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“You heard her, Hilton. She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Rob maintained.
“And you heardme,” Reece returned, giving Rob an icy once-over this sustained with a glacial stare of his own.
The tension between the two men was palpable. Jess knew they would’ve gladly started a fight right there in front of an audience, but prayed they would not embarrass her, hoping one of them would come back to his senses, and remember where they were.
“You wouldn’t like it were I to cause a scene,” Reece taunted, turning to look at her.
“Neither would you. Considering your charge is still in the restaurant, your job might suffer an unpleasant draw back,” Jess rebuked in tone.
Without another word, Rob and Jess sidestepped Reece, and finally reached the wardrobe assistant. Smiling at the woman, Rob handed her their numbers. A few seconds later, their coats appeared. Rob helped Jess into hers then turned towards the exit, only to find that Reece was once again barring their way out.
“I’m taking you home,” Reece pronounced, grabbing Jess’s forearm. Not caring if he was hurting her, he drilled menacing onyx eyes into hers with a strength of intent that made her quiver. His barely repressed anger stole her breath away. Fear crossed her eyes. It was the first time Jess had seen Reece so out of control, and didn’t know how to deal with him. He was too unpredictable.
His vicious grip on her forearm was cutting into her flesh, stopping her blood circulation, making her arm ache. Jess tried to wrench it free, but only succeeded in making Reece partially relax his fingers.
By challenging him to stop her from dancing in another man’s arms, she’d arisen that aura of dormant violence she’d always known was part of him. By teasing him, encouraging Rob to touch any part of her he liked, nudging his middle with hers while her ex-husband was watching, Jess had pushed Reece too far over the edge.
“Give me a second with Rob,” she whispered.
“No,” he sharply rebuked, before rudely escorting her to the elevators, leaving a baffled Rob to stand in front of the coat room, where the patrons nearer to the exit subjected him to covert, but rather curious glances.
By the time Reece shoved her rather unceremoniously inside one of the elevators, the doors had closed, and he had pushed the street button, Jess was fuming. Violent or not, Reece had no right to humiliate her and Rob like that in front of so many strangers. Whatever his reasons to be angry with her, they didn’t justify his brutish, uncouth, childish behavior, and the Pacific Ocean would dry over first, before Jess would acknowledge him or start a conversation.
“You slut. How dare you to dress up like that?” Reece ground out around clenched teeth. Jerking Jess against one of the walls of the elevator, whooshing the air out of her lungs, he imprisoned her smaller body with his rock solid frame.
Jess, too stunned by the vehemence of his words, could not defend herself before he launched his next attack.
“You did your hair up on purpose, knowing all too well it would drive a man crazy with lust to see those soft midnight tendrils brush gently against your nape, and the side of your delicate neck. And this perfume?” he sneered, dipping his nose in the hollow at the base of her throat, inhaling the intoxicating combination of the artificial fragrance blended with her natural feminine scent. “You enjoyed turning on all the men in that damn restaurant, didn’t you?” he accused, scornful. “I bet it was your idea to go up to the ninety-sixth floor just to show off your assets. And poor Rob could hardly keep his tongue from rolling out of his mouth, so thirsty he was for you,” he growled.
The blade of a katana couldn’t have done a better job, mercilessly slicing her self-esteem into tiny shreds. Jess opened her mouth to defend herself against his undeserved accusations, but Reece didn’t give her the chance. Pressing his rock hard erection against her, he went on.
“I could see the dummy counting his blessings all throughout dinner. But tell me Jess, does he know how to please you?” Sensually biting then sucking her earlobe, he was sending strings of thick, molten need down to her womb, making her center ache deliciously.
“Does he know he’s fooling himself thinking he’s got you?” he asked hoarsely, tracing his index finger along her neck, gazing her left nipple, which readily responded to the soft stimulation. “Does he realize that inside this nice package beats a heart of stone?” he concluded, pushing his finger into her heart.
“You bastard,” Jess hissed, slapping him hard across the face. “How dare you talk to me like that?” His jealousy should’ve elated her, but his abusive manners, and sickening accusations hurt more. Was it really possible he thought so little of her to reach such outrageous conclusions?
In response to her physical assault, Reece pressed himself more firmly against Jess, almost crushing her with his weight, while his mouth grinded against hers in a punishing, hard, close-mouthed kiss that bruised her lips.
Jess tried to resist him, turning her head to one side, pushing with her hands against his shoulders, but to no avail. She couldn’t win a battle of wills against Reece, because as usual, her body turned into clay under his assault. And when he started to draw the contours of her abused lips with the tip of his tongue, changing the kiss from punishing to caring, she was lost. Liquid pangs of desire washed over her, weakening not only her knees but her resolve as well. On their own accord, her arms circled his neck. Her fingers possessively caressed his short hair coaxing, pulling him closer to her.
A moan escaped her throat when his thumbs fanned her nipples to life through her dress, before escorting her off the elevator and into his car.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, her voice husky and weary at the same time.
“To my apartment,” was his curt reply.
Their eyes met and held for ponderous seconds. Jess didn’t rebuke. What would be the point? She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her only she, for some inexplicable reason, loved this impossible, arrogant bully of a man, who wanted from her only the use of her body.
A dark cloud marred her euphoria, sobering her mood. It didn’t seem to matter to Reece that, unlike a year ago, this irrepressible lunacy between them would also muddle up the lives of two other people, who would inevitably be hurt, trapped in a web of deception and betrayal. But it mattered to Jess. She had a conscience, and tomorrow she’d bitterly regret today’s actions.Was it always going to be like this, though?She could only speculate, but almost certain that every time they set eyes on each other, desire would spark, and no matter where they were or with whom, their sexual gratification would always come first.
“What about Tracy? Why aren’t you taking her to your apartment instead of me? Did you split up?” Jess demanded in another feeble attempt to prevent herself from sinking even lower into the abyss of deception that was threatening her emotional stability.
“No, we didn’t split up.”
“Then why do you want to have sex with me? Why betray her? Surely she deserves more consideration than you're giving her right now.”
“I don’t want to discuss my private life with you,” he rebuked huskily, no more capable of resisting their madness than she was.
