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He released her, and she stepped back. He stepped forward. Grace held her ground, though his nearness sent fire dancing through her veins and her pussy throbbed with need.
“You like it when I corner you,” he said as he looked her over. “You’re just too chicken to admit it.”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “Take that back.”
He grinned. “Nope. It’s true. You’re too chicken to take what you want, and we both know it.”
“We work together. Getting involved is a bad idea.” Crap, even she knew that was a lame excuse.
He pointed to the door. “Exhibit A: Chloe and Merrick.”
Damn, she hated when he was right. “That’s different. Merrick wasn’t a stalker.”
He laughed. “And I am?”
“You may as well be.”
“How about you just prove you aren’t a chicken. Put me in my place, Gracie.”
She knew exactly where this was leading. “I suppose if I go out with you, it’ll be proof. That’s so pathetic.”
He shook his head, looking entirely too sure of himself. “Go to the Interop Convention with me. Spend three days in Las Vegas by my side. Prove you can resist this chemistry arcing back and forth, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“You just want to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me. Perv.”
Jackson stepped closer and touched the tip of her nose. It was completely platonic, nothing flirtatious in the touch at all, and yet he might as well have touched her breast, she was so turned on. “You know better than that. I would want you alert for what I have in mind.” He paused before adding, “What do you say? Can you handle three days in Vegas with me? Or is it too much temptation for you?”
She should have walked out. Turn around and walk away, don’t let him suck you in. The inner voice was ignored. Instead, she stepped forward, barely grazing his hard body with the tips of her breasts. Even through the material of their shirts, Grace felt her nipples harden as if begging for more. Jackson tensed. His gaze narrowed. The atmosphere around them seemed to fairly spark.
Grace lifted on her toes and whispered, “Bring it on.”
Jackson licked his lips and cupped her chin in his palm. “You’re going to push me too far one of these days, little girl.”
Grace didn’t speak. She couldn’t if she’d wanted to. She just stood there, their bodies barely touching, Jackson staring at her gaping mouth. When he released her and stepped back, she nearly wilted. Had she wanted him to kiss her? Duh! Even the thought sent her temperature higher.
Three days. Three whole days of Jackson Hill in Sin City. Yep, it was official. She’d lost her mind.
***
Jackson watched Grace’s quiet exit, her cute ass capturing his attention. The black slacks she wore fit just right, displaying her ass like the work of art it was. He didn’t let himself smile until she’d pulled the door closed. He mentally started rearranging meetings. The convention was next week, and he had plenty to deal with between now and then. Thankfully he’d planned ahead and asked Candice to register him and Grace for the convention weeks ago. Candice had reserved two rooms and she’d also taken care of the flight details. The itinerary for the event sat on his desk for all to see. He’d been worried there for a minute, thinking Grace had spotted it. He’d covered it just in time.
Three days of Grace Vaughn. With any luck at all, they’d spend the entire time in bed, screw the convention. He imagined her naked, that sassy mouth wrapped around his cock as he licked her juicy pussy. Then Merrick’s words sprang to mind, and once more he saw a broken and bleeding Grace, barely clinging to life.
Why hadn’t she ever told him about it? Dumb question. They’d both been too busy verbally sparring, and Grace was particularly adept at keeping him at a distance. She guarded her emotions around him. He’d never been able to breech her defenses. A few times he’d come close, though. Once, when they’d gone to lunch together after Grace had lost a bet, he’d nearly gotten a kiss from her. He’d taken her to a Chinese restaurant and he’d actually managed to get her to relax, even laugh. She’d been a breath away from kissing him that day. He’d been so shocked she’d let her guard down, he’d ended up blowing it. She hadn’t let him take her to lunch again.
He’d been drawn to Grace since the day he’d accidently hit her in the face with a basketball. Her spunky attitude and quick wit had sucked him in. Each time they came into contact, she pushed him to the very limits of control without even trying. She could pull emotions out of him he hadn’t known he possessed. One minute she’d have him laughing over her particular brand of sarcasm, the next he was ready to take her to bed. Jackson couldn’t help but wonder if it was his age that caused her to hold back. Did the gap bother her? He couldn’t be sure, but he knew one thing for certain, Grace wasn’t at all superficial. There were depths to the woman that he desperately wanted to explore. He had a feeling it’d take a lifetime to learn all of her secrets.
While some women filled their lives with meaningless bullshit like manicured fingernails and expensive clothes, Grace concerned herself with work and family. She had an understated beauty and a straightforward attitude that he admired. She wore very little make-up and simple clothes. From what he could tell, she rarely dated, which pleased the hell out of him. When she’d gone out with Antonio, Jackson had wanted to pound the little weasel for encroaching on his territory, but reality had set in and he’d known the truth. He had no right to Grace. She could date whomever she wanted. He only hoped that soon that person would be him.
Chapter Three
Grace read the same sentence three times before she finally gave up and put the book down. Her heart just wasn’t in it. The only thing on her mind was how much trouble her big mouth had gotten her into this time. Las Vegas. Three days alone with Jackson. Could she be any denser? What had possessed her to agree? He’d challenged her, and she never could resist a challenge. He’d known exactly what she’d do when he’d called her chicken.
After she’d agreed to go to the convention, she’d gone back to her desk and finished out her day thinking of ways to wiggle out of the agreement. She’d come up with zero ideas, mostly because to back out would prove she couldn’t handle being alone with Jackson. He’d win. She was much too competitive to lose. That left her staring at her muted television at seven o’clock at night, when she should be enjoying her new haul of romance novels. She picked up the book she’d been dying to read and tried to push Jackson out of her head. She managed three pages before her doorbell rang. “A distraction, thank God.”
Grace stepped over the black heels she’d kicked off earlier, then rose on her toes to peek through the eyehole on her apartment door. Jackson? She flung the door wide and said, “What are you doing here?”
His lips quirked. “Nice to see you too, Gracie.”
