Unzipped (Harlequin Romance)

by Lori Foster

She licked a droplet of water off the corner of her mouth, and a light blush swept across her cheeks. But his straightforward question didn’t deter her at all. “I figure I’ll discover that along the way,” she said, playful and teasing.

  A stunning thought slammed into him, and he abruptly straightened. “Good God, Leah, you’re not a…” He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word.

  “A virgin?” she supplied for him, and laughed lightly. “No, I’ve been with two other men, neither of whom rocked my world in bed, or out of it even. So, that leads me to believe that I’m missing out on some crucial element when it comes to sexual pleasure and seduction.”

  He rubbed a hand across his forehead. He couldn’t believe he was having such an intimate conversation with Leah. Sure, as friends they’d discussed a variety of topics, but nothing so personal as her sex life. Or his for that matter. But that hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her and the men she dated, which brought to mind the executive-type guy she was currently seeing.

  “Why not ask Brent to help you with your…research?”

  For the first time since propositioning him, she glanced away, but only for a few seconds before her gaze meet his again, more determined than before. “Because, quite honestly, he doesn’t always do it for me in that way, and he doesn’t have the kind of reputation you do.”

  He lifted a brow. Her comment flashed him back to the scruffy, insecure teenager he’d once been, and possibly always would be deep down inside, though he’d managed to build a façade of confidence around himself over the years. “Ahh, so you’d rather get down-and-dirty hands-on training from a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks?” She wouldn’t be the first woman who’d considered a fling with him in those terms.

  She looked startled by the bite in his tone, but quickly recovered. “That’s not what I meant, and you know I’ve never thought of you that way,” she said adamantly.

  He couldn’t argue her point, because she was one of the few people in his life who’d accepted him for who and what he was—before he’d become a successful businessman.

  “As for your reputation,” she went on, “you’ve been with a lot of women, so I’d think you’d have a whole lot of experience in this area.”

  She flattered him, and he did his best to hold back a snort of derision. Lots of women, hardly. Maybe half a dozen that he’d actually slept with over the years, and with age he’d grown more discriminating and hadn’t found anyone who’d interested him beyond a date or two. He’d hardly label himself a Don Juan who’d been with a slew of women.

  Reaching out, he trailed the back of his hand along her smooth cheek, watched her eyes catch fire from his touch, and a part of him was gratified to know that while she might question her ability to respond to other men, it was obvious she was incredibly responsive to him.

  “Honey,” he murmured huskily, “I don’t know what other men like, or what turns them on. I only know what I like.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” Her voice was breathless, her breasts rising and falling heavily. “I’m asking you to do this for me, with me, because I trust you to show me everything from the basics to the more erotic, and to keep everything between us discreet and private. All I want, all I need from you, is this one weekend.”

  She was offering him two nights of anything goes. Judging by everything he’d learned thus far, Brent wasn’t giving her the attention she needed to satisfy her more feminine desires. Otherwise she wouldn’t be here right now, asking him for lessons in foreplay and mating rituals.

  She tempted him like no other, yet he managed, just barely, to remain chivalrous enough to try and dissuade her from this wild idea. “And if I say no?”

  Her chin lifted a fraction, a defiance and rebellious spirit so contradictory to her normal agreeable personality. “Then I guess I’ll have to find someone else who is willing.”

  He knew a direct challenge when he heard one, and she was blatantly provoking him to accept her dare. She seemed hell-bent on following through with her impulsive plan, and the thought of her finding another man to agree to her proposition sent a jolt of jealous heat shooting through his veins.

  And considering how bold and brazen she was being with him, he didn’t doubt she would sway another man into agreeing to give her a crash course in how to please a man in bed and out.

  He struggled with doing the right thing, the noble thing that even her own brother would expect him to do, but he just couldn’t bring himself to push her into the arms of another man for something he was all too willing and eager to give her. And then there was the possessive emotion twisting low in his gut that took him by surprise, as well.

  Sure, he’d always been protective of Leah given they were friends and his situation with her brother and family, but this feeling was different—a completely physical and intimate need to take charge and show Leah everything she wanted to learn.

  Yes, he’d be her weekend lover. This way, he’d be in control of the situation, whereas there was no telling how another man, a stranger possibly, might take advantage of her. If anyone was going to satisfy her erotic curiosity, it would be him, he decided. No one else.

  He could have Leah for one weekend. His every fantasy fulfilled, and hers, too. A perfect secret arrangement with no entanglements or expectations—just a hot mutual affair that would remain completely private between the two of them.

  It really was an ideal arrangement.

  Anticipation pumped through him, and he pushed his fingers through his already mussed hair and gave her what she’d come there for. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

  She released a sigh that was pure relief. “Thank you, Jace.”

  She was smiling up at him, looking extremely pleased with herself, her eyes sparkling with unabashed excitement. He wondered if she realized what she was really getting herself into, and decided to give her one last chance to change her mind about this crazy plan of hers before she did something she’d regret later. He owed her, and himself, that much.

  Yes, she trusted him, and he’d never, ever do anything to hurt her, but if he showed her exactly what to expect and how demanding and aggressive he could be when it came to getting what he wanted, maybe she’d come to her senses and realize just how potent and dangerous her scheme could be to them both.

  “Since we have an agreement, are you ready for your first lesson?” he asked.

  Startled surprise etched her expression, and she cast a quick glance out the window behind him, overlooking the building’s parking lot. “Right here? Right now?”

  She was shocked, possibly uncertain about getting caught. Good. He was about to shake her up even more.

  He backed her up against the nearest wall and flattened his hands on either side of her head, trapping her in the cage of his body and allowing her no escape…not unless she asked to be set free.

  His gaze dropped to her soft, pink, glossy lips, then slowly, lazily lifted once again. “Sure. Why not right here, right now?” he drawled impudently.

  The thrill of the forbidden flashed in her eyes. “Whatever the first lesson may be, I’m game,” she whispered, teasing him with her words, her eagerness to explore anything and everything with him. “Let’s go for it.”

  “Yes, let’s.” He lowered his head, took her mouth with his, and finally kissed her as he’d been wanting to kiss her for what seemed like forever.

  Chapter Two

  LEAH HAD DREAMED of this moment for years, but her fantasies didn’t even come close to the reality of having Jace’s mouth on hers, the pressure of his lips parting hers so that he could slip deep inside and taste and stroke and tangle his tongue with her own. The kiss was hot and greedy and wickedly aggressive, bypassing all the gentlemanly preliminaries she was used to with Brent.

  Jace was no gentleman, not when it came to kissing her, and his response excited her as nothing else had in a very long time, if ever. This was exactly what she craved. To be possessed by a man, and to experience passion in its most raw, unta
med form.

  One kiss, and she felt alive as a woman and a sexual creature with feminine desires and needs. And it felt amazingly, gloriously wonderful to experience such an instantaneous surge of lust for a man.

  But as much as kissing him thrilled her, it wasn’t enough. She ached for a more intimate contact with him, but other than their clinging lips, he wasn’t touching her anywhere else. His hands were still braced firmly on the wall next to her head, and six inches of space separated their bodies. Embracing the assertive woman she was determined to be this weekend with Jace, she sought to remedy that problem, to break any last threads of restraint in him and let him know that she wanted no reservations between them.

  Dropping her hands to the waistband of his jeans, she hooked her fingers into the belt loops at his sides and slowly, inexorably, pulled him toward her, until her soft, female curves molded to his hard, masculine contours. Their hips met, and the impressively thick, solid erection nestling against her belly surprised her in a very good way.

  Knowing she was responsible for his state of arousal boosted her confidence, made her burn for him, and she slid her hands around to his backside and cupped his taut buttocks in her palms. She instinctively arched into him, shamelessly rubbed her mound against that solid ridge of flesh, and reveled in the low groan of need that rumbled up from his chest.

  He threaded his fingers through the strands of her hair and slanted her head to better fit their mouths together for a warm, wet, and wonderfully erotic kiss. His free hand caressed her jaw and trailed down the side of her neck, until his thumb found the erratic pulse at the base of her throat, though he didn’t linger there long. Releasing the first button on her blouse, he slipped his splayed palm into the loose, open collar. His roughened fingertips abraded her smooth skin, and her breathing deepened as he slid lower and nestled her small breast in his hand. The material of her bra was thin and insubstantial, all sheer fabric and lace, and when he grazed her tight, sensitive nipple with his thumb, she shuddered and nearly came apart.

  He seemed just as lost in the heady pleasure of the kiss, just as sexually charged. The long fingers wrapped in her hair tightened, and he pressed her more fully against the wall with the lean, powerful length of his frame. Grinding his hips hard against hers, he thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth. Aggressive male heat radiated off him in waves, and her body grew pliant and damp, aching for his touch in places too long denied.

  The phone on his desk buzzed, and he jerked away and stumbled back, nearly falling on his ass in his haste to put distance between them. His breathing was shallow and quick, and she almost laughed at the incredulous look on his face. Too incredulous, as if he couldn’t quite believe that she’d allowed him to go so far.

  And then it dawned on her. Obviously, Jace had meant to change her mind with that explosive, dominant kiss, but his plan had backfired. She wanted him now more than ever. He was everything she’d ever desired, and their sizzling encounter proved just how much he wanted her, too.

  Abruptly, he rounded his desk and punched the intercom button on his phone, all the while his gaze remaining riveted on her flushed face. “What is it, Lynn?”

  “Mr. Dawson is here to drop off his Porsche for servicing,” his secretary said, her voice filling the small office. “And he wanted to talk to you about the repairs he’s having done.”

  “Offer him something to drink, and tell him I’ll be there in a minute.” He disconnected the line, but remained behind the barrier of his desk.

  Leah lightly brushed her fingers along her mouth, and watched his eyes dilate with a renewed hunger. Her lips felt wet, swollen, deliciously ravished. After experiencing too many of Brent’s quick, passionless kisses, the lush sensation felt so, so good, as did witnessing Jace’s heated reaction to the seductive way she touched her mouth.

  She lowered her hand and was the first to break the silence that had descended between them. “I think you just covered first, second and third base in that lesson.” A smile quirked her lips and humor laced her voice.

  “Close, but not quite. There’s still a whole lot more to learn,” he returned with a slow, lazy grin of his own. “That is, if you’re still interested.”

  Did he really think she’d refuse? “More than ever. I’m looking forward to every single minute of your private lessons.”

  “Then I’ll be at your place tonight, 7:00 p.m. sharp, and I want you to wear something short and revealing.”

  She lifted a brow curiously. “Another lesson?”

  “You could call it that, yes.” He finally rounded his desk, his gaze glittering purposefully, his demeanor just as sinfully direct. “If you want to know what men find sexy, then there’s one thing you should keep in mind.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked, wide-eyed and eager.

  “Most men like visual stimulation when it comes to the opposite sex.” Gathering the sides of her loose blouse in his fists, he gradually tightened the material across her chest. “Initially, if you want to turn our heads and keep our attention, then you need to give us an incentive to look. Bait the hook, so to speak. And a more formfitting outfit will do that every time.”

  The fabric was now taut in his hands and cool across her flesh, revealing her small, pert breasts crowned with pointed nipples and the indentation of her waist and hips. He looked his fill, his ravenous gaze causing a delicious heat to spread through her veins.

  “You have a nice body, Leah,” he murmured huskily. “Don’t be afraid to put it on display every once in a while. And since this weekend is all about executing lessons, I want you to wear something enticing for me.”

  He released her blouse, but her breasts remained tight and aching. “I’ll see what I can do,” she managed to murmur. If he wanted enticing, she’d definitely deliver on his request.

  Picking up her purse, she left his office, her stomach fluttering with the exciting knowledge that sexy bad-boy Jace Rutledge belonged to her for the next forty-eight hours. And she was all his.

  She only hoped that was enough time to satisfy her longing for him, and finally get him out of her mind and heart, once and for all.

  AT FIVE MINUTES to seven, Jace made his way up to Leah’s apartment, the anticipation of what the night might hold kicking up his adrenaline a few notches.

  This was it, he thought. Once he stepped into Leah’s place there would be no turning back—because his presence was just as good as a promise. His arrival meant he had every intention of following through on the pact they’d made.

  He’d given her one last chance to change her mind. Considering the uninhibited way she’d responded to the hot, combustible kiss they’d shared, and her sassy attitude afterward, it was safe to say that she knew exactly what she was getting herself into, and her mind was made up.

  Well, so was his.

  From his perspective, all bets were off, and from here on he wasn’t holding back with Leah. He’d selfishly accept anything she offered, take her as far as she dared to go sexually, and do his best to boost her confidence along the way. This weekend was for him just as much as it was for her, and he intended to give her an affair to remember.

  He knocked on her door to announce his presence and used the key she’d given him months ago to enter her apartment. “Hey, Leah, it’s Jace,” he said, and closed the door behind him.

  “I’m in my bedroom,” she called out. “Come on back.”

  For as many times as he’d been in her apartment over the years, he’d never been in her bedroom before. There had never been any reason to traverse into that feminine domain. And now she’d issued a personal invitation he wasn’t about to refuse.

  “Hey there,” she said, greeting him with a smile as she slipped into a pair of strappy, high-heeled sandals. “I’m almost done getting ready.”

  Jace stared at the vision before him, his every fantasy come to life. Leah’s transformation from conservative to knockout gorgeous made his mouth go dry and awareness surge through his bloodstream. He’d always kno
wn that beneath the sensible, practical clothing she normally wore, she had the potential to be a sexy siren, and the alluring outfit she’d changed into confirmed his hunch.

  The dress was thigh-length short with a flirty, ruffled hem and a bodice that nipped in at her slender waist. A gathered, scooped neckline tied together with a small bow between her breasts, and it was all he could do to stop himself from reaching out and tugging on that string and baring all her luscious assets to his gaze.

  “Wow, you look…incredible,” he rasped as he took in the way she’d piled her hair on top of her head in a messy topknot, exposing the elegant line of her throat for the stroke of his fingers, the caress of his mouth. He shook himself mentally and cleared his throat. “How long have you been hiding that outfit?”

  “For a few weeks now.” She shrugged a shoulder and smiled tentatively as she picked up a pair of gold hoop earrings from her dresser and pushed them through her lobes. “It looked so cute on the mannequin in the store, and so I bought the dress, but I haven’t had the opportunity to wear it.”

  He lifted a brow and felt compelled to ask about her boyfriend’s opinion on the matter. “Not even for Brent?”

  “I wasn’t sure that Brent would like it since it’s so…different,” she said, shades of uncertainty creeping into her voice. “He’s more on the conservative side, and he doesn’t think it’s appropriate to have so much skin showing in public.”

  Jace stared at her, feeling both stunned and disgusted. Did Brent have rocks in his head? Or, more appropriately, in his pants? He doubted that Leah wanted to hear his point of view on Brent’s way of thinking, so he kept his sentiments to himself. He hoped the lessons she learned this weekend would knock some sense into Leah about her significant other.

  “Anyway, the dress has been hanging in my closet, and tonight just became the perfect opportunity to put it to good use.” She twirled around, giving him a 360-degree view of her new outfit. “So, what do you think? Do you like it?”