Double Take Seduction – by Lisa Rayne #6
She didn’t hang up, but she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she glanced at the second bouquet of flowers he’d sent her in as many weeks.
The massive arrangement of birds-of-paradise with vibrant, purple Dendrobium orchids and lush greenery had arrived three days ago.
She’d wanted to throw them out, like she’d wanted to do with the first bunch, but hadn’t been able to.
Especially since birds-of-paradise were her favorite flower, and they were accented by orchids in her favorite color.
The other bouquet of orange, yellow, and purple wildflowers still lived, dispersing their fragrance from the glass vase on her bedroom dresser.
Yep, more purple. Coincidence?
Taking advantage of her silence, Justin said, “You were right the other night.”
“ Duh. ” She wasn’t sure which part he was talking about, but the answer was still duh .
He chuckled. “Okay, we should have allowed for a woman’s choice. It’s just we don’t usually ...” He exhaled a deep breath. “No excuses.” His voice softened. “Uhm, look, can we talk in person?”
“No.” This time she did hang up.
A few minutes later a knock sounded at the door.
Glancing through the peephole, she groaned aloud. “Go away, Justin.”
“Just give me five minutes,” he begged.
“No. Go away.”
“What if I could offer you the quitclaim deed to your house?” He held up a manila envelope.
She yanked open the door. “How?”
He tucked the envelope behind his back. “Five minutes?”
She sighed, but stepped back and let him in.
“Let me start by saying, this is yours regardless of what you decide.” He handed her the envelope. “But I want you to decide to give me another chance.”
Ignoring his last sentence, she pulled the papers from the envelope. A quick scan revealed a quitclaim deed signed by Marcus to Kane Property Innovations Group. A flip of a page showed a second deed from the company to her.
“How?” she asked again.
“I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.” With a mafia-esque scowl, he slid his fingers into the back pockets of his naturally faded jeans. His hips canted, and one leg bent into a cocky stance.
Damn, but he looked as good in jeans as he did in dress slacks. And what did it say about her that she found his half-villainous expression twice as hot as his beatific smile?
She reined in the rush of lust that washed over her and pierced him with a speculative stare. “Exactly what kind of offer?”
“Under threat of near blackmail, Kenzie told me all about the sale dispute. I let Gardner know you’d hired me to design and build another house on that lot.
Which I reminded him in no uncertain terms was owned solely by you.
” Slowly, his lips curved into a sexy smirk.
“I gave him a week to arrange for the current house’s removal, or I would arrange it myself and bill him for the cost.”
“So you lied?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I am prepared to design and build you another house for that lot. Whatever you want.”
“Is that even possible? To move a whole house?” she asked doubtfully.
“I assure you it is. As I suspected, Gardner didn’t truly want the house.
He wanted to annoy you and have a reason to keep you tied to him.
” He stepped forward, removed the papers from her hand, and set them aside.
“So I kinda lied again and told him I was your new man. And now I’m here to make that happen. ”
She stepped away, unnerved by the look in his eyes. “Oh no, you’re not. We can’t.”
“Why not?”
Her throat tightened. “Because I don’t want them to hate us.”
Julian and Mac. Julian would feel betrayed by him, and the animosity that would cause between the twins would make Mac angry enough to separate from her forever.
She’d yet to talk to her annoying, overprotective friend since that night at the bar or answer any of her texts, but they’d eventually make up. They always did.
He took a step toward her.
She threw up her hands. “Stop. You have to go. Thank you for the deed.” And for getting my prick of an ex out of my life , she thought. “But you have to go now.”
“Ryder—”
“ No , Justin,” she said firmly.
“Let’s at least talk about this.”
Crossing her arms, she tried to hold in the impulse to tell him yes despite knowing that a no was the only right thing to do. “I need you to hear me. Let. It. Go. I’m not interested in pursuing anything with you. Please leave and don’t come back.”
His face fell. “Alright. I ... I hear you. I didn’t come here to upset you.” He moved toward the door and, as he grasped the doorknob, spied his flowers on the hallway table.
He peered intently at the flowers, hand still on the doorknob, then looked over his shoulder at her. He didn’t have to say a word. She knew. She knew exactly what he was struggling with, and the woman who secretly wanted what he did—but who’d forced those yearnings down—began to panic.
The tension between them became palpable.
“Justin . . . don’t.”
He couldn’t. He couldn’t do this. If he turned around, she didn’t think her will was strong enough to resist him one more time.
She’d missed him even though they’d only had one day in each other’s company.
Of course, his messages by text and voice had kept him on her mind.
Still, she’d never ever missed a failed hit-it-and-quit-it prospect, which let her know she was in danger of wanting a whole lot more with this man.
But another rift between him and his brother over a woman couldn’t happen and certainly couldn’t happen because of her.
She’d never be able to live with herself.
He had to cooperate. He had to leave. He had to leave now, without touching her.
Slowly, he released the doorknob and turned around. “You kept my flowers.”
“No,” she whispered and took a step back.
His eyebrow peaked, and his head tilted like a golden retriever trying to figure out his human’s bizarre behavior.
“I mean, yes. But it doesn’t mean anything.” She raised her hands defensively again. Prickles of unease scampered across her shoulders and radiated down her arms, making her hands tremble.
Time stopped and their gazes held. The desire in his eyes felt like a tangible caress. She averted her face and turned to flee.
He caught her easily and turned her into his arms. Saying nothing, he simply held her.
The fingers of one hand gently stroked the back of her head at the base of her ponytail.
She languished in the feel of him finally wrapped around her.
Her eyes closed, and her hands gripped his waist. Eventually, he trailed a finger down the side of her throat until he leaned back so he could rub his thumb along her collarbone, bared to his touch by the tank top she wore. She shivered with each stroke.
“ Ryder. ” Her name sighed from his lips. “Don’t send me away.” He bracketed her face gently with his hands. “Kiss me. One kiss. If you can still tell me to go after that, I’ll never bother you again.”
He leaned in for the kiss, and she turned her face away at the last minute.
Undeterred, he planted a kiss along the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
She whimpered, and he pulled her tight against his hips.
A long, hard erection grazed her abdomen.
Awareness of his arousal made her nipples bead and wetness pool at the center of her thighs.
All the reasons she shouldn’t be with him became tenuous. She couldn’t think straight. Her body pulsed in the thrall of rioting hormones.
His warm lips moved to her jaw. One hand slid back to the base of her ponytail, and the other found her spine. His thickened length twitched as her torso moved unbidden against him. The need for his lips to kiss hers became unbearable.
She broke.
Justin marveled when Ryder’s hands pulled his head up, and her lips pressed against his without reserve. She opened to him, letting his tongue slide into her mouth. He eased into the twining of their lips and tongues and thoroughly made love to her mouth.
He’d intended to get one kiss and leave, but he didn’t want to stop. He wasn’t sure he could stop. The taste of her drugged his system more effectively than an overindulgence of Jack and Coke.
The kiss deepened. Their tongues touched and danced while their bodies pressed tighter together. He backed her against a wall and, with her permission, eased her tank from her shoulders one side at a time. He gently cupped each breast through the satin of her bra, and they moaned at the same time.
Placing his hands on her bra straps, he looked into her eyes before going further.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Peeling the straps down to reveal her full, firm mounds, he kissed the rounded curves topping each and smoothed a thumb against the sensitized bud of one breast. He took the other in his mouth and sucked until it pebbled against his tongue. Her hand found the back of his head in encouragement.
She arched her back. “More.”
Her fervent whisper consumed him with the strength of a tidal wind, blowing away his restraint. He could feel his own blood rushing through his veins. He unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor.
Raising his head, he found her lips again. “God, you are so beautiful,” he rasped while his hands moved to cup both breasts.
She closed her eyes. “J-Justin,” she panted, placing her hands on his wrists. “I can’t think straight when you touch me like this.”
“Don’t think, beautiful. Just feel.” He kissed her with a depth and thoroughness to mark her forever his.
No way could he walk away from her again.
His hands clutched her and caressed her at the same time.
Her naked breasts rubbed against the soft cotton of his shirt, and he pressed his hips closer to hers, dipping slightly to fit his throbbing hard-on snugly between her thighs. She grabbed his ass and squeezed.