Beautiful Distraction (31 page)

I noticed how quiet we had become. How his gaze seemed to
remain glued to me. How his fingers lingered on the small of my back. A few
moments later, he leaned forward until his hot breath caressed the corner of my
mouth. We were so close. Inches away. My gaze focused on his lips, pleading
with them to kiss me. A moment passed, then another. My breath hitched in my
throat with anticipation.

“You smell great,” Jett whispered, his deep voice turning my
knees to melted cream. The smell of his body and the feel of his breath on my
skin sent a shudder through my body, rocking me to the core. I longed to touch
him, and yet I didn’t give in to the strong urge.

And then he pulled away. I exhaled the breath I didn’t know
I had been holding.

“Let me show you the office,” Jett said.
His voice was back to its nonchalant self, and his
expression was casual, friendly, but distant. How could he be so unaffected
when I was boiling with want inside? Maybe he wasn’t as attracted to me as I
was to him. The thought hurt, particularly since no other man had made me feel
this way. I couldn’t figure him out, which scared the hell out of me because I
had no idea how to react to it.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room,
completely unaware of the electrical current piercing my skin where his fingers
briefly touched me. As I followed a step behind, I barely managed to avoid
stumbling over the white leather sofas set up in front of a huge fireplace. I
had to get over this ridiculous attraction to him before I made a fool of
myself. And I would start right away by focusing on other things, like the
interior design.

The floors reminded me of light ivory with only a splash of
color in the form of thick rugs, and marble urns filled with stunning flower
bouquets. The large abstract painting in various shades of red hanging over the
fireplace looked familiar. Similar paintings, only smaller in size, hung in the
hall.

“This is it,” Jett said opening a door. Careful not to touch
him, I walked past him into the bright but small office with two desks set up
opposite from each other. On top of one laid a laptop, a phone, pen, a
notebook, and nothing else.

“I hope you don’t mind spending so much time with me,” Jett
said. “I promise to be good, and I won’t be too hard on you.” His tone oozed
amusement as he added, “Unless you want me to.”

My cheeks burned. I turned away so he wouldn’t catch my
panic. Being in the same secluded house was bad enough, but we’d be basically
sitting in each other’s lap. How could I turn off the steady stream of hot
emotions washing over me every single time he so much as smiled at me? How
could I possibly work with him obstructing my view and keeping my mind occupied
all day long?

I never thought I’d get to miss my old boss, James, but an
hour into my new job and already I felt like calling him and asking for a
return to my realtor position with Sunrise Properties. Not that it was on
offer, but a girl could at least give it a try. James was a snarky bitch most
of the time, however he was also a friend and a sucker for tears and drama. He
had cried his way through
The Notebook,
and I figured I could find a good enough excuse (think a relative’s last wish)
so he’d take me back.

And risk Mayfield
backing out of their deal to buy James’s company? Fat chance.

If James liked anything more than drama, it was money. And
Mayfield’s offer would persuade anyone to reconsider employee contracts and
friendships.

“Don’t be a wimp,” I mumbled to myself as I neared Jett’s
bedroom door with a certain trepidation. It’s not every day that you’re being
summoned to your boss’s bedroom to assist him with ‘choosing clothes’. Technically,
yes, that was mentioned as part of the job description, but I figured I’d get
to advise him in the safety of a department store with lots of other people
around. No one mentioned I’d be locked up with him in a stunning Italian
mansion, surrounded by romantic views of mountains and lakes that basically
invited you to let down your guard and enjoy a fling.

And I had no doubt Jett was up for a fling all right. I
could read it in his heated gaze whenever he so much as glanced in my
direction.

What did he see that other men didn’t? I had no idea, and if
he wasn’t my boss I might have asked. But as things stood, this attraction was
unwelcome, and I’d be damned if I’d admit it to him by blatantly talking about
it. No matter how much his undressing looks invited me to get closer to him, he
was my boss and I wasn’t going to sleep with him. Again.

Jett’s bedroom was situated on the first floor, mine was on
the second. Thank God for that. The few steps and extra ceiling between us
provided a bit of protection, albeit a weak one. I had no doubt he’d be
professional about the whole situation and wouldn’t impose on me without my
explicit permission. The sad thing was that I sure as hell would give it to him
if only he proposed. Which he wouldn’t, of course.

I knocked on the door gently. When he didn’t answer, I
knocked once more, this time a bit louder.

“Come in,” he called. His voice was low and slightly choked
as though he was in the middle of a workout.

“Am I interrupting? I don’t mind coming back later,” I said,
hesitantly pushing my head through the open door and scanning the room. It was
about the same size as mine and looked almost identical, but with stark
masculine furniture, cherry hardwood floor, wide bay windows, a cream ceiling,
and spotlights. A wide king-sized bed with a thick, cream spread and two rows
of cream cushions was set up in the middle. The padded chair, night tables, and
a mirrored chest were all a few shades lighter than the floor and built a
beautiful contrast to the white walls.

By the balcony door was a computer desk. The notebook sitting
atop it was still running. When Jett didn’t answer I entered the bedroom but
left the door ajar. Ignoring the notebook’s screen and email inbox, I headed
for the mirrored chest. And that’s when my gaze fell upon the walk-in closet to
my left. Holy cow, it was huge, and by that I mean it would have served as a
whole apartment in New York. No wonder the guy was out of breath searching
through what looked like the whole floor of a department store.

“How can a man have so much stuff?” I mumbled, scanning rows
over rows of shirts and slacks and expensive shoes. He’d made a fortune selling
them on
eBay
.

“In my position you can’t be seen wearing the same suit day
in, day out,” Jett said. My gaze snapped sharply in his direction, and I almost
choked on my breath.

Apart from his navy CK pants, which were so snug they left
nothing to the imagination, he was naked. I knew I was staring at his naked
chest like an idiot, and yet I couldn’t force myself to peel my gaze off his
glorious body.

He was all bronze skin and defined muscles. I bit my lip as
my gaze wandered down his sculpted chest to the three rows of hard muscles on
his abdomen—muscles my nails itched to graze and bury themselves in. My
gaze followed his happy trail to the narrow hips. His underwear hung so low I
could see just a hint of neatly trimmed hair and then a well-defined
bulge—and a big one at that. Heat traveled through my abdomen and pooled
between my legs. My pulse picked up speed, and a rush of excitement washed over
me. I had never stared at a man like this. Then again I had never met such a
fine specimen. Did I want to pull off his pants and see whether the real deal
was as hot as the one conjured by my imagination?

Hell, yeah.

Would I do it?

Hell, no. Or at least I hoped not.

“Like what you see?” Jett asked, a little hoarse.

His voice jerked me back to reality. I was furious, as much
at his cockiness as at my own reaction to the mere sight of hard muscles and
taut skin. I bit my lip so hard it hurt, and finally managed to avert my gaze.
“I think you asked the same question a while back, and I told you my answer
back then.”

“Yeah, but your answer was a lie, and we both know it.”

“Was it?” It was a feeble attempt at hiding the fact that he
was right. The question was meant to shake his oversized ego, maybe even leave
a tiny dent in it, but it only managed to summon a crooked smile to his lips.

Dammit.

I loved those lips.

He inched closer until he stood mere inches away and his
breath almost caressed my face. We were so close I could smell his manly
scent—a mixture of shower gel and deodorant and
him
.

It was intoxicating. I wanted to bathe in his scent and to
spread it all around me. To have it inside me.

“Was it, Brooke?” he whispered.

My breath hitched in my throat. I loved it when he said my
name like that. It evoked all sorts of emotions in my lower abdomen and between
my legs. I swallowed hard, probably too loud, but I didn’t care. All I wanted
was—

“What do you want?” I asked so low I had no idea whether he
had heard me.

“What do you think?” His heated gaze scorched the front of
my top. The tip of his tongue flicked over his lips, leaving a shimmering, wet
trail behind. I was standing behind the closed door, my heart beating wildly as
he flashed a meaningful smile, leaving no room for interpretation as to what
exactly he wanted.

“You can’t have it.”

He cocked a brow in wry amusement. “Why not?”

“Because it’s not available.”

“You’re seeing someone?” His tone became frosty but he
didn’t pull back from me. “Even if you are, I’m not afraid of competition. I’ll
make you forget him in a heartbeat.”

I smiled at his cockiness. Boy, was he confident. One day
I’d recover my own feistiness and verbally punch a hole in that unhealthy
confidence of his…just not this minute because right now I couldn’t think
straight.

“Want me to make you forget him, Brooke?” Jett whispered,
leaning closer. I barely had time to breathe before his lips lowered onto mine.
He kissed me with such ferocity I felt I had never been wanted so much in my
life. His tongue swirled in and out of my mouth in the sweetest and most
delicious dance, and I melted into his embrace. My fingers clutched at his arms
as my head began to spin and my legs threatened to give way beneath me. He
pushed his hips into my abdomen and I groaned into his mouth. Beneath his
expensive underwear he was hard. If only a mere kiss from me did this to him, I
wondered what my touch could achieve. Slowly I reached up and ran my fingers
through his dark hair and down his strong chest, touching every inch of soft
skin. His chest hair was dense but soft, manly. I laced my fingers in it and
pulled gently until his hips rocked into my belly, rubbing gently. My groan was
swallowed up by his exploring mouth.

One minute we were kissing, the next it was over with
absolutely no transition. His arms dropped me so quickly I lost my balance and
almost landed flat on my ass. My eyes fluttered open and I looked up at Jett’s
cool expression.

“What’s wrong?” I croaked confused, my mind fighting its way
back to reality. Telltale dampness had gathered in my panties. I crossed my
legs and pressed my thighs together to hide the shameful result of my lust.

Jett’s lips were still moist from our heated kiss, and his
eyes shimmered with need. Apart from that, he seemed unnaturally collected,
unfazed by what happened between us.

Well done, Brooke, one
day in the job and already you’re trying to jump the boss’s bones.

I hadn’t started it, but I sure did nothing to stop it.

Flames of shame burned my cheeks and wandered down my neck.
I moistened my lips and looked away. “I’m sorry. I—”

“Don’t be,” Jett cut me off.

I shook my head. “It’s all my fault. I probably gave you the
wrong impression, which wasn’t my intention. My boyfriend and I just broke up
and I—”

Jett’s thumb moved beneath my chin and he pressed gently,
forcing me to face him. His expression was dark, menacing even, and his face
was a mask of controlled irritation. Whatever I did or said didn’t seem to
please him, so I clamped my mouth shut before I managed to humiliate myself
even more.

“We need to sort this out before it gets out of control,” he
said matter-of-factly. He made it sound like what happened between us was
nothing but an inconvenience that needed immediate dealing with.

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”

“It will, Brooke. The moment I met you, I knew you wanted me
as much as I wanted you. Don’t even pretend it’s not true.” His gaze settled on
my open lips. For a moment I thought he’d kiss me again…until he let go and
turned his back on me. “Wait for me in the living room. I’ll be with you
shortly.” His tone was hard and left no room for discussion. I regarded his
strong back and shoulders. His muscles were tense beneath his smooth, taut
skin. A tiny drop of sweat rolled down his spine and gathered at the waistband
of his pants. Whatever issues he had, he wasn’t as unperturbed as I thought.

“Yes, sir,” I said with a smile as I walked out of his
bedroom holding my head high, quite pleased with myself. Whatever strange
reaction Jett Mayfield could evoke in me with nothing but a handshake, he
wasn’t immune to me either. The realization excited me. It made the trouble I knew
I was getting myself into almost worth it.