Fatal Pursuit (The Aegis Series) (20 page)

“Which is why you let them do it.”

He tipped his head her way and grinned, a feeling of supreme pleasure rushing through him. “Yeah. It is.”

“So tell me why he wasn’t proud you were a SEAL.”

He sighed and looked back at the TV. “Because he wanted me to work for him. Take over the day-to-day operations of his mega-empire so he could run off with his latest girlfriend who was half his age. I only joined the navy because it was the very last thing he ever expected or approved of. Wasting my degree. That’s what he told me the day I informed him I was enlisting.”

“And when was that?”

“College graduation. Took me out to lunch after the ceremony. Actually carved out two whole hours for me. It was a monumental feat for him.”

He heard the sarcasm in his own voice and clenched his jaw. All that victory slipped away as he stared at the blank screen and remembered how ticked his father had been that day. “Man, he was pissed. Almost as pissed as the day my mother walked out on him.”

“How old were you when that happened?”

“Seven. Just turned seven.” Too old to go with her, too young to take off on his own.
“Happy birthday, Jakey. Momma has to run to the store. I’ll be right back.”
Only she hadn’t come back, and she’d never meant to. He’d spent the last thirty years resenting her for that. Not for the fact she’d wanted to escape her emotionally detached husband—hell, Jake had been trying to do that most of his own adult life, and he still couldn’t manage the feat even with the old man dead and buried. No, he’d resented her for leaving her son—her own flesh and blood—with the man instead of taking him with her.

That day was still fresh in his mind. As fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

“I guess that explains why you let the board of directors manage his companies and aren’t involved in any of them,” Marley said quietly.

Her voice pulled him back from the depressing memories spinning in his head. “Yep.”

“And I’m guessing that’s why you don’t live in any of the properties you inherited either.”

“Right again.” Jake looked around the living room. It was sparse—
light gray walls, a few prints hanging here and there, worn furniture he could easily afford to replace but didn’t feel the need to get rid of. “He’d hate this place. So below my potential.” He shook his head and looked down at his foot against the coffee table. “Just like me.”

“Well, I like it. It’s cozy. A real home. Not institutional like Aegis.”

He glanced over at her. Her gaze skipped over the room, taking it all in, and the twinkle in her eye said she was telling the truth. All that animosity he’d been feeling for his fucked-up parents trickled away. “You think Aegis is institutional?”

“Maybe institutional is the wrong word. Stuffy.”

“Stuffy?”

“Formal?” She turned her smiling eyes his way. “Sometimes I’m afraid I’m going to knock a sculpture or a plant over and some ancient butler will poof out of the walls and jump on me.”

Jake chuckled, feeling better with every passing second. “Don’t tell anyone, but that’s the way I feel there too.”

It also explained why he was usually in a bad mood at the office. Even though he loved his work, there were days when he wondered if setting up his company in his father’s eccentric mansion had been a good idea. He’d done it to prove to the old man—even in death—that he could make something of himself. But these days he was starting to think there were too many ghosts lingering there. Too many reminders of a childhood spent mostly alone.

“Why don’t we remodel?”

“Huh?” He glanced over at her.

“Start with the offices and the reception area and go from there. Make it your space and not his. I think it would make a difference.”

The idea revolved in his head. It had potential. He could easily afford it. And it might make all the difference in how he felt every day when he had to go to work.

But as he stared at her, his mind drifted away from Aegis and settled back on her. How the heck did she do that? How did she so easily see through his bullshit when no one before her ever had?

“I’ll talk to some contractors this week.” She sipped her tea. “Get some estimates.”

And there she went. Taking charge like she took charge of everything else. Awing him with not only her independence, but her ability to know exactly what he needed long before he did.

She lowered her mug to the coffee table, then moved for her phone. “I should probably get going.”

Jake glanced over his shoulder out the window. Snow had started to fall again, which meant the roads were going to be slick. And that panic re-forming in his chest told him loud and clear that she shouldn’t be out in it. Even in a cab.

He reached for her cell phone on the table before he thought better of it and pushed it out of her reach. “You’re not going anywhere tonight.”

“Jake, really. This is silly.”

Not to him. “No, it’s not. It’s a safety thing. You’re staying here tonight.”

She shot him a look. One he knew was meant to be exasperating but was so damn sexy, it brought a flood of warmth to his belly all over again. “We both know that’s not a good idea.”

Heat sizzled between them. A heat he knew might just burn him if he wasn’t careful. “When has that ever stopped me?”

He pushed to his feet before she could protest, grabbed both their phones, and tucked hers into his back pocket. Then he ignored the little voice in the back of his head saying he was playing with fire. “You’re still not leaving. End of story. Now get up. Since you don’t have a concussion, you’re going to bed.”

M
arley followed Jake up the steps to the second level and eyed her phone in his back pocket.

This was silly. She didn’t need to stay overnight. She didn’t have a concussion, just a bump on the head. And she wasn’t feeling the least bit tired. Only embarrassed and way too turned on to deal with his overly sexy bossiness at the moment.

Dammit. When had his being bossy ever been sexy?
When he’s being bossy to keep you safe. When he’s being bossy to look after you, like now.

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and eyed the curve of his ass in the worn, faded denim. His words on the jet, just before they’d parted ways Saturday morning flashed in her brain.

“I care about you . . .
”

Yeah, she knew he did care deep down. But the question was how? If she hadn’t known he had attachment issues before, she did now. Holy cow, his mother had abandoned him when he was seven, when he was just starting to figure out how the world worked. And she hadn’t just left him with any father. No, she’d left him to fend for himself with a man who’d been as warm as a piece of steel.

Thinking about Jake’s childhood made her own years growing up seem downright peachy. No wonder he didn’t have a wife or a girlfriend or even a steady relationship. After that kind of upbringing, she was impressed he even had the emotional ability to form friendships.

“This is the guest room.” Jake pushed the first door on the right open with his hip and held it so Marley could pass. “It’s not much, but it should work.”

The room was small, just big enough for a queen-size bed and two bedside tables. Double doors opened to a closet on her right. To her left, she peered past Jake toward what looked like a bathroom.

The space was cozy, with pale-yellow walls, a white bedspread, and four simple pillows. There was nothing sexy about the room. Nothing that should make her feel uncomfortable. But then she stepped inside and her arm brushed his chest, and a rush of heat spread across her skin where they had touched, telling her this was the very last place she should be.

Nerves kicked up in her belly. She’d been stupid to think she could come here and force some kind of emotion out of him. He wasn’t ready for that, and she didn’t want to push him. “Jake, I really need my phone back.”

“This phone?” He pulled her cell from his back pocket and held it up. “Why?”

“Because as sweet as this is, it’s not necessary. I’d rather sleep in my own bed. I only live across town.”

Forty minutes across town, but still. He didn’t know that. She was sure he didn’t even know where she lived.

“We’ve already been through this. You’re not leaving.” He turned for the door. “Just try to relax and get some sleep.”

Panic rushed through her. She couldn’t stay here when every inch of her body wanted him. Not when he didn’t want her back. She’d be miserable, and she could just as easily be miserable in her own home. Stepping forward before he could reach the threshold of the room, she closed her fingers around the phone in his hand. “Give me that.”

He jerked the phone out of her reach and twisted toward her. “You’re not getting this phone.”

“Yes, I am.”

She swiped at it. He moved it behind his back. Leaned toward her while he held it farther behind him so she couldn’t reach it. Heat radiated from him into her. She tried to move around him, but he stepped in her way and kept the phone out of her grasp.

“Dammit, Jake.” She shoved one hand against his shoulder, knocking him into the wall at his back. All she wanted was to get away from his overheated body and that scent of sandalwood, citrus, and leather that always made her a little lightheaded. “I’m not fooling around anymore.”

“No.” A smile twisted his lips—his plump, playful, way too tempting lips—as he switched hands and wiggled away from her so she still couldn’t reach the phone. “I can tell you’re not.”

“Then stop being such a brat”—she maneuvered one hand around his back, tried to ignore the way that brought their hips and thighs into contact—“and give me my damn phone.”

From the corner of her eye she could tell he was staring at her face as she struggled, that he was amused by this little game. And—dammit—she couldn’t even feign being irritated because
she liked
that he was watching her. Liked that they were touching. Liked that she amused him in any way, because most days she wasn’t sure he even noticed her.

And that made her the biggest fool on the planet because this was Jake.

“Okay, enough.” She put on her most serious face, pulled her hand
back, and glared up at his dark, mischievous eyes. “Drop my phone.”

The phone clattered to the ground at their feet. And even though it had fallen between their legs and now was her chance to grab it and run, she suddenly couldn’t move. Because she recognized that look in his eyes. The same look she’d seen from across that jungle village when she’d been dancing around the fire. One filled with heat, with yearning, with a lust that wasn’t just spontaneous, it was downright combustible.

“I kinda like that tone,” he murmured, his voice rough and low.

“Jake—” She’d meant to reprimand him, but his name came out more like an invitation than a warning.

With one step, he closed the space between them, his hands capturing her face in warm, strong palms, the same way he had downstairs. But this time, instead of letting her go, he held her gaze, his own dark eyes glittering with fire and need. “Order me, the way you told me to drop the phone. This is your chance to boss me around. However you want. Take it. You never know when it will come around again.”

Was he talking about . . . ? No, he couldn’t be. But when she saw the desire burning in his eyes, her resistance wavered. Suddenly, she was the one breathing hard. Her mind pinging between right and wrong, should and should-nots, actions and consequences.

The corners of his lips tipped up, and those hot eyes slid to her mouth. The muscle in his jaw pulsed, like a tiger holding itself back from pouncing on its prey, waiting for the perfect moment. “Do it.”

The dark, gritty order threaded heat and need down her chest, and straight between her legs. Pushed aside every last rational thought. “Kiss me, dammit.”

A flicker of a grin, edgy and victorious, flashed across his handsome face before his mouth covered hers. The familiar feel of his lips brushing hers instantly relieved the tension pulling her body tight, and she swayed into his heat, into his support, into that delicious body she’d been dreaming about for way too long.

As if he couldn’t help himself, as if it were ingrained in his DNA, he took control again, demanding with his mouth, the same way he had that night in the jungle. Like he couldn’t get enough. Like she was the only thing he wanted. Like he couldn’t live without this. Without her.

And she let him. Gave herself over to the need that had been building between them ever since that night. She opened and slid her tongue along his, groaned at the warm wetness of his mouth. Knew it was wrong but didn’t care. She needed this. Needed him. He was right. This was an opportunity she might never get again.

Her hands tightened in the denim at his hips, then stroked up, her fingers pushing the thick sweatshirt away, then the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Finally reaching skin. Heat. Muscle.

He kissed her deeper, his tongue wild against hers. Greedy. Demanding. Heat flooded her body. Every inch of her skin tingled where they touched. All she could think about was more. More of his kiss, more of his hands, more of his warmth sinking in, grabbing on, never letting go.

He pulled back long before she was ready. The room spun, and she gasped. Hung on to his sides. Tried not to fall over.

“Shit,” he whispered. “I wasn’t going to do that again.”

The sexual fog cleared, just enough so she could focus on the Notre Dame emblem across his wide chest.

Right. They weren’t supposed to be doing this at all. They’d both agreed what had happened in the jungle wasn’t supposed to happen again. It didn’t matter how much she wanted it. She didn’t want it if he was already having regrets.

Pulling out of his arms, she pressed the back of her hand against her mouth. Glanced around the room, and tried to remember where she was.

His guest room. Her gaze shot to the dark window and the snow falling outside in an orange glow from the streetlight beyond. She needed to call a cab. Needed to get the hell out of here. Her gaze dropped to the phone on the floor between them.

He stepped past her, toward the door, looking sheepish and guilty and—dammit—still sexier than any man had the right to look. “I’m just gonna go.”

Go.
Right. At the moment she was thinking that would be a good move for her too. But she knew he’d never let her leave with the snow falling outside. He was too protective for that. The only thing she could do would be to wait until he went to bed, then call a cab and sneak out before he could stop her.

“Yeah,” she managed. “Probably a good idea.” But even to her the words sounded weak and disappointed.

“Right.” He reached for the door handle and stepped out into the hallway. “Night, Marley.”

She didn’t get the chance to answer. The door snapped closed before she could find the words, and alone, Marley dropped her face into her hands.

God, she was pathetic. One crazy, impulsive kiss and she was right back where she’d vowed she’d never be. In love with a man who was more freaked out by what was happening between them than she was. Gray was right. This thing between her and Jake was never going to work. Not when they couldn’t even be in the same room without—

The door creaked. Startled, Marley lowered her hands and looked up. Jake stepped back into the room and shut the door at his back.

“I want it on record that I left.” His gaze was a little wild. Hot. Oh God . . .
smoldering
. “I actually walked out the door and left the room. I walked away.”

Her pulse raced. All that heat and energy splashed in her belly again, followed by a quiver of excitement. “You did.”

“It’s just . . .” He stepped close, reached for her hips, and gently drew her toward him. “If there’s a chance you have a concussion, even a mild one, I don’t think you’re supposed to go to sleep.”

A half laugh scraped out of her throat. Jake Ryder, for all his domineering, overbearing traits, had a wicked-sharp sense of humor. One that made her entire body sizzle.

She bit her lip, lifted her hands, and laid them carefully on his chest. His warm, solid, chiseled chest that did crazy things to her libido. “Isn’t that an old wives’ tale?”

The corner of his lips curled. Just a touch. Just enough to form a sexy little smirk that made her insides absolutely melt. “Sounds logical though, right?” His gaze swept over her face, trickled down to the top of her breasts just visible near the edge of her tank, then slowly returned to her eyes as if trying to decide where he wanted to start his feast. “I’m pretty sure we need to do something to keep you awake. It’s a medical emergency, after all.”

Oh, holy God. Yes, yes, yes.

“Right,” she whispered. A blistering desire rushed through her veins. One she knew she should squash but suddenly didn’t want to. “A medical emergency.” Her hands shifted to his shoulders. His strong, toned, muscular shoulders. “It’s the only thing we can do.”

She lifted to her toes, slid her hands around his nape, and pressed her lips against his before he could change his mind. If he needed an excuse, fine, she’d let him have one. She just wanted—no, she needed—this. Needed to feel wanted, needed to feel desired, needed to feel beautiful, with him.

He opened to her kiss, and his tongue stroked along hers, slowly, sensually, so very different from the way he’d kissed her only a moment before. Marley sank in, let him take the lead, forced herself not to overanalyze him or them or this. Forced herself to simply enjoy.

She pushed her hands into his hair, let her fingers sift through the soft dark strands. Jake moaned deep in his throat and changed the angle of the kiss. One arm left her waist, and the light flipped off, then he walked her backward until her legs hit the mattress.

He pulled away, grabbed the hem of her tank, and tugged it over her head. “God, Marley. You make me fucking crazy, you know that?”

Excitement pulsed through her, the words stimulating something deep in the center of her chest that she hadn’t known was there. Before she could respond, his mouth covered hers again, his tongue sliding along hers, tasting, savoring, teasing. His hands stroked her ribs, creating an electric sizzle all across her skin that made her belly quiver.

Impatient for more, she pushed his sweatshirt and the T-shirt he was wearing beneath higher, and ran her hands over the smooth skin of his back. Pulling away from the kiss, she murmured, “More. I need skin. Give me skin.”

He groaned, released her, and reached behind his head, tugging both shirts off before tossing them aside. “Like this?”

“Yes,” she exhaled, the word dripping with an almost evil pleasure. “This.”

She touched him everywhere, memorizing the delicious feel of him beneath her fingertips, the intoxicating and unique scent of spice and skin, one hundred percent Jake. Pressing a kiss to the center of his chest, she inhaled deeply, savored the heady rush, and smiled. “Mmmm. The smell of you makes me higher than that freaky jungle juice.”