Chapter Seven
Jack: You’re behind schedule.
Jilly: So are you! You still owe me five comfort calls!
JILLY WANTED TO BE professional. She truly did. But how could she when everywhere she looked, her every prediction about Guy de la Rocq was being confirmed?
Of all of his fans, she was the only one (in her official statement as the anonymous president of the Secret International Alliance of Supporters of Guy de la Rocq, naturally) to suggest that...
Drumrolls, please!
Guy owned a ranch because of his love for horses, and was that not what this place was, behind the towering perimeter walls and wrought iron gates?
She was also the only one (as President still) to suggest that a man as busy and reserved as Guy would likely have his own estate manager to handle both his household affairs—
"Good morning, mademoiselle. I am Josiah, Mr. de la Rocq's estate manager."
Check!
"May I have a look at your credentials, please?"
—and keep unwanted visitors, groupies, and all around crazies at bay.
And again, check!
She struggled to keep a polite smile pinned to her face as she handed him her ID and letter of reference.
She was here as Jilly the auditor, not Jilly the fangirl.
She had nothing to be guilty about, nothing to fear, the Lord was her shepherd— oh, hush, Jilly, stop panicking, you'll only make him think you're sus!
Josiah handed back her credentials with a smile.
Oh, thank God!
"Thank you, Ms. Kitt. May I take you straight to Mr. de la Rocq's office?"
All she could do was nod. The interior of the ranch house was masculine sophistication personified, just the kind of understated luxury she had always imagined Guy would prefer over flashy excess.
But what had her tongue-tied were the little things that one wouldn't even notice.
..if they were not his fangirl at heart.
Keep it cool, Jilly! Keep it together! Remember to act like you're forty, not fourteen.
There was just so much to see, so much to squeal over internally, that the fangirl in her was about to faint at any moment.
Wasn't that the baseball bat he swung in Night Caller?
And oh, look, that was his first Oscar right there!
And then there was—
"In here, Ms. Kitt." They stopped in front of a pair of double doors crafted from dark walnut. "Mr. de la Rocq is currently taking a business call, but I have been informed to take you straight to his office."
Josiah opened the door, she reluctantly stepped in, and her heart banged against her chest as loudly as the doors behind her shut close in silence.
Guy was seated behind his massive mahogany desk, talking on the phone while looking like he had just stepped off the cover of a power-and-wealth issue of GQ.
He still hadn't seen her, which gave Jilly a moment to drink in details that her fangirl heart had been craving despite her best efforts to forget them.
His white-blond hair was styled in that effortlessly tousled way, the pale strands creating an almost ethereal contrast against his deeply tanned skin.
Those ice-blue eyes that had haunted her dreams were focused intently on his conversation, their pale color made even more striking by dark lashes, creating an effect that was both beautiful and somehow dangerous.
He wore a midnight-blue suit that only the most sophisticated of men could carry effortlessly, and of course he was that...and more.
So, so much more.
This was the same man who had made her come in her own hallway just one week ago, and now she was supposed to sit across from him and discuss financial statements like she was capable of thinking about anything other than the way his hands had felt against her skin?
Doubts suddenly threatened to drown her, and Jilly took a step back, half-thinking of escaping before he noticed her presence—
He looked up.
Too late.
Their eyes met across the space that separated them, and Jilly felt her body spring to life with the same helpless awareness that had been her downfall one week ago.
Guy's lips slowly curved into a smile as he allowed his gaze to linger on Jillian's trembling frame.
Finally.
He had given this a lot of thought, and now that he had her where he wanted her—
Let the games begin.
Guy's burning gaze remained on Jillian as he ended his phone call with swift efficiency, and he saw her gulp as he rose to his feet.
"Hello, sweetheart."
The endearment hit Jilly like a caress, the huskiness of his tone reminding her of how he had once whispered—
Stop it, Jilly!
Guy could feel her struggling to keep her composure.
Good.
His gaze swept over her with lazy appreciation. Her nervousness was palpable, but so was her desire.
She wanted him.
He wanted her.
And soon, they would have each other.
But for now...
"I presume you got my address from Poppy?"
It was time to test just how big a liar she was.
Jilly's eyes widened when she realized what Guy was thinking.
Oh no.
Did he think she was here for personal reasons?
Was he simply expecting to meet his auditor...without knowing their name?
Jilly cleared her throat. "I, um, got it from s-someone else?"
Guy let his gaze narrow. "Only a few people know about this ranch."
Jilly could feel her hands starting to perspire. "I know. But before I answer that question, I thought I should..."
Apologize for blocking his number... right?
Even if she didn't want to.
There was no way out of that one.
Or was there... God?
Hello?
Are You still there, God?
The silence in her mind spoke volumes, and Jilly squirmed on her feet. "I just wanted to talk about the last time—"
Guy nodded. "I understand."
He did?
"I should've called. But I didn't."
Jilly's mouth opened and closed. Was he...was he saying what she thought he was saying?
"And you have every reason to be upset about it."
Oh my goodness, he so was!
He hadn't realized she had blocked his number, and all was suddenly well in her world as relief flooded her whole being.
The fact that he hadn't ever tried to call her that night wasn't exactly a good thing, but hey, at least he didn't know she had blocked his number, and that meant she could still continue being her auditor. .. right?
"Will you forgive me?"
"There's nothing to be forgiven," Jilly said with a quick, warm smile. "I can only imagine how demanding it is for you right now, with Preyer being the first film..."
I'm dead.
Guy was looking at her oddly, and rightly so.
"How did you know about Preyer ?"
"I...um...read the news?"
"Ah."
His suddenly grim tone had her looking at him in concern. "Is everything alright?"
"I was hoping you'd say it's because you're a fan."
" Oh ?"
"Or that you had missed me as much as I had missed you...."
"O-Oh?" Her tone was getting shriller and shriller, and she just didn't know how to stop it.
"Don't you know you're all I've been thinking about the past week?
" Desire now coated his voice, and Jilly's knees were threatening to fold at any given moment.
"Don't you know you're the reason why I've been working like a madman the past few days?
It was because I wanted to reward myself with. ..this."
In moments, Guy had crossed the vast length of his office with long, determined strides, and before she could form a single coherent protest, he had pulled her into his arms with the confident assumption that he had every right to touch her whenever he pleased.
Oh...no.
It was happening once more, her body responding to his nearness with the same helpless hunger that had gotten her into trouble the first time, and all her promises to keep things professional crumbling into dust the moment his hard chest pressed against her suddenly sensitive breasts.
And then, oh, and then...
He was kissing her all of a sudden, his mouth covering hers with skill that made resistance impossible, and oh, she was losing herself in the heat of his embrace just like before, his very scent as intoxicating as the hardness that was now throbbing powerfully against her belly.
His kiss was even more intense than Jilly remembered, his lips moving against hers with a hunger that spoke of frustration and desire, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to claim and conquer with a dominance that made her knees weak and her fingers clutch desperately at the expensive fabric of his suit jacket.
Before she could process what was happening, she was suddenly backed up against the wall beside his office door, the solid wood at her back providing the only thing keeping her upright as Guy’s large body caged her in, his hands braced on either side of her head while his mouth continued its assault on her senses.
His thigh nudged between her legs, pressing against her through the conservative fabric of her business skirt, and the pressure was right, what her body remembered and had been craving despite every attempt to forget, making her gasp into his mouth as heat pooled between her thighs.
“I’ve missed you,” Guy growled against her lips, his voice rough with need as his hands moved to frame her face, tilting her head back so he could deepen the kiss even further.
His hand slid down to cup her breast through the silk of her blouse, and a whimper spilled past her lips as his fingers reclaimed one sensitive peak, pinching and playing like it was his favorite little toy.
“So wet,” he murmured approvingly, his voice laced with masculine satisfaction as one finger slipped inside her with an ease that made Jilly's body buckle against his. “Do you feel it, sweetheart? Do you feel how much your body wants me?"
Jilly found it impossible to answer with his finger still thrusting in and out of her, and aaaah...
His thumb had found that little bud hidden under her creamy folds, and one stroke, oh, just one stroke was more than enough to electrify every nerve in her body...
Guy could feel his control starting to break, his plan to stay detached going into pieces as he watched Jillian start to come apart when he added a second finger.
He could feel her walls working hard to accommodate the added thickness, could feel her breath hitching and her nails digging deeper into his back as the rhythm of his fingers picked up.
He was pushing them in faster and faster, harder and harder—
But before she could shatter in his arms, just like that unforgettable night in her hallway, she was suddenly apart from him, taking Guy completely by surprise as she freed herself with a small gasp—
Jilly could hardly catch her breath, and Guy was breathing just as harshly, his gaze narrowed at her and clearly demanding for answers.
"What game are you playing?"
Jilly couldn't blame Guy for sounding so harsh. It did seem like she was playing a game with him, but she was not.
1 Corinthians 7:9, she reminded herself desperately.
She didn't care what he would think.
Or what others would think.
1 Corinthians 7:9.
And so, even with her body still shaking and aching with need for his touch, she could only look at him pleadingly as the words came tumbling out in a rush.
"I'm sorry, Guy, but I've never had sex with anyone, and I plan to keep it that way until my wedding night!"
With every word she spoke, something in him seemed to crack.
Just every damn word, something inside of him kept cracking until he realized...
It was the walls around his own damn heart, cracking into pieces, until there was nothing left.
Nothing to keep him from realizing that his every assumption about her was so damn wrong—
Nothing to keep his heart from beating—
For her.
His Jillian.
Because this time, he knew that there was not a chance he would ever let another man steal her away from him.