Little White Lies (5 page)

“Jack, you were perfect.”  She tilted her head back and kissed him.  “Turn off the light so we can get some sleep.  I want you to make love to me again in the morning.”

He did as she asked and turned off the lights but it was a long time before he fell asleep.  And he didn’t wait until morning to make love to her again, he couldn’t.  By the time the sun began its slow ascent he’d taken her three times and only pure exhaustion kept him from reaching for her a fourth time.  He was insatiable and so, it seemed, was she.  All he had to do was kiss or caress her for more than a few minutes and she was arching her back, pleading with him to ease the ache he’d caused. 

And she had only to draw her soft hand over his chest or lap her tongue across his skin and he was on her.  Even as sexual as he was, Jack had never made love to a woman more than twice in one night, and the thought crossed his mind that Miranda was all one man would ever need.  It should have sobered him, should have made him quake with the implications of what such ideas could mean, but it didn’t.  And that was the scariest thought of all.

                      *** 

Heat stretched all along her backside, and for a moment she was confused by it.  Then she remembered how she’d spent the night, and a soft, satisfied smile tipped the corners of her mouth.  Carefully, she removed Jack’s arm from around her waist and slipped out of bed, glancing back at him with a regretful sigh.  One night, that’s all she had asked for and all he had promised, and by the looks of it, they were well into the next day. 

Sun filtered through the slats of the blinds, bathing the room in a soft, romantic glow.  She didn’t want to leave.  She wanted to crawl back into bed and snuggle up to Jack’s muscular body and wait for him to wake up. But she was too afraid of what he would say when he found her still there.  Collecting her panties, Miranda silently made her way to the bathroom where she’d left the rest of her clothes and dressed hurriedly.

The musky scent of him clung to her skin and the sensuality of the night swept over her in a glorious wave.  Peering at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized the reflection staring back at her.  She’d brushed her hair but it still looked a little mussed, and her lips seemed full and pouty; swollen, no doubt, from the hours and hours of amorous kissing.  There was a flush to her cheeks, a softness in her eyes, and Miranda felt more feminine than she’d ever felt in her life.  She wanted to believe all the changes were merely because the sex had been so fantastic, but she knew it was more than that.

“You can’t have feelings for him,” she told herself sternly.  “He made it very clear what he wanted and didn’t want and you agreed.”  Miranda squared her shoulders.  “You’re an adult, you can handle this.”

Tip toeing to the front door, she realized she would have to go down to her office to retrieve her purse and car keys. It occurred to her that none of this would have even happened if she had remembered to gather them before wandering out into the parking lot last night.  Thank God, she’d been too tipsy to think about it!  Letting herself out and closing the door softly behind her, Miranda crossed the hall and pressed the button for the elevator. 

At least she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone spotting her emerging from the penthouse elevator. The entire building would be empty except for the security guards.  They might be a little curious as to where she’d spent the night, but she would be back in her work clothes when she left so they would probably just assume she’d fallen asleep at her desk.  She hoped. 

It would most definitely mean the end of her career as Holt’s assistant if it got out that she had been seen coming out of his penthouse in the wee hours of the morning. He wouldn’t be happy with rumors flying high that he was having an affair with her, or the fact that she’d spent the night with his brother when they barely knew each other.  Gnawing at her lip over that particularly disturbing thought, she stepped absently into the elevator and pressed the button for the 10
^th
floor.  It seemed to take forever but finally the doors began to slide shut.  A large hand shot through the opening just seconds before it closed, causing them to slide back again. 

Jack’s stare was incredulous.  “
You’re leaving?
  After the night we had together, you just sneak out without so much as a good-bye?”

Miranda stood there looking as guilty as she felt.  “I…I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.”

He took her hand and pulled her out of the elevator, enfolding her in his arms.  “What do you want to do?”

“Oh, no,” she said, “I’m not getting stuck in
that
trap.  What do
you
want me to do?”

Jack chuckled and ushered her inside.  “I thought that was pretty obvious when I made a mad dash for the elevator in nothing but my shorts.”

Miranda surveyed his scantily clothed physique.  “Are you underdressed or am I overdressed?”

A sexy grin spread across Jack’s face as he reached for her.  “Oh, sweetheart, you are definitely way overdressed.”

Two hours later, driven by hunger and the desperate need for a shower, they migrated to the kitchen to scavenge for food.  Miranda stood in front of the refrigerator shaking her head. 

“Is it you or Holt that’s the junk food addict?”

Jack peered over her shoulder.  “Pizza is not junk food.  It covers all of the basic food groups; meat, dairy, bread, vegetables.”

She pulled out a half empty box of Chinese food and arched a brow.  “Junk food.”

“Wrong again.  That’s Sesame Chicken with vegetables.  Very nourishing.”

“Uh, huh.  And this?”

Jack eyed the slice of cheesecake with a sheepish grin.  “It must be Holt’s; I’ve never seen that cake in my life.”

“I hope you remember to have all this cleaned out before you leave.  Holt is very conscientious about his health.”

“Is that so?  And just how do you know that?”

Miranda kept her back to him so he wouldn’t see that she was blushing.  “I work with him for eight or more hours a day and usually order his meals for him, that’s how.”

He slipped his arms around her waist and nibbled at her neck.  “Sounds like you take good care of my brother. Does he appreciate it?”

“He pays me very well, thank you.”

“Has he ever made a play for you?”

Miranda stiffened.  “Of course not!”

Jack’s lips slid to the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder.  “Why not?  You’re a very desirable woman.”

“Not to him.”  .

“Does that bother you?” he whispered in her ear. 

Miranda swallowed the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in her throat. “No, why would you think that?”

“Because you sounded hurt.”

“Why are we talking about Holt?”

“I just want to know if there’s anything between you and my brother.”

“No, there’s not,” she twisted out of his arms.

Jack followed her back to bedroom.  “Because he wants it that way or because you do?”

Miranda wandered around the room, frantically searching for her clothes.  “This is a ridiculous conversation.  First of all, I doubt if I even fit into Holt’s definition of a woman.  I’m his assistant and that’s all.  Secondly,” she snatched up her panties and slipped them on under the robe, “he’s my boss and I wouldn’t jeopardize my position there even if he was interested.” 
Liar
, the little voice inside her head said accusingly.

Jack grabbed her arm as she reached for her nylons and brought her up hard against his chest.  “Why are you getting so worked up?”

“Because the questions you’re asking are insulting,” she said with an indignant toss of her head. “Obviously, I’m not sleeping with the boss, and you of all people should know that.  Anyway, why would it even matter?  After today we probably won’t even see each other again so…”

“We won’t?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?  You’re the one who gave the dissertation on why this could never be more than a one-time thing.”

Jack grinned and slipped his hand beneath her robe to fondle her breast.  “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”

Miranda gaped at him in disbelief.  “But you said…”

“Never mind what I said,” he growled softly, “I didn’t mean it.”

Her pulse quickened when he shoved the robe off her shoulders.  “You…you sounded pretty convincing to me,” she said in a voice that wobbled. 
Good God, would it always be like this; so sensual, so consuming?

“I did mean it at the time.”  He pushed his boxers down and eased her back onto the mattress.  “But that was before I got inside of you.  Junk food isn’t the only thing I’ve become addicted to.”

She let out a breathless gasp when Jack slipped her panties off and plunged into her as if couldn’t wait another second.  “There’s more to…” Miranda’s fingers gripped his shoulder as the now familiar heat began to build, “…to a relationship than just great sex.”

“Yes, and I intend to have it all.”  He stopped moving and gazed into her eyes.  “I want to be with you, Miranda, outside the bedroom and in.  I want to take you to dinner, go to the movies or the park, talk about anything, everything, it doesn’t matter.”

She wound her arms around his neck, smiling beguilingly.  “Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall in love with me?”

“Terrified,” he admitted with a laugh.

“And you’re willing to take that chance anyway?”

“What can I say?  I’m addicted, and as you know I’m very, very weak when it comes to my addictions.”

How could she not be flattered by that?  Miranda pulled his head down until their lips were nearly touching.  “Okay, but on one condition.”

He arched his brows in amusement.  “And what would that be?”

“That you feed and water me at least every five or six hours.”

                        ***

“Come on, just try it,” Jack insisted, waving a piece of pizza in front of her face.

Miranda shot him a look of total disgust.  “I am
not
eating that. It’s a meat-lover’s pizza for Pete’s sake!  Loaded with carbs and calories and probably contains twenty different kinds of preservatives.”

“Hey now, let’s not be insulting.  This happens to be made with one hundred percent fresh ingredients.  Why, they probably raise the livestock out back and…”

Miranda leaned over and covered his mouth with her hand.  “Jack Devlin, that is just horrible.”

He flicked his tongue against her palm then laughed when she yanked it away.  “Look, you little hypocrite, I know you eat steak and hamburgers and bacon, so how can you pretend a pizza with more than one kind of meat is bad for you?  Expand your horizons a little bit.”  He lifted the pizza to her lips.  “Do it for me?”

Her heart melted.  She folded like a house of cards and opened up for him, intending to take the smallest of nibbles.  Jack, however, wanted to make sure she got the full affect and shoved in a good portion of the pizza just as she chomped down.  Flavor exploded in her mouth as the meats, cheese, sauce and spices combined together to form one heavenly sensation of taste inside her mouth. 

Before she could stop herself, a small sound of pleasure pushed its way up from the back of throat, triggering an I-told-you-so grin from Jack.  Miranda pretended not to notice the grin or the laughter that followed when she plucked the pizza from his hand and devoured it with enthusiasm. 

Ordering the pizza had been Jack’s idea, spreading a blanket out in the living room and eating it picnic style was Miranda’s.  It was the first meal they’d eaten all day. Even though Miranda had been famished, she’d been reluctant to eat something that could only bring on a bucket load of guilt later.  She’d never had a weight problem but contributed that to a healthy eating style and regular exercise. Now she wondered how many other wonderful culinary delights awaited her in the wide world of junk food.  She was just contemplating splitting the piece of cheesecake when she noticed Jack was eyeing her with a rather somber look on his face.

“Jack, is something wrong?”

“Yes…maybe not, but…”

Miranda laughed nervously.  “You haven’t changed your mind again have you…about us, I mean?”

“No, not all.  I was just thinking about the first time I made love to you.”

“It was so long ago I can hardly remember,” she teased.

Jack’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “What I was thinking about was that we didn’t use protection that first time.”

Miranda’s eyes widened.  “Oh, Jack, I didn’t know…I mean I should have asked or thought about it or told you I wasn’t on the pill…”

He leaned over and kissed her.  “I’m not blaming you.  Hell, if anyone should have known better it was me, but I didn’t have a thought it my head except getting inside of you.”

Mentally, she counted back the days.  “I should be safe.  My cycle is due to start in five or six days so there’s only a slim chance I could be…you know.”

“Pregnant,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer.  “Saying it out loud isn’t going to change anything. The damage has already been done if you are.”