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Occupying the last of the stools around the bar, with a glass of water in front of him, Reece clenched his jaw and tightened his hold around the cold glass, in an effort to prevent himself from perpetrating a drastic action he would later regret. He’d chosen that seat, because from there he had a clearer view of the entrance, therefore had not missed seeing Jess when she’d made her triumphant entry walking inside the restaurant ahead of the insipid dummy she’d replaced him with.
The arrival of the solicitous maître d’ didn’t give them the time to inspect their surroundings, so she’d so far failed to see him. Ignorant of his presence, Jess and her dummy had followed the maître d’ to their table, and that’s when every instinct Reece possessed had sprang to life keen and alert to the view that confronted him. Jess’s almost totally bare back. A quick look around told Reece that he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the elegant beauty and her distinguished companion making their way to a reserved table. More than one man was trying hard not to openly gape at the shameless display of flawless pale skin.
Livid with fury, Reece squeezed the glass of water tighter in his hands, and only the resistant material it was built of kept him from breaking it. A strangled laugh escaped his compressed lips at what he saw as a futile attempt by the dummy to hide her from the other men’s ogling eyes, placing a hand between her shoulder blades. She’d never dressed up for him, blast the woman! He liked to believe it was because she’d never cared enough about him to want to impress him, when the truth was, every time they were supposed to go out on a date, they never once made it past her apartment’s front door.
Memories of what they’d done behind that door were now playing havoc with his mind, and sadistically Reece wondered if sex between Jess and the dummy was as exciting and fulfilling as the sex they had shared. Studying them while they sipped their cocktails he came to a few conclusions. Judging by the look in his eyes, “RobertParr” was drooling with lust after Jess, although a quick glance at her told Reece a completely different story.
She liked the insipid dummy’s company, but they shared not one ounce of the fierce, mind-blowing passion that had burned him and Jess since they’d set eyes on each other, and that was consuming their souls even now. Just the thought of how willingly she’d given herself to him back at the Four Seasons was tangible proof of the strong sexual bond still binding them to one another.
Focusing his piercing stare back on them, Reece almost snarled derisively. Jess and the dummy were holding hands.Hands, for God’s sake!It was something Jack and Jill used to do at a time when holding hands in public was a criminal offense. Not something a red-blooded man would do in the twenty-first century. Were he in the lady-killer’s place, things would be different. First of all, he would not be sitting in front of her, but at her side. And second, his hand would be traveling up and down far more interesting places than the back of her hand.
Cursing the hard swelling stirring his groin, Reece forced his mind to stop fantasizing about Jess, and concentrate on his job. He was escorting an illustrious Swiss banker during his three-day business trip to the Windy City. The distinguished man in his mid-forties, about five-ten, and with a rather pronounced baldness, was in the company of other two bankers sitting in one of the tables nearest to the bar. Eyeing his charge briefly, making sure the banker and his associates were doing fine, Reece took some time to objectively reassess his career.
He’d always valued himself to be a rational, cold-blooded professional. His self-control, the knack of remaining aloof and untouched by any of the events occurring to him while on duty, had helped Reece retain his sanity throughout the most gruesome experiences during his time in the police force. Thanks to the thick skin he’d built around himself, none of the episodes he’d witnessed had truly breached his defenses. Even the sight of an entire family of four, shot and quartered by a neighbor who’d turned out to be a fanatic of a religious sect that believed their blood was infected by the devil, had affected his ability to focus on his job. Sure, he’d felt like retching the minute he’d walked into the house and witnessed the blood bath, and, given the chance, he would’ve gladly beaten the religious fanatic to a pulp. But after the initial instinctive reaction to this atrocity, Reece had condemned the man to justice, sure he’d spend the rest of his days in prison, and had refused to further dwell on the episode.
The ability to remain aloof, untouched, and focused on his duty, of course, had ended the moment Jessica Wright had entered his life. Now he couldn’t concentrate on anything but her tantalizing body and her silly battle of wills against her physical desire for him. When before he wouldn’t have allowed the mere sight of a woman to distract him from the job he was paid to do, now, like a sex maniac, Reece couldn’t keep his mind above his belt or his hands off her panties.
* * *
“Let’s dance,”Rob proposed after they’d finished their dinner and moved upstairs in the lounge area of the ninety-sixth floor to admire the beautiful view over Chicago.
“What? Here and now?”
“Yes.” He smiled, seeing her concern.
“No one else is dancing,” Jess unnecessarily pointed out. She didn’t think she could possibly move to the music without feeling extremely self-conscious of her attire. During dinner, Jess had become gradually aware of the speculative glances cast in her direction by several of the men in the restaurant. It unsettled her. She had not dressed up to impress Rob or the other patrons, who, once they started to dance, would inevitably watch her silk-clad body making her the center of their attention. She’d dressed up in order to blend in with the chic surroundings, but had somehow overshot the mark.
Jess had always been consciously aware of her physical aspect. She knew her proportionate body and long, wavy black hair appealed to the majority of the men she met, but didn’t like to show off. Nor did she particularly appreciate all the attention people gave her at times, basically too unsophisticated to be comfortable wearing the shoes of the shallow man-eater. She hated it being seen as a sex object, because for a lot of people, it inevitably meant she was a woman of no principles, or an easy lay, when quite the opposite was true. She valued faithfulness and friendship, hated hypocrisy and rudeness, and demanded a certain degree of respect from people. Like many other women, she dreamt of true love, and wished to raise a family with a caring husband, although, thanks to Reece Hilton, to her stupid heart and treacherous body, she’d turned into a confused, amoral liar, coming to despise herself.
“Oh, come on, Jess, don’t be a spoil-sport,” Rob teased, distracting her from her musings. “I want to hold you, to show you off. Let’s do it here, next to the window.” Jess looked at him unconvinced. “I bet every male in this room is green with envy seeing me in the company of such a gorgeous woman,” he added, his voice tinted with male pride.
“Is that all I am to you? A trophy?” She felt insulted and disappointed. She’d thought Rob was a better man than most. Clearly, she’d misjudged him.
“No, no,” Rob was quick to reassure her. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that. Of course you are not a trophy for me. You should know by now I love and respect you too much to think so poorly of you. But you can’t deny your attire tonight makes you look tempting,” Rob explained, with a gentle smile.
He loved her. His easy spoken words weighed like a ton of bricks on her conscience.
He loved her. And in return, she felt mildly attracted to him.
Dismay poured down on Jess like a cold shower. Would she ever be able to return some of the love Rob felt for her? After their lovemaking, she’d thought she could. But this last admission served only to remind her where her heart truly was.
“Jess? Jessica? Come on, make me happy. Listen, isn’t this that famous LeAnn Rimes song, ‘How Do I Live’ or something? Let’s dance and make it our own.”
Her eyes swept the room. The majority of the people were enrapt by the view outside, and few were actually minding them. Then she looked at Rob. It was his open-hearted smile that, in the end, made her capitulate. If a dance was all it took to make him happy, the least she could do was indulge him.
Rob’s strong arms circled her hips. Their eyes met. A smile was exchanged, before he gently pulled her pliant body to mold against his lean one. Secure in his embrace, Jess let LeAnn Rimes’ powerful voice lull her into a pleasant, relaxed mood. It felt so good to be held in a pair of masculine arms, to feel the solid wall of a man’s body cushion her softer forms, she mused, as her eyes wandered dreamily around the room.
Clear-blue eyes snapped wide open, astounded. Her next step faltered when her eyes collided and locked with Reece’s dark scowl and dangerously tense body. He was standing several feet away from Jess, looking squarely at her, nursing a glass of what looked like vodka or gin. With a keen sense of foreboding, Jess could feel the enormous amount of control he was imposing on himself to keep from leaping on Rob, and snatching her away from his arms.
Through a tremendous act of will, Jess forced her body to relax and continue to follow the smooth rhythm the love song had set. Rob, bless his little heart, remained blissfully unaware of what was happening. Had it been Reece instead, she mused, annoyed at herself for the comparison, he would have immediately noticed the change in her, no matter how subtle it was. He’d always been a master at reading her body and unveiling her innermost desires.
Reece must have seen her thoughts play across her eyes, because a faint, knowing smile curved the corners of his full lips. But something was amiss.
Although she could feel his will to, he had yet to move. It was then that Jess realized he was on a job assignment. Deep relief flooded through her body, leaving her almost heady. He was duty-bound to remain where he was, and could do nothing to change the fact that she was dancing in another man’s intimate embrace.
A mischievous gleam turned her eyes a darker shade of pale-blue. Holding his stare, Jess pushed her middle gently against Rob, cuddling his sex. Her date groaned and looked at her. She smiled seductively at him, and as a result Rob held her tighter against his body. Her eyes went back to Reece. His jaw was twitching. His powerful body was alerted and poised for action. His eyes were sending her a warning that she delighted in challenging. He couldn’t do a thing to alter the situation, and she would enjoy the moment for as long as it would last.
But within seconds, accomplice the music, their stares became so intense that the other patrons, the restaurant, Rob, and the whole universe vanished, leaving them alone with LeAnn Rimes’ rich drawl wrapping Reece and Jess in a symbolic embrace, stronger than any physical joining they’d shared to date. They were bound in a way that transcended human limitations. For the first time since they’d met, their souls connected, and it was as if the singer, with her words, was expressing aloud their innermost feelings for each other.
