Surrender Your Love (15 page)

“
Tell me about your life,” Jett said eventually.

I laughed.
“What?” It was such a strange request. Men weren’t usually interested in my life, past, thoughts, and so forth.

Jett grinned that lopsided smile of his that made my heart skip a beat.
“We didn’t go through the usual interviewing process, so it’s about time to catch up.”

“
Well, we didn’t really go through the traditional hiring process either.”

He shrugged and his grin
intensified. “You have a point. I could fire and re-hire you, if it bothers you so much. Or—” he turned onto one side, propping up on one elbow “—you could just answer my question.” It wasn’t an invitation but a demand.

I moistened my lips as I tried to push through ye
ars of memories in the hope I might find something that didn’t give away too much, yet still enough to satisfy his curiosity.

“
My dad died when I was a teen. I grew up with my mother who tried her best to fulfill the role of both. After finishing high school, I came to New York to study, and ended up working in real estate.” Those were the boring parts of my life; the harmless ones barely scratching the surface. Usually, they sufficed in sending a guy into a disinterested staring stupor, meaning they never bothered to ask further questions. I searched Jett’s gaze for any signs of disinterest, but what I found was an attentiveness that scared me. He seemed to really listen to me. While there was nothing wrong with it, the fact that this guy who hired me would be interested in me and in my life showed me he cared for me in some way. And that scared me even more.

“
You always wanted to work in real estate?” His question seemed polite and harmless enough.

“
I like houses. What about you?”

He smiled but didn
’t take the bait to change the object of focus. “It’s a strange career choice for a college graduate. Either you were pushed into it knowing you could make big bucks once you built your portfolio. Or you had a serious interest in buildings and the market. Which one is it?” My throat dried up. The guy knew what he was talking about. I wondered whether it was one of his usual interview questions, or whether he pulled it out of his repertoire for someone like me.

“
You don’t have to answer if you’re not comfortable,” Jett continued slowly.

“
It’s pretty simple. I felt it was the right step.” I shrugged because that was all there really was to it. Working in real estate was the right step—at that time.

Jett
’s eyes glittered with amusement, and I got the feeling my explanation pleased him. “You joined the business out of interest, then.”

I groaned inwardly. He wasn
’t about to change the topic any time soon. I forced myself not to pull a face. “Yep.”

“
Did you know a lot about houses? Were you fascinated by them, by the people living inside?”

He knew something was off
.

I don
’t know why, but the thought hit me the moment he regarded me coolly—his eyes clouded as though to hide his thoughts and emotions. My heart thumped hard against my rib cage, threatening to burst out of my chest. My palms turned clammy, and a thin rivulet of sweat trickled down my spine.

Stay calm, Stewart.

I knew answering his question would lead to more questions, until there were no secrets left. I had never told anyone, and I sure wasn’t ready to share the dark sides of my past with Jett. My throat constricted with fear. I buried my fingers into the soft grass and ripped it out, barely acknowledging that the action was revealing more about me than a thousand words.

I wasn
’t ready to tell him the whole truth, so he had to make do with the little I could give him.

“
We moved a few times.” I cleared my throat, forcing the tremor away. “I’ve always liked the notion of having a stable family home. I figured by selling beautiful houses to people I might be helping them find stability in their lives. It was a stupid dream. About a week into the job, I realized the whole business was all about money.”

His long fingers tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
The movement was so natural, it felt as though he had done it—
touched me
—a hundred times before. “You still like your job though.”

I nodded and smiled.
“I do.”

“
Because you want to change the world,” he whispered as he moved closer, cupping my face with his hand and forcing me to look at him. “It wasn’t a stupid dream. You won’t be able to change the world, Brooke. But your example might just change the people entering your life.”

His index finger traced the contours of my face, leaving a tingling sensation behind. The air was thick with the scent of wood and grass, but I all I could focus on was
Jett
. He was sitting so closely, I could smell his manly scent and take in every detail of his face and body. The barely visible laughter lines beneath his stunning eyes, the faded scar on his chin, the hard muscles of his arms. Those were all things that made him real. Beautiful. Perfect. I wanted to ask him about them so his memories would be mine.

“
Hey, did you ever play football in high school?” I asked cheekily and slightly out of breath as my gaze swept over his broad shoulders.

“
What?” He shot me a questioning glance. And then a deep chuckle rumbled in his throat as he probably caught on to my subtle implication. “As a matter of fact, I did. I’m glad you noticed it.”

I rolled my eyes at the sud
den onset of heat in my cheeks.

Well done—
inflating his oversized ego even more, Stewart.

“
I bet you were the book nerd who hung out with the whizz kids,” Jett said.

“
What makes you think I wasn’t the cheerleading type?” My brows shot up. He was spot on, but that didn’t please me. For some reason I wanted him to think me hot and desirable. I wanted him to think he might have competition.

“
Nah, you weren’t that boring.” His arms moved around my waist to pull me closer as his green, heated gaze descended into my eyes and heart, infiltrating me to the core. The way he was looking at me, I felt everything that mattered fade away. The only thing that existed was the moment we shared.

Jett
’s lips lowered onto mine, almost brushing them, but not quite. “You were clever and stunning, yet you didn’t know it.”

“
How do you know?” I breathed.

“
It’s not hard to guess. Girls like you keep boys at arm’s length. I think quite a few of the boys tried, but none succeeded because you didn’t realize just how gorgeous you were.”

The guy certainly ha
d a way with words. I blinked rapidly, intoxicated by the scent of his skin. He smelled of expensive aftershave and something else. Something manly. Something—

Him.

My lips parted, begging him to stop torturing me by being so close. Begging him to kiss me.

And he did, ever so gently. Like tiny butterflies brushing my skin with their soft wings. I groaned inwardly at the sheer torture. God, I wanted him so badly it hurt.

“Some guys might be into cheerleaders and flaunted beauty. I’ve always liked a challenge, and you were the kind of girl I wanted but couldn’t have,” he whispered.

He flicked his tongue over
my bottom lip a moment before his mouth conquered mine in a long and heated kiss. He circled my tongue, sucking it deep into his mouth, as his hands roved over my body. I shuddered in his embrace, and my head fell back as I moaned with the storm rising within my abdomen. His hand tugged at my shirt, jerking it out of my slacks in one quick motion. The soft pressure of his calloused fingers undoing buttons set me on fire with the promise of what they might do to me.

What the hell was I doing?

This place wasn’t secluded. Anyone standing above us or on the other side of the lake could see us. I should walk away, not let him have me in a public place where everyone could see us. I wasn’t an exhibitionist, and doing it on a patch of grass with god-knows-what crawling up my skin wasn’t my thing either. But my physical needs were getting stronger, screaming for release. What would it be like to sleep with someone I really wanted?

In an unexpected moment of lucidity, I
poked a finger in his chest and tried to push him away, but my attempt was a feeble one.

“
Not here,” I mumbled.

“
Why not? No one’s here,” Jett whispered, not backing off. The pressure of his mouth on mine intensified. His fingers skimmed downward from my neck to the sheer material of my now exposed bra, circling the pink bud I’d dreamed he’d caress ever since meeting him. I arched my back against his rough hand, closing the space between us, vaguely aware that if he continued his delicious torture I’d be lost.

“
I want to know what you taste like,” he whispered, fingers fidgeting with the bra clasp.

“
Let me—”

With a flick of my hand, I
undid my bra and rolled it down my arms onto the green grass.

M
y pale breasts spilled free into his open waiting palms.

“
You’re beautiful,” Jett said hoarsely, his eyes glued to my chest. As though to prove his point, he let out an appreciative moan and went about flicking his tongue across one hard nipple, then the other, sucking and licking in equal measures. He was sending me up in flames in a whirlwind of passion I never knew existed. Lowering myself onto the grass, my arms moved around the nape of his neck, pulling him on top of me in the hope he wouldn’t stop. But Jett didn’t need persuading.

His tongue swirled a few more times, then sucked so hard a short ripple of pain rushed through me, followed by a cascade of pleasure that travelled right into my sex.
And then he stopped.

“
No,” I whispered, my gaze begging him to continue.

From under half-cl
osed eyes I watched him place butterfly kisses down my abdomen, his hand already fumbling with the zip of my slacks.

He hadn
’t changed his mind. He was about to move on to the next step. Somewhere inside my brain, I could hear that tiny but annoying voice asking me what the hell this was, but for once I didn’t want to listen to reason. I wasn’t sure whether to be mortified that he was about to fully undress me in public, or excited at the outlook of more hot mouth action.

It was too late
for second thoughts anyway. Before I knew it, the slacks were off and Jett slipped a hand between my parted legs, tugging my panties to the side.

Bloody hell.

I was already damp for him, waiting to be touched.

“
Don’t stop,” I said.

“
I wasn’t going to.”

Peeling off his
jeans, he rubbed his shaft against my swollen clit until I lifted my hips to invite him in. My breathing came in short rasps. He opened my legs wide and moved two fingers over my clit, then slid them into my soft flesh. A deep thunder rippled through me, nearly pushing me over the edge, and then, as though sensing it, he pulled out.

“
Not yet,” he murmured, almost scolding.

“
No! Don’t stop.” I sat up on my elbow and our eyes connected. He looked sexy as hell with his dishevelled hair and that naughty smile. My clit twitched at the sight of his tongue flicking over his lips.

“
When I’m done with you you’ll be panting my name, begging for release,” Jett whispered.

Not likely
, but I didn’t want to shatter his illusion. Other men had never been able to get that particular response from me. Jett might be hot as hell with a body to drool over and a kiss to melt the Arctic, but in the end I doubted his dick could perform miracles.

He pushed me
down onto the grass and lowered his face between my thighs, cupping my ass as he soaked up my female scent, making me blush. Raising his gaze to meet mine, he let his tongue swirl between my folds, focusing on the tiny nub at the top. A tremble began to form somewhere deep inside me and spread through my whole body, gathering in my vagina. I moaned and arched my back, bringing my hips closer to his magic mouth. If he didn’t enter me soon I’d embarrass myself by begging him to take me on the spot.

“
Jett.” My voice dripped with want. He laughed briefly and continued his torture, swirling and licking. Quivering, I let out a broken moan and clawed at his shoulders. “I need you inside.” My voice sounded hoarse with demand, matching the deep, approving rumble in his throat.

“
Not yet, baby.”

Holy mother of pearl
s, he was so good.

I pushed my fingers
through his hair, not quite able to decide whether to force him up or pin him down. I moaned louder as he trailed the tip of his tongue through my sensitive slit, devouring every drop of moisture.

“
Please,” I rocked my hips against him.