Old Flames Never Die (Valentine Mystery)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter
Thirteen

Chapter
Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter
Seventeen

Chapter
Eighteen

About Jenna Harte
and Upcoming Works

What am I doing?
Tess looked
into the antique mirror over the dresser to view herself in the teal-colored
shirt that dipped down between her breasts. Did her new La Perla bra show? Turning
slightly, she inventoried her butt in the skintight jeans. She felt like pork
sausage about to burst from its casings. The very idea that she was dressed
like this because it made a certain man grin and ogle was equally disturbing.
If anyone told her three months ago that her house and law practice would go up
in smoke and that she would be hopelessly in love, she'd think they were one
peanut short of a Snickers bar. Yet here she was; homeless, jobless and
stuffing her curves into clothing clearly too small just so she could turn on a
certain blue-green-eyed man.

She wondered if Jack missed her as much
as she'd missed him. He left Friday morning for a board meeting in Washington,
D.C. and stayed the weekend to meet with his right-hand man and Tess' former
fiancé, Brad Chancellor, about business. This morning, he drove straight to
Worthington Media Corporation offices in Jefferson Tavern, Virginia, for a
Monday morning meeting. His next stop would be home. It was the first time
since their reunion in February they'd been apart for more than a day.

Jack had invited her to go with him and
even enticed her with bribes about making love in government monuments. But she
had a house and a career to rebuild again and opted to stay behind. Instead,
she spent the weekend buying new lingerie at Cezarier's boutique and making
chocolate truffles in preparation for his return
.

“Honey, I'm home,” she heard him call from
downstairs.

“Show time,” she said to herself. “I'm
upstairs.”

She could hear him bounding up the
stairs.

“Tell me you're naked.” He blew into the
room, skidding to a stop a few feet from her. A slow wide grin spread on his
face. She blushed, embarrassed. How did he do that?

“You know what that outfit does for me,
don't you?” he said as his arms wrapped around her. With a hand on each buttock,
he pulled her flush against his body.

“Why else would I spend hours to get into
it?”

“I'll be happy to help you remove it.” 

She slid her arms over his shoulders and
looked up into his striking blue-green eyes. He leaned down to kiss her. It was
a kiss of renewal. As if they'd been without water for days and could finally
drink their fill. They stopped only because they needed to breathe.

“How was your trip?” Tess asked still
whirling from the intoxicating effect he had on her.

“Uneventful. Brad says 'hi'.”

“And how were things at Worthington
today?”

“I think they're beginning to see how
beneficial my purchase of the company will be for them.”

“Ah. Greed.”

“Not just greed. Slothfulness too. They
won't have to work.”

Tess laughed. “And what about the fact
that you're related to them?”

“I think that is the only reason they're
going along with the merger. The company does technically stay in the family.”

Just a few months ago, Jack was the
prime suspect in the murder of the company's CEO, Asa Worthington. What seemed
like a little murder mystery actually turned out to be something much more when
it was discovered that Jack was the illegitimate son of Asa's father, Senator
Worthington. At the time of his death, Asa was planning to reveal the scandal
and make it worse by turning the company over to Jack. As it turned out, the
Senator was thrilled to learn about Jack. Jack didn't return the sentiment. He
also didn't want to be handed the company, but agreed to buy it because Philip,
the only other Worthington left to run it, was inept in business.

“You look tired,” Tess said.

“I am. I'm not used to working every
day,” he grinned, showing the one dimple that got him whatever he wanted. “I
can't wait to hand the whole thing over to someone.”

“That won't be popular.”

“It’ll be my company.” His hands
squeezed her butt. “Can we get back to this outfit and getting you out of it? I
have another meeting tonight.”

“Tonight?” Tess said, not hiding her
disappointment.

“Actually…” The tone of Jack's voice had
Tess thinking she wasn't going to like what he had to say. “I got a call from
an old friend…old girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Tess automatically took a step
back.

“Don't do that, Tess. Her husband was
murdered over the weekend. She just needs some support.”

“From you?”

He shrugged. “Liv wasn't one to have lots
of girlfriends.”

That could only mean one thing: She was
tall, gorgeous and bitchy. “How about family?”

“His family is in town, but they aren't
close. It's just dinner. You can come if you want. I figured you wouldn't want
to.”

“Why would you figure that?”

He shrugged and stepped away, apparently
deciding sex was no longer going to happen. “You're insecure when it comes to
relationships.”

That was true, but it sounded pathetic
to hear it. “I'm here, aren't I?”

“For now. But for how long? Even though
I've asked you to stay, you're working on getting your home back.”

“I have to rebuild it. It’s sitting
charred in the middle of a residential neighborhood.”

“I don't want to fight about this, Tess.
I love you and I'm sorry if it bothers you that I'm having dinner with Liv. But
she was there for me when my mother died. I should do the same for her.”

“I'm not mad that you're having dinner
with her. I'm mad that you think I'm not committed to this thing between us.”

“I know you love me and you’re as
committed as you can be. I just wish you'd trust that my feelings are sincere.”
He unbuttoned his shirt. “I'm going to take a quick shower before I have to go.”

Tess frowned at his back as he entered
the bathroom. That didn't go as planned. Just because she was wary and nervous about
their relationship didn't mean she was insecure. It's not like she didn't have
good reason not to trust in love. But she was here. With him. What else did he
want?

~~~~

Jack let the water spray over his head
hoping it would wash the frustration away. He'd had a tough day sparring with
the Worthingtons. When Liv called, his first instinct was to tell her he
couldn't meet her. He'd been looking forward to a reunion with Tess from the
moment he'd left her three days ago. The smell of chocolate and her kick-ass
clothes told him she'd been thinking the same thing. But he couldn't abandon Liv.
It wasn't that long ago that she'd saved him from himself. With her help he got
back to work and ended up in a position where he could meet Tess again.

He knew Tess' reasons for distrusting in
love, but that didn't mean it didn't drive him nuts. Even as challenging as she
could be though, he was completely in love with her. It proved that Cupid had a
sense of humor or he was a sadist.

But Jack wasn't discouraged. He wasn't a
man who got everything he wanted. If he were, his mother would still be alive.
Turns out cancer can't be bought. But he was successful more times than not
when he put his mind to something, and his mind was on Tess and convincing her
to commit to him. He'd managed to get her into his home, although she thought
she was just staying with him until her house was rebuilt. Jack figured he had
until the house was finished to convince her otherwise.

But as fate would have it, his reunion
with Tess and moving a step closer to keeping her would turn out to be two
steps back. He knew having dinner with an old flame was a bad idea under the
best of circumstances. With Tess, it could be disastrous. But he owed Liv. It
seemed only right that he be there for her.

He picked up the bar of soap when he
heard the shower door open and felt a burst of cool air. He turned to see Tess
stepping into the shower with him. Immediately, his body heated and his
annoyance was replaced by desire. She had a body that drove him nuts. She had
no idea how potent she was, which only added to her allure. She had chestnut
colored hair that naturally formed large soft curls he wanted to run his
fingers through. Indulging himself, he slipped his fingers through her hair as
he pulled her to him for a kiss that was equally as potent.

“You're killing me, you know that?” he
said looking into her eyes. It had been her eyes that first captured his
attention. They were the color of aged whisky and were filled with a fire that
he felt burn deep in his soul. He never grew tired of looking into them.

“I can leave.”

“Don't you dare.” He pulled her body
against his. She was small in height, but had curves in all the right places.
Because she worked out, her body was one soft curve over firm muscle after
another. His hands slid down over her bare backside and squeezed its firm
roundness.

“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear.

Her hands slid up his chest and over his
shoulders “Show me.”

He was a goner. His lips captured hers
briefly, making their journey down her long neck and through the valley between
her breasts before finally taking her into his mouth. She moaned, giving him
the praise he loved to hear. Tess was guarded when he'd reunited with her. She
tried to hide her passion under unflattering clothes and behind her job. But in
her eyes he'd seen passion and sensuality, and he'd made it his life's mission
to bring that out in her.