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Cocky Guy: like I said, too long!
I smiled. I did that a lot lately. And I loved that he thought of my small apartment as home. Not that we were living together, but Jax spent more time there then his condo. It used to surprise me that he preferred my place, given how much bigger and more modern his place was. But he said mine felt more comfortable, more like a home, and since he was the one working late, it made more sense for him to come to me than for me to sit alone in his place waiting.
I glanced at my phone. It was already seven, and if I knew Jax, he hadn't taken time to eat dinner. An idea occurred to me, and twenty-five minutes later, I was picking up soup and sandwiches from one of our favorite cafes to take to him. He might have to work late, but that didn't mean he had to work alone.
When I stepped out into the open area of his office space, it was dimly lit for the evening and very quiet. The last time I'd been here had ended with me squaring off with Jax. So much had changed since then.
Ellie's desk was cleaned off except for a neat stack of files, but light spilled into the hallway from Jax's office. I heard the low rumble of his voice, but paused when it was followed by a higher, sultry kind of laugh. Jax had never given me a reason not to trust him, but when he said he'd been working late, I'd assumed he meant alone, not with any co-workers, much less a woman. I tried not to jump to any conclusions, but a funny feeling settled in my stomach.
He's not Travis.
But the self-reminder didn't do much to push aside the sense of doubt. The woman spoke, followed by Jax's voice again, but I couldn't make out any of the words.
Better to know than to worry, I told myself. I took a deep breath and walked the remaining steps to the door and paused inside Jax's office. Jax, the mystery woman, and another man stood around a table studying what looked like building plans. The woman, who I couldn't help but notice looked like she'd just left a salon, was pointing at something. The other man was shaking his head, obviously disagreeing. Jax started to open his mouth, but my appearance caught his eye, and he looked up.
Within a heartbeat, his face morphed from frustrated to surprised to pleased. Not a lick of guilt. "Grace! What are you doing here?" The other heads swiveled my way, the man's appreciative as he looked me over from head to toe, the woman's much less pleased.
"I figured you needed to refuel to keep working at this pace." I nodded at the other couple. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you weren't alone. I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
Jax hurried to my side. "You're always a welcome surprise." He kissed me, lingering a second shorter than what might be deemed inappropriate in mixed company. His smile lit up his face, and his words were sincere. A slight sense of smugness replaced my niggling fear as I noted the disappointment that wrinkled the other woman's features. That, and guilt for being worried in the first place.
"Now I understand why the boss is more anxious to leave in the evenings." The other man who looked to be about the same age as Jax didn't bother to hide his admiration, particularly an uncomfortable interest in my breasts. I fought the desire to cross my arms over them, which were emphasized by the tight t-shirt I still wore because I hadn't bothered to change out of my comfortable clothes thinking it would be just Jax and me.
Jax shot him a dirty look and pulled me to his side, twisting my body in such a way that my breasts were pressed against his side that was both territorial and at the same time hid the asset that seemed to have attracted his colleague’s attention.
"Grace, this is Kevin, one of my project managers, and Clarissa, my lead commercial architect." He kissed the top of my head. "And this is Grace, my girlfriend."
The last part sounded a bit like a warning. I didn't mind. Kevin reminded me too much of Travis for my comfort level.
I smiled up at Jax. "I can run out and get some more food and bring it back for everyone."
He smiled but shook his head and stared pointedly at the other two. "Thanks for staying late tonight. I want a report tomorrow of everything we discussed tonight and anything else you think is relevant, so I have time to review it. I don't want there to be any question in the City Council's mind why this is in the best interest of Passion's economy and infrastructure. I'm sure by the time we're done, they'll find in our favor over whoever this mysterious fucker is that is trying to roadblock us."
Kevin's face grew serious. "It would help if we knew who is behind the other plan Alan Phelps is entertaining, or what they wanted it for. It feels sneaky, him alluding to an outside interest, but not telling you who or what. He's sly. I'm going to push to put this as a last-minute addition to the City Council meeting's agenda in two weeks. That'll force Phelps' hand. He'll have to present all the plans ahead of time. Then we can adjust our plans as necessary before the Council votes on it in the future."
Jax nodded. "As soon as anyone has wind of who our competition is, I want to know about it. The success of the rest of our business plan depends on that building. I don't need to remind you both of how important this is."
Again, heads nodded. I was impressed with how commanding Jax's voice was, how inspiring. How much it reminded me of how he took charge in the bedroom. As if she could read the direction of my thoughts, Clarissa spoke up for the first time.
She beamed at Jax, resting her hand on his. "You'll win, Jaxson. You know I believe in you," she said, her thumb rubbing small circles on the back of his hand. Her voice was sultry and practiced. I wondered if Jax had answered her siren's call in the past. An overwhelming desire to knock her hand off and maybe gouge her eyes out filtered its way into my thoughts.
"I'm sure Jax shows his appreciation for your loyalty every month in your paycheck. However, I don’t have any loyalty to you, so I’m going to start by asking nicely that you remove your hand from your boss." I waited until she looked at me, then stared hard at her, shifting my eyes to her hand and back to her. She seemed surprised, but I held my ground, a battle of wills.
Clarissa's mouth dropped open as she jerked her hand back as if burned. "Oh, I didn't mean anything—" At Jax's pointed stare, she swallowed and glanced at me. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." Her smile didn't reach her eyes, but Jax seemed amused.
Kevin, who'd taken a step toward the door during the exchange with Clarissa, grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jax." He smiled warmly at me, none of the flirting that had been present earlier. "Clarissa, I'll walk you to your car." His voice left no room for argument.
She held her head high as she strode to the door, but her voice was subdued as she said, "I'll wait until I hear from you, Jax, before I move much further ahead. Good night." She glanced at me, and I saw a wistfulness in her eyes before she masked it. She said nothing more as she walked out the door.
I blew out a sigh of relief as Kevin pulled the door closed behind him. "I'm sorry I broke your meeting up."
"I'm not."
I waved the carry-out bags. "Are you hungry?"
"MmHmm. But not for what's in that bag." His eyes glowed as he turned me in his arms. I could feel his sexual energy wrap around me as he took the bags from my hand and walked me backward. When my knees hit the edge of a couch, I sank upon the cushions. With the litheness of a panther, he followed my movements, creeping over me until I was reclined. His face hovered above mine. "I think I'll have dessert first," he murmured before his mouth covered mine.
His warm hand slid under my shirt and pulled the cup of my bra down. I gasped as his fingers pinched my nipple, shooting instant sparks to my lower abdomen. His mouth left mine to play where his fingers had been. His other hand slid under the waistband of my pants and immediately sought the heat he knew he'd find. I felt him grin against my soft skin. "Wet already? You want this as much as I do, don't you?"
