Hired: A Bride for the Boss: The Playboy Boss's Chosen Bride / The Corporate Marriage Campaign / The Boss's Urgent Proposal

Jake settled beside her and closed his door, filling the space inside the car with a sense of primal urgency. He gunned the powerful engine and they were away, charging into a togetherness they had never had before. The security gates at the end of the driveway were being opened but he had to slow the car briefly and he reached across and took her hand, his fingers tightening around hers in a possessive grasp.

‘Are you okay, Merlina?’ he asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

His dark eyes scanned hers for some sign that she was with him in spirit as well as physically present.

‘I don’t know,’ she answered shakily. ‘Taking off with you feels like a rash leap in the dark.’

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. ‘Don’t worry. Just let it happen.’

‘Don’t you ever think about what you’re doing, Jake?’

‘I don’t have to think about this. It’s right between us. You know it is.’

His eyes blazed absolute conviction at her, then satisfied that he’d settled that point, he removed his hand to shift gears and turned his gaze to the street they were about to enter.

‘It wasn’t right until I turned into a blonde for the cake act,’ she muttered. Which reminded her… ‘What happened with Vanessa Hall? You were in the middle of a relationship with her.’

‘Vanessa and I called it quits on Saturday.’

‘Because of me?’

‘Yes. Because of you.’ He threw her a quick burning glance. ‘Let it be understood that Vanessa was no more than a social convenience in my life.’

‘And I was a work convenience,’ spilled out in a bitter little burst.

‘No. You were never a convenience,’ he denied emphatically.

‘What was I then?’ she challenged, still needing to probe his feelings for her.

‘The light of my life. How’s that?’ He flashed her a grin, getting back into his playboy stride. ‘And I’m not about to let it go out.’

Was it a bit of flippant charm or did he mean it? ‘When did I become the light of your life?’ she asked, mockingly adding, ‘Suddenly? On Saturday afternoon?’

The grin turned into a grimace of vexation at her reading of the situation. ‘This is no flash in the pan, Merlina. In fact, the chemistry we mixed together stirred to life at your job interview with me, strengthened considerably on your first day at work and has been running on well-charged batteries ever since. And for you to pull the plug on it…’ His dark eyebrows beetled down at her. ‘Why did you?’

She shrugged, feeling more able to cope with this conversation. Silence fed too many doubts and worries. ‘I was sick of being your wind-up doll,’ she answered bluntly.

‘Hmm…I always anticipated your calling it time up sooner or later. ‘

That stung her into saying, ‘Oh, really? I thought you expected me to sparkle for you as long as you liked.’

‘No, I was just seeing how far I could wind you. I thought you might explode over the cake idea. I was actually looking forward to the conflagration, but you held it in and paid me out on your own spectacular terms—a tactic, I might add, that I admired for its sheer boldness until my grandfather leapt on board and cut me out.’

‘You weren’t in, Jake. You were with Vanessa Hall,’ she reminded him cattily, remembering how many times she’d burned over his women. It was all very well to call her the light of his life. What were they? Briefly flickering candles?

‘Believe me. Vanessa was well aware of how in I was by the end of Saturday’s party,’ he drawled sardonically.

‘What? You had to lose me before you decided you wanted me?’ Merlina sniped, disgruntled with his two-faced attitude.

‘I told you. It was always there. But you were so good at working with me I didn’t want to complicate the situation.’

‘Right! So it was okay to keep me dangling to serve your interests. Never mind how I felt about it.’

His attention instantly veered from the road to focus intently on her. ‘How did you feel about it?’

Merlina clamped her mouth shut. Those treacherous words had slipped out. She knew better than to give anything up to Jake Devila. He’d go to work on it and get an advantage for himself. She had to keep her obsession with him hidden and try to find the real guts in what he was now revealing.

‘I don’t like being played with,’ she tossed at him. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here with you. I should have stayed with Byron.’

‘No!’

‘You’re just going to play with me on another level, Jake.’

‘It ceased to be a game the moment you threw down the gauntlet, Merlina,’ he said with surprising seriousness.

‘What is it then? Isn’t this all about winning what you want?’

‘No. It’s about sharing something special.’ His eyes pinned hers in a brief glittering challenge. ‘Something that neither of us will get from anyone else.’

She sucked in a quick breath to ease the tight squeeze on her heart. It was what scared her most, never being able to find anyone else who could touch the chords in her that Jake touched—touched and tweaked and tuned to his pitch. Instinct told her he would have even more power over her feelings if she went to bed with him. Yet if she didn’t…maybe she would be missing the most special experience of her entire life.

‘I’m not sure I believe it would be anything special to you, Jake,’ she said on a doubtful sigh. ‘Perhaps you think you can seduce me back to work with you.’

He said nothing.

Which, to Merlina’s mind, meant she’d hit the nail on the head. Except he threw her into emotional confusion again when he did reply.

‘Seduction is not my scene. I’ve only ever been with women who’ve wanted to be with me. I hope you will choose to be my partner at work again because we make a great team. And I don’t think anyone can fill your shoes, Merlina.’

Those all too seductive words completely destroyed the cynicism she had struggled to maintain. She wanted to be his partner—his partner in everything. They did make a great team. And she knew in her bones that no one was going to fill his shoes, either.

The need to be with him dragged at her heart. She closed her eyes, wishing it was possible to forget everything else and just let it happen. She could give it three months, couldn’t she? If it didn’t look like leading where she wanted it to go, break it off then and walk away. But having got in so deep, would she want to?

The choices one made directed one’s life, but how many choices were driven by emotion? Had she really chosen to carve out a career for herself, or was it simply a rebellion against the constrictions innate in living up to the Italian way, as dictated by her father. Had she chosen to cut her hair and re-image herself to get the job at Signature Sounds or had that motivation been pushed by the desire to make Jake Devila sit up and take notice of her—man/woman notice?

As for playing the get-Jake game with Byron, she’d been indulging a vengeful streak that had completely overwhelmed common sense. Vengeance and hope—a cocktail for chaos, not a recipe for forging a good future.

Her resignation from the job had been an attempt to take real control of where she was going in her life, yet even that had been a reaction to intolerable circumstances, and this move from Jake tonight was spinning her right out of control again. Her head was aching from the stress of trying to choose the right direction. Her heart kept thumping its own message—let it happen. You want it to.

Jake was acutely conscious of her silence. Had he said enough to break the barriers she was trying to keep between them? She wasn’t arguing and Mel—Merlina—was rarely lost for words when she had a point to push. He had to stop thinking Mel. If he slipped up on her name again, she’d probably kick him out of her life.

A quick glance told him she’d closed her eyes, retreating into her own inner world, shutting him out. That was a bad sign. Her mind was probably working against him, thinking of Vanessa and the other women who’d traipsed through his life and bed since she’d been his personal assistant. He couldn’t blame her for not believing she held a uniquely special place in his mind. But she did. He’d just wanted to keep her separate from the party scene—all to himself at work.

No choice now.

He had to do whatever had to be done not to lose her.

They were crossing the harbour bridge. Only fifteen more minutes to her apartment in Chatswood. He knew where it was, had dropped her there a few times after meetings with business associates had run late. She’d never invited him in and he’d never pushed to go in, knowing it would be a dangerous place to be. Too intimate. Too tempting.

But that didn’t matter any more. His whole body was yearning to have her in his arms again, firing up the passion that had flared between them. Just kissing her had been pure dynamite. And she had certainly felt it as strongly as he had. She couldn’t turn her back on it. No one in their right mind would.

A red traffic light forced a stop at the Artarmon turn-off. It gave him time to take more than a glance at her. She was a study in stillness, as though she was holding herself tightly together. Her eyes were still closed. There was a sad, defeated air about her expressionless face. It suggested she had given up on fighting him but wasn’t happy about it.

He wanted to lean over and kiss her, bring her back to vibrant life again. The car behind his honked an impatient warning that the line of traffic in front of him was moving. Jake switched his attention to the road ahead and drove on, telling himself he’d make everything right for Merlina when the trip to Chatswood was over.

The car came to a halt and the engine was switched off. Time up, Merlina thought. No escape from facing up to the situation now. With a resigned sigh, she opened her eyes and saw they were parked directly in front of her apartment. Jake had brought her home as promised.

It was an old-fashioned block of only four apartments and she lived on left-hand side ground floor. She had her own entrance via a front porch which caught the sun in winter. Apart from this pleasant feature, the apartment was fairly basic: a living room which was separated from the kitchen by a breakfast bar, a bathroom/laundry and two bedrooms at the back.

Jake had never been inside. Nor had she ever been inside his penthouse at Milson’s Point where he had undoubtedly entertained many women. A convulsive little shiver of revulsion accompanied that thought. Merlina silently vowed she would never go there. If she was going to have sex with him it would take place in her bed where no other intimacy had ever occurred.

Her heart fluttered wildly as Jake alighted from the car and headed for the passenger side. Any second now she would be stepping out beside him and what would happen after that? He opened the door. Merlina was momentarily paralysed with fear, unable to make herself move.

‘We’re here,’ he said, prompting action.

‘Right!’ she forced herself to say, and somehow managed to swing her legs out of the car.

Jake grasped her arm, assisting in getting her upright from the low-slung seat. It brought her very close to him and when he took hold of her other arm, turning her to face him, every nerve in her body zinged as though hit by an electric charge. Was he about to kiss her? She looked up in helpless agitation. For several fraught moments, his eyes searched hers, and the tension emanating him held her more captive than his hands. What was he looking for? What did he want to find?

He didn’t kiss her.

‘Go and open up,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ll get your bags out of the trunk and bring them inside.’

Her arms were released. He turned away. Free to move, Merlina recollected herself and headed for her front door. I’m his puppet again, she thought, acting to his dictation. She didn’t even realise she had no handbag with her until she reached the porch. It was probably in the trunk, too. Rather than turn back, she took the emergency key from the little magnetic box attached to the pot stand under the pink geranium, used it to unlock the door, then returned it to its hiding place.

The trunk slammed shut, which meant Jake was on his way. She entered her living room, leaving the door opened wide for him to carry in the bags of clothes, including the red rose StValentine’s Day bikini, which she’d designed with malice aforethought. Going out with a big bang had probably not been a good idea. Another decision driven by emotion.

Everything was tidy, as she’d left it on Saturday morning. There weren’t any red roses in a vase. Jake hadn’t sent her any on St Valentine’s day. No token of love from him. Only…unfinished business!

‘Where do you want these?’ he asked as he came in.

She couldn’t bring herself to direct him to her bedroom. ‘Just drop them on the floor, thanks, Jake.’

He pushed the door shut before unloading himself. Merlina didn’t have to be Einstein to know he didn’t intend to leave in a hurry. Having set down her bags as directed, he straightened up, his presence more dominating than ever now that he was within the four walls of her home.

The tension swirling between them choked her into silence. All she could do was stare at him—this man whom she had craved for so long. Not for just a sexual experience. She desperately wanted him to make love to her—real love—and for it to be so wonderful he’d never want any other woman. A team for life, not limited to work. He’d used the M word…

‘Why are you frightened of me?’ he asked, frowning in concern, his hands lifting, palms open in an appeal for belief that he meant her no harm.

‘Because…’ It was a croak. She swallowed hard. ‘Because…’ Again she stopped, her head whirling with reasons, but voicing them would sound like begging for more than he was ever likely to give and that would leave her totally defenceless.

‘You didn’t really answer me before,’ he said, his eyes demanding the truth now, though his voice held a caring gentleness as he repeated the question. ‘Are you a virgin, Merlina?’

‘No. But…it’s been a while…’ Like years. Her mind suddenly seized on a reason that any woman with any sense should be thinking of in this situation. ‘And I’m not protected.’

The words were no sooner out than she realised they implied she was not against having sex with him, only that she wasn’t prepared for it tonight.

He smiled in relief as he assured her, ‘I’ll take care of it.’

Of course, she thought caustically. He was probably in the habit of carrying a pocketful of condoms. Who knew when lust would jump up and bite you, and it would be highly inconvenient if he got a woman pregnant. She was crazy to be dallying with a playboy.

‘Don’t worry about anything,’ he soothed as he moved forward, his natural confidence restored, flashing his dimples in distracting fashion while she stood like a dummy, letting him come to her.

He slid one arm around her waist and lifted his other hand to her face, his fingers grazing softly down her cheek, tracing her lips with tantalising tenderness. Again all Merlina could do was stare at him. His eyes were promising her pleasure she had never known before, and there was no longer any question of whether or not to surrender to temptation.

The promise was too close, beaming into her tormented soul, tugging her irresistibly into abandoning her fears and following his lead…the light of her life.

CHAPTER NINE

THE swell of caring Jake felt was completely new to him. None of the women he had ever been with had shown any inhibitions about having sex with him. The poignant vulnerability in Merlina’s eyes was so suggestive of innocence, he was certain her sexual experience had been very limited, and probably not pleasurable enough to seek repetition. She wasn’t even on the Pill. That alone spoke volumes.

It made him acutely conscious that this was not a casual tumble into bed. Not for her. Not for him, either. It was make or break time. If he didn’t get it right for her, didn’t make her feel good about giving herself to him, she might wipe him off as a big mistake. Might even go back to his grandfather.

Her lips quivered under his feather-light finger touch, parting slightly as she sucked in a deep breath. There were no sparks of fiery amber in her eyes. The brown had darkened into pools of dark chocolate—huge eyes swimming with unbridled emotion that tugged at his heart, asking silent questions which he knew he had to answer. Somehow.

Her hands had lifted to his chest, not to push him away, but resting there tentatively, not quite prepared to actively encourage more physical intimacy, yet he could feel the taut waiting in her body, the wanting for him to take the initiative, to make it happen.

The moment he kissed her he knew they would slide up around his neck, holding him tight as she had in his grandfather’s home. But there was no longer any need to prove the existence of the sexual chemistry between them and he didn’t want to move fast this time.

He wanted to explore every facet of Merlina Rossi, know all that she was, far beyond what she’d shown him at work. Her smooth olive skin had made him wonder how it would feel. His finger pads revelled in its satin softness as he slid them across her cheek and into her hair, so thick and glossy, like massed strands of silk, not the often dry texture of dyed blond hair.

What was it about blondes that had attracted him? Maybe it was a come-hither attitude embodied in their wish to be more attractive to men. Whereas Merlina… This is me, she had cried when he had accused her of adopting a different image to the one he had insisted upon for her job as his P.A. If he had not demanded the change, if her hair had remained long, how gloriously sensual it would be to lie on it, to have it brushing over his body!

‘I shouldn’t have told you to have it cut,’ he said regretfully.

Her head leaned into the cup of his hand, rubbing it like a cat that loved being stroked. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said huskily. ‘I can grow it again now.’

Be herself…away from him.

The intolerable thought spurred the need to draw her into a closeness she wouldn’t want to break. His mouth sought the response from hers she had given before, using all its erotic skill to excite her out of the passive stance she’d been holding. Her arms instantly flew up to wind around his neck. Her tongue danced a wild tango with his. The voluptuous swell of her breasts pressed against his chest, their hard peaks imprinting proof of her arousal.

He gathered her closer and her wonderfully soft and curvaceous femininity was an intoxicating pleasure. Skinny was great for wearing designer clothes. Feeling pelvic bones and ribs was not so sexy. Merlina’s body was sensually perfect and his hands revelled in moulding it to his.

He was on fire for her, desire roaring through him, tightening his muscles, making his erection shriek now, now, now! He barely leashed the urge to race her off to bed. Fast was wrong. She’d think he only cared about getting sexual relief, using her to do it. If she’d only had selfish lovers, adding himself to that list wouldn’t win him any stay of judgement on her leaving him to his own life. He had to ease back, slow down, stay in control.

Merlina was so caught up in the throes of passion, a guttural little moan of protest scraped from her throat when he withdrew his mouth from hers, bringing a halt to the intense flow of excitement.

‘It’s all right,’ he soothed, whispering the words in her ear, making it tingle as he tucked her head into the curve of his neck and shoulder, then rubbed his cheek softly over her hair. ‘You’ll have me exploding if I don’t take a breather.’

A gurgle of laughter bubbled out, erupting from the relief of having him dismiss the nervous fear that she was an inadequate kisser compared to the more experienced women he’d been with.

‘You think it’s funny?’ he queried in a wry tone.

‘No…no…’ She scooped in a quick breath and planted a happy kiss on his throat. ‘I think it’s great,’ she murmured with a rush of heartfelt pleasure at having him find her so desirable.

‘Oh, you like having that kind of power over me, do you?’ he said teasingly.

A wild recklessness seized her. Suddenly freed from the dreadful bank of inhibitions that had previously almost paralysed her, she lifted her head back and grinned at him. ‘Yes, I do.’

He laughed as though he loved the unexpected burst of honesty from her. His eyes sparkled with wicked mischief. ‘You’re challenging me to drive you into the same state of urgency.’

‘You’ve done a fair job so far,’ she said archly, entering into his playboy game. It was who Jake was, and nothing was going to change him, so why not let herself enjoy it for once?

‘Fair…’ he repeated assessingly, his eyes gathering dangerous glints of sexual intent. ‘An escalation is definitely needed here. I think I’ll start by getting rid of this belt which has been sticking into me.’

He swiftly dropped his embrace, his hands deftly undoing the plaited rosette which fastened the soft leather tie around her waist. Her stomach contracted as the belt loosened and dropped to the floor. This was the first stage of undressing. Don’t think ahead, she fiercely told herself. Just let it happen.

But as he disconnected the hook and eye which kept the wrap-around silk dress in place, she desperately wished she was wearing a sexy suspender belt and stockings instead of plain, comfortable pantihose. The creamy silk bra and knickers were okay, not exactly alluring but she liked them and if Jake was used to more exotic female underwear, well…tough luck! Surely getting down to basics was the aim, anyway, and she wasn’t ashamed of her body.

‘Mmm…silk hair, silk dress, silk bra,’ he purred approvingly, his hand shifting the dress aside enough to slide under the fabric and close around the fullness of one achingly sensitive breast. His mouth curved into a very sensual smile, his eyes simmering with sexy appreciation. ‘What does that tell me about you, Merlina?’

She wanted to close her own eyes and just feel him feeling her, focus inwardly on the gently kneading fingers, the tantalising sweep of his thumb over her extremely erect nipple, the intense pleasure flooding from his touch. Yet if she did so, wouldn’t it tell him how deeply he was affecting her? Better to keep the banter going, treat everything lightly.

‘That I’m a silk worm and you should feed me mulberry leaves?’ she tossed out.

He laughed, delight dancing over his face, dimples flashing, and the hand caressing her breast forgot its seductive intent and squeezed in avid possession as he sobered and said, ‘I’d rather feed you me.’

Her heart slammed around her chest at the suggestive imagery of those words. Somehow her mind was still alert enough to zap out a snappy reply. ‘Careful, Jake! I might chew you into little bits.’

‘Well, you’d only do that if you found me tasty.’

‘Or too difficult to swallow.’

‘Guess we have to test that out.’

A joyous confidence glowed from him. His hands started sliding around her back and Merlina knew her bra was about to be slipped from its moorings. Attacked by another panicky wave of vulnerability, she wildly seized on a bold move of her own.

‘You’re wearing too many clothes for tasting,’ she pointed out, hoping to put him on the naked spot first.

He grinned. ‘Did I ever tell you I love the way your mind works?’

Love? That one word rattled all the skeletons in Merlina’s emotional closet. She barely caught breath enough to say, ‘No, you never did.’

‘Always put me on my mettle. Thrust, parry, thrust…exciting stuff.’

Not exciting enough to want to be with me all the time, she thought rebelliously, telling herself not to get sucked into the love pit. That was too dangerous with Jake. Besides, her defensive tactic had worked. Instead of undoing her bra, his hands had whipped down to the bottom of his shirt, which he was gathering up for lift-off. She quickly removed her arm-lock on his head and stood looking on in awed fascination as he not only stripped off his shirt but all his other clothes, as well.