This Crazy Little Thing (A New Adult Billionaire Romance) (10 page)

Knowing what was coming, she closed her eyes.

His kiss was soft, erotic, but not demanding. His lips slid softly over hers and she held her breath and turned her body toward him. Determined to get closer, she dropped her stick to lift her arms and wrap them around his neck. Her breasts pressed against his chest and she gasped as his tongue slid into her mouth to taste her. Her fingers gripped soft, thick hair at his nape.

A sudden round of loud crackling and hissing in the fire made her break the kiss before it went any further. Still, even though the intimate contact had been brief, she was dazed a little and giddy. Focusing as she followed the line of her dropped stick to the fire was a challenge.

Eventually, her gaze got there and she realized her hot dog was gone.

“Oh drats! I lost my dog,” she said, laughing. She picked up her stick and poked at a log, and brilliant red and gold sparks drifted into the night sky.

“I’ll share mine.” He carefully pulled his from the flame and together they wrapped it in the bun. Jason slathered one end with ketchup, the other with what relish, mustard and ketchup he could squeeze out of the mostly empty packets.

Jane held the bun at the center between them and said, “Let’s both take a bite on the count of three. Just promise you won’t take my hand off.”

His eyes glittered in the dim light. The flicker of the fire danced in them, making them lively and playful. “I may want your hand, but not to eat.”

Did he mean what she thought he meant?

She didn’t know how to respond, other than to count, “One, two, three.” She leaned forward and bit into her end of the hot dog. It was warm, toasted, delicious. As she chewed, she closed her eyes. “Mmmm…”

He laughed and she opened her eyes to enjoy the sight. His whole face lit up when he was amused. He looked young and sexy and utterly adorable. She loved his dimples, the way his husky chuckles rumbled through her body like a deep tremor, the love she saw in his eyes as he looked at her.

“I’ve taken you to all of
Detroit’s finest restaurants and never have I seen you react like that.”

“There’s nothing better than a wiener cooked over an open fire…well, except for a steak—”

“With grilled onions?”

“Yeah. And lots of steak sauce. Oh, and a baked potato with the works.”

“You’re making me hungry,” he teased.

She grinned and stuffed the rest of the hot dog into his mouth. “Then eat.” His cheeks ballooned out as he accepted hot dog, bun and condiments and chewed. A smudge of ketchup clung to his lower lip and she wiped it away with her thumb. “Full now?” she asked between giggles.

His answer was a jumbled mumble.

“What was that?” She couldn’t stop giggling. Being with this man made her feel so alive…and carefree…and wonderful. She hadn’t felt like this since she was a kid. She wanted to skip, to jump, to shout with glee.

He swallowed. “Not quite. Do you want to get something else to eat?”

“Maybe in a bit. I don’t want to leave yet. Can we stay a little longer?”

“Sure.”

She moved from her perch on the log to the ground in front of him so she could lean back against his chest. He wrapped the blanket around them both, and warm and content, she gazed up at the sky. “Have you ever made a wish on a star?”

“Nope.”

“Never? Not even when you were a little boy?”

“Heck no. I was raised not to believe in that silly stuff. Magic, wishes, dreams. My old man always said that kind of thing was for losers, guys who couldn’t make things happen for themselves. He said you could either waste time dreaming about life or you could do something.” He smoothed her hair away from her forehead with a broad palm.

Appreciating how a spoiled kitten might feel, and wishing she was capable of purring, she sighed. “He sounds tough. I don’t think I’d want to be raised by a man who was so hard-hearted. And I know I wouldn’t want to be married to one.”

“He was one hell of an example, though. He knew how to take the most miserably failing company into the black. Hard worker, loyal, brilliant.”

“I think there’s a middle ground in there somewhere. Dreaming is good if you eventually stop thinking and start doing. Right?”

“Maybe. Dad might not have known how to be mushy, but he loved us the only way he knew how. He provided the best life he could.” Jason gathered her hair into a ponytail then wrapped it around his hand.

“Us?” she asked, enjoying the slight sting on her scalp as he pulled slightly.

“Yeah. I‘ve never told you this. I have a younger brother.”

“Really? Why’d you keep him a secret all this time? Is he a wanted felon or something?” She reached both arms up and back over her head. Her hands stroked either side of his nylon ski jacket.

“No, nothing like that. He’s a great guy. Lives in France. I never see him. He never sees me. We’re very different.”

“What about your mother? What’s she like?”

“I swear I told you. She died…in childbirth,” he said in a low voice. “I honestly don’t remember much about her. Though Dad says she was the best mother a boy could have. Of course, knowing him, even if she’d been the worst mother in the world, he’d say that.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry your mother is gone. I should’ve remembered that.” She tapped her forehead and smiled up at him. “I’m a space case tonight. Forgive me. Is it painful to talk about her?”

“No, not at all.” Looking very thoughtful and intense, he traced the line of her jaw with a fingertip. “So, now that we’re talking about our families, you want to tell me about yours? We’ve been dating almost a year and I still haven’t met them.”

Distracted by his tickling, exploring touch, she said, “That is kind of strange. Does it bother you?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t blame you. I’d wonder what was up if I was dating a guy who wouldn’t talk about his family. In fact, that happened to me once. I had this boyfriend and he wouldn’t introduce me to his parents. Now that I look back on it, I’m sure he was ashamed of me for some reason.”

Jason scowled. “For what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t blue-blooded enough for him. No big deal. I certainly don’t care now. And rest assured, I’m not trying to hide you. I would never be ashamed of you.”

“That’s good to know. I’m not ashamed of you either. Quite the opposite. I’d like to show you off to the whole world. But you know, I’m an old-fashioned guy at heart. There are a few things I need to discuss with your folks before certain other things can take place,” he hinted with a nod.

No way she could misunderstand what he was getting at.

“I’ll see about giving them a call.” She didn’t know what else to say. Where was Monica’s legendary rich father?

Did there even exist a rich father or was he another one of Monica’s imaginary characters? It wouldn’t be easy but she had to play it safe and answer Jason’s questions with vague generalities, at least until she could get some more information. One thing was certain—since becoming Monica, she hadn’t heard from a single family member, father, mother or sibling.

“I don’t speak to them much at all. Can’t remember the last time, to be honest. Daddy’s always traveling,” she added, recalling the stories Monica had told her once about her father’s travels to the far east. “And Mother’s usually either in a spa somewhere or spending Daddy’s money in Europe. The woman’s house is like a gallery but she can’t resist the temptation of finding the next prized piece for her art collection.”

His expression was very solemn as he nodded. “I guessed as much. Your folks were a lot like my father. They meant well, I’m sure.” He bent lower, slid his hands under her armpits and wrapped his arms across her chest.

“Yeah,” she half-spoke, half-sighed.

“I spent my childhood in boarding schools. I saw my father once a year, at Christmas.”

“That’s terrible.” She couldn’t imagine giving birth to a child and then handing him off to someone and not seeing him but once per year. It was a miracle Jason had grown into the gentle, caring man he was and not a cold jerk. Since he’d been robbed of years of love, she figured he was due more than his share as an adult.

She was eager to give it to him. Unfortunately, she had no idea if she’d have the chance. “My folks are no better than yours, I suppose. They have their lives and I have mine, not that I’m ungrateful for what they did for me. I have a terrific education, thanks to them. And a good job.”

“So,” he asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb, “when you told me last December you were visiting your family during the holidays, were you lying?”

Oops!
“Not…exactly.” The sound of the tractor in the distance caught her attention. The timing couldn’t be better. “Are we going back now?”

Jason tipped his wrist and rested his chin on the top of her head as he read the numbers on his watch. “I think this is the last wagon of the night. We better catch it just in case.”

“Okay.”

Jason didn’t release her as he stood but pulled her to her feet with him. She leaned back for a moment, enjoying the way his strong bulk felt pressed against her. Then she bent to gather the blanket and trash.

Jason wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder as they walked and whispered into her ear, “I know we’re supposed to be starting over, but how about going home and making love? It’s a perfect way to end this perfect night.”

Jane
’s heart jumped into her throat. Tingles and heat waves zigged and zagged through her body in an instant response to his suggestion.

How could she say no? That word was the last thing she wanted to say.

Jason rested a possessive hand on her thigh as he drove them back to her place. With the frequent flirting glances and slight squeezes to her leg, his intentions were clear. Jason wanted nookie.

Jane
wanted nookie.

Neither one of them would get it. At least not if
Jane could somehow manage to resist. As his fingers inched higher, tickling her inner thigh, her ability to think quickly dissolved.

“I’ve been waiting all night. I want to make love to you under the stars,” he murmured. His hand slid higher until it reached the juncture of her thighs. Through the thick fabric of her jeans he stroked her until she was a mass of spineless jelly.

She felt herself parting her legs, giving him more access to the sensitive area. Waves of pleasure pulsed through her body as he rubbed harder. She moaned and let her eyelids drop over her eyes.

Cloaked in darkness, she wallowed in the sweet joy of his touch and of the promises he muttered as he drove.

“I’ve missed you, Monica. Missed you so damn much. I want to make you cry out my name as you come. We’ll come together like we used to.”

The car stopped and she opened her eyes, surprised to see they were already at her house. Jason got out and opened her door for her. As she unlocked the front door, he stood behind her, his full length pressed against her. She felt the bulge of his erection pressing against her butt.

She fumbled with the lock, dropped the key twice. When she bent over to pick it up, Jason held her hips in his hands and rubbed that bulge against her butt suggestively. She felt every bit of her resolve melting away.

A little voice inside her head said,
No, no, no! I can’t!

A louder voice inside her head said,
Yes, yes, yes you can!

When she finally got the lock to work, she shoved open the door and practically ran through it, barreling through the living room in a desperate last-ditch effort to get away from him long enough to gather her defenses.

He didn’t give her much time. After closing and locking the door behind him, he turned and grinned. “Oh yeah. I love this game! We haven’t played it in a long time. I thought you’d forgotten. Run, you little tease. I’ll catch you. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to me tonight.”

Good God! What had she gotten herself into? What kind of kinky game was this? He was acting so different. So…aggressive. She liked it.

Despite her rising temperature and the steady throb between her legs, she waved her arms and shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m not playing.”

His grin was wicked, sexy, disarming as he took long, slow strides toward her. “You’re doing a fine job of acting. Been taking more classes?”

Backing herself into a corner, she muttered, not so much because she was intimidated but because she was tempted, “Seriously, Jason.”

He didn’t stop until he was standing inches away from her. He lifted his arms and pressed his palms against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her between the wall and his bulk. Then he leaned closer and kissed her.

Sensation, sound, touch, taste, amplified until her brain was unable to register them. His tongue stroked and prodded. His hands explored her body. He unzipped her jacket and pushed it down her arms then kneaded her breasts and pinched her nipples through the remaining layers of clothing. They felt both too thin to protect her skin from his touch yet too thick to allow it to penetrate to her deepest nerve endings.

Her throat constricted, blocking any words of resistance that might have tried to escape. She could merely moan. And that she did. More than once. The sound echoed in their joined mouths.