either.”
“Great. Why don’t you come over around eleven and take a look at the layout of my house and see what we have to work with, and then we’ll go from there?”
“All right.” She folded the paper into a precise square. “I have a list of Marc and Brooke’s close friends, and I have a program on my computer that can print up nice party invitations, so I’ll do that this evening, get them addressed, and drop them in the mail on my way to your place in the morning.”
He leaned his backside against the edge of his desk and crossed his legs at his ankles. “Bring them over and we’ll address them together.”
Her lips pursed. “I can do it myself. It’s really a one-person job.”
“Regardless, I want to be a part of every aspect of this party, Jessie.” He knew if he gave her an inch, she’d run a mile. “Including addressing and stamping the invitations.”
Her chin lifted a stubborn notch. “It’s Jessica.”
“I like Jessie better.” The nickname was soft, gentle, with just a hint of rebellion. “It suits you.”
She clucked her tongue. “I suppose you could call me worse.”
He dropped his voice to a low, husky murmur for effect. “Like honey, or sweetheart?”
Her cheeks flushed a sudden, telltale pink. “Those endearments definitely don’t apply to me and you.” Finishing the last of her mocha, she stood and pitched the empty cup into the wastebasket at the side of his desk.
“They could.” He twisted around to keep her in his line of vision as a sudden thought dawned on him. “Unless you’re dating someone else?”
“No,” she admitted freely. “I’m single, available, but not interested…in you.”
Then it was up to him to change her mind, because her lying words contradicted the wistful look in her gaze.
She broke eye contact first. “Well, I think we just about covered everything, and now that you’ve blackmailed me, I think I’ll be on my way.” She headed toward the door, and he followed right behind.
“Just one more thing,” he said with a lazy, self-assured smile.
Her gaze narrowed skeptically as she reached for her coat. “What? Another condition?”
He gently grabbed her wrist before she could execute her move, startling her. Instantaneous awareness cloaked them. She sucked in a swift breath, but didn’t struggle or pull back. Their gazes locked as he stroked his thumb over the pulse point at the base of her wrist. In gradual degrees, he eased closer to her, while she stood statue-still.
He watched as her irises turned as dark and sensual as crushed sapphire velvet, and a surge of heat sped through his veins. Their thighs brushed, and he heard her breath hitch in her throat. Unwilling to let this moment pass without indulging in one of his tamer fantasies, he lifted his hand and finally skimmed his fingers along her smooth cheek, savoring the suppleness of her skin.
She looked stunned by his boldness, mesmerized by the tenderness of his touch. Taking advantage of her uncharacteristic docility, he gave in to the impulse he’d been denied earlier and slid his fingers into her hair. Silky warmth engulfed him, like nothing he’d ever experienced. The sensation was so unbelievably erotic he shuddered with pleasure.
“Ryan?” she whispered, her voice holding a slight tremor.
“No more conditions,” he said, his tone low and rough. Fisting his hand into the feathery mass, he tipped her face up, so she could look into his eyes and see his intent. “This has nothing to do with the party, and everything to do with you and me…and finally getting an answer to a question I’ve been wanting to ask for the past year.”
And then he lowered his head and settled his mouth over hers.
2
JESSICA NEVER COULD HAVE anticipated the impact of Ryan’s kiss, or her open response to him. A year’s worth of resisting his charm, teasing and advances dissolved the moment his mouth touched hers, unraveling every solid lecture she’d given herself on why she could never fall for a man like him…a man who made a career out of tearing families apart, just as her family had been ripped apart.
But none of that mattered at that moment, not when the man, not the lawyer, was gently coaxing her with the soft glide of his lips across hers, taking time and care to draw her into far more forbidden territory. She had no defense against his brand of lazy seduction, his hypnotic patience. And when he slid his other hand into her hair, gradually eased her back against the wall and slanted her mouth more firmly beneath his, she was totally and completely lost. She gripped his corded forearms for support, bared by his rolled-up shirtsleeves, and held on.
Aching to experience more of this exquisite pleasure, she surrendered with a breathy moan. Her lips softened and parted beneath his, and his tongue swept inside to taste her, tantalizing her with silken, gliding forays that made her knees weak and her head spin. She brazenly sought a more intimate sampling, too, and shivered at the combined flavors of hot male and rich coffee.
She learned quickly that despite his straightforward manner, he was a man who took his time and did things thoroughly. He kissed her with delicious languor, as if he had all the time in the world to indulge in the taste and textures of her mouth. His hips pressed closer, making her all too aware of the unyielding masculine body pinning her to the wall, the citrus scent of his aftershave, and the voluptuous sensations coursing through her.
His thumbs brushed her jaw, and her skin caught fire. His wide chest grazed hers, and her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened and ached. A muscular thigh insinuated itself between hers, she felt the hard length of his erection against her hip, and heated desire curled low in her belly. And when he deepened the kiss, she responded just as enthusiastically.
She’d never experienced passion like this—instantaneous and wild. Never wanted another man with such shameless abandon. Never allowed herself to be so reckless with her desires. Her one and only quick, awkward encounter with someone she’d briefly dated three years ago hadn’t prepared her for such intense, thrilling pleasure and consuming need.
Ever since her sister’s marriage she’d been feeling restless, wanting something that felt just beyond her reach. With a kiss, Ryan tapped into deeper longings, and made her crave more.
While her body wanted to see where all this irresistible ecstasy might lead, her sensible mind reminded her that any kind of relationship with him was impossible. Having witnessed the pain of her mother’s separation, along with experiencing the anguish of abandonment, she’d learned to be cautious and selective when it came to men in general. By Ryan’s own admission, his ambition to succeed was his main focus, and wouldn’t leave much spare room in his life to cultivate a commitment to something other than his career. She’d spent the past year dodging his flirtatious overtures, turning him down, swearing never to court the kind of disaster imminent with a driven man like him, whose profession contradicted everything she believed in and wanted for herself…love, marriage and family.
A kiss, no matter how exciting and earth-shattering, wouldn’t change her mind or her principles…or allow her to overlook the fact that he terminated families and marriages without thought to the injured parties involved in those cases.
As
