Ignited by Passion

by Brenda Jackson

  Chapter 9

  “Thanks again for the plant, Storm. It’s simply beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome and I’m glad you like it.”

  “And thanks for bringing me here, tonight. Everything was wonderful.”

  “You’re welcome again.”

  Then she glanced around Anthony’s, the stunning and elegant antebellum mansion that had a reputation of fine service and delicious food. Being here reminded her of New Orleans, and she wondered if perhaps that was the reason Storm had chosen this place.

  She glanced back over at Storm and their gazes met. He’d been watching her, something she noticed he’d been doing all evening. He had arrived at her house promptly at seven and since she’d been ready, she had only invited him inside long enough for her to grab her purse and a wrap.

  At least, that’s what she had assumed.

  The moment he had stepped inside her home, he had pulled her into his arms and kissed her, making her realize that although she wished otherwise, there was definitely something going on between them, something that had not ended in New Orleans.

  She regarded him with interest and although she knew that she should broach the subject of why they were here, she wasn’t ready to do that yet. Tonight was too beautiful to bring up any unpleasantries just yet. “So, how are things going at work?” she asked, after taking another sip of her wine.

  In New Orleans, he had told her that he had made the transition from lieutenant to captain rather well, but hadn’t gone into much detail. Because her father had been a fire captain for years, she was familiar with all the position entailed. She was well aware that today firefighters needed more training to operate increasingly sophisticated equipment and to deal safely with the greater hazards that were associated with fighting fires in larger, more elaborate structures, as well as wild fires.

  In her eyes, all firefighters were heroes, but she knew being a fire captain also required strong leadership qualities. A captain had to possess the ability to establish and maintain discipline and efficiency, as well as direct the activities of the firefighters in his company.

  “Work is fine, and how are things at Sala Industries?” he asked rousing her from her musings.

  She smiled. “Things are great. In addition to working with Tara on the Kids’ World charity benefit, I’m working on another project that involves an environmental agency.”

  He nodded. “And what about that project you were excited about? How is it going?”

  She swallowed, knowing exactly what project he was referring to. She worked her bottom lip between her teeth several times before responding. “I haven’t started it yet.”

  She decided it was time to discuss the reason they were there. They had dodged the subject long enough. She met his eyes and a shiver ran through her when she saw the desire in their dark depths. Wanting to make love with him seemed natural. Too natural. It was a good thing they were in a public place.

  Her body continued to stir and an unbearable heat spread through her. Trying to ignore her torment, she considered him for a long moment, then spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “You said you would explain things tonight, Storm.”

  I did say that, didn’t I? Storm thought as his gaze continued to hold Jayla’s. The only problem was that he wasn’t any closer to answers today than he had been yesterday. The only thing that he was certain of was that he wanted to continue to see Jayla. He enjoyed being with her, taking her out and having fun with her and wanted to continue to do all those things they had done together in New Or leans. For some reason, she had his number and he was helpless to do anything about it.

  “Storm?”

  He blinked and realized while he’d been thinking that he had been staring at her like some dimwit. He cleared his throat. “Jayla, is there a possibility for us to start seeing each other?”

  It was evident from the look on her face that his question surprised her. “Why?” she asked, regarding him as if the question were totally illogical.

  “I like you.”

  She blinked, then threw him a grin that caught him off guard. “Storm, you like women. I know that much from your reputation.”

  He didn’t like hearing her say that. They weren’t talking about other women; they were talking about her. He didn’t place her in the same category with those other women he’d dated before. To him, none of them could be compared to Jayla.

  He watched as she leaned over the table and, with a curious arch of her brow, whispered, “It’s the virginity thing, isn’t it?”

  Storm nearly stopped breathing. He blinked, not under standing just what she was asking him. Seconds later, it dawned on him just what she’d insinuated and he frowned. “Why would you think something like that?”

  She straightened back in her chair and shrugged. “What else could it be? I was your first virgin. You said so your self. So I’m a novelty to you.” She picked up her wine glass to take another sip, smiled, then said, “Trust me, you’ll get over it.”

  His frown deepened. “Tell me something,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “When did you figure that out?”

  Her smile widened. “What? That I’m a novelty to you or that you’ll get over it?”

  “That you’re a novelty to me.”

  She licked her lips and Storm felt his gut catch. “The night you showed up at my place. Seeking me out was so unlike how you’re known to operate, so I figured there had to be a reason, since any woman can basically please a man in bed. It slowly dawned on me why I was different.”

  Storm inhaled deeply. He was glad they were sitting at a table in the rear of the restaurant in an area where they were practically alone. He would hate for anyone to over hear their conversation.

  He shook his head slowly. Everything she’d said had sounded logical. With one exception. It was so far from the truth that it was pitiful.

  He smiled. “First of all, contrary to what you think, Jayla, any woman cannot please a man in bed. When making love to a woman, most men—and women for that matter—experience various degrees of pleasure. On a scale from one to five, with five being the highest, most men will experience at least a three. In some situations, possibly a four, and only if they’re extremely lucky, a five.”

  She lifted a brow. “How did I rate?”

  Storm’s smile widened. He’d known the curiosity in Jayla would give her the nerve to ask. In fact, he’d hoped that she would. “You rated a ten.”

  She blinked, then a smile touched the corners of her lips. “A ten?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, yes, a ten.”

  He watched as she thought about it for a second, then she shook her head, perplexed and confused. “But—but how is that possible if a ten isn’t on the chart?”

  He reached across the table and captured her hand in his. “Because you, Jayla Cole, were off the charts.” He watched her smile widen, evidently pleased with herself. Then he added, “And it had nothing to do with you being a virgin, but had everything to do with the fact that you are a very passionate woman.”

  He tilted his head and said, “It also had a lot to do with the fact that the two of us are good together. We click. When we make love, I feel a connection with you that I’ve never felt with another woman.” What he didn’t add was that when he made love to her, he felt as if they were made for each other.

  “Wow, that’s deep, Storm,” she said regarding him seriously.

  He sighed as he nodded. “Yeah, it is deep and that’s why I’d like for us to continue to see each other.”

  Jayla inhaled. She would like to continue to see him, too, but she knew that wouldn’t be a wise thing to do. In less than a month, she would be getting inseminated and hopefully soon after that, she would become pregnant. The last thing she needed was to get involved with anyone, especially Storm, no matter how tempting the thought was.

  “Jayla?”

  She met his gaze. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Storm. This new project will take up a lot of my time, a
nd I won’t have time for a relationship.”

  He considered her words. He was still curious as to what kind of project she would be working on. He had asked her about it in New Orleans and she had danced around an answer. The only thing he could come up with was that it involved her job, perhaps a confidential, top-secret assignment. “And there’s no way we can work around this project?”

  “No.”

  Her response had been quick. Definite. “When will you start?”

  She shrugged. She would have her physical next Friday and then hopefully within three weeks after that, she would go in to have the procedure done. “Possibly within a month.”

  He met her gaze levelly. “Is there any reason we can’t continue to see each other until then?” Slowly, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  Jayla swallowed and knew what she should say. She should tell him yes, there were plenty of reasons why they couldn’t continue to see each other for the next month, but for some reason she couldn’t get the words out. What Storm had said earlier was true. They were good together. They clicked and they connected. And deep down, a part of her felt she needed this time with him. Afterwards, at least she would have her memories of their time together.

  “No, there’s no reason,” she finally said. “But you will have to promise me something, Storm.”

  He kissed her hand again before asking. “What?”

  “When I say it’s over, then it’s over. You won’t drop by and you won’t call.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t agree to that, Jayla. I promised your father that I would periodically check on you and—”

  “I’m not talking about that, Storm. I’m taking about you dropping by or calling with the intention of us becoming involved again. You have to promise me when I say it’s over, that it will be over. No questions asked.”

  Storm stared at her for a long moment as emotions tumbled inside of him. They were feelings he didn’t under stand, but he knew that no matter what, things would never be over between them, project or no project. He would see to it.

  “All right,” he agreed. “You’ll be calling the shots and I’ll abide by your wishes.”

  “Hey, Storm, are you in this game or not?”

  Storm glanced over at Thorn and frowned. “Yes, I’m in.”

  “Well, keep your mind on the game. You’re daydreaming again.”

  Storm’s frown deepened. “Yeah, whatever.” He glanced across the table at his four brothers who had smirks on their faces. “What’s so funny?”

  It was the oldest brother, Dare, who answered. “Word’s out on the streets that some woman has finally caught the eye of the Storm. I pulled old man Johnson over the other day for running a Stop sign, and he said that he’d heard you were so besotted with some gal that you can’t pee straight.”

  When Storm narrowed his eyes, Dare held up his hand. “Hey, those were Mr. Johnson’s words, not mine.”

  Chase chuckled. “And I’ve heard that you’re sending so many flowers to this woman that the money Coleman Florist is making off you is the reason Mrs. Luanne has that new swing on her front porch.”

  “And I heard,” Stone piped in, as a huge smile touched his lips, “that you’ve been seen all over Atlanta with her and that she’s a beauty. Funny that we haven’t met her yet.”

  Thorn added, “Hey, Storm, what happened to your ‘love them and leave them’ policy?”

  Storm leaned back in his chair thinking that Thorn’s question was a good one, but one he didn’t intend to answer.

  “I’ve seen her,” Chase said grinning. “She came into the restaurant one day to have lunch with Tara.”

  “Tara?” Thorn asked, raising a curious brow. “Tara knows her?”

  Chase nodded. “Evidently, since they had lunch together that day. However, I don’t know if Tara knows that Storm has the hots for her.”

  “Excuse me, guys,” Storm said interrupting his brothers’ conversation. “I don’t appreciate you discussing my business like I’m not here.”

  Stone chuckled. “All right, then we’ll discuss your business like you’re here.” He then looked at Chase. “So, is she as good-looking as everyone claims she is?”

  Chase grinned. “Yeah. She’s Adam’s daughter all grown up.”

  Thorn frowned. “Adam? Adam Cole, Storm’s boss who died a few months back?”

  “Yep.”

  Stone glanced over at Storm. A curious glint shone in his eyes. “You’re actually seeing Adam Cole’s girl?”

  Angrily, Storm stood and threw down his cards. “That’s it. I’m out of the game.”

  Dare stared up at his youngest brother. Being the oldest, he had to occasionally bring about peace…and in some situations, order. “Sit back down, Storm, you’re getting overheated for nothing. And to be quite honest with you, for all intents and purposes, you’ve been out of the game since you got here. You haven’t been concentrating worth a damn all night.”

  One of Dare’s dark eyebrows lifted. “And what’s wrong with us wanting to know about this woman that you’re seeing? As your brothers, don’t you think we have a right to at least be curious?”

  Storm inhaled deeply as he glanced around the table and glared. “I don’t appreciate any of you discussing her as if she’s like the other women I’ve dated.”

  Dare nodded. “If she’s not like the other women you’ve dated, then it’s up to you to tell us that. There’s nothing wrong with letting us know that you think she’s special, instead of trying to keep her a secret,” he said in a low voice.

  Storm sat back down and glanced around at his brothers. They were staring at him, waiting expectantly. He sighed deeply. “Her name is Jayla Cole and yes, she’s Adam’s daughter all grown up and we’re seeing each other. We’re taking things slow, one day at a time, and yes, she’s special. Very special.”

  Stone smiled. “When will we meet her?”

  Storm leaned back in his chair. “I’ll introduce her to everyone the night of the charity benefit for Kids’ World. Her company is a corporate sponsor and she’s working closely with Tara to pull things together for that night.”

  Dare nodded. “And all of us will look forward to meeting her then.” He glanced around the table and grinned. “Now let’s play cards.”

  Jayla sat curled up on her sofa and glanced around her living room, thinking the past week had been like a scene from a romance novel. Storm had sent her flowers practically every single day and had wined and dined her to her heart’s content.

  On Saturday night, they had gone to a laser show on Stone Mountain and then on Sunday evening, he had taken her to a movie. Because he had been at the station all day Monday, she didn’t see him again until Tuesday night, when he’d dropped by with Chinese food. They had sat eating at her kitchen table while she had told him about how her day had gone and how things were coming together for this weekend’s charity benefit.

  They had talked about his day, as well. He had told her that he had been selected to head up the city’s fire prevention program for the coming year and that he was excited about that.

  She glanced down at the letter she had in her hand, the same letter that had arrived last week from the fertility clinic reminding her of tomorrow’s appointment. Seeing it and rereading it had reaffirmed her decision to have the procedure.

  She nearly jumped when she heard the phone ring. Thinking that perhaps it was Storm, she placed the letter on the table, then quickly moved across the room to answer it. He had called earlier and said he would be playing cards tonight with his brothers rather late and that he would see her tomorrow. “Yes?” she said, after picking up the phone.

  “It’s Lisa. How are things going?”

  Jayla smiled. Lisa had been out of town most of the week on business. “Everything’s going fine. How was your trip?”

  “Wonderful. I love Chicago. You know that.”

  Jayla chuckled. Yes, she did know that. Lisa enjoyed shopping and Chicago was her favorite place to shop.r />
  “So, are you planning to keep your appointment tomorrow?”

  Lisa’s question immediately silenced Jayla’s thoughts. She frowned. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because from what you told me every time I’ve called this week, you and Storm have been seeing a lot of each other.”

  Jayla shrugged. “So? What Storm and I are sharing is short-term. I know that and so does he.”

  “But it doesn’t have to be that way, Jayla. I believe things could last if you gave them a chance.”

  Jayla rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Lisa, trust me, they won’t. What Storm and I share is physical. I’m enjoying his company and he’s enjoying mine. Why does it have to be more than that?”

  For a long moment, there was silence. Then Lisa asked softly, “What are you afraid of, Jayla?”

  Jayla flinched. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

  “I think that you are. Storm Westmoreland is everything a woman could want in a man and you are in a good position to be that woman. Why are you willing to turn your back on such a wonderful opportunity?”

  Jayla closed her eyes. She could never be the kind of woman Storm wanted. Besides, he wasn’t what she wanted, either. At the moment, no man was. She wanted a baby and not a complicated relationship. She’d long ago given up on finding Mr. Right. The “married with children” routine was a fairy tale that might never come true for her. Her biological clock was ticking and she had made the decision to start a family sooner rather than later.

  She turned when she heard a knock at the door. “Look Lisa, there’s someone at the door. I’ll talk with you later. Bye.”

  After hanging up the phone, she glanced at the clock on the wall, then crossed the living room to the door. It was late, after midnight. The only reason she was still up was because she had taken the morning off for her physical at the fertility clinic. Since her appointment wasn’t until nine, that meant she would get to sleep late.