AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s old?”
“Not old, Jack. Vintage.” She held up the dress against her body in front of the full-length mirror and admired herself. “Ever seen footage of women lined up outside of a designer warehouse sale? They trample each other. Literally. People end up in the hospital.”
Jake laughed.
“You think I’m joking?”
He held up his hands in defense and grinned.
She could stare at that grin all day, every day, for the rest of her life. She shook off the thought. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body. When she got to his hand, she remembered… “Oh, how is your hand?” She lunged forward, nearly tripping as she folded the dress over her arm, but stopped before she got too close. She took his hand in order to inspect the bandage. He’d replaced it with one of his own.
“It’s just fine.” He stepped closer. “Thanks to you, I avoided infection.”
“Glad I could help.” She took a step back. Unfortunately, the top half of her body didn’t follow suit. Her head and chest still soaked up the power of the sexy man standing before her.
He stepped closer still. “Do you think—” The beep of a digital timer interrupted his words. “Shit! The cookies. Just…” he tensed. “Stay right here.”
She let go of his hand and he stepped out of the closet, not turning his back to her until he cleared the doorway.
How many years had it been since she felt the butterflies? The tickle of excitement at the thought of a man? But these were super butterflies. Gigantic oversize, hyped-up-on-steroids butterflies. Was that because of Jack? Was it because she was in the most amazing home with the most eclectic collection of things and the most fabulous closet in the entire world that gave her the butterflies? Had to be. He was hot, in that bad-boy-with-tats-and-a-colorful-past kind of way.
Jack Vaughn wasn’t the commitment type of man. Maybe for the next little while, Sterling wouldn’t be that kind of woman, either.
She needed to get back on her own horse. And boy did she need someone to saddle her up good. And fast. And hard. And—shut it, Sterling. Pull up your professional pants and get back to work.
With him downstairs, she continued to look around the amazing closet. Her eyes rested on an unopened designer shoebox placed demurely on the edge of one of the shelves. She couldn’t resist. Sterling tentatively glanced back toward the door and then peeked inside the box. A brand-new pair of purple, strappy stilettos stared back at her. There was no way a woman who wore vintage Jackie Kennedy would’ve bought these puppies for herself.
She hung up the dress, kicked off her sensible flip-flops, and reverently withdrew the shoes from the box before sliding her feet inside the straps. She didn’t need to fasten the clasp in order to get the effect. She admired her feet in the long mirror, twisting and turning in the light.
Thoughts of riches and leisurely time spent on a yacht with champagne and not a care in the world were so easy to believe when you wore a symbol of the elite. What she wouldn’t give to know just for one day what it felt like to be the person who could afford these shoes.
A low growl sounded from the doorway. “Take those shoes off.”
She froze, her heart leaping into her throat. How was it possible the sexy sound of his voice scared her and excited her all at the same time? She tensed, not wanting to face him for fear of his anger. Her carelessness was completely unprofessional. But she also tightened in all the right places, a wave of heat breaking out across her skin, just waiting for his next command.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She bent and tore the shoes from her feet. “This is so unprofessional. I should never have touched the shoes, I—”
His gaze was too intense. She couldn’t help but back away when he stalked forward. He cursed under his breath.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t think of your feelings. I’m sure it hurts to see—”
“It hurts. You have no idea how much it hurts.” He stepped closer and this time, she didn’t back away, remorse and compassion evident in his eyes. “And something else, too.”
Her breath caught.
“All I want to do is strip you down and have your legs wrapped around me as I drive into you.” He grimaced but his look was enough to draw a small gasp
out of her. The desire pooling in his eyes was as deep as she’d seen on the boat. “We should finish what we started.”
His words were the secret fantasy she had longed to hear. Only air escaped from her mouth. How had he rendered her speechless already?
“Don’t you think we should finish what we had going on in that limo?”
“Um…” Despite the exuberant “yes” that played over and over again in her head, she couldn’t. She’d solidified that when she agreed to take on this job. But there was also the fact that she was pathetic in the fling department. Been there, failed that. She didn’t think her ego could take another hit.
“Sterling.” He traced his finger along the line of her jaw. “Let me have you.” He reached for her hand, the one that didn’t hold his mother’s shoe.
“I…I’m working for you.” Could they step over the line and continue to remain professional? “It’s a bad idea.”
