Sucked to be her. Not.
“You okay?” he asked, tipping her chin so he could see her eyes.
She nodded. “Except for the fact I can’t feel my legs.”
A sinful grin tugged his mouth. “No problem.”
A second later, her feet were swept out from under her and body brushed against solid, hard muscle. He carried her into her office behind the kitchen, shut the door with his foot and promptly deposited her on the desk.
“We have twenty-five minutes before I’m meeting Keiffer in the gym. Take off your clothes.”
“What?” She watched him lock the door then yank his shirt off with one hand, and kick off his sneaks before losing the rest of his clothes.
“There aren’t any security cameras back here. Only out front in your shop. You game?” He set a condom next to her on the desk, moved her laptop to the chair, then glanced up, waiting for her decision.
Decision? Jesus, surely he didn’t expect her to turn him and his hot, hard, mouthwatering body away.
She replied by ripping the shirt over her head, except she forgot about her apron and the two got tangled.
Real smooth, Jill.
He let out a low laugh, made quick work of all her clothes so fast her head spun, and her heart pounded as he leaned in and kissed her, claimed her, made her want to never, leave. And she didn’t want to leave. Ever.
Drawing back, he brushed her lower lip with his thumb. “Everything okay?”
She nodded, then nipped at his thumb. “Perfect.”
Guilt stabbed at her gut. She knew she should tell him about the factory offer, that he didn’t like secrets, but she also knew he would encourage her to follow her dream and grab on with both hands. Would feel he was in the way of her dreams.
Thing was, her dream was already in her hands. Right there in the Poconos. In her office at his family’s resort. He was her dream. What she’d always dreamt about was to be needed, and wanted, and to give back the same. To be loved.
She felt every single one of those with Mason. So, yes, you bet she was okay. She was perfect.
“Yes, you are,” he said, gently pushing her back before sliding his hands down her legs to grasp her ankles and spread her open to look his fill. “So damn perfect.”
Mason was losing his mind. His need for Jill was becoming too strong. He had to taste her, have her, sink inside her. Christ, he hadn’t meant to do more than steel a few kisses from the woman before he met his brother, but one look, one brush of her body and his need increased tenfold, and control snapped.
He kissed a path up her soft, naked curves, lingering on each breast, thrilling at how her nipples hardened, body arched up to meet him, how he ripped soft, sexy little mews from her throat when his fingers brushed over her gorgeous, glistening, wet folds.
“Mason…” She trembled beneath him, gaze half-opened, blazing with need.
She slayed him. He bent down and kissed her lips, brushing a path to her ear. She was a warm, giving, incredible woman and would never treat him like Renee.
“Please…I need…”
“I know,” he said gruffly, desire testing his control. He kissed his way down her trembling body, holding her hips as he put his mouth on her.
She cried out and thrust up, fingers grasping his head, holding him in place, as if he’d ever leave without finishing. She was his, and he took such pleasure in making her his, branding her, pleasing her, giving her exactly what she wanted. He was as hungry as she and wasted no time devouring, licking, sucking, sliding his tongue to her rhythm, thrilling to those damn mews, and her deep, drawn out moan as she burst for him.
After a good minute of shaking, her body went limp against the desk, and only then did he release her to open the condom, then curse when she tried to help roll it on. Craving gripped him so tight he shook. He leaned over her and kiss her sweet mouth. She pulled him close, devouring his lips, kissing him hungry and deep.
He growled and drew back. “You have no idea how sweet you taste, Jill.”
She squirmed beneath him as if desperate for him to push inside. God, he wanted the same damn, delicious thing, but first, he gazed into her rapturous face. His heart cracked fully open, the shield no longer needed, and he connected with her, embracing everything he saw in her deep, mesmerizing, communicating gaze.
That same, slow, warm heat he’d felt the night he’d gone to her house and lost himself in her arms, now burned through his body. She reached up to caress his face.
“Jill…” he uttered, kissing her palm, body too tight, too heated, too everything to process anything beyond what was taking place between them. Now. Here. On her desk in her office in the resort.
What was taking place felt so damn amazing and right, he grabbed her hips, pulled her to the end of the desk and entered her, pushing in deep, all the way to the hilt. His groan mingled with her moan as she wrapped her long leg around him and took him farther inside.
God, she felt good. “So damn good,” he muttered, drawing nearly all the way out, before driving all the way back in.
Her hands were all over him, mouth, too, as she leaned up to kiss his chest, and ah hell, it was too much, she was too much. He wrapped an arm around her back, and holding her so close he could feel her heart pounding, he drove in and out of her sweet warmth, capturing her cry as she came, throbbing and pulsing around him, spurring his own, hard, fierce release.
When the ringing subsided in his ears, and enough air filled his lungs to right his vision, he gripped the edge of the desk and lifted up enough to stare down at her boneless body. He could relate.
“You okay?” he asked, kissing the pulse still beating erratic in her throat.
“Yes.”
Her breathless reply warmed his temple.
“Glad I don’t have to go to the gym.”
He held back a groan. Shit. He’d forgotten about his brother. “If it was anyone else, I’d cancel, but I actually got Keiffer to agree to hang out tonight. I’m—”
A warm finger pressed against his lip. “It’s okay. I understand. You go be with your brother.”
So damn sweet. And open. Her gaze was unguarded, understanding.
Real.
No deceit or lies, just honest emotions. She was refreshing, and although he wanted to open up and tell her how he felt—that he loved her, trusted her—he held back. Saying those things when you’re buried balls deep inside a woman might not hold as much merit as if they were said outside the bedroom. Or office…on a desk.
Still, he couldn’t resist bending down and lightly brushing his lips to hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She traced his jaw with her finger. “Count on it.”
And he did, more and more every day.
The next morning, Jill had just finished drizzling Better Than chocolate on the last of three Chocolate Overload cakes when Teresa entered the kitchen.
“Hey, boss. How are you?”
Still basking in her desk rendezvous with Mason yesterday, she smiled. Sex was always incredible with the guy, but yesterday had been different. More. There was something in his eyes and touch that had warmed her from the inside out, and she was still feeling the effects.
“I’m good. And you?”
“Great. Business already looks good out front in the shop. I’m getting excited about the reopening of Confection Connection on Monday,” the petite beauty said, hanging her coat on a hook before donning an apron. “So, what do you want me to tackle first?”
They discussed the day’s agenda and the grand reopening in two days. Even the media was going to be there. She admittedly was nervous about the hype, but she also hoped it might draw her ex out into the open. Pushing those thoughts aside, she was about to mix the green piping for two dozen shamrock lollipops when her cell phone rang.
Expecting it to be Mason, she answered with a “Good morning,” keeping it quiet so Teresa wouldn’t hear. Her pulse kicked up a notch just thinking about the guy who’d put new meaning into doing business on
her desk.
“Mornin’, Jill.”
She stiffened, then glanced around the kitchen, heart now thundering in her throat. “Donny…” How had he gotten her number? Where was he?
Teresa was on the other side of the room, laying out molds on the table. No one else was in the kitchen with them.
Oh God. Instinct told her he was nearby.
“Aren’t you going to come out front to see me? I’m purchasing chocolate for you right now. We wouldn’t want any trouble, would we?”
Doing her best not to panic, she slowly pushed through the door and into the shop, her heart stopping at the sight of her ex indeed buying something at the register. He glanced at her and smiled.
“Don’t hang up,” he said, handing money to one of the teenagers she’d hired, then pocketed the change, grabbed his bag and headed toward a display between her and the door. “We’re going to keep this cool, got that?”
God, she hardly recognized him. If he hadn’t been on the phone talking to her, and looking at her as he talked, she wouldn’t have known it was Donny. He’d shaved his head bald, wore glasses, and was dressed sharp, in a three-piece gray suit, overcoat and a decent pair of shoes.
“What do you want?” She stayed behind the counter, near the kitchen door. It gave her almost a straight shot to the entrance into the lobby. The busy lobby. But she’d have to go through him first.
Her chest was so tight breathing hurt. She couldn’t believe how blatant and daring he was to walk into the resort and stroll right to her new shop.
“What do you want?” she repeated.
He raised a brow. “Seriously? You have to ask? I want what’s mine,” he stated, voice as hard as his granite expression. “I noticed renovations have started on your store in town, so that must mean you got the insurance money. I want what’s left, Jill. I need it.”
Even though he was talking low, pretending to look at one of her displays, she heard him loud and clear, and wished someone would happen by and recognize his face and call the police. The guy had been plastered in the newspapers and on the local television stations ever since the fire.
But not one single person paid any attention to him. Although, she had to admit, the changes he’d made to his appearance were radical.
She needed to stall him. Maybe Mason or one of the Wynes would come by. They usually did in the mornings. “So…you did torch my shop.”
“That’s old news, Jill. Keep up. I need money. Big money. Now. So, I suggest you greet me like we’re old lovers…well, we are, and head on over to the bank with me to get the cash. Now.”
She cocked her head, forcing her gaze to hold his. “And if I said no?”
“That would not be wise. You give me the money, and I won’t torch your new place.”
She stared into his blank, fathomless eyes. God, he was serious. Her heart dropped to her feet. He would do it.
“Use your head. I know you’re smart. You wouldn’t want anyone here to get hurt. A fire in this shop could result in more than chocolates going up in flames.”
“Donny, my God, would you listen to yourself?” she whispered. “You’re threatening innocent people. Children.”
“No, you are by not cooperating. If anyone gets hurt, Jill, it’s on you. Now, give me some goddamn money. You know how bad these bookies can get.”
She couldn’t believe this was happening, that he was trying to blackmail her into handing him money.
“I don’t have access to money from this shop. I’m not the sole owner.” She hoped he’d listen and back off. As for the insurance money, it was gone, most of it, invested back into renovations and labor. She had some in her savings, but…
“Then give me the insurance money from the other one. Rob a bank. I don’t fucking care,” he threatened with a sweet smile on his face so as not to draw attention. “Let’s get going, and, Jill,” he added, his gaze darkening. “Don’t even think about trying to alert the cops. You know I can smell them a mile away. And if you’re thinking about running, forget it. You’ll never make it to the door. Besides,” he said, patting his coat. “Let’s just say, I have a very flammable package in my pocket, and it would be a shame if it went off in here like it did in your other place.”
After studying his menacing glare, she knew what she had to do. Get him out of the building. Away from the Wynes. Her store. Her workers. The guests in the resort. Now. Do whatever he asked to make him leave.
“Ah, that’s better. I can see it in your face. Good girl. You’re going to help your husband.”
Her chin rose. “You are not my husband anymore, Donny.”
“True, but you are going to act as if I am. Starting now. Stay on the phone with me while you grab your coat and your checkbook. I’ll be listening.”
Operating on automatic, she did as he asked and went into the back to fetch her things. “I have to run to the bank,” she told Teresa who glanced at her.
“Good girl,” he said through the phone, and a satisfied grin covered his face when she walked back out. “Now, come here and give me a hug and a kiss. And make it look real.”
Her stomach rolled. But when she hesitated, he patted his coat as a reminder to what was underneath.
“Do not push me. I have nothing to lose. Unlike you. So, if you want to keep it, I suggest you get your pretty little ass over here. Now.”
She had no idea if he was lying, but she was not willing to gamble with everyone’s lives, or the resort. Her past and all the shit he put her through came rushing back. He’d burned her store with no regard to others being hurt. He’d watched his bookie’s thugs beat her…was willing to watch them do more. He didn’t care. Drugs must’ve rotted away the compassion receptors in his brain.
Falling into survival mode, she ended the call, pocketed her phone and rushed into his arms, with one thought on her mind: Get him out of the resort and away from Mason and his family.
She didn’t give a damn about herself, but she would do anything to keep everyone safe at all costs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mason couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Jill running into the arms of another man, and kissing him in the middle of her shop.
Their shop.
In his resort.
How the fuck could she? Betrayal pierced his heart, gripped his spine and yanking it through his gut.
Who was he? Some slick lawyer or something judging by the expensive clothes. Probably came in from New York.
God, had she had this guy on the side the whole time?
Unable to watch, he pivoted around and started walking. He had no destination. Just needed to walk. To get out. Before he realized it, he was halfway up one of the trails, heart pounding, throat hot from the excursion. At least he knew he was alive, because all he felt was numb.
He’d trusted her. Shared with her. Took a chance on her. She knew he had issues with trust and had smiled her sad smile, claiming the same thing.
Christ. Had she lied about that, too?
His mind reeled so much he was having a hard time discerning reality. He picked up his pace and ran full out, thankful he’d been dressed for a hike. The ground beneath him was real. The trees surrounding him, they were real. The smell of new growth and spring was in the air. He could count on leaves sprouting from the buds dotting the trees. He could count on the sun to set behind Chancellor’s Bluff.
He could count on Jill to sucker him in, use her smile and sweet curves to fog his judgment. Get him to offer his resort as a place for her new shop...
Son of a bitch!
He halted, and his heart stopped as pain fast and fierce pierced his chest.
God, had she been the one to torch Confection Connection in a calculating move to get him to make that offer?
His mind was too numb to think clearly, but the seed of doubt weighed a ton, and he wasn’t ready to face that possibility. At least, not sober.
Retracing his steps, he headed for Timbers and a bottle of Jack. So what if it was still morning. I
t was five o’clock somewhere.
Three excruciating hours later, Jill walked back into the resort, keeping a tight rein on her feelings and control. She couldn’t lose it yet. Not yet. God, she needed to see Mason. Burrow into his warmth and draw on his strength. See with her own eyes that he was okay, even though she knew he was, because she’d gotten Donny away from the resort, away from Mason, and did what she was told.
A tremor shook through her body. She clamped her jaw and kept moving.
After cleaning out her savings and some of the store’s money with Donny at her side watching every damn move she made, even taking her cell phone and shoving it in his pocket, she had been forced to hand him her car keys and watch as he drove out of town.
Hiking it to the police station, she spent the next hour detailing the events to Jeremy and signing a statement as another cop had taken off in his cruiser to try to catch her ex before he crossed state line. Jeremy felt they had a good chance of catching Donny this time. Between the security footage at the resort and the bank backing up her statement, and as long as Donny didn’t ditch her phone or shut it off, Jeremy said they had a good shot of finding him and taking him down.
At this point, she didn’t care. She just wanted to see Mason. Sink into him and not surface for a good long time. Jeremy had let her use his phone to call him, but he hadn’t answered. She figured he was probably out taking guests on a hike. The handsome, sweet cop offered to drive her to the resort, but she wanted him to get right to work and nail Donny before he got too far, so she grabbed a cab.
A half-hour later, having knocked on Ethan’s door with no answer, checking her shop, the gym, the locker area, the rental area, the restaurants, Jill headed to Timbers hoping he was there, and resigning herself to sit and wait if he wasn’t because her legs were beginning to feel like lead.
Walking into the bar and grill, she fought back the urge to cry. She found him. Mason was the only one there besides the bartender. He sat at his usual corner table, and hope lit her heart. She momentarily closed her eyes and let out a half-hearted giggle. Figures he’d be in the last place she looked.
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