Tempting Jason Read online

  Jason clearly had other ideas. He reached for her, securing her waist with his hands in a far too intimate way. The next thing she knew, her backside was on the desk, his legs straddling hers so that they were pinned between his. Her skirt was half up her thighs, well above her knees.

  His eyes, however, were fixed on her face. “We have to talk, even if I have to physically hold you here to make it happen.”

  “You already are.” Her eyes threw metaphorical daggers at him, but her body singing to a whole different tune. His hard thighs pressed against hers, and his hands—the same ones that had touched her breasts, and pretty much her entire body—were resting on her very exposed knees.

  She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling incredibly dry. “I think its best you let go of me.”

  His eyes dropped to her legs. The heat of his gaze sent a warming sensation up her thighs and straight to her core. Her hands went to her skirt, and she yanked it down.

  His eyes lifted and settled on her lips, and she knew he was thinking about kissing her. And Lord help her, she wanted him to. That man-woman connection they shared had kicked into gear threatening to crumble what was left of her good sense.

  “Jason.” It was a breathless plea.

  For what, was the question...

  Chapter Nine

  His name sounded like a seductive invitation whispered by the woman he wanted, but couldn’t have.

  Jason watched her lush, red lips tremble. He wanted to feel them against his own. They were a temptation as bitter as they were sweet. Because he knew he shouldn’t kiss her. Because he knew he had to.

  He felt as if he might cease to exist if he didn’t taste her.

  Just one more time.

  His hands rested on her knees. They burned to move up her thighs, and even more so, to feel those curvaceous legs wrapped around his waist.

  But that wasn’t going to happen. It couldn’t. But a kiss…what harm could it do? Just one. He had to taste her. Slowly, he lowered his head, feeling her need as he did his own. She wanted this, too. Knowing her reciprocating feelings only heightened his desire, and made him burn like a red-hot flame.

  One he would have to contain, because a kiss was all he could take. Yet he wanted so much more. His body was hard with the fury of his denied passion.

  She was all he had ever wanted, and everything he couldn’t have.

  He lowered his head, giving her time to stop him, but knowing she wouldn’t. The first touch of their lips sent a potent wave of desire straight to his groin. Their lips pressed together and held. His hands slid up her thighs. Gallantly he fought the urge to linger. It would have been so easy to slide his fingers under her skirt, and sample her wetness.

  And she was wet. He knew it. Their mutual need radiated around them like a nuclear reaction.

  His palms skimmed her hips before he allowed them to settle on her tiny waist. She made a sexy little sound that he felt in his groin. His dick was pressing so damned fiercely against his zipper he thought it might break.

  Damn, but he wanted inside her, to feel her body squeeze him with urgency. He couldn’t have her. All he had left was these few shared minutes. Not wanting the spell they were under to end, he rested his forehead against hers, resisting the urge to kiss her fully. The temptation to slide his tongue past her lips and taste her unique flavor was boiling inside.

  Yet, his need to make every second with her last overflowed and conquered his urges.

  They breathed together, in and out, the sound filling the room as if it was magnified. Her presence wrapped around him like a compelling force, dominating his mind. Making him forget reason.

  Jason reached up and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. He nibbled at the same places his thumb had touched, making her moan and press her lips to his.

  Willpower gone, he claimed her mouth, tongue thrusting past her teeth, his hand sliding into her hair. Hungrily taking, he didn’t hold back. His tongue slid along hers, aggressive in its exploration. Her arms wrapped around his back, moving along his spine as she pressed her breasts against his chest.

  His free hand slid up and around her knee, to her inner thigh. Warmth welcomed him, as did the soft moaned that she made against his lips. He burned for her. Unbidden, thoughts of taking her right there on her desk threatened to make him act. The images in his head would make a nice reality. He’d just slide her skirt up, slip her panties to the side, and…

  The buzzer on her phone went off.

  It was Shelly. “Heather?”

  Jason and Heather froze, neither saying a word. As if Shelly would know what they were doing through the phone.

  “Heather?”

  She leaned back slightly, and delicately cleared her throat. “Yes?”

  “Your brother Matt really is here this time.”

  “Oh, shit,” Jason said as his stomach started to churn in a most uncharacteristic way.

  “Oh,” Shelly said in a whisper. “Sounds like I better stall. Consider it done.”

  The line went dead.

  Jason looked from the phone to Heather to find her glaring at him. “Nothing has changed, has it? You have no intention of telling Matt about us.” She laughed bitterly. “Correction. There is no us.”

  Damn, the hurt in her tone made his heart squeeze painfully. He had to make her understand. “Heather—“

  “No, Jason.” She pressed a hand on his chest clearly intending to hold him at bay. His fingers wrapped her wrists, gently as to not hurt her, but still firmly. They needed to resolve this once and for all.

  “Hear me out,” he said, pinning her with his eyes and hating the dismay he found in them.

  Her chin tilted up defiantly. “Save it, Jason.” There was a slight tremble to her voice. Despite her clear effort to appear unscathed by his actions, she wasn’t succeeding. “I get the drift. You aren’t interested in risking the wrath of my brother just to be with me.”

  Yes. No. “No,” he said firmly needing to convince both her and himself. “I’m worried about how it will impact you, Heather.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Me?” She made a frustrated sound. “Don’t tell me you’re going to try and make this about me?”

  She tugged at her arms. “Let me go.”

  “You always have been a hothead, woman.” He held her not about to let go. “Will you be still, and just listen?”

  She stared up at him, freezing him like an ice storm with those green cat eyes. “Let. Me. Go.”

  “What happens if Matt doesn’t accept us? I won’t come between you two,” he said, meaning it. “I wish things were different.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Do you?” she hissed, clearly angrier than hell.

  “Yes,” he said hoarsely. But they weren’t.

  His lips set in a grim line. Life for him hadn’t included much family. Heather’s family had, for the most part, been his. He had lost his mother as a young child, and his father had been a guy’s guy with a dislike for open affection. After all the years they had been there for him, he couldn’t destroy what they shared.

  “You shouldn’t have slept with me if you were going to chicken out after.” She paused a mere split second. “Or did you think since we’re adults now, we could both handle a romp in the sack, and then simply forget it ever happened?”

  Jason saw through her angry words. He wanted to reassure her, to touch soft ivory skin, and comfort. Instead, he held her wrists as she tugged.

  “It’s not like that, Heather. Baby—“

  The intercom buzzed making his brows dip with irritation. Damn it.

  “Um, Heather, your brother is getting impatient.”

  Heather looked at Jason, a spiteful glint in her eyes. “Send him in.”

  * * *

  Heather had gotten the expected results. As covertly as possible, she wiped her lips to ensure she wasn’t smeared with lipstick. When she told Shelly to send in Matt, Jason was off her in two flat seconds.

  Maybe Jennifer was right, Jason needed a rude awakening. An
d she was going to give it to him.

  Once he was on the other side of the desk, he gave her a desperate look. “What are you going to say to him?”

  A feral smile turned up the corners of her lips. Wouldn’t he like to know? “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  Before he could respond, Matt pushed open her office door. He wore his normal, carefree smile. “Hey, sis, thought I’d drop by and see if you could do lun—” His words died on his lips when he saw Jason. He looked at Jason with confusion in his eyes. “Okay, man, this is too weird. You were at my sister’s house this morning, and now you’re here. Something I should know?”

  Heather was watching Matt closely, inspecting his reactions. Whatever Matt inferred, it didn’t seem to upset him much.

  Not giving Jason time to respond, Heather answered for him. “Seems Jennifer has called out reinforcements. She sent Jason over her to talk me into doing the charity auction she’s coordinating.” Jason’s eyes rested on her, beckoning her to look at him. She ignored the feeling.

  Matt eyed Heather, and then looked at Jason for an answer. “Doing as in what?”

  Heather answered again directing her response at Matt. She knew how he was going to respond. He might trust Jason, but other men were another story. Matt was a highly protective brother. “Would you believe she wants me to be auctioned off to the highest bidder?” Oh, yeah, she had both men’s attention now. Two sets of male eyes were now fixed on her. “I was just asking Jason how she bribed him into talking to me.”

  Matt turned to Jason, his spine straight and stiff. “You’re a part of this?” Accusation laced his tone.

  To Jason’s credit, he didn’t so much as blink. “Actually,” he said, looking at Matt, and then back at Heather. “I was here to tell her to help some other way. Selling herself off to some strange man simply isn’t safe.”

  “Exactly,” Matt said. “Help some other way. Don’t sell yourself like some kind of—”

  Heather cut him off in a biting tone. “Kind of what?”

  Matt ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and looked at Jason. “Make her understand, man, will you?”

  Jason stared at Heather, his eyes darkened with a glint of something untouchable with words. Something about the way he looked at her, regardless of mood, always got to her. Feeling the flip-flop of her stomach, she pressed her palm to her belly.

  “I’m a big girl now, Matt,” Heather said in an irritated voice, but her eyes were locked with Jason’s. She couldn’t seem to look away.

  “What if the guy who buys an evening with you gets the wrong idea?” Jason asked. “Don’t they get sunset to sunrise with you?”

  Heather rolled her eyes, to hide the satisfaction in them. He most definitely didn’t like the idea of the auction. “It’s a charity event, for god’s sake, Jason. Get real. These are respectable businessmen.”

  Matt let out a bark of laugher. “So was Jack the Ripper.”

  Heather squeezed her eyes shut tightly and muttered under her breath. When she opened them again, she moved her hands to the arms of her chair. “I make my own decisions, boys. And I’ve done quite well without you two looking over me.“ A secret smile played on her lips. Jason didn’t want her to do this. She waved her hands at them. “Shoo, flies. I have work to do.”

  “I still want to take you to lunch,” Matt objected.

  “Can’t,” Heather said, looking at her watch. “It’s not lunch time for me. I didn’t get to work until eleven. Besides, you’ll just ride me about this some more. I can’t take it.”

  “Don’t do the auction,” Jason said quietly. Heather looked at him, drawn by something she heard in his voice.

  “Too late. I already promised. It’s two days away, and someone important dropped out. Jennifer needs me. Besides, it’s a good cause.”

  Matt chimed in, eager to join forces with Jason. “There are other ways to help.”

  Heather smiled, placing her elbows on her desk, and resting her chin on her palms. “I appreciate the concern, but you two, but I assure you I can take care of myself.”

  Heather’s intercom went off. Thank God for the reprieve. She reached for her phone, and lifted it to her ear. She didn’t bother with hello. It was Shelly, of course. “Hold on a sec, okay?”

  Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked at Jason and Matt. “I have to work.”

  Matt looked irritated, but turned to leave. Jason followed, not looking at her at all. She wasn’t about to let him off that easy. “Oh, Jason, will you tell Jennifer I’ll call her after my meeting?”

  He turned and looked at her, eyes narrowed, as if he was assessing her motives. “Yes, I’ll tell her.”

  Chapter Ten

  With a dangerously intense look in his eyes, Jason shoved open the door of the Jump Zone lobby. He had made himself promise not to talk about Heather with Jennifer.

  And damn it, he meant to keep that promise.

  Jennifer, unexpectedly, was standing behind the counter. She wrote for the local newspaper, and rarely came by during the early part of the day. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He stopped at the counter, and reached for the day’s student line up. Focusing on the paper, he didn’t look at her. “I thought you had a real job to go to?”

  Jennifer’s made a face. “Nice to see you too, Jason. Underwear on backwards or something?”

  Jason set down the clipboard with a harder thud than necessary. “Something, that’s for sure.” Like her and her damned auction. Biting back his thoughts, he turned and started towards his office.

  “Jason?”

  He stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “Yes?”

  “If you need to talk, I’m always around.”

  And he knew she was. Jennifer was truly a sweetheart. She didn’t mean to screw up his life. But she had, and that made her the last person he would be discussing his problems with.

  Raising a hand, he simply said, “Thanks,” and reached for his doorknob.

  As soon as he was in his office, he walked to the window, and leaned both palms on the glass. “Damn it,” he mumbled under his breath.

  How in the hell had things gotten so out of control?

  He fully intended to walk away from Heather, but the auction had brought to the surface unexpected feelings. His gut tightened just thinking about another man touching her, tasting her.

  He wanted to be the man who shared not only her body, but her life. He laughed bitterly. Fate had dealt him and impossible hand. There was no option. He had to stay away from her, and let her lead her life.

  Watching her do it was going to hurt.

  But he loved her enough not to risk screwing up her family life.

  Love.

  The word danced in his head.

  Yes, he did love her, with all his heart and soul. Probably always had.

  And always would.

  * * *

  Tucking her feet under her backside, Heather took a sip of her raspberry hot chocolate. It warmed her insides, but not her heart and body. The action was tomorrow night, and Jason hadn’t so much as called.

  Maybe this was a bad idea.

  She didn’t really want to know he didn’t care enough to be impacted by Jennifer’s little plan. She let out a heavy breath, feeling the tension slip out for a mere instant, before returning.

  A knock on the door, made her still. Slowly, hope building inside, she set her cup on the coffee table and uncurled her legs.

  Could it be…That hope was blown as the door opened before she could move.

  Matt.

  “You really should keep the door locked.” He sat down next to her, turned his baseball hat backwards, and picked up her cup. Taking a big sniff, he said, “Hmmm.” He slanted her a glance. “I see you still drink this stuff.” He took a sip. “God, I see why. Good stuff.”

  “My doors were locked. We both know you used your key.” Her lips pursed.

  On another occasion she would have slugged him one for drinking out of her
cup, and told him to get his own.

  Tonight, his presence instead of Jason’s made her heart ache so badly, she didn’t have it in her to argue. She sank back against the cushion, tucked her feet back beneath her, and concentrated on not crying.

  Matt set down the cup. “You aren’t going to yell about me drinking your chocolate?”

  She eyed him momentarily, and then looked away. “Nope.”

  Heather didn’t look at him. Couldn’t. She was still grasping for tear control. She felt the shifting of the couch, and cast him a covert look.

  Casually, he dropped his bomb. “This is about you and Jason, isn’t it?”

  Instantly, her eyes turned towards him. “What about me and Jason?”

  Matt crossed his arms in front of his body, his expression expectant. “You tell me.”

  She wasn’t admitting anything. “I don’t want to tell you.” She’d turn the tables. “You tell me.”

  His brow inched upward. “Don’t know what I know, right?”

  She made a disgusted sound, and turned towards him, back hitting the arm of the couch. “Just say what’s on your mind.”

  His eyes fixed on hers. “Are you seeing Jason?”

  Honestly, she answered. “No.”

  “But you want to.” It wasn’t a question.

  “No.”

  His face showed his disbelief. They had always been honest with each other. “It’s the truth,” she exclaimed. “At least, now it is.”

  “Ah,” he said. “Now we are getting somewhere.”

  “No, we most certainly are not. I am through with this subject.” Heather turned and started to get up.

  Matt reached for her arm. “I know you two have always had a thing for each other.”

  Heather stilled, shocked at his words. Slowly she sank back into the cushion. “You have?”

  He laughed. “Neither of you hide it well. You didn’t in the past, and you most certainly don’t now.”

  Stunned, she asked, “And how do you feel about it?”

  “I’ve just been wondering when you two would cave and become a couple. When I showed up at your place and he was here I thought, damn, finally.” Matt frowned. “Obviously you’ve hit a snag. What happened?”