by Ali Parker
Brice jumped into the shower, shutting off that line of thought before his growing erection made him lose control. As the hot water cleared the cobwebs from his brain, he considered the events of last night.
He'd lost control then, control of his tongue, control of his actions. He'd been brutally possessive; his anger at her comradery with Drake and his fear at the possibility of losing her had driven him to possess her. Shame rose up suddenly at his behavior. He'd told her he was claiming her, for God's sake. For a skittish woman like Janna, that should have been enough to drive her away. And yet, she hadn't run. No, she'd submitted to his onslaught, surrendered to his demands on her body. But not the ones he wanted to put on her heart.
Brice had been surprised how easily the words had come up, and how badly he'd wanted to say them. But she'd stopped him, putting her trembling hand over his mouth. Janna wasn't ready to accept those words from him. He didn't understand why. What he wasn't surprised by was that he could finally put a name to those emotions, even if she wouldn't let him say it.
Love.
Five years ago Brice had thought he was in love with Evetta. But now he realized what he felt then was only a shadow of what he had with Janna. Evetta was the moon, cold, harsh, deserted, whereas Janna, she was like the sun -- all heat and fire, burning him up. She ruled his universe, and for once in his life, he wasn't threatened by that notion. Now he just wished that Janna was as accepting of these feelings as he was.
Finishing up, Brice wrapped a towel around his waist, then picked up another and began to vigorously dry his hair as he strolled out of the bedroom and into the living area of the suite. He spotted her on one of the couches, legs pulled up underneath her, a stack of papers beside her and another in her hands. She was scanning a page and making tick marks with a red pen. She didn't bother looking up as he approached.
"Good morning," he said, bending down to press a kiss into her still-damp hair. "Busy?"
"Yes," she muttered, distracted. "I've got a whole pile of grading to finish before tomorrow. I put it off all weekend, so now I've got to get it done."
"I see. I was hoping you'd have a few free hours today. Maybe we could head over to Washington Park. The weather's supposed to be nice, and I haven't been to the Japanese Gardens in a long time. It's lovely this time of year."
"Sorry," she mumbled, still not making eye contact. "I don't think I'll have the time. Maybe we should just head home early."
Brice frowned down at the ruler of his universe, who was currently acting like more like a distant star than his bright and shining sun. Something was definitely wrong. But he didn't want to press her. Maybe she really was concerned about finishing her grading. Lord knows, he'd already monopolized most of her weekend.
She should have been grading yesterday, instead of gallivanting around with Drake. His inner doubts turned his frown into a scowl. She should have saved her time for me, today, instead of wasting it on that asshole.
Taking a deep breath, Brice pushed his jealous thoughts away. They only led down a dark path, one he didn't want to travel today. Instead, he forced a smile and politely inquired what Janna would like for breakfast. Even if she couldn't devote her full attention to him today, at least he was still in her orbit. And for now, that would have to be enough.
* * *
Janna peeked up through her bangs at the handsome man across from her, scrolling through his phone. She'd insisted that he take her home early, so here they were, sitting in separate seats in his limo. She continued to make a pretense at grading, but her thoughts were too jumbled to make much headway. Sighing hard enough to lift her bangs from her forehead, she started over at the top of the page again. For the fifth time. She should just give up.
But she'd told Brice she had to finish her grading today. It wasn't strictly true, but she'd needed some space, needed to get some perspective. If she'd caved, if she'd agreed to spend the afternoon walking the gardens hand in hand, she'd never pull herself out of the tailspin she was experiencing. No, she needed time to think. Okay, to brood. The events of this weekend, particularly last night, were too confusing, too overwhelming.
She thought that he'd almost said the l-word. To her. If she hadn't stopped him, who knew what he might have told her. And if she'd heard those words, there was no way she could have stopped herself from saying them back. And meaning them. She didn't know when it'd happened -- probably that first night at the holiday party -- but despite her best efforts, she was horribly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with Brice Masterson, millionaire, and self-proclaimed reformed playboy.
She'd tried to hold back her heart, to keep things loose and fun, but deep down she'd known she wasn't the type to enjoy a fling. Not with someone as alluring as Brice. She couldn't help but fall in love with a man like that, and she wasn't a saint or made of stone. It had been a mistake to see him again, to give him a chance to worm his way deeper into her heart with his charming half-smile. And here she was, just compounding that mistake and making things harder on herself.
Last night was just the icing on the proverbial shit-cake. He'd been totally unreasonable, had accused her of cheating on him with Drake, then boldly claimed "You're mine," before proceeding to take possession of her body with such passion that she'd nearly expired. And instead of pushing him off and slapping him across the face like he'd deserved, she'd succumbed to his lovemaking, and they'd even forgotten the condom! Janna had never made that mistake before. But then again, her arousal had never been driven to such heights before Brice. Goddamn him!
Even now she couldn't keep her eyes off him. And that's why she needed to retreat, lick her wounds, figure out if she could survive the torture of being without Brice before she fell headlong and gave herself to him. That road led to heartbreak.
Despite his readiness to use the blasted l-word, he couldn't have meant it, not really. Eventually, he'd tire of her, or he'd realize that she'd never fit into his world, never adapt. Then he'd leave, and replace her. But Janna would never be able to replace Brice in her heart, not if she let him get his hooks in any deeper.
The landscape raced by, a green blur, and the urge to paint overwhelmed her. It would certainly help relax her, help put things in perspective. As soon as she got home, she'd abandon her grading and pick up her brush. Risking another glance at the man beside her, she already knew what color she'd use.
* * *
It was Wednesday afternoon, and Janna was finally finishing up the last round of grading. Her students were clamoring for their scores, and she knew the professor was irritated with the length of time it'd taken her to finish. After returning on Sunday afternoon, she'd been unable to do much but mope around and paint. Brice had texted and called a few times since, but she'd blown him off with excuses about having to work, and he'd given her the space he'd sensed she was asking for. And still, despite keeping Brice at a distance physically, she couldn't keep him away from her thoughts.
Janna was entering the last grade when a knock sounded at her door. She opened it to find Shelby, who greeted her with a big smile.
"Girl, you better get down to the door. It looks like Mr. Moneybags ain't done spoilin' you yet."
Janna followed Shelby downstairs, confused and nervous about what she'd find. What she didn't expect was a tall, reed-thin gentleman with several garment bags in his hands.
"Ms. Puchina?" he inquired liltingly. At Janna's nod, he extended his hands to her. "These are for you, compliments of Mr. Drake."
Janna was sure her jaw must have hit the floor. Compliments of Mr. Drake? "Well, get 'em girl," Shelby said with a laugh and started taking the bags from the man and passing them to Janna. When he'd finally delivered the purchases, the thin man made an elegant bow and left, almost skipping down the steps.
"What is all this?" Janna said, the wonder in her tone evident.
"Most people call them clothes, honey," Shelby teased, helping her carry the bags into the living area.
"But, from Drake?"
Shelby
frowned, confused. "Yeah, you're dating Masterson, right? Who's this Mr. Drake? You already got another millionaire on the side?"
"No!" Janna yelped. "Alex Drake went to college with Brice. We met over the weekend, and he...gave me some advice about how to fit into Brice's world. I kind of made an ass of myself at the fundraising dinner. You should see the hideous dress I wore." As she talked, Janna was busy unzipping the first garment bag. Inside was a familiar blush-pink ensemble. "Shit."
"What's wrong?"
"Alex took me to a boutique to give me some style pointers, but of course I couldn't afford anything he picked out, so we left. It looks like he's sent me the outfits I couldn't buy."
"Whoa." Shelby said, pulling out a designer dress and checking its price tag. "My daddy doesn't even make that much in a year. Granted he only works part-time. And for minimum wage. But still...damn."
"I know," Janna said. "What makes it worse is, I wouldn't use Brice's card to pay for a nice dress for the fundraiser, which resulted in all of this. If Brice finds out Alex sent me all these clothes, he's gonna be livid. He already hates Drake."
"Wait," Shelby put her palm up and stared at Janna. "Masterson hates this Drake guy? I thought you said they went to college together."
"They did, but they didn't get along. Brice said Alex got him kicked off the archery team. And stole his girlfriend."
"What? Oh, girl, you're in a hell of a pickle now. What are you gonna do?"
Janna sighed. "I'm gonna call Alex and tell him to take it all back, of course." With one last longing glance at the pile of beautiful clothing that probably cost more than a year's worth of out-of-state tuition, she turned her back on them and grabbed her phone.
Alex had insisted on programming his number into her phone, in case she had any "first-world emergencies," as he'd laughingly called them. She was glad she had it now, and as the phone rang, she tried to decide just how to approach the call.
"Drake here." His voice was clipped, his tone screaming "get to the point."
"Alex, this is Janna. And I have a bit of a problem."
The change in his tone was remarkable. Suddenly his voice was smooth as honey, tinged with that Tennessee twang that told her he allowed himself to relax around her. "Not gonna accept my generous gift, are you?"
"You know I can't," Janna replied, not surprised that he'd already figured out why she'd called. She hoped her tone sounded stern.
"I knew you'd try and convince me that you can't, but I'd still hoped I'd be able to persuade you otherwise."
"Come on, Alex. I wouldn't accept this kind of gift from Brice, so I sure as heck can't take it from you." Lights flashed before her eyes as a connection was made suddenly in her brain. "In fact, I'm beginning to think you did this on purpose, hoping that Brice would find out before I could return them. I can't believe I trusted you when Brice told me--"
"Yeah, what did old High-and-Mighty Masterson tell you? That I was a redneck, a hillbilly with no sense who couldn't see he didn't belong? Don't worry; I've heard it all from him before."
Janna bit back a gasp. Brice had said that? "No, he told me that you couldn't be trusted, that you were pursuing me to get back at him. Is it true?"
The loud bark of laughter was unexpected. "Janna, I don't know what he told you, but it's been years since college, and I have better things to do than hold a grudge against Brice Masterson."
Could Alex be telling the truth? Was Brice being unreasonable? "But you stole his girlfriend in college."
"Yeah, that's what he always said. But she broke up with him a week before we started seeing each other, so I don't really consider that ’stealing.’"
Alex sounded so assured, his tone stating unequivocally that Brice's charges against him were ridiculous. "Then why did you send me the clothes?"
Drake sighed before answering. "You remind me of myself when I was struggling to find my place in the world. I enjoyed spending time with you and wanted to help you if I could. I knew you wouldn't take a gift like this from Brice because of your relationship, but I thought maybe if you got it from a friend, well then maybe you could accept it."
"From a friend?" Janna barely realized she'd spoken, her brain busy trying to sort everything out.
"Yes. A friend. I would like to be your friend, nothing more. So will you accept them?"
His words were persuasive, but Janna knew that she couldn't keep the clothing. It wouldn't be right. And Brice would never understand. "No, you know I can't. I'm sorry. I appreciate the thought."
Alex chuckled. "Of course. Well, you'll have to return them to me then. Why don't you bring them over now?"
"What? I can't drop everything and drive to Portland now!"
"I'm not in Portland." His tone said that she didn't know all of his secrets yet. "I'm nearby. I've got a little place five minutes outside of town. My corporation funds a lot of research at the university, so it made sense to have someplace close for meetings and other functions."
"Sure," Janna murmured. She really didn't want to face Drake now, despite his reassurances. Could she trust him, or should she put her faith in Brice, even if she had her doubts? Regardless of the questions swirling around her head, she needed to get rid of these clothes before Brice found them, or before she tried them on and decided she couldn't live without them. Better to pull the bandage off quickly and get it over with.
"Give me your address, and I'm on my way."
When Alex had said "little place," she'd pictured an office space, or maybe a condo. She wasn't expecting a seven bedroom stone house built on one of the hills outside of town. I should have known he wouldn't have anything 'little.' Not sure where to park, she pulled her rusty old Volvo up next to a flashy black Audi and made her way to the door.
Drake answered it himself on the first knock, and Janna wondered if he'd been waiting by the door. "Come in," he said, grabbing the garment bags from her and tossing them on the entryway table. "I just ordered some Thai food. It should be here in less than an hour."
Her brows rose. "I'm just dropping off the clothes and politely telling you thanks but no thanks. Who said anything about Thai food?"
"I did. Now come into the den and pick a movie to watch while we eat."
"Hang on," she said, refusing to budge an inch as he grabbed her arm and attempted to lead her down the hall. "What's going on, Drake? You said on the phone you weren't interested in--"
"I'm not," he interrupted her, then actually had the audacity to roll his eyes. "I also told you that I wanted to be your friend. And friends eat Thai food and watch movies together. So quit your bitching and get to picking a movie. If I pick, it's gonna be Die Hard. So you might want to take advantage while you can."
"Die Hard's not bad," Janna laughed, "But I'd like to see what else you have." And just like that, she decided to stay. It was impossible for her not to feel comfortable around Alex Drake. There was something about him, something that reminded Janna of an older brother. She could just be herself and know he was being himself. It wasn't like the delicate dance she felt she was part of when she was with Brice. She didn't want Alex as anything more than a friend, and that is what he said he wanted too. And he'd rolled his eyes when she'd suggested otherwise. Maybe he was safe after all.
The den was home to a large stone fireplace and a massive flat screen television. On both side of the TV were shelves of DVDs and Blu-Rays, and Janna began perusing them, giggling at his range of tastes. And for the first time since she'd gotten back from her weekend with Brice, she relaxed.
* * *
Alex watched Janna while she browsed through his movie collection. As she bent over to check out the lower shelves, he noticed how shapely her bottom was. Shapely but toned. He imagined caressing it when they fucked. But instead of causing his cock to harden, the image felt...awkward. It certainly wasn't because Janna wasn't attractive. She might not be his type, but she was a superb example of womanhood. Still, for some reason, he didn't want to picture her that way.
When
Brice had introduced them at the fundraising dinner, Alex's mouth had near watered. Here was the perfect opportunity to humiliate Masterson again. Stealing Janna away would be a piece of cake, and he'd enjoy rubbing Brice's face in her betrayal. They'd been enemies since college. Since Brice and his crew had done everything in their power to make him quit, to give up. But he'd shown them all that he wasn't a quitter. And he'd keep showing them. Especially Brice Masterson.
But watching Janna, he realized that his eternal grudge against Masterson no longer extended to her. He didn't want to use Janna as a pawn in his revenge game. What he'd told her on the phone had been, for once, 100% totally honest. He wanted to be her friend. Dear God, he was losing his edge.
"Oooh, I think we have a winner!" Janna yanked out a disc and held it up triumphantly, causing him to smile. "I can't believe you have this in your collection, but since you do, I'm going to take advantage of your invitation and make my selection. Get ready for the ride of your life."
She popped the disc into the player and then plopped down on the couch, one cushion left empty between them for propriety's sake.
Alex grabbed the remote and pushed the button to start the movie. Janna's smile was a mile wide as the opening credits started, and an owl flew across the dark screen. "What is this?"
"You'll see."
Suddenly the title Labyrinth flashed on the screen, and Alex's brow furrowed. What was this? The song started in earnest, and he thought he recognized the singer's voice. "Wait...I think this is one of my niece's movies. I bought a whole mess of kid's stuff for when they visit, but they're supposed to all be downstairs in the playroom. We don't have to actually watch this, do we?"