Authors: Anne Rainey
Tempting Grace (4 page)
“How did you know where I lived?” Grace made a point of not checking out his hot body, even though she desperately wanted to. If she looked at the black t-shirt that was sure to be stretched across a muscular chest and tight jeans cupping his package, she’d start stuttering or something.
He propped his hand on her doorjamb. “Uh, I’m your boss, remember?”
“Right, dumb question.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to let me in,” he said as his gaze took in the living room behind her.
She sighed and stepped back. “Come in.”
“Thanks.” Jackson moved around her, their bodies touching as he passed. Every nerve ending went to code red status, as if to say
Yippee! About damn time we got him alone.
“Nice digs you have here.”
Grace had taken great care in decorating her apartment, and it did her heart good to have Jackson’s genuine approval. She’d gone with an Oriental flare. Sleek, modern lines and smooth surfaces. She liked the fresh, clean feel.
“Very Zen-like.”
Grace looked around and realized he was right. The furniture had been expensive, but worth it.
Anne Rainey
Jackson walked over to her bookcase and picked out a paperback. “I like the bookcase. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a round bookcase before. Cool.”
He was looking at her romance books. She really hoped it wasn’t an erotic romance. “It’s teak. It was pricey, but I liked the design.”
Please, please don’t be an erotic romance.
“How did you manage an entire living room suite on your pay?” Her cheeks heated. “I’m sort of still paying it off. Credit card.”
“Ah,” he said as he sat on her hand-carved love seat.
“So, would you like something to drink?”
“Got a beer?”
“Yeah, but it’s light beer. Will that work?”
“Yep,” he said, then flipped the book open and started reading as if he’d been doing it for years. He looked entirely too at home in her apartment. Her gaze shot to his crotch and…damn. She shouldn’t have looked. She’d be drooling soon. Grace stalked out of the room. The sooner he drank his beer, the sooner he’d leave. She could get back to sulking in peace.
As she entered the kitchen, a horrible thought struck her. He was looking at her things. Touching her shelves. Probably reading something very steamy while she piddled around. The man was too curious for his own good. What had she been thinking when she let him in? She should have slammed the door in his face. She’d been too stunned, knocked off her guard. Jackson was entirely too adept at surprise attacks.
Then again, he’d sought her out. This went beyond text messaging or corralling her in the break room.
Jackson was ten years older than her and most likely way more experienced with the opposite sex. What did he see in her? As she grabbed two beers from the refrigerator she thought of what all that experience could mean for her if she did choose to sleep with him. She’d wanted to. Imagined it. It was obvious he wanted her just as much. Somehow she knew that if she ever let her guard down enough to sleep with Jackson, she’d quite possibly fall for the infernal man. She didn’t want to fall in love with him. She didn’t want to fall in love with any man, for that matter. Even though she knew she still had a lot to offer a man, the possibility that she may never be able to carry a baby to full-term left her feeling inadequate.
As Grace brought their ice cold beer into the living room, she stopped abruptly when she saw Jackson sitting on her couch, legs spread in front of him, reading. God, the man was hot. His long, muscular legs and flat abs made her wish she was bold enough to crawl up his body and plant one on him. As she moved closer and read the title of the book, her face burned with embarrassment. Jackson seemed to sense her arrival and looked at her over the top of the paperback.
He waved the book in the air and said, “Interesting reading material you have here, baby.” Grace handed him a beer. He took it, and she gave in to the need to suck down several swallows before she sat in the chair adjacent to him. She held out her hand. “Give it to me.” 22
Tempting Grace
“Funny, that’s sort of what Libby said to Hunter. The exact phrase is, ‘Please, take me, Hunter.’” Jackson read, trying and failing to sound girly. “‘I need to feel you inside of me, my love.’”
“It’s a very romantic adventure.” Why did she care what he thought of her reading material? It was none of his business.
He grinned and waved the book back and forth. “It’s smut. Good smut, but smut all the same.”
“
Hunter’s Pleasure
is not smut. It’s a beautiful tale of love. A romantic take on historic battles and lost treasures. The struggle the hero and heroine face is an emotional rollercoaster ride. The author won an award.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you so embarrassed?”
“Laugh all you want, but I notice it’s grabbed your attention.” Jackson glanced up, his eyes hot with unmistakable arousal. “Have you read the part where Hunter rips Libby’s gown off and takes her against a tree?” Grace licked her lips and willed her voice to sound steady and calm. “It’s my book, of course I read it.”
Jackson stood, and Grace instinctively sank back into the chair. He wouldn’t let her retreat. Suddenly he was bent over her, cupping her chin in his palm. “I think I’d like to take you against a tree. Under the moonlight, in the same rough, untamed way Hunter takes Libby.”
“That’s bound to get us arrested.”
Without warning, he kissed her. His soft lips lingered a few seconds, drawing a moan from her, before he lifted and whispered, “Hmm, it’d be worth a night in jail.” The doorbell rang. Saved! She sped to the door and slung it open, so glad for the reprieve she didn’t bother checking the peephole.
“Oh, my God! Jordan!” She flung herself into the man’s arms. He laughed and wrapped himself around her, holding her tightly.
“What the hell?”
Grace winced and pulled out of Jordan’s embrace. As she turned back around she noticed Jackson standing with his fists clenched at his sides. He was not a happy camper. Well, too bad. She could hug whomever she wanted. Grabbing Jordan by the hand, Grace pulled him inside her apartment and shut the door. “Jackson, this is my neighbor and very dear friend, Jordan Davies.” Jackson moved up beside her, close. As if to show the other man she was taken? She wasn’t pleased by that notion and tried to discreetly step away, but he only followed her. Before they managed to turn it into a dance, Grace kept still and opted to get him back later for his arrogance.
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“It’s nice to meet you, Jordan,” he said as he held out his hand. Jordan took it with a smile. “I was just making plans with Grace. She’s coming to Vegas with me for a few days.” Okay, maybe she wouldn’t wait until later.
Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Damn, Grace, I didn’t even know you were dating anyone. You could have said something.”
“I’m not dating him. It’s a business thing, not pleasure.”
“We’ll see,” Jackson replied a good dose of humor lacing his words.
Grace elbowed him in the ribs, but the imbecile never even flinched. “Do you have to be so impossible?”
His knowing grin had the palm of her hand itching to smack him. “He called me a chicken,” she explained to Jordan.
Jordan crossed his arms over his chest and said, “And going to Vegas is going to prove you’re not?”
“It’s complicated,” she growled.
“Not really,” Jackson inserted. “In fact, I think it’s pretty simple.” She stared daggers at him. Why couldn’t she have magical powers or something? She could zap him into a toad or something. Refusing to engage in yet more verbal warfare, she attempted to put the focus on Jordan instead. “So, out with it. How long before you’re deployed again?”
“I’ll be stateside for the next six months, then I’m back in Iraq.”
“Jordan is a hero,” Grace told Jackson.
Jordan flashed a sexy smile. “At least that’s what I tell the ladies.” It was odd she’d never been attracted to Jordan. He really was handsome with his sandy-blond hair and dimples. And he had dreamy brown eyes. They were so dark you could barely make out the pupils. But in the two years she’d known him, Grace had never felt even the slightest bit turned-on by his flirtations.
Jackson, on the other hand, had only to look at her to get her motor humming. Which was frustrating as hell, because she had the feeling Jordan would be way easier to handle.
She gave up thinking and headed for the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “Your usual, Jordan?”
“Sounds great, hon,” he answered in his normal laid-back way.
“Do you want another, Jackson?” Grace asked as she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a cold beer for her neighbor.
“No, thanks.”
It wasn’t the words, but the tone that had her biting her lip. Jackson sounded angry. In all the time she’d spent with him, she’d never heard that tone from him before. What had set it off?
She popped the top off the beer and went back into the room. Jordan was on her couch, legs spread, smiling at her. Jackson still stood, arms crossed over his massive chest and staring at Jordan as if he’d like to take him apart. One painful inch at a time.
24
Tempting Grace
She handed Jordan his drink, and he winked at her. She peeked at Jackson and saw his eyes narrow.
He was jealous. Oh, now this could be fun. He deserved a little payback for his earlier comments about her romance books.
Grace went straight to the couch and sat next to Jordan. Not touching, but close enough. “I’m so glad you’re back. I worry when you’re away.” Which was nothing but the truth. Being a U.S. Marine in this day and age wasn’t anything to play around with.
The hand that wasn’t holding the beer patted her thigh. “It’s cool. I know to keep my head down.” Jackson came forward and sat on the other side of her, then slung an arm over her shoulders. Grace held back a grin and continued talking to Jordan.
“Of course you do. You’re a very skilled man,” she said.
Jordan cocked his head to the side and studied her a minute, then said, “Are you okay?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
Jordan shrugged and took a drink of his beer. “You look flushed, that’s all.” Grace wanted to hide her head in the sand. Flushed, hell, she was damn near on fire with Jackson so close. She could smell that scent of his, and it drove her libido crazy. “I’m fine. I’m more interested in hearing about you.”
“I’m thinking of asking Lisa to marry me. Think she’ll say yes?” Jordan and Lisa had been dating for two years, but the military life had taken its toll on their relationship. “I think she’d be crazy not to marry you.” Jordan leaned forward and murmured, “I would ask you, but you’d probably just drop-kick me.” She laughed, knowing he was full of it. “No, Lisa would drop-kick you.” He gave a mock shudder. “You’re probably right. Lisa has a mean temper when she’s riled.”
“Oh, please, she’s as sweet as a lamb.”
He rolled his eyes. “You and Lisa both scare me.”
She reared back. “Me?”
“I’ve seen your temper, Grace. You’re not to be fooled with when you’re pissed.” She smacked his chest. “Oh, yeah, I’m so scary to a big, strong Marine like yourself.” Jordan laughed. “Good to see you’re still as mouthy as ever, hun.” He took one last swig of his beer and set it on the coffee table, then stood. “Thanks for the beer.” He leaned down, presumably to peck her on the cheek, but Jackson was quicker.
“Don’t even think about it, Davies,” Jackson growled, his voice a cold bite of steel. “And you can quit with the hun shit too. She’s not your
hun
.”
“Damn it, Jackson,” she scolded. “Jordan is from the south. To him everyone is hun or darlin’. It’s like saying hello. He means nothing by it.”
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Anne Rainey
Jordan, being the goof, held out his hand and in a too-chipper voice teased, “It’s been a very pleasant visit, Grace. Hope we can do this again sometime.”
She wanted to throttle them both. And just to get under Jackson’s skin, she ignored Jordan’s hand, rose to her feet and quickly kissed his cheek.
“Grace,” Jackson warned. He stood and towered over them both. “Paybacks are hell, baby.” And why that gave her a delicious shiver, Grace had no clue.
26
Chapter Four
Jackson stared at Grace as she closed and locked the apartment door. They were alone again, just the way he liked it. But first he had to know the truth. “You did that on purpose,” he stated. “You like to tease.” She pointed at him. “You were being all territorial. I don’t belong to you, Jackson, so stop acting like I do.”
He moved toward her, watching closely as she stepped around him. She did that a lot whenever he was near. Always put distance between them. “Maybe not, but you can’t say my kiss didn’t affect you.” She grabbed the empty bottles of beer and went to the kitchen. He followed her, as she no doubt knew he would. When she turned toward him, he saw a vulnerability he hadn’t noticed before. Jackson was suddenly reminded of her age. She was twenty-two. He shouldn’t even be in her apartment, much less planning a decadent three days in Vegas with her. While his mind knew the right thing to do, his body didn’t really care.
“So it affected me,” she finally admitted. “That doesn’t mean you get to act the jealous lover around my friends.”
“I’m in unfamiliar territory here, baby. I’m not your lover, not your friend. What the hell am I?”
“My boss.”
He dragged his fingers through his hair and counted to ten. “I’m more than your boss, admit that much at least.”
Grace bit her lip and stared at the floor. “You’re more than my boss.” Jackson felt like shouting. It was a very tiny step, but at least he was getting somewhere. “Do you want me?”
She made an irritated sound. ”You just don’t give up, do you?” He moved closer until their bodies were separated by only a few feet of linoleum. “Hell, I probably have no business being here. I’m way too damned old for you. And your entire family would skin me alive if they knew what I was thinking right now. But I’m not giving up. Not until you tell me straight out that you aren’t attracted to me. If you can say that with total honesty, then I’ll leave you alone. I won’t bother you again. You have my word.”
I only pray I can keep it.
