The Billionaire's Runaway Bride (16 page)

Jason moved closer to her, taking her hands in his. “I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about but I want to assure you that my house is your house. If you don’t want Evelyn and Jocelyn in there, then simply tell them so.”

Sophie’s heart lifted with joy. She looked up into his eyes trying to determine if he was serious or not. “Do you really mean it? I can tell her she can’t have her party at your house on Friday?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded his head for emphasis. “But can I ask one other question?”

Sophie looked at his chest, embarrassed about her burst of temper now that he’d instantly supported her request. “What’s that?” she asked

“Where did you get this lovely little dress?” he asked, his hand moving to touch the little yellow daisies on her neckline.

Her eyes widened and moved back up to his. She saw it then, the desire. And it instantly ignited her own. “You like my dress?” she asked hopefully.

“Very much so,” he replied. His hands moved to her hips. “I like it a lot. And I liked what you were wearing last night too.”

Sophie assumed he meant what she was wearing to dinner, thinking he hadn’t taken the time to look at what she was wearing to bed. “Thank you,” she said shyly. “I bought it the other day. I have a whole new wardrobe.”

“I definitely approve.”

Sophie smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

“What else did you get?” he asked.

“Everything,” she blushed. Her fingers were playing with the buttons on his shirt front and she desperately wanted him to kiss her. Well, actually, she wanted to pull off his clothes and have him make love to her but she knew it was the middle of the morning and they were in his office. She would settle for a kiss.

Jason placed a hand over her fingers to stop her hands. “Sophie, you can’t do that here,” he groaned. “Not after I got a glimpse of that temper,” he chuckled.

Sophie looked up at his handsome face. “You like my temper?” she asked, stunned.

“Like it?” he laughed. “I think you’re pretty sexy when you’re yelling at me,” he laughed.

She laughed as well and somehow, she wasn’t sure where she got the courage, but she bit her lower lip, then asked, “Jason, would you kiss me?”

Jason smiled enigmatically. “How would you like me to kiss you?” he asked.

She lowered her lashes and looked at his mouth, her tongue darting out to wet her suddenly dry lips.

“Don’t do that!” he said and his hands pulled her roughly against him.

“Don’t do what?” she asked, licking her lips in anticipation of the kiss she wanted from him.

“That!” he groaned and slid his hands up her waist. “Don’t do that with your tongue unless…” he stopped and bent down to kiss her lips, taking her mouth with a savage passion that melted Sophie’s resistance and drove away her inhibitions. She forgot that they were in his office, forgot it was the middle of the morning. She even forgot the evil words Jocelyn had said the other morning about Jason wanting a mousy wife for his acquisition.

All she knew was Jason’s mouth kissing her, his hands moving up her waist and touching her breasts through the linen. Then the linen was no longer there. His hands were touching her heated skin and she was aching with her need to feel him inside her.

With a small gasp, she found herself on Jason’s desk. Jason’s hand was pulling her legs forward and she wrapped them around his hips, her body moving with his, just as desperate for his touch as she’d ever been.

“Jason!” she gasped when she felt her underwear torn off. She didn’t care, especially when she felt his heat fill her up and he started moving within her. She loved the feel of his hardness and inhaled his sexy aftershave scent. “Don’t stop,” she said when he slowed down.

Jason continued, moving within her until they both found their climax together, drifting slowly back to consciousness and awareness.

“Jason!” Sophie gasped, her eyes opening and looking into his own. “We’re in your office!” she exclaimed, then lowered her voice, afraid someone in the hallway would hear her.

Jason chuckled and nuzzled her neck, nipping at her earlobe. “So we are.”

Sophie pushed off of the desk and pulled her dress down before looking around, shocked that she’d done something so outrageous. “I can’t believe this,” she said and stepped away from him, hurrying over to the sofa to pick up her purse. She was flustered as she pulled her fingers through her hair and reapplied her lipstick.

Jason adjusted his own clothing, then sat down in his chair, watching Sophie as she flitted around the room nervously. He smiled, liking the way she became so easily flustered. “Sophie, calm down,” he said gently.

“Calm down?” she gasped. “Anyone could have walked in here,” she exclaimed, running her fingers down her dress in an attempt to smooth out the wrinkles. “What would they have thought?”

Jason didn’t bother to respond, knowing that Maggie would never allow someone to walk into his office unannounced. Those who had tried had been thwarted easily by the sweet, smiling dragon he employed as his secretary. “You’re getting worked up over nothing, sweet,” he said and walked over to where she was trying to peer into a small mirror. He took it out of her hands and dropped it back into her open purse. “And you look lovely,” he stated a moment before he kissed her, taking off all her lipstick again.

Jason pulled away and saw the latent fire in her eyes. Then nodded with satisfaction. “I’ll see you tonight, Sophie,” he said, then gave her one more hard kiss.

Sophie tamped down her rising desire and picked up her purse again which had dropped onto the floor. She rushed to the door of Jason’s office, nodding her head, “Yes. Yes, of course I’ll see you tonight,” she said quickly.

Jason watched her, smothering his amusement but he couldn’t help himself. He was so amazed at the obvious passion that was lurking underneath her carefully controlled façade, a passion that he wanted to unleash more of, he just needed to tease her one more time.

“Sophie,” he called and her footsteps halted immediately, one hand resting on the door knob to his office as she turned back to him.

“Yes?” she prompted when he simply stood there watching her smugly. “Did you need something else?” she asked, then blushed, thinking of what had come before which she wasn’t going to offer him again.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.

Sophie looked down at her bag, then her dress, checking her purse then running a hand down her hair one more time. “I don’t think so,” she said.

Jason picked up the small scrap of silk and lace that had been her underwear. “Perhaps this?” he asked, dangling the lacy material from his fingertips. “I’d be happy to have it on my desk as a reminder of our morning,…interlude. But I wonder if you might think something is missing later on today.”

Sophie gasped in horror as he held up the remnants of her underwear, shocked that she hadn’t even realized she wasn’t wearing any at the moment. But that was what Jason did to her normally. Why should this be any different? She rushed over to his hand and grabbed the material from his fingertips, ignoring his soft, husky chuckle as she stuffed them into her purse and rushed out of his office. Her face was painfully red by the time she left but she smiled as serenely as possible at Maggie as she walked past.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, with her safely inside the cab, she covered her face with her hands, too shocked by her behavior. But a small part of her loved the way Jason could make her feel.

She hadn’t been mousy in his office, she thought. And if Evelyn was right, that he only wanted her as a mousy, non-threatening wife, why did he act so impressed and excited when she arrived at his office, furious and definitely not mousy looking. With her red hair and green dress, there wasn’t a mousy thing about her, except her embarrassment with her sexuality, which was running rampant lately, she thought.

Out on the street, she considered what she was going to do next. She was walking towards the waiting car when Maggie ran out to the street. “Mrs. Randal,” she called out across the cement expanse in front of the headquarters building. “Oh, good. I’m glad I caught you. Mr. Randal asked me to deliver this,” she said and handed her a manila file folder and a cell phone. “He said you might be interested in the warehouses.”

Sophie took the folder and cell phone warily, then smiled politely at Maggie. “Thank you,” she replied. “You said Jason wanted me to have these?”

“Yes. I’m not sure what it is about.” She looked oddly at Sophie. “Usually he has me do his research but he printed these things out himself. I have to get back to my desk. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.”

Sophie nodded her head. “Thank you, Maggie,” she said and looked down at the plain manila folder. She waited until she got into the back of the car before opening the folder and when she read the words, she was warmed by Jason’s thoughtfulness. Jason had pulled up several lists, one was a sheet filled with warehouse listings. Another sheet was a list of nursery suppliers and some various prices.

The time and effort put into these lists might have been small, but Sophie was genuinely touched that Jason would have gone through all this trouble just for her. She looked at the cell phone and smiled. Picking it up, she searched through the buttons and laughed when she realized that his office phone number was preprogrammed into the memory.

She dialed the number and was only slightly disappointed when Maggie picked up on the third ring.

“Jason Randal’s office,” she answered.

“Maggie, this is Sophie. Can you convey a message to Jason for me?” she asked.

“Absolutely, Mrs. Randal. What is the message?”

“Just tell him thank you. And Maggie? One more thing,” she said.

“What’s that?’

“Please call me Sophie.”

There was a small hesitation on the other end of the line, then Sophie heard the smile in Maggie’s voice. “I’d be happy to, Sophie.”

Sophie hung up the phone and then called the first number on the list. Michael drove her home and she stopped using the cell phone Jason had given her, moving to her new office and continuing to make phone calls, writing down notes and pulling as much information together as she could.

It was almost seven o’clock when she finally looked up and realized what time it was. Stepping out of her office, she felt a huge amount of satisfaction.

Unfortunately, she went to bed alone again that night, then woke up alone the following morning. Feeling depressed and lonely, Sophie abandoned her work that day and worked instead in her garden. She also put an advertisement in the newspaper asking for gardeners who were interested in employment. She wanted her own landscaping company but she knew she didn’t have the strength to do it all herself. Especially the heavier items. And she really wanted the bushes moved away from the windows.

Moving out to the small project she’d started several days ago, she expanded the small plot of land by several feet, adding more plants and making space for some interesting figurines later on. She was just about to go inside for lunch when she saw the car drive up to the front of the house.

Evelyn. And to make matters worse, Jocelyn was with her. Both ladies were looking incredibly beautiful, as usual and Sophie was in another pair of jeans that were now covered in dirt up to her knees. The shirt she was wearing was covered in sweat and dirt as well and her hair was probably a mess. She didn’t even want to consider what her face looked like since she hadn’t bothered to put any makeup on. Actually, it was probably better that she didn’t have any makeup on, she thought, walking to the back of the house with a determined step. The makeup would probably be streaking down her face right about now. So there were small things in her favor, she grimaced.

She found them exactly where she thought they would be. Jocelyn was sitting at one of the kitchen counters, sneering at the maid who was cleaning the dishes from breakfast and Evelyn was talking with the housekeeper, Nancy, who was standing at the counter taking her abuse. Nancy was also a wonderful cook and didn’t deserve the comments from Evelyn.

“I want something different, Nancy. You make wonderful dishes but lately, you’ve been a little less creative, haven’t you?”

Sophie walked in quietly and fought for control. Understanding that Nancy was fighting back her own temper, Sophie decided it was time she stood up for her staff.

“Nancy isn’t going to do anything, Evelyn. You can just find your own caterer. Nancy makes wonderful dishes for me and Jason and I believe he has a party on Saturday night for several guests. She won’t have time to help you out with your luncheon on Friday.”

Evelyn turned slowly to face Sophie and when she turned to finally face her, the expression on Evelyn’s face was almost comical. “What did you say to me?” she asked.

“I said,” Sophie enunciated more slowly, “that Nancy won’t have time to make anything for your luncheon, creative or otherwise.” Sophie’s face remained still as she tried to emulate Jason’s way of making his point. He never let people know what emotions were going through his mind.

“And who do you think you are?”

Sophie stood up taller. “I’m Jason’s wife. I realize that you are hopeful that your daughter will have that position soon, but until that happens, I’ll thank you to stay out of the house.”