Mirror Amour (Circotica Series) (9 page)

            I didn’t touch him apart from the hot brand of our thighs. Noah gulped, hands opening and clenching on the settee. If he was determined not to touch me, he was doing a good job.

            Fine. If he wouldn’t play along, I’d just take him. Hopefully the connection would open him up to me and we could talk without the annoying cryptic crap. For a man who knew every inch of the periodic table and could recite scientific names of every microbe, he was being denser than mucus.  

            I reached for him again, caressing his hardness, running hands over his hot smooth balls. He groaned, and his head fell back on the couch. “Linden—”

            I leaned forward, murmuring in his ear. “Were you wanking over me in the shower? Tell me the truth.”

            A pained noise vibrated in his chest. “Yes. God, yes. You have no idea how much I want you.”

            Lust spiked along with a spark of contentment flowing like lava at his admission. “Tell me how much you want me.” I brushed my core against the long length of him, smearing him with my wetness.

            “I can’t. You’ll leave.” He moaned, eyes tight as he watched me stroke up and down along his cock. My thighs burned as I increased my rhythm.  

            My brain was foggy with anything but wanting him inside me. He could tell me he burned the lab and decimated my study, and I wouldn’t have cared in that moment. “I won’t leave.”

            His chest expanded and frantic eyes met mine as I rocked faster. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep up the pace—the teasing, flaming, lusting pace.

            “You promise? If I tell you, you won’t leave?”

            My eyes drooped as I slid higher, teasing myself with the tip of him. So close to pushing him inside. But I held off. I’d torture both of us while he told me.

            “I promise.”

            “Remember you signed a one-year lease. You’re locked in for another four months, even if you end up hating me. And I’ll have time to make you forgive me.”

            I frowned, worry threading for the first time. What the hell had he done? “Just tell me, Noah.” My fingers tensed around him and he gasped.

            “I was asked if you were capable enough to run an offshore laboratory studying some new strain of bird flu, and I said no. They were asking a lot of staff who would be a good candidate.”

            My eyes flared wide. “What?” This was news to me. I’d been considered for a higher position, and Noah denied me? I froze.

            “They wanted to offer you a four-year contract to move. They asked my opinion, seeing as we’re lab partners and flatmates, if I thought you could handle being away for so long. I lied and said I didn’t think you’d like to be away from your friends and family.”

            My thighs burned as I hovered above him. Still needing him, but confusion ran rampant. “Why?”

            He dropped his eyes, running thumbs along my waist and over my breasts. I allowed the contact, unable to stop my spine from arching. Even though he’d admitted to ruining a potential promotion, my body screamed for his.

            “Because I’ve never worked so well with anyone before. Working together allows me to see things in our tests I wouldn’t have seen without you. And living with you has been an endless sexual need, but I’d rather you continue to think I’m a geeky scientist than know how much I want to fuck you every time I come home from the lab. I knew the moment the company asked if we’d room together I’d be sore from wanking to avoid pouncing on you.” His hands circled to my back, and he pulled me forward, his voice dropping. “Please don’t hate me. I need you so bad, Linden.” He pushed up and my mouth hung open as he entered me. Slowly, calmly, letting me pull away if I wanted to.

            My mind scrambled with thoughts. He said no my possible promotion to get me to stay? So he liked me? He must. I should be pissed, but—

            I groaned as Noah leaned forward and flicked his tongue over my breast. His hips spasmed up, impaling me fully.

            I let myself sink onto him, threading my fingers through his hair. “Is that why I’ve been called into the mangers office on Monday? To discuss the promotion you sabotaged?” I’d had a note on my desk summoning me to an eight a.m. meeting.

            A heavy sound rumbled in his chest as he pushed me up and then pulled me down, eyes tight, mouth parted. He shook his head. “That isn’t it.”

            Shit, he’d done more? Now what?

            “I had a bit of a break through on Thursday.” He rocked up, leaning forward to bite my collar bone. His breath tickled as he added, “I put your name on the report.”

            I wriggled, trying to get out of his embrace. “What? I don’t understand.”

            Noah didn’t let me go; his arms banded and suddenly we were up and lying on the shag pile rug, still joined. Noah spread his legs out, pinning me down. He kissed the tip of my nose. “I couldn’t live with the guilt of being such a bastard, keeping you here by lying. So I made sure you earned the accolade for discovering an enzyme that will cure streptococcus better than penicillin.” His nose traced my jaw line, dipping into my throat. “It will be worth millions to the pharmaceutical companies.”

            My eyes flew wide. Who was this man? He was an enigma. I’d learned so much about him since last night. First, he had a temper and was bossy. Who knew? Second, he was a horny devil and hid it so well, which I found beyond exciting, and three, he sabotaged my future so he could keep me as a lab partner and then threw a million dollar contract at me because of guilt. “I don’t understand you at all.”

            He kissed my cleavage, eyes hooded with lust rather than the fear I’d leave. “I know you don’t. That’s why I wanted it to be one night. Everything you think you know about me isn’t true. You think I’m cold. I’m not. I’m tightly controlled, or I was until I snapped last night. Everything sort of let itself out —it showed me how much I wanted you. How much time I wasted by pretending to be cool to you, when in reality I wanted you more than I’ve wanted anyone.”

            I couldn’t speak as his pressed his hips into mine. We’d had the entire conversation while rocking gently, flaming lust to a simmer.

            “You won’t leave will you? Did I do right by fixing it?” He arched up on his elbows, looking down at me. His cock froze inside as he remained motionless but for flickering eyes trying to read my decision.

            What should I say? He saved me from making a decision to go, for the chance to advance my studies, but I would’ve been lonely and lost. I was always a home body. Shit, my parents lived up the road. They so better not of gone to Circotica last night.

In reality he saved me from a lot of complications and at the same time set me up for life with money and recognition. Heaviness sat on my chest. “I can’t take the report, Noah. That’s your work. You earned it.”

            He shook his head. “It’s done. The findings are already registered in your name.”

            The soft carpet cradled me as I ran through what I’d learned. Who
was
this man?

            A smile sneaked over my lips as I figured out what I wanted. “I won’t leave if you do two things for me.”

            His nostrils flared and his hips jerked in pleasure, stroking me, flaming me. “What do you want?” The edge of his voice had lost the sorrow and guilt; it was now rough and heavy. It was a command. He wanted to know what I wanted. And just like that he’d turned the serious conversation back to mind-altering sex.

            “I want to know you. No more thinking you can’t have me. When you need me, you come to my room. Deal?”

            He smiled. “No deal. How about you just move into my room, then I can have you every moment?”

            My heart fluttered as he drove into me. It was an acknowledgement of what we were planning for our future.

            “Second, you share the money that the pharmaceuticals will pay for your discovery. I’ll take half as we’re partners, but only if you agree.”

            “Only if you let me have you at the lab with nothing but your coat and heels on.”

The image shot ripples through my flesh, and I gave up trying to have a logical conversation.

            “Deal.”

            He bent one elbow, lowering his face to mine. His hips rocked, pressing me deeper into the carpet, turning the simmer into full boil. His mouth captured mine, and he coaxed my tongue to be rough, fight him, dance with him. We got high on each other on the lounge floor, and the heat of the fire caused sweat to bead on our skin.

            Just as the soft stars of an orgasm found me, Noah murmured, “Deal.”

Mirror Amour wasn’t intended to be as saucy as it turned out. The characters made me write it. I started writing thinking I’d stick to one genre, turns out, I like to dabble in multiple. I’m lucky enough to have a huge support of readers and friends who accept the books I write, regardless of the material. So, thank you to everyone for sampling my work.

Thank you to all the FFF girls (you know who you are) and thanks to all my closest writing friends (again you know who you are.)

Thanks to my wonderful cover artist Megan from Abuse of Reason and Art and Marcie from Looking Glass editing for her help shaping this MS. Also thanks to Robin and TJ at Cliff Hanger Editing for using me as their guinea-pig for their editing business. Loved it!

And a humongous thank you to you, the reader. Without you my words would mean nothing and my characters would be lonely with no one to read their stories.

Jade Hart can either be found spaced out in her imagination typing away, or with her nose deep in a book. If she isn’t writing or reading, she’s travelling the world with her hubby. She currently lives in Middle Earth, but has lived in Hong Kong, England, and Australia, and uses her many travels as inspiration for locations.

She’s English, so hence the English spelling in her work—hope it’s not too distracting!

If you have feedback on this book, or would like to review an eARC of upcoming titles, please don’t hesitate to contact her.

Seeing as Jade writes any book that a character demands—regardless of genre—she’d like to hear from you on what you enjoyed. If you want more Circotica series tweet her with #morecircotica. If you want more Ocean Breeze tweet #moreocean, etc. It helps keep her writing the books you want to read! J

Thanks for reading!

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Sales link for her other work:

Ocean Kills:
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Coffee and Cockpits:
http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-and-Cockpits-ebook/dp/B00CBWLWVQ/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3