Текст книги "Sweet Deal"

Автор книги: Kelly Jamieson

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

They both nodded, seeming to accept her answer, and Shelby moved on with the agenda. When the meeting had concluded, she wrapped things up with her usual summary of what decisions had been made and next steps. She sent each of them away with tasks they grumbled about but didn’t outright refuse to do.

“Thank you so much for your help,” she said sweetly as they walked out of the meeting room. She clutched her folder of papers to her chest, trying not to look like she was tense enough to snap. “I so much enjoy working with both of you. Your experience here is invaluable.”

The sucking up seemed to work and they walked back to their offices smiling.

In her own cubicle, she let out a long breath and collapsed into her chair. She could do this. She could do this. She was a good project manager, task-focused, detail-oriented, well-organized, but managing the conflicts that always seemed to arise was a challenge for her. She’d always hated conflict and it didn’t take a psychologist to know why after growing up surrounded by it. Although, she knew she was better at dealing with it than some managers she’d worked with. It was also a challenge working on such a big project when she was relatively new to the company and didn’t know all the hot buttons. What she’d said was true, and she had faith in her brains and ability to learn, but she couldn’t help some of the self-doubts that swirled inside her, especially faced with such a lack of confidence on the part of the directors, not to mention their rivalry. And she knew that wasn’t going to be the only conflict she’d have to deal with.

Oh well. She sucked in a big breath and again let it out, trying to release as much tension from her body as she could along with it. She began tidying her already neat office, arranging folders and papers into perfect piles, straightening pens and plucking a yellowed leaf from the plant on the corner of her desk.

Seeing Adam and Kiara last night had put some of her problems into perspective. Of course she wanted to do a good job, and her career was important to her, but witnessing what her friends were going through, the brave fronts they put on in the face of such tragedy, definitely made her realize her career was actually pretty insignificant.

Oh, who was she kidding? Her career was important to her. She needed to prove to herself as much as everyone else that she could do this, after what happened at her last job. Hence stooping to the level of making up a boyfriend and lying to her boss.

She sighed. In a weird way, she envied Kiara and Adam. She didn’t envy what they were going through, but she did envy the love they had for each other and the strength they were finding to help each other through this. They’d talked about so many things, important things, knowing how little time they had together, becoming closer than any two people she’d ever known, and seeing the depth of their feelings for each other was truly humbling.

That was what was important in life.

On the other hand, she wasn’t about to give up on this new job either. Losing her job wasn’t going to get her a love like Kiara and Adam. She had to hold on to what she had in her life.

Feeling drained from the stressful meeting, not to mention her worry about her friends and most of all her confused thoughts about Jake, she began typing up minutes of the meeting she’d just held, including all those action items that needed to be done to move things forward. She looked forward to going home, changing into her yoga pants and curling up on her couch.

Then Jake called. “I thought you might want to have dinner,” he said.

She closed her eyes. She’d just determined she wasn’t going to see him again. She felt herself weakening, wanting to see him. This was crazy! What had she gotten herself into with that impulsive plan for him to pretend to be her boyfriend?

She opened her mouth to say no, when Andrew walked by on his way out. He paused at her cubicle, then saw she was on the phone.

“Hang on,” she said to Jake softly, and lowered the phone. She looked at Andrew questioningly.

“Time to go,” he said. “Want to get a drink?”

Her stomach tightened but she forced a smile. “Sorry. I’m still working on a few things.”

Disappointment crossed his face. “Oh. I kinda wanted to get a drink.” He lifted one shoulder, the corners of his mouth tipping down. “And, you know…talk.”

She gazed at him in dismay. “Is something wrong?”

“Nah.” He gave her a weak smile. “Just…stuff.”

Was it his marriage? She nibbled her bottom lip. She shouldn’t feel sorry for him, shouldn’t feel like she should go for a drink with him, because that was what she was trying to avoid. “I’m sorry. I do need to finish up a few things and then I’m…um…going out for dinner.”

“With Jake.”

She nodded brightly and indicated the phone in her hand.

Andrew just stood there, looking at her. What? What did he want? Confusion mounted in her. Then he shook his head. “Have a good weekend, Shelby.”

“Thanks. You too.”

Pushing her hair off her face, she lifted the phone back to her ear. “Sorry about that. Andrew was just leaving.”

“He asked you to go out.”

“Just for a drink. We often do that on Fridays.”

“Just you and him?”

Shelby frowned. “Sometimes. Sometimes others come too. You know, happy hour, Friday-evening stuff.”

“He asked you even though he knows you’re seeing me.”

Shelby waited a beat of silence. “First of all, it’s not like he was asking me on a date. He wanted to talk business. And second—I’m not really seeing you.” She kept her voice low. The office had emptied and was quiet but she didn’t know who was still around to possibly overhear. “I’m not really sure what we’re doing or why you’re asking me out for dinner. This started out as a favor but…”

Silence prickled between them over the phone.

“Yeah, I did you a favor,” he said finally, his voice rough. “But, hell, Shelby, I…look, let’s talk about it over dinner.”

She sighed. “I don’t think it’s really a good idea for us to actually get involved.”

“Why not?” Stubbornness edged his voice.

“Because…” She hesitated. “I’m not really looking for a relationship. I just needed someone to…” She glanced around again and lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Help me. You know.”

More silence.

“So I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea,” she said, even though she kind of felt like her insides were being shredded, forcing the words out because dammit, she really did want to see him again. But this was for the best.

“You just told Andrew you were having dinner with me.”

She frowned. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean we have to really do it.” She sighed. “I’m really tired, Jake. It’s been a long week, with Adam being in the hospital, and stuff at work.”

“You have had a rough week,” he admitted. “We don’t have to go out.”

Disappointment flooded her that he wasn’t going to push a little more to convince her. Man, she needed to screw her head on straight.

“Okay then,” she said. “Bye, Jake.”

And she snapped her phone shut.

Chapter Ten

Tears prickled Shelby’s eyes and she closed them for a moment. Dammit! She should not be so upset over a guy she barely knew. If this was just a ruse to make Andrew think she had a boyfriend, she had no business caring that much whether she saw him or not. All the more reason to end this right then and there.

She was just stressed. She needed the weekend to relax and decompress.

Feeling heavy and lethargic, she finished up her work, shut down her computer and gathered up her purse and suit jacket.

A short time later she walked into her apartment, dropped her keys on her new table inside the door, kicked off high-heeled pumps with a satisfying lob across the living room, and winced when one crashed onto her glass-topped coffee table. She threw down her purse and shoved both hands into her hair.

Dammit. She could’ve been getting ready for a date. With Jake. Which could have turned into another night of hot sex.

She allowed her bottom lip to pout as she padded barefoot down the hall to her bedroom and changed into the black yoga pants she’d thought of earlier and a soft, gray T-shirt. In her bathroom, she popped out her contact lenses and slipped her glasses on.

Moments later, a glass of wine in one hand and the remote control for the television in the other, she reclined on her couch and leaned her head back.

Andrew had been cool and distant all week. Especially every time he’d suggested they have lunch or a drink or dinner and she’d turned him down. For Jake. That was what she’d wanted. So why did she feel so depressed?

The knock at her apartment door had wine sloshing over the edge of her very full glass, darkening the gray T-shirt with a small wet spot. Damn. Who the hell was that? She set the glass down and climbed to her feet, still tired.

Jake.

He stood outside the door, visible in her peephole. She leaned her forehead to the carved wooden door for a brief moment, her body going all quivery, her heart lurching into a thuddy rhythm.

Then she opened the door. He stood there, holding a large flat box—pizza?—with a paper bag on top and a six pack of beer.

“Hi.” He gave her a small sexy smile, eyes steady on hers.

“Hi.” Her breath slid out of her. “What are you doing here?”

He lifted his packages. “I brought dinner. Since you were too tired to go out.”

Her heart swelled up so big she thought it might burst. “Oh.”

“And beer.” He held up the other hand. “And…” He lowered his chin toward the paper bag. “Ice cream. Butter pecan.”

She just stood there, blinking at him, her throat tightening, her mouth trembling. She couldn’t believe he was there and he’d brought food and beer and her favorite ice cream. He’d actually been listening when they’d talked that night before the company picnic. Her throat ached and she squeezed her eyes closed.

“Are you okay?” He peered at her closer. “Hey, Shelby Rose, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just…just…stressed.” She stepped back. “Come in.”

He walked past her and went straight to the counter separating her small kitchen from dining room, and set the packages down. He turned to her. “C’mere. You look like you need a hug.”

She wasn’t wearing a bra.

He was a pig for noticing that when she was so visibly upset, but he couldn’t help but observe the enticing jiggle of her breasts beneath the thin T-shirt as she moved across the room toward him. Heat rushed to his groin and he went hard as a post.

Then she was in his arms, her cheek pressed to his chest, those soft breasts pillowed between them, and his arms went around her small body and tightened. Damn, she felt good there.

“Hey little girl,” he murmured, his face pressed against her silky hair. “It’s okay.”

He had no idea what he was talking about, but comforting her seemed the thing to do. “Are you hungry?” He was starved and the smell of the pizza, all spicy tomatoes and pepperoni, had driven him crazy all the way over there.

“Mmm. Yeah.” She lifted her head and gave him a shaky smile.

“I didn’t know you wear glasses.” He smiled down at her, studying the rectangular frames, stylish and a bit funky.

“Oh. Yeah. I don’t wear them often.”

“I like them.” He tipped his head. “They make you look very intelligent.”

“I am very intelligent.”

He laughed and gave her butt a little pat. “Yes, you are.” He moved into her kitchen. “I better put the ice cream in the freezer,” he said, making himself at home in her kitchen. She pulled plates out of a cupboard and they piled slices of cheesy pizza on them then sat on her couch. Jake popped the top off a beer while Shelby wiped up a small puddle under her wine glass.

“So what are you so stressed about?” he asked.

Duh. Stupid question. One of her best friends’ husband was dying.

But she gave him a wary, indecisive look and said nothing.

“What?” He took another bite of pizza.

“I’m stressed about a lot of things,” she admitted. “One of them being you.”

“Me?” He gazed at her.

“Yeah.” She took a breath. “I didn’t mean to act like a bitch on the phone.”

He gave a crooked smile. “When you hung up like that, I was just going to suggest doing this.” He gestured with the piece of pizza in his hand. “If you were too tired to go out. And then you hung up on me.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m stressed about a lot of things.”

“Hey.” He reached out and touched his fingertips to her cheek. “It’s okay. Wanna talk about it?”

She gazed back at him thoughtfully. His gut tightened.

“Okay,” she finally said. “What are we doing, here, Jake?”

“Uh…eating pizza?”

He’d been putting off the conversation about what exactly they were doing all week. Now he was going to have to deal with it.

She gave her head a small shake, a smile playing on her mouth. “Men. All I want to know is…why are you doing this? Is this still just to make Andrew think we’re going out?”

Andrew. Fuck. He’d forgotten all about Andrew. Annoyance tightened his insides. He’d overheard Andrew asking her out for a drink. Andrew, a married man. Jake’s back molars ground together briefly. What had started as a little help had now become a mission. He sure as hell wanted to protect Shelby from Andrew, but there was also Gianna, who didn’t deserve to be screwed around on.

Jake had called to ask Shelby out, not even thinking about that, and he wasn’t even sure himself why. He could tell her it was all about pretending, but deep inside he knew that was a lie. He just couldn’t offer up any reason other than he didn’t like her turning him down. Which made him sound like a perverse little kid who only wanted what he couldn’t have. Shit.

“What do you want it to be?” he finally asked.

She met his eyes. “Here’s the deal. I don’t have a good track record with men. I don’t want a real relationship, not right now when I’m trying to rebuild my career. But…” She bit her lip. “But the sex was pretty good. And I want Andrew to think I have a relationship.”

“Pretty good?” He lifted one eyebrow.

She blushed. “Okay, better than pretty good. It was unbelievable.”

He grinned. “That was my opinion too. Okay then. Sounds like we’re on the same page here. I don’t do relationships, either. And I don’t mind helping you out with Andrew.”

She tipped her head to one side. “And what do you get out of this deal?”

“Same thing as you.” He gave her a wink and a look that made her cheeks even pinker. “Hot sex.”

There. They’d both said what they wanted and it was the same thing. It was a sweet deal all around. Win-win. No need to feel guilty, because they understood each other.

He met Shelby’s gaze and held it. He did like her. A lot. She was so much more than the sex kitten he’d tried to flirt with in the coffee shop last week. She didn’t deserve whatever sinister plans Andrew had for her, Andrew a married man with a wife who also didn’t deserve to be screwed around on.

“Okay,” Shelby said softly, her smile tipping up the corners of her lips. “We are on the same page.”

Guilt smacked him in the back of the head even though they’d been honest with each other, because he hadn’t been completely honest, and he guzzled down half his beer. He wasn’t pretending to care when he asked, “What else is stressing you? Work? Your friend?”

“Yes and yes.” She told him about the power struggles going on with her new project and she’d barely gotten started on it. He knew what she was talking about, had experienced similar issues.

“That’s one reason I wanted to start my own business. Be my own boss. Be the one calling the shots and if the client doesn’t want to listen, fine. In my experience, businesses who’re paying a consultant big bucks to make the changes they know they need usually pay a lot more attention than they do to someone inside the company, even if that person is trying to tell them the exact same things.”

“You’re probably right about that.”

Yeah, the economy had been part of his decision not to start his own business, but the truth was he and Andrew had planned to be partners. Their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other, they’d worked out the whole business strategy including the financing, and they’d been solid in their plan. There was just no way he could have worked with Andrew after what had happened, so not only had he lost the woman he loved and his best friend, he’d lost his business plan too. And ended up stuck at Coast Power.

But Shelby wouldn’t be hearing any of that story. He knew he should tell her, but at this point it felt…weird. Too late. And besides, he didn’t want her pity, either.

They talked about her friends too, and the fact that Adam was probably going to be released from the hospital on the weekend with nursing care at home. Their goal was to keep him comfortable by pumping him full of morphine, which made him pretty much out of it, but aware enough that he wanted to be in his own home when the end came. And Kiara wanted to be with him.

“No wonder you’re stressed,” he said. They finished the pizza and set the plates on the table. He tried to keep his eyes off her luscious breasts, which he was painfully, throbbingly aware were loose and bare beneath that thin covering. Jesus. His hands itched to fill themselves with her softness. Desire buzzed inside him, and it became more and more difficult to focus on their conversation when all he could think about was touching her skin, tasting her mouth, and fucking her.

He’d been such a gentleman after dinner the other night. Then lunch had not been conducive to any kind of fooling around. But tonight, there was no way he was gonna be able to keep his hands off her.

So he kissed her. Soft. On the mouth. Her lips parted and he slid his tongue in, tasting her sweetness. Lust surged through his veins like an intravenous injection, every nerve ending zinging, and his cock hardened even more.

She lifted a hand and rested it on his cheek, so gentle, and he deepened the kiss, sliding his own hand under her hair to the back of her skull. He held her there for him so he could slide his tongue into her mouth and taste her, so sweet. He rubbed his tongue over hers, opened her wider for him in a long, hard kiss.

When he drew back long moments later, her eyes sparkled, her cheeks glowed and her breasts rose and fell with shallow breaths.

“Jake.”

“Right here.” His fingers moved in her hair and he rested his nose against hers, sharing her breath. He closed his eyes and drew the scent of her into him, that light, sweet scent of peaches and pears and something a little flowery. “Wanna make out?”

She choked out a little laugh and then she wriggled onto his lap, just about blasting the top of his head off. His hands went to her hips as she turned in to him and he kissed her again, deeper, hotter, wetter. Her tongue slid over his teeth and he was done. A hot thrill ran through him, his hands still tingling to get on her bare skin, and he slid them under the T-shirt, up her satiny back, then back down. She shivered when his fingertips grazed over the spot at the base of her spine, so he went lower, beneath the loose drawstring of her pants, and into her panties.

She made a noise low in her throat and her hands fisted in his T-shirt at the shoulders, yanking him closer even though they couldn’t get much closer, not with two layers of clothes between them. Two layers. No bra. Christ.

Her glasses bumped against his face and he paused. “I love these glasses,” he murmured, taking hold of them in two hands and slowly pulling them off. “But let’s just take them off right now.”

He set them on the coffee table and returned to her body, sliding his hand back inside her panties, feeling the curve of her ass, the other hand sweeping around to her front and stroking over her tummy. So soft, the skin there, and she shivered again. He slanted his mouth to take her deeper, to take more of her, every sweet sound, every soft breath.

His hand inched higher until it brushed the undercurve of one breast and he slowly, deliberately rubbed there, shifted his hand to rub the side of her breast. She sighed into his mouth again, loosened her grip on his shirt, twined her arms around his neck, and leaned back in his arms, resting on the cushioned arm of the couch. His hard cock pressed up against her ass, and he shifted her weight just fractionally to ease the pain and pressure.

He moved his hand, not over her breast even though he still wanted to touch her there, to feel the hard little nipple, the firm resiliency of her flesh, but rather up between her breasts, over the smooth skin between. She moaned as the T-shirt rode up on his arm, and he let his fingers slide higher until he cupped her throat.

He kept kissing her, alert for her response to the dominant gesture. Some women didn’t like that. But she melted into him, apparently confident that his touch there wasn’t a threat. He kept his touch carefully gentle, softly possessive as he kissed her, breathed her in, stroked her tongue with his, then let his fingertips glide down between her breasts again.

And finally, finally he cupped one full mound and he couldn’t stop the groan that escaped him at the feel of her softness filling his palm. Jesus. She was exquisite. Her hot whimpers and cries filled his senses as he took one nipple between thumb and forefinger and squeezed.

His mind fogged, his body burned. “So I’m guessing that’s a yes.”

She tipped her head back and blinked at him. Fuck, she was sexy! All heavy-lidded eyes with smudgy eye makeup now revealed without the sexy librarian glasses, her mouth all swollen and shiny. “What?” she murmured.

One corner of his mouth kicked up. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “I asked if you want to make out.”

The slow curve of her mouth sent another shaft of heat right through him. “No. I don’t.”

He laughed. Out loud. With a hard-on, for Chrissakes. Shoved a hand into her tousled hair and brought her head back to his for another long, drugging kiss. But he couldn’t leave those breasts alone for long and after a moment he broke the kiss, slid his hand out from her panties and used both hands to draw her shirt up and over her head. She lifted her arms obediently to assist.

He could only stare in awe at her naked torso, full round breasts gleaming in the lamplight, pretty nipples all pulled into dark pink peaks right in the center. “Sweet Jesus,” he breathed, running both hands up the sides of her rib cage. “You are so fucking gorgeous, Shelby.”

Her mouth went soft and her eyes hazy as she watched him, and she lifted a hand and pushed the hair back from his forehead in a tender gesture that tugged at something way deep inside him.

He laid her carefully back onto the arm of the couch and bent over her, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking. It fit perfectly to his tongue, lengthening so sweetly. Her fingers slid through his hair, over his scalp, sending waves of pleasure rolling over his entire body, coalescing at his groin where he was so hard he hurt.

He cupped her breast with his hand, lifted it to his mouth, closed his eyes and suckled. Let the nipple slide out of his mouth, slow and seductive. Then he moved to the other breast. He wanted to eat her up, all of her, somehow. So he spent endless long minutes there, tasting and nibbling and playing. She arched her back, lifted herself to his hungry mouth, hands on his head pulling him to her breast.

He could stay there forever licking and sucking, rubbing his face over soft curves, breathing in the scent of her skin.

“So sweet, Shelby Rose. So damn sweet.”

“Love that.” Her voice whispered over his skin like a caress. “You’re making me so hot, Jake.”

“Good. Wanna make you burn, baby. ’Cause I sure am.”

He was about to burst, his balls agonizingly tight, and he wanted to bury himself in her sweet pussy. Sweat dampened the back of his shirt and cooled on his forehead. A ferocious hunger for her had him tugging the drawstring of her yoga pants until it released, then hooking his fingers into the soft fabric and drawing it down her thighs. She helped him push them off and lay across his lap wearing only sheer, black lace panties, a striking contrast to the casual clothes she’d had on. He blinked at them, fascinated. “These are nice,” he finally croaked, touching his fingertips to the scalloped edge.

She smiled at him, a secret, feminine smile that told him she loved his reaction. His body sizzled with the need to be inside her. He was about to start inching the lacy underwear down her legs when a loud knocking noise erupted in the room.

His head jerked up. What the hell?

“Someone’s at my door,” she whispered, eyes wide. She sat up, arms crossed across her chest.

He could have wept. Why now?

“Don’t answer it,” he urged her. His cock throbbed insistently.

She bit her lip then reached for her glasses. Then her cell phone buzzed somewhere in the room.

“What if it’s about Adam?” she hissed, sliding the glasses on her nose and rising off the couch. She grabbed her clothes and, clutching them to her, hurried to the door.

He watched her pretty little ass in those tiny black lace panties as she crossed the room, admired the elegant curve of her bare back, her blonde hair brushing her shoulder blades. He heaved a heavy sigh and put his hand to his aching cock. Shit.

“Just a minute!” he heard her call to whoever was on the other side of the door. Then a rustling sound as she tried to dress hurriedly, a thump, a muffled curse and then the door opened. “What are you two doing here?” Her voice sounded breathless.