them on a small table and plucked a grape from its mooring.
“And this is a special occasion?” A wry smile formed on his lips.
“If that’s your take on the evening, I’m pleased.” She popped the fruit between her lips. The succulent juice burst, coating her mouth.
“I notice you don’t always answer a question directly.”
She edged closer to him. “I’m a lawyer. I’m trained in the technique of evasion.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re evading now,” he murmured.
She leaned forward, her weight braced on the palms of her hands. “Do you like grapes?”
He briefly glanced at the tray before meeting her gaze. “I could be persuaded to have a taste.”
“I hoped you would say that.” Now or never, Mallory thought and closed the distance between them, placing her lips over his.
Jack’s eyes registered first surprise, then darkened with desire. Closing her eyes so she wouldn’t drown in his gaze, she rubbed her lips delicately over his, using the juice from the grapes to tease and arouse. His lips were damp, tasting of vodka and man as a low groan escaped from the back of his throat. A curling warmth exploded in her belly with the knowledge that her passion was reciprocated. But it wasn’t enough.
“You wanted to taste grapes.” Her words were muffled against his lips. “Open up and taste the fruit, Jack.”
She knew he wasn’t a man prone to taking orders yet she didn’t have to demand twice. His lips opened on command and she slipped her tongue inside his hot, moist mouth. She’d read somewhere that the salivary glands under the tongue could be stimulated easily and secrete a sweetness that was unbearably arousing. She test
ed that theory now, using her tongue beneath his, to dart in and back, to tease before finally tangling and twining with his.
His groan came harsher this time and she felt his body shudder in return. His hands came up to brace her cheeks, to tip her head and hold her in place. Her heart beat hard and fast inside her chest along with an accompanying pulsing that had taken up a steady rhythm between her legs. One she felt, too, in the base of her throat.
In all her years, she’d never experienced the flame of desire raging out of control. Though she enjoyed sensuality, she’d yet to find a man who unleashed her hidden self. Jack Latham was that man and the yearning wouldn’t be denied. His arms grasped her waist and pulled her closer. Mallory responded, arching her back, deliberately rasping her painfully erect nipples against his chest, seeking relief, seeking him.
She’d set this scenario into motion but she’d only pictured Jack’s response to the feminine side he didn’t believe existed. Not once had she taken her own reactions into account. Even if she had, she’d never have been able to imagine such pleasure from a mere kiss. Such an all-consuming, building need inside her.
All from taking charge of the feminine desires she’d denied for too long. From letting loose the fantasy she’d always had surrounding this man.
Without warning, his tongue became more demanding, more insistent. He took control with the same sweeping, thrusting movements she’d tried on him. He was persistent, hot and erotic, on her palate, beneath her tongue, taking and draining every bit of moisture she possessed. Was it her imagination or was the sweetness of the wine magnified when shared? She tipped her head back and he swept the deep recesses of her mouth like a lover thrusting into carnal oblivion.
A small voice in her head whispered something about teaching him a lesson and warned her to take back control before it was too late. His lips felt so hard and so right, his touch so demanding she wanted to succumb to every sensation, taste and nuance. By the time he slowed and nibbled on her lower lip, every nerve ending she possessed was on fire. Her every thought and desire was attuned to Jack’s.
She reached her hands out to cup his wrists, taking hold of something, anything to keep her grounded. She couldn’t say who broke the kiss first, but when they separated, she needed the heated touch his skin provided, needed the connection with him to remain. Not a good sign, Mallory thought, amazed she could think at all.
“Delicious.” His low, throaty voice sounded more like a growl.
“So you liked the juice from the grapes.” A smile curved her now sensitive lips.
He nodded. She lifted the circular ring of grapes from the tray and draped it provocatively around her neck.
His eyes opened wide but he didn’t miss a beat. “I liked them but I think I need another taste to be sure.” He dipped his head and nibbled on the necklace she’d created and Mallory thought certain she’d died and gone to heaven before she realized she’d never been that good or deserving in her life. She certainly wasn’t being a good girl now.
His dark head bent over her chest and his silky dark hair brushed her throat. He smelled uniquely male and the scent rushed through her body as potent and heady as liquid desire. And his lips—those lips that had accepted her teaching and then kissed her with great skill now grazed not just the fruit, but her flesh. Warm laps of his tongue were followed by shorter, nibbling bites that just happened to miss the grape and end up on her skin.
She shuddered and moaned. She tipped her head back to give him better access. To the succulent fruit or to the waiting cleavage between her breasts. She sighed when his breath teased and groaned but he didn’t touch.
When he finally lifted his head, a wicked grin curved his lips.
“Now how were they?” She managed to summon a strong voice, determined to maintain control of the situation despite the fact that she’d never felt less in control of herself or her body.
His darkened gaze remained steady on hers. “Sweet and giving.”
Moisture pooled again in her mouth.
“Damp, not dry.”
Heat pounded low in her stomach.
“Surprisingly hot to the touch.”
Dampness trickled from between her legs yet somehow she managed to form a coherent thought and speak. “Hot?” The word escaped her burning throat.
“Sizzling.”
Like the heat that flared in his eyes, Mallory thought. “As in the opposite of frigid?” she asked.
A grin caught hold of his lips. “Most definitely.”
With more regret than she’d let him see, she leaned forward and brushed her lips over his for one last kiss. One last lingering taste before she forced herself to her feet, and rose on unsteady legs.
He leaned back and eyed her warily, though thanks to his analytical mind, Mallory sensed he knew exactly what she was thinking. His next words proved her right.
“You made your point.”
“I suppose I did.” In more ways than one, she thought, knowing she’d learned a valuable lesson tonight as well.
She inclined her head to one side. Thanks to his indulgent ministrations, the brush of her hair against her shoulders felt like an erotic caress against her sensitized skin.
No way did she want the evening to end, but she’d accomplished her goal and a good strategist got out at the optimum moment—before they lost what they’d gained. “So I guess we can call it a night.”
Something flickered in his darkened gaze. She’d like to think it was dismay.
“I suppose so.” He rose from his seat. As he began a lazy, sexy stride toward the door, he turned back and approached her once more. “You’re one hell of an opponent, Mallory Sinclair.”
His lips touched hers too briefly and then he was gone, leaving Mallory alone, sexually charged and for some strange reason she didn’t understand, emotionally unfulfilled.
She lifted the ring of grapes and she wondered who had been the teacher and who the student. And who had learned the greatest lesson of all. Because though she’d taught Jack his well-deserved lesson, she now knew she could never repeat the instruction without succumbing herself.
5
JACK ROLLED to his side and came face-to-face with the glare of the morning sun streaming through the windows. The shades he’d forgotten to draw when he’d come in late last night mocked him and reminded him how distracted he’d been upon his return.
The source of that distraction haunted him still.
Mallory. They’d never eaten dinner, the episode with the grapes providing enough sustenance for them both. Though he hadn’t quenched the full extent of the hunger she’d inspired, he hadn’t forced the issue. Instead he’d let her call an end to the evening and had made his escape while he was still able to think clearly. Before he’d taken things with his colleague too far.
His colleague. He wondered if he’d ever be able to think of Mallory as just his co-worker ever again. A vision of coral—lips, toes and fingers—hovered behind his closed eyes. He could still feel those nails digging into the skin on his wrist as she kissed him into sensual, sexual oblivion. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. A slight pounding in his head leveled off to a dull roar, a combination of vodka, which he didn’t drink often, and shock. He’d known Mallory was his intellectual match and he’d respected her abilities. He hadn’t known she was a woman capable of enticing him sexually as well.
But that had been her point—to teach him a lesson about jumping to conclusions and punishing him for his casually tossed insult. Jack had always been a good student and last night he’d learned fast. And now that he’d seen her other side? Now that he’d been exposed to the duality that existed within her, could they go back to a peaceful working relationship?
He shook his head. The barriers she’d always kept in place were gone for good along with the cool pretense. No way did he believe she could or would keep him at arm’s length by dressing the part of the repressed attorney any more than he could ignore truth. She was a beautiful woman with a
sensuality he longed to explore.
And he wanted to be the man to plumb her hidden depths. Their working relationship be damned.
He glanced at the phone and noticed the blinking red light for the first time. He wondered if he’d slept through a phone call or if he’d managed to miss the message indicator late last night. He dialed the voice mail, an amenity of Lederman’s luxury hotel, and listened to the message. His host had canceled all meetings today as he’d unexpectedly been called out of town.
Jack didn’t like the man’s disappearance any more than the sudden and strange, personal phone calls Lederman had received. More accurately he didn’t trust them. Jack never took on a case he didn’t feel confident he could win. Not that he won them all, but he had to have faith in the dispute he was fighting. Before he committed to this case or Lederman committed to him, he had to figure out what the hell the man was hiding.
And he had to fill Mallory in on today’s change of plans. A quick shower to clear his head and he’d have no choice but to face his beautiful, no longer repressed colleague. His only consolation lay in the fact that she had to face him as well.
“ANSWER THE PHONE.” Mallory tapped a pencil against the wooden nightstand in her hotel room and listened to the incessant ringing in her ear. Where was Julia and why wasn’t she answering the phone? Leave it to her night-owl cousin to be out at the crack of dawn the one time Mallory needed her advice. Her more worldly advice.
Mallory might enjoy feminine accessories, lingerie and the more sensual touches, but her experience with the opposite sex was lacking. With most of her time spent on her career, she rarely had the opportunity for relationships or the time to devote to the how-to’s of snagging a man or keeping his interest. Not that she wanted to maintain Jack’s interest, she assured herself. She’d already proved her point and satisfied a fantasy in the process. Time to move on.
But she desperately needed to talk to her cousin, her closest friend since childhood. The one person who could help put last night in perspective for her. Once Julia got past the shock. Mallory’s spur-of-the-moment decision regarding Jack had been more out of character than even he realized. She’d astonished herself and could only imagine what he thought of her now.
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