by Misty Evans
Anger heated her veins. All that press with the pretend check and the actual money was nowhere to be seen. Jenna had made a threat—a serious one--about going public, and what do you know? The publicist has assured the VP that it wasn’t a problem. Hawke had banks all around the world. She’d make sure the money was in the account later that day and it could then be wired to 3 Wishes.
Jenna had thanked the VP and walked out, trembling from head to toe.
She’d had to walk off some of the anger. Passing a newsstand on the sidewalk she’d seen Hawke’s face plastered all over a gossip mag. An inset of her was in the right-hand corner of the photo. Hawke’s Humble Heroine was looking downright beautiful.
It took her breath away for a moment, seeing herself on the cover of a magazine looking to all the world like she belonged there. Little Jenna McIntyre, the ugly duckling always hanging back in the shadows of her family, had suddenly turned into a swan.
But it was because of Jacob, not Hawke.
The thought of Jacob loosened the tight band constricting her chest. If only she could have told him about the wire transfer debacle. She smiled to herself. If only he’d seen her tearing into that bank VP and the publicist.
If only she could sit and laugh with him about the whole thing later when her money for the club was safe and secure. She’d bet he would have some ideas about making the club a reality for her kids.
My kids. That’s how she’d come to think of all of them. They were hers to protect and defend. Hawke had promised to donate money to her cause, and she was damn well going to hold him to that promise. If needed, Hawke’s Humble Heroine was going to kick some ass, gimpy leg or not.
And later, when she had the money and the club was up and running, maybe she’d tell Jacob what she’d done.
But for now? It was better to keep this mess a secret. Jacob wanted to kill Hawke for stranding her in the desert. Even before that it was obvious Jacob hated her favorite rock star. No sense adding fuel to the fire. She needed to get the two men through the Donor of the Year awards ceremony. Then they never had to be around each other again.
Unless she and Hawke…
Nope. Not going to happen.
The guy’s a loser, no matter how many women want him. He needs AA, not another girlfriend.
There was a part of her that hated giving up on that dream, but she had to. He was acting like all stars did—unreliable, asinine, overprivileged. She understood that was the norm. Seemed like everyone in Hollywood had a drug or alcohol problem. For her, though, that would never cut it. No matter the glamour and the fame and all the tingles Hawke’s attention had brought her, she wasn’t putting up with his rudeness.
She’d had her phone off during the meeting with the VP and she didn’t get Jacob’s message until she’d arrived back at the hotel. She planned to flirt with him a little, see where it led. He was solid, if a little stiff, and he truly cared about the kids as much as she did, just like Van had told her. She was sure of it. He put his money where his mouth was.
The message from him had been brief and didn’t tell her what he was doing. The front desk told her he’d left in his car—one he kept at the hotel for his visits—and that he often went to see a friend when in town. Her imagination ran wild, wondering if his friend was of the female persuasion.
Now, as she got out of the cab at the venue for the donor awards ceremony, she felt shy and nervous again. Flirting was off the table. She felt silly even thinking about getting with him. No matter her clothes and her improved organizational skills, she was no match for the women he normally dated. Outside of the Hollywood juggernaut, he was probably the most sought-after bachelor in the United States. In Britain he was only slightly less popular than the Royals.
But when he swaggered out of the glass entrance to meet her and his face lit up with a smile, boy did she think about taming him, if only for a night. A one-night hookup. Would he stoop to her level for casual sex?
He’d promised her an afternoon of fun. Jenna wondered if he realized he was in for a night of it too.
12
This was more difficult than he anticipated. He wasn’t sure where he'd misstepped, but he needed to realign his world. Right now everything was lopsided and none of it made sense.
After the venue check and lunch, during which Jenna had openly flirted with him, they’d swung back to the hotel. Calen had called him to gush about the tickets, and Jacob had had to sneak off to his room for a few minutes. Emerging, he found Jenna sitting in a corner of the couch reading over something, feet tucked underneath her. She was wearing one of the ensembles he'd picked for her. A pencil skirt patched with a seashell coral. She’d tucked her hair into a high bun and a chunk of it had fallen into her face. When he'd walked in all he could do was stare at her for a long moment. She looked cute.
It was distracting. Moreover, she looked like she belonged there. Which was even more distracting. She looked like she belonged in his world, and that shook him.
He didn't want her in his world. His world was stiff and cold. He wanted Jenna in her sloppy clothes.
Okay no, he didn't. He just wanted her in her sloppy clothes whenever she was around half of the human population. He noticed the looks men gave her now. They way they’d stand too close, listening intently to everything she said. They’d find excuses to touch her. That shit was starting to make him crazy.
Worse, she was completely unaware of her effect on him. If she referred to him as her friend one more time, he’d lose it. Gone would be Jacob Swinton, the man who kept himself perfectly in check.
He liked his control. Needed his control. Jenna was all chaos all the time. Except for times like this when she was happy and looked a lot more like the Jenna he'd known for the past few months. Her face had minimal makeup, and her eyes held a smile.
She had that nervous habit of licking her lips, and every time she did he wanted to kiss her. It was all he'd been thinking about since the flight. Bugger, it was all he'd been thinking about since he'd kissed her at the boutique. Why did you do that?
Because he'd wanted to.
Being with Jenna was the most alive part of his day. Even before the makeover she'd frustrated and infuriated him. But now she did other things to him.
His cock pulsed and he forced himself to ignore the physical response. “You ready to have some fun, Miss McIntyre?”
“Fun is my middle name.” She giggled. “So where are we off to? How does Jacob Swinton do 'fun?' I have got to see this.”
His lips twitched. She was in a good mood and he could finally cross the venue walk-through off of his list. They should have done it at least a week ago. But with everything else going on with 3 Wishes, Jenna had been too unfocused to deal.
Everything was different now. Jenna was on top of it, and he was the unfocused one. What in the world was she doing to him?
He reached out and helped her off the couch. He should have steadied himself for the shock of electricity when her hand slid into his. He should have prepared himself, but he didn’t.
His gaze snapped to hers and he watched in fascination as her pupils dilated. Did she feel that too?
Shit. Don’t get caught up, Swinton. This is fun. Show her fun. Stop overthinking. “First a change of clothes, rocker chic. Then, it’s all fun.”
A few minutes later in the back of the limo, Jenna barraged him with questions and demands. “Jake, where are we going? If Van were here she'd insist you were taking me somewhere to chop me into little pieces. Are you secretly a serial killer, Jake?”
He coughed a laugh. “I think I'd probably enjoy Van.”
“Yeah, she's the best. I'm so happy she’s going to be my sister-in-law. She's a total badass. She makes you look lazy.”
“In that case, I have to meet her.” The limo stopped and he pulled her through the back of the MGM hotel where the trucks made their deliveries. “Come on, we'll be late.”
“Late for what?”
“You'll see. I don’t want you to mi
ss any of it.”
His heart thundered against his ribcage. He wanted to get this right.
Why Swinton? Because he liked seeing her happy. Liked seeing her smile. Not part of the plan. No, it wasn't, but he was going with it.
He’d made the arrangement as soon as he'd managed to nail her down for Vegas dates. The band Cobalt Blue was in residency for two weeks. Next to Triple Threat, Cobalt Blue was all he'd heard her listening to for the past few weeks.
“Jesus, Jacob, would you slow down.”
Damn it, he was mucking this up. “Shit, sorry. Is your leg bothering you?”
Her brows furrowed. “Ah, no. It’s been a lot better today.”
“I know I walk fast. I didn't think. I just don't want to be late.”
Her eyes softened. “You’re fine. I'm only complaining because of the heels on these boots. They’re super cute, but not the most practical. You said rocker chic, so you know...” She gestured toward the black leather boots.
When she’d come out of her room wearing them his mouth had dropped open, and he hadn't been able to stop picturing her wearing those and nothing else. He pulled open the door to the auditorium to the sounds of clanking and hammering. Everyone was still setting up. Good. He hadn't missed it.
He tugged her into the seats set up especially for her to get the best angle of the stage.
“We're here for a concert? But where is everybody—” She cut herself off when he tugged her into her seat. “That’s a Cobalt Blue song.”
He grinned when she sat, realization dawning in her eyes. “I know. I'm not sure why they would be playing someone else's song to sound check for their own show.”
Jenna stared at Jacob, then at the stage as the drummer tested some beats. Then back at Jacob. “Do you know who they are?”
“I know they're not Hawke Thorn or Triple Threat, but I figured you'd still like to see them. I hear you playing their songs on loop sometimes so figured you'd—”
Jenna stood and tugged him to his feet, then threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight.
She pulled back. “I don't even know what to say.” Her eyes filled with tears “No one has ever done anything like this for me. Ever. Thank you.”
Somehow the onset of her coming tears didn't freak him out. He shrugged. The flush of warmth spread from his chest out like swirling licks of smoke. “It's no big deal.”
She put her hand on his chest, and he held his breath. The electric charge jolted him. “It is a big deal to me.”
She spread her arms. “I mean, you've just given me a private concert from a band I love. No one has ever done that for me. You’re amazing.”
The music started and she jumped up and down excitedly. The look on her face. The pure joy and exhilaration. He'd do whatever it took to see that look again.
* * *
Still on a high from the sound check, Jacob and Jenna laughed as they stumbled into their suite. After listening to the band he'd taken her to dinner, and he'd even found her some wine she wanted to drink.
“Seriously, Jake, after the last few weeks, I needed that so much. Just something fun. And thank you for arranging the meet and greet. They were so nice.”
“You needed something fun,” he said. “I understand how crazy everything has been for you the last few weeks. Nothing like a concert to relieve some stress.”
“And dinner and the wine. A perfect night. How are you not taken? I mean, you do something like this for me and I'm just your friend. What do you do for the women you actually date?”
Thick heat flooded his veins as he watched her unzip those boots of hers. She moaned low when her feet hit the plush carpet. His pulse thrummed so loudly he was convinced she could hear it. “What, you don't think I’m gay anymore?”
She licked her lips and her gaze slid away. “We both know I was kidding.” She cleared her throat and stared down at her shoes. “Besides, I, uh, think you disproved that already.”
She had no idea how beautiful she was, standing there in her bare feet and leather pants. Strategically slashed t-shirt, hair all mussed, she didn’t look like the women he dated. She didn’t look like the women he picked out. She looked more like her. Okay, the leather pants were an upgrade he could get behind.
Shit, he had it bad. And he was going to kiss her again. “Jenna.” He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I'm going to disprove it again, so now would be a brilliant time to tell me if you don't want this.”
Jenna cleared her throat, and he held his breath, silently willing a yes.
What for, Swinton? You're not exactly the emotional type. She’s going to want more eventually. Need it, crave it, and you're not well suited for relationships.
He mentally locked his inner demon away and dared to wish.
Her bright blue eyes danced as she smiled. “I, uh, might need a lot of convincing.” She shrugged. “I'm a born skeptic.”
The laugh tumbled out before he could think too much. He hadn't expected to want to laugh. Jenna could do that to him. And he liked it. “I think we can arrange for that.”
Her pupils dilated, and the last thing he thought before his lips met hers, was mine.
She tasted like wine and peppermint and something sweet with just a kick of spice. Fucking incredible. Their last kiss he'd been proving a point. At least he'd told himself that. He hadn't been out to seduce, to drug her into wanting him so bad she couldn’t stand. But now, with her hands gripping tight onto his shirt, he took his time. Coaxed, teased, and coaxed some more as he licked into her mouth.
She made the best sounds. Hungry and needy, like a tiny plea. He could feel the threads of his control thinning and fraying with each tentative stroke of her tongue to his. That’s it. You’re mine.
He fought the urge to hurry, to rush her, to stake a claim all over the pale alabaster skin with his mouth, his hands, his cock.
Jenna loosened her grip on his button-down shirt and her hands slipped into his hair and tugged just enough to turn his cock harder than ever before. Just. Like. That.
Control. Gone.
Jacob pulled back and dragged in shallow breaths as he tugged off her stupid slashed t-shirt . His gaze landed on her full breasts threatening to spill over her bra. Fuck. Jenna dragged in her bottom lip and sucked on it as she eyed his shirt, then she pursed her lips and asked. “I’ve uh, been wanting to do something.”
He slid his hands into her glorious hair again and asked as he dropped his forehead to hers, “What’s that?”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “I'm sorry in advance.”
Then she grabbed his shirt lapels and tugged. Buttons flew and popped and she grinned with such glee he couldn’t help but laugh.
“You've been dying to do that, huh?”
“I sorta like the idea of messing you up a little.”
“Then allow me to assist you in any way I can.” Kicking aside any buttons in his way, Jacob dragged her to him again and lifted her easily. She automatically wrapped her slim legs around him and he carried her into his room. Setting her down gently, he soaked her in. Then he shucked his shirt and jeans. Before he could remove his briefs, she grabbed him.
Their bodies were a tangle of limbs and bodies and tongues and need. With gasps from Jenna when he raked his teeth over her pale skin, and moans from him every time she raked her nails over his back, he couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All he wanted was more of her, more of her taste, her flavor, all of it. And he couldn’t wait.
When he ran his hands up her ribcage her back bowed. “That’s it sweetheart,” he mumbled against her skin. His thumbs skimmed the petal soft skin of her breasts. His cock throbbed, pleading for attention. Beneath him, Jenna arched her body and silently begged him to make love to her.
He kissed her breast, hovering over one nipple and letting his warm breath tease her before finally taking her between his lips. He licked and sucked. “You taste fucking incredible, Jenna.”
“Jacob, please. I'm begging you.”
His cock lik
ed the sound of that.
But he took his time, suckling, tugging. Teasing with a light graze of his teeth as she continued to beg, and plead. The blood rushed in his head. He couldn't get enough of the lavender scent of her skin. While he sucked, he teased her other nipple, gently rolling with his thumb.
Her back arched into the teasing stroke. “Jacob, oh God.”
“That’s it sweetheart,” he whispered. “Just let go for me.”
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” The tiny orgasm had her clutching him to her as shivers wracked her body.
Jacob couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “What do you say we get rid of these pants.”
Jenna lay panting and made a feeble attempt to move her hand. “I would help, but somebody rendered me totally useless for the time being.”
“You just lay back and relax. I’ll take care of them. In cases like this, I’m more than happy to help.”
A lazy smile broke free and she looked happy and sated. He loved that moment of surprised shock just before she flew apart.
Her leather pants were a little trickier to yank down, but he finally managed it by having her hold onto the headboard for leverage. She lifted her head and her mouth hung open. “Jesus, those abs. I thought abs like that only existed in Photoshop.”
He might have laughed if he hadn’t been completely enthralled by the sight of her laid out before him on his enormous bed like a feast, the moonlight hitting the dusky peeks of her breasts just right.
Jacob discarded his briefs before climbing back onto the bed, on his own personal pilgrimage to heaven, taking the time to explore. He kissed her behind the knee, teased her inner thighs. His lips paying homage. He kissed the scar on the inside of her leg and she shied away.
He held her gently but firmly in place. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“I know. It's just it's ugly. I don’t want you to even look at it.”
He kissed it again. “Every damn inch of you is perfect.” But he understood she was self-conscious. Before the night was over, he’d show her she was perfect. She didn’t need to hide. He shifted to kiss her lips, but got distracted again by her breasts. “I can’t believe you've been wearing baggy t-shirts to cover yourself up since I’ve known you.”