Seduced

How convenient, he thought in amusement, knowing exactly what she was attempting to do—take complete charge and keep his interaction with her to a minimum. “And splitting the cost of the party with you, of course.”

“I’ll keep the expenses as minimal as possible. I promise. And if the expense of the party gets to be too much for you, I’ll cover the costs.”

Money wasn’t a concern for him. Not in the least. “I can afford whatever you have in mind.”

She leaned forward in her chair expectantly, her eyes hopeful. “Then the party is a go at your place?”

He saw this idea of hers as his last opportunity to insinuate himself in her life, to work past those barriers she put up with him, to spend quality time with her and tempt and seduce her, and see where their attraction might lead.

Picking up his favorite Mont Blanc pen, he rolled it between his fingers. “I’ll agree to the party at my place on one condition.”

She made a snickering sound. “You can’t agree without striking some kind of bargain, can you?”

“I can’t help it.” He shrugged. “Making deals is part of my business. Why settle for less than what I know I can get?”

“Call it what it is, Matthews—wearing your opponent down.”

He feigned a wince at her barb. “I’d like to think of it as drive and ambition to succeed. I haven’t gotten as far as I have without it.”

Derision colored her gaze. “In your illustrious career as a divorce attorney, or with me?”

Somewhere along the way their conversation had taken a personal slant, and it seemed as though his ambitious nature was a source of contention for her. “With both, actually.”

The leg crossed over her opposite knee bounced impatiently. “All right then, counselor, let’s hear it. What are your conditions?”

He set his pen in its holder. “That I’m part of the planning, every step of the way.”

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at him incredulously. “You’re joking.”

He blinked, and kept his face carefully blank. “I’m completely serious.”

“You don’t have time to do the planning,” she insisted, obviously rattled by his suggestion and what it implied—spending time with him.

“How do you know what I have time for?”

She shook her head in an attempt to divert his interest. “I work out of my apartment with my medical transcripts, and can take care of calls and errands during the day. Why would you want to worry about any of this when I’m more than willing to handle everything?”

Knowing if he revealed his true motives he’d never stand a chance with her, he opted for the obvious. “Well, for starters, I’m paying for half of this party, which gives me the right to contribute my opinion on everything, yes?”

Very reluctantly, she said, “Well…yes.”

“And I’m opening my house to thirty-something people, so I’d like to know what to expect, and what you plan to do.” He flipped through his daily calendar and summed up his schedule fairly quickly. “I do have some court appearances coming up and cases that I need to close, but for the most part my nights and weekends are wide open.”

Frustration all but radiated from her—there was nothing she could refute. She sat back in her chair with a small huff. “Why don’t sharks attack lawyers?”

Suppressing a grin, he reached for a piece of letterhead and retrieved his pen again. “Why?”

“Professional courtesy,” she muttered.

He chuckled deeply as he drew a diagram to his house for her. “Is that your way of saying I got my way?”

“Yeah, you got your way.” She didn’t sound happy about the fact.

He added his address and home phone number to the piece of paper. Standing, he circled around the desk and handed her the stationery with his bold script on it. “Here are directions to my place. How about we start on the planning tomorrow since it’s Saturday? I’m free—how about you?”

Tentatively, she took the heavy cream vellum from his outstretched hand, but didn’t bother looking at it. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any plans, either.”

“Great. Why don’t you come over around eleven and take a look at the layout of my house and see what we have to work with, and then we’ll go from there?”

“All right.” She folded the paper into a precise square. “I have a list of Marc and Brooke’s close friends, and I have a program on my computer that can print up nice party invitations, so I’ll do that this evening, get them addressed, and drop them in the mail on my way to your place in the morning.”

He leaned his backside against the edge of his desk and crossed his legs at his ankles. “Bring them over and we’ll address them together.”

Her lips pursed. “I can do it myself. It’s really a one-person job.”

“Regardless, I want to be a part of every aspect of this party, Jessie.” He knew if he gave her an inch, she’d run a mile. “Including addressing and stamping the invitations.”

Her chin lifted a stubborn notch. “It’s Jessica.”

“I like Jessie better.” The nickname was soft, gentle, with just a hint of rebellion. “It suits you.”

She clucked her tongue. “I suppose you could call me worse.”

He dropped his voice to a low, husky murmur for effect. “Like honey, or sweetheart?”

Her cheeks flushed a sudden, telltale pink. “Those endearments definitely don’t apply to me and you.” Finishing the last of her mocha, she stood and pitched the empty cup into the wastebasket at the side of his desk.

“They could.” He twisted around to keep her in his line of vision as a sudden thought dawned on him. “Unless you’re dating someone else?”

“No,” she admitted freely. “I’m single, available, but not interested…in you.”

Then it was up to him to change her mind, because her lying words contradicted the wistful look in her gaze.

She broke eye contact first. “Well, I think we just about covered everything, and now that you’ve blackmailed me, I think I’ll be on my way.” She headed toward the door, and he followed right behind.

“Just one more thing,” he said with a lazy, self-assured smile.

Her gaze narrowed skeptically as she reached for her coat. “What? Another condition?”

He gently grabbed her wrist before she could execute her move, startling her. Instantaneous awareness cloaked them. She sucked in a swift breath, but didn’t struggle or pull back. Their gazes locked as he stroked his thumb over the pulse point at the base of her wrist. In gradual degrees, he eased closer to her, while she stood statue-still.

He watched as her irises turned as dark and sensual as crushed sapphire velvet, and a surge of heat sped through his veins. Their thighs brushed, and he heard her breath hitch in her throat. Unwilling to let this moment pass without indulging in one of his tamer fantasies, he lifted his hand and finally skimmed his fingers along her smooth cheek, savoring the suppleness of her skin.

She looked stunned by his boldness, mesmerized by the tenderness of his touch. Taking advantage of her uncharacteristic docility, he gave in to the impulse he’d been denied earlier and slid his fingers into her hair. Silky warmth engulfed him, like nothing he’d ever experienced. The sensation was so unbelievably erotic he shuddered with pleasure.

“Ryan?” she whispered, her voice holding a slight tremor.

“No more conditions,” he said, his tone low and rough. Fisting his hand into the feathery mass, he tipped her face up, so she could look into his eyes and see his intent. “This has nothing to do with the party, and everything to do with you and me…and finally getting an answer to a question I’ve been wanting to ask for the past year.”

And then he lowered his head and settled his mouth over hers.

2

JESSICA NEVER COULD HAVE anticipated the impact of Ryan’s kiss, or her open response to him. A year’s worth of resisting his charm, teasing and advances dissolved the moment his mouth touched hers, unraveling every solid lecture she’d given herself on why she could never fall for a man like him…a man who made a career out of tearing families apart, just as her family had been ripped apart.

But none of that mattered at that moment, not when the man, not the lawyer, was gently coaxing her with the soft glide of his lips across hers, taking time and care to draw her into far more forbidden territory. She had no defense against his brand of lazy seduction, his hypnotic patience. And when he slid his other hand into her hair, gradually eased her back against the wall and slanted her mouth more firmly beneath his, she was totally and completely lost. She gripped his corded forearms for support, bared by his rolled-up shirtsleeves, and held on.

Aching to experience more of this exquisite pleasure, she surrendered with a breathy moan. Her lips softened and parted beneath his, and his tongue swept inside to taste her, tantalizing her with silken, gliding forays that made her knees weak and her head spin. She brazenly sought a more intimate sampling, too, and shivered at the combined flavors of hot male and rich coffee.

She learned quickly that despite his straightforward manner, he was a man who took his time and did things thoroughly. He kissed her with delicious languor, as if he had all the time in the world to indulge in the taste and textures of her mouth. His hips pressed closer, making her all too aware of the unyielding masculine body pinning her to the wall, the citrus scent of his aftershave, and the voluptuous sensations coursing through her.

His thumbs brushed her jaw, and her skin caught fire. His wide chest grazed hers, and her breasts swelled and her nipples tightened and ached. A muscular thigh insinuated itself between hers, she felt the hard length of his erection against her hip, and heated desire curled low in her belly. And when he deepened the kiss, she responded just as enthusiastically.

She’d never experienced passion like this—instantaneous and wild. Never wanted another man with such shameless abandon. Never allowed herself to be so reckless with her desires. Her one and only quick, awkward encounter with someone she’d briefly dated three years ago hadn’t prepared her for such intense, thrilling pleasure and consuming need.

Ever since her sister’s marriage she’d been feeling restless, wanting something that felt just beyond her reach. With a kiss, Ryan tapped into deeper longings, and made her crave more.

While her body wanted to see where all this irresistible ecstasy might lead, her sensible mind reminded her that any kind of relationship with him was impossible. Having witnessed the pain of her mother’s separation, along with experiencing the anguish of abandonment, she’d learned to be cautious and selective when it came to men in general. By Ryan’s own admission, his ambition to succeed was his main focus, and wouldn’t leave much spare room in his life to cultivate a commitment to something other than his career. She’d spent the past year dodging his flirtatious overtures, turning him down, swearing never to court the kind of disaster imminent with a driven man like him, whose profession contradicted everything she believed in and wanted for herself…love, marriage and family.

A kiss, no matter how exciting and earth-shattering, wouldn’t change her mind or her principles…or allow her to overlook the fact that he terminated families and marriages without thought to the injured parties involved in those cases.

As if sensing her sudden doubts, he slowly dragged his soft, damp lips from hers. His hot, ragged breath along her cheek added to the arousing sensations, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from releasing his name on a breathless, plaintive sigh.

“In case you’re wondering, the answer was yes,” he murmured huskily in her ear, then lifted his head and gently untangled his fingers from her hair.

Trying to regain her own equilibrium, she braced the flat of her palms against the wall behind her and forced her lashes open to look at him. Though his body no longer touched hers, he only stood a few inches away, and she could still feel the sizzling heat radiating from him. His eyes were heavy-lidded and dark, his irises a rich shade of brown rimmed in a glittering gold. Hungry eyes. Seductive eyes. His thick, sable hair was tousled around his head enticingly, and he looked very sexy and overwhelmingly male.

“What was the question?” she asked, her mind foggy and confused.

A crooked, full-of-himself smile curved his lips. “Do you want me as much as I want you?”

She’d forgotten all about his original quest to achieve an answer to his personal query. What she desperately needed was a lawyer joke to diffuse the too-intimate moment, but he had her so unbalanced she couldn’t remember the simplest of her attorney witticisms.

Frowning, and without thinking, she touched her bottom lip, which was still moist, swollen and incredibly sensitive. “And you think I said yes with that kiss?”

“You most definitely didn’t say no, and I always look for the positive.” He slipped his hands into the front pockets of his olive-colored trousers. “Now that we have that awkward question out of the way, we can move on to the next logical phase of our attraction.”

She laughed at his presumptuousness, but couldn’t deny just how adorable he looked, and just how much he did appeal to her, physically and intellectually. He sparked something utterly shameless within her, made her want to throw caution to the wind and give in to that attraction he spoke of.

“And what do you consider the next logical phase?” she asked.

“A date.”

Nothing she hadn’t already heard and turned down before. She inclined her head and smiled. “Don’t you think you’re going about things backwards? A kiss first, date second?” Deeming it way past time she left, she reached for her coat.

He beat her to it, and held open the wool garment for her. “I’ve never been accused of being traditional.”

She wasn’t surprised. How could a man whose main objective was to split up married couples believe in romantic customs and idealistic sentiments?

She slipped into her coat with a murmured thanks, and turned around. His hands lingered, adjusting the collar, his thumbs grazing her neck. Of course her traitorous body shivered at that delectable caress, and her mind conjured up images of him gliding those long tapered fingers elsewhere.

He handed her purse to her, and she slung the long leather strap over her shoulder. “What if I’m a traditional kind of girl?”

An appropriately contrite look transformed his gorgeous features, though his eyes danced with a teasing light. “Then I apologize profusely for offending your delicate sensibilities with that kiss, and would like to make up for my atrocious behavior with dinner. How about tomorrow night?” He opened the door to his office and waited for her to precede him.

She stepped out into the hall, and realized he intended to escort her out—and felt ridiculously pleased by the gesture. “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning, and we’ll be spending the afternoon together.”

“That’s business. I’m referring to pleasure.”

The word “pleasure” rolled off his tongue like a silken, seductive stroke along her spine. She drew a breath and resisted its allure. “No.”

“Sunday night, then?”

He lightly rested his hand on the base of her back. Her coat was heavy and lined, yet that subtle pressure was enough to incite her feminine nerves and send a feverish awareness swirling within her. She held on to her standards and her respectability with both hands. “No.”

“Okay,” he said, unperturbed by her steadfast refusal. “You name the night, then.”

His unwavering persistence amazed her. “How about never?”

They passed through the receptionist area, Ryan told Glenna that he’d be right back after escorting her to the lobby, and they continued to the alcove holding the bank of elevators.

He punched the down arrow and met her gaze. “You’re going to make me work for this, aren’t you?” He didn’t seem at all bothered by that notion. In fact, Jessica suspected the challenge appealed to him and his lawyer instincts.

With his good looks and easy-going charm, she was certain he’d never had to work for a date in his life, and was ninety-nine percent sure his interest in her would wane once she capitulated to his relentless pursuit. No matter how easy it would be to surrender to Ryan despite his profession, it could never happen. She didn’t intend to end up hurt and discarded by any man once he decided the fun was over—especially by one who affected her so strongly and threatened her emotions so severely.

The elevator pinged, signaling its arrival, and they both stepped into the lift. She pressed the button for the lobby, and waited until the metal doors closed. Her stomach dipped, from the descent of the elevator, or from being trapped in such a tiny cubicle with Ryan, she wasn’t sure.

“I’m doing both of us a big favor,” she finally said, infusing her voice with a suitable amount of regret that felt overwhelmingly real. “It would be ridiculous after that kiss to deny that I’m attracted to you, but I don’t think we’re looking for the same things in a relationship.”

He flashed her a quick, tempting grin. “Chemistry is a great start.”

They definitely had plenty of that, but she wanted something more permanent with a man, something more enduring and emotional. Stability and security—the very things she’d grown up without. “Which rarely lasts once the relationship turns physical.”

He studied her too intently with those deep brown eyes of his. “Is that your experience?”

She shrugged vaguely and broke eye contact, unwilling to admit that her experience was limited, and did not evoke pleasant memories. “What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever had?” she asked, turning the conversation back to him.

He worked his mouth in thought. “A little over a year.”

Retrieving her lined leather gloves from her coat pocket, she pulled them on. “How long ago?”

“My senior year in high school.”

She rolled her eyes at him, not at all surprised to discover that he’d spent most of his adult life avoiding a commitment with a woman, which was pretty much equivalent to him confirming himself as a bachelor. “You just proved my point about you and lasting relationships. They don’t exist for you.”

“You didn’t prove anything,” he refuted calmly. “After high school, I went to college while holding down a part-time job, then went straight into law school. Becoming a lawyer and establishing myself has taken precedence over a relationship.”

“And your career is your number one priority.” And that kind of focus didn’t leave much time to nurture an intimate relationship.

Not that she cared.

“I haven’t gotten as far as I have without working hard and making sacrifices.” His words weren’t at all defensive, just a statement of fact. “And quite honestly, I haven’t met a woman who’s made me want to give up being a bachelor.”

The velvet timbre of his voice, the flicker of something far more promising in his eyes, shot a distinct and unnerving tingle through her. The elevator came to a whirring stop, and she opened her purse and dug through the contents, using the search for her car keys as a much needed visual diversion. “I doubt I’m that woman, Matthews, and you’re definitely not someone I’d consider anything long-term with, either.”

“Something short-term then?”

Unable to tell if he was serious or joking, she slanted him a quick glance. The sinful invitation in his gaze indicated his suggestion was, indeed, an earnest one. Temptation crooked its finger, and it took more than a little effort to abstain from accepting his beguiling proposal.

None too soon, the door whooshed opened, and she stepped into the marbled lobby. “You’re a rogue, and I’m not interested.”

“You’re not a very good liar, Jessie,” he said in that silky tone of his. “You’re definitely interested.”

He stopped in the middle of the lobby, and she continued on to the main entrance. Then he called out after her. “And just for the record, I plan to wear down that resolve of yours.”

She turned and used her backside to push open the glass doors that enclosed the interior of the building. Her breath caught, at the afternoon chill that swirled around her, and at the vision of Ryan leaning against a tiled column, so utterly confident, so inherently sexual, so completely irresistible.

But resist him she would. She flaunted a grin full of fabricated sass. “You can certainly try, counselor, but don’t expect me to make it easy on you. And don’t expect to win.”

He tipped his head, and a lock of dark hair fell across his brow, adding to his appeal. “You making it easy on me wouldn’t be any fun, now would it?” he drawled. The devastatingly wicked grin claiming his lips told her he accepted her dare and anticipated the challenge. “See you tomorrow morning.”

RYAN PUSHED HIMSELF to swim an additional ten laps on top of the fifteen he’d already accomplished, hoping the extra morning exercise would burn off the restless energy that had kept him tossing and turning for most of the night. Also to blame were the vivid fantasies that had invaded what little sleep he’d been able to snatch. Of Jessica beautifully naked and submissive in his bed. Of him discovering those curves she’d hidden beneath her bulky sweater, skimming his hands along quivering flesh, tasting her with his tongue, making her want him to the point of begging him for release.

And she begged so prettily in his fantasy, so sweetly. But before he could experience the ecstasy of burying himself deep inside her softness and warmth, he awoke from the erotic dream with a start. He’d been hard and aching, the sheets tangled around his bare legs, and sweating despite the cool night air washing over his body. Three times she’d brought him to the edge last night, until he’d finally dragged himself from bed at dawn and put himself through a rigorous workout regimen in hopes of diminishing the lust that gripped him.

The sharpness of desire had ebbed, but he still wanted her.

Reaching the deep end of the pool, he executed a flip, accelerated off the wall, and continued his fluid, precise strokes across the surface. Curls of steam rose from the water he kept heated in the winter so he could use the pool on a daily basis, but his lungs burned from drawing in cold morning air. The muscles across his shoulders and down his back tingled from the exertion, while the warm water sluiced along his skin, his belly, his thighs, like a lover’s caress.

Jessica’s caress. And just like that, she’d joined him in the pool where he thought he was safe from those erotic fantasies with her.

The kiss they’d shared yesterday afternoon had ignited a dark, carnal craving he couldn’t seem to shake, along with a deeper hunger that transcended mere sexual need, and emotions no other woman had ever evoked. For a year he’d let their desire for one another simmer, and now that he knew there was a warm and willing woman beneath that composed exterior, he wanted to discover everything about her, every sensual secret she harbored.

No easy feat, considering her maddening attempts to deny him, and her frustrating aversion to his profession. But that kiss had provided him with irrefutable evidence. Her vocal cords might be saying “no”, but her lips had told him all he needed to know.

She wanted him, too.

Pulling himself out of the pool, he shivered as too-cold temperatures replaced the warmth of the water. Grabbing the large, fluffy towel he’d left on a lounge chair, he dragged it over his wet head to remove the excess water from his hair, then wrapped the terry around his shoulders. He headed up the brick inlaid steps leading to his two-story house, and wasn’t surprised to see his younger sister, Natalie, sitting at the small table in the kitchen nook that overlooked the landscaped backyard. As always, she’d made herself right at home and was reading his newspaper and drinking what he assumed was a mug of the coffee he’d made that morning. She saw him coming up the walkway, smiled gregariously, and waved.

He lifted a hand in greeting, but entered the house by way of a back door that led to one of the downstairs bathrooms, where he took a quick shower, washed his hair, and changed into the sweatshirt and jeans he’d left there earlier. Leaving his hair damp and finger-combed away from his face, he grabbed his socks and sneakers and headed into the kitchen to see his sister.