The Next Play: Part One Page 3

  It was only after he’d cranked the heat up another couple of degrees that he finally got what he was after.

  “Oh, for the love of God,” she muttered under her breath, huffing with irritation. “This is ridiculous!”

  And then a miracle happened. One that was so fucking perfect, it was like some kind of divine intervention.

  In a fit of temper, a pink-faced Jocelyn pushed back from the table, surged to her feet, and started to jerk the sweater over her head. But her head was literally as far as she got.

  From what he could tell from her whispered curses, it seemed that the silver charm bracelet she wore on her left wrist was caught not only in her hair, but also on the right sleeve and hem of her sweater. The result being that she was essentially stuck, trapped under the sweater with her arms up in the air…and there was a cute little strip of her midriff showing beneath the bottom of the pale gray blouse she wore underneath.

  “Ohmygod, this isn’t happening!” she screeched, jostling and wriggling as she tried to work the bracelet free. It was a beautiful sight, with her gorgeous tits jiggling from her movements. Then it got exponentially better when the top three fabric-covered buttons on the blouse slipped free, giving him a mouthwatering, cock-hardening view of her cleavage and the inner swells of her lace-covered breasts.

  Jonah stared, lips parted and eyes hooded, unable to believe his luck could be this fucking good. Seriously, this was unreal. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he had a wish-granting angel on his shoulder.

  Then again, given the decidedly sexual nature of the view, it was more likely a horny little devil.

  “Don’t just sit there,” she snapped at him, knocking her chair over as she continued to try to free herself. “Help me!”

  He pushed his chair farther away from the table, but he didn’t stand. Instead, Jonah sprawled back in the chair, stretching out his long legs, a slow smile working its way over his mouth as he locked his hands behind his head. With a low laugh rumbling up from his chest, he asked, “And why would I do that?”

  “Because it’s what a gentleman would do,” she bit out, stamping a cute little shoe-covered foot.

  “True,” he agreed in a silky drawl, his smile turning downright wicked as he settled in to enjoy the show. “So I guess it’s a damn good thing, then, that I’ve never claimed to be one.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jocelyn sucked in a sharp breath, determined to calm down and not have a shit-fit just because she was flashing so much skin at a man who was essentially her boss, even though she was assigned to Gabriel.

  And it wasn’t just any man—it was Jonah Freaking Cartwright! The most gorgeous male specimen she’d ever set eyes on, with the most notorious reputation as a hard-core player that she’d ever heard of. All of which meant that she needed to stay as far away from him as humanly possible. What she did not need to be doing was baring her boobs and belly in front of him like a stripper.

  “You doing okay in there?” he said, and she could tell that he was smiling as he asked the question.

  “No,” she forced through her gritted teeth, trying to turn her back on him. But she was so twisted around, she wasn’t even sure which direction she was facing anymore. “Do I look like I’m doing okay?”

  He gave one of his signature low, provocative laughs, the carnal sound making her shiver despite how badly she was burning up. Especially now that she had a freaking sweater covering her head!

  Please don’t let it be a fever, she thought with desperation. Getting ill wasn’t something she could deal with this week, when life was already throwing her one curveball after another.

  “You actually seem a bit flustered,” he murmured, and she instantly stilled. Oh, no. He’d sounded closer that time. As in, he’d sounded like he was standing right in front of her! “But as for how you look,” he added huskily, “I have to tell you, sweetheart, it’s a fucking spectacular view.”

  “I’m not an exhibitionist,” she managed to say in a tone that was far calmer than she felt, her momentary freeze giving way to another violent wave of shivers.

  “What’s wrong with a little exhibitionism?” he asked, sounding like he was trying hard not to laugh, and she could all too easily imagine what he looked like at that moment. The auburn hair that he’d recently had cut would be shining dark and tousled beneath the overhead lights, his incredible blue eyes crinkling at the corners, while a crooked smile kicked up the corner of his diabolically sexy mouth. The guy was too insanely attractive for his own good, and that was before his body came into the picture. His impossibly tall, lean, perfectly muscled body that could have no doubt earned him millions as a model, especially with that face and the “I’m going to ruin you for other men” look that always burned in his eyes.

  Not that he needed to earn his money in front of a camera. No, he had to go and have a brilliant mind and the kind of exceptional drive that had enabled him and his four friends to become hugely successful. So much so that they were all in the millionaire’s club, and quite comfortably too.

  He hadn’t said anything for several seconds now, and she realized he was waiting for her to answer his question. For a moment, she thought about simply kicking him and telling him to leave her alone. But her arms were starting to tingle from being held over her head, and she didn’t want to still be trapped in this embarrassing position when Lucas Bennett came back into the room. So she chose a different tact.

  “You…you were right about the sweater. It is pretty hideous. But I threw it on this morning because the blouse was too, um, see-through, and by the time I realized, I didn’t have time to change into another one. So I grabbed the sweater on my way out the door.”

  “That’s not the only reason,” he said softly, and she could have sworn she felt the heat of his body shift closer to hers. That she could actually feel the blistering warmth of his gaze as he stared down at her.

  “Fine, you’re right. I…I wore it because I realized the blouse was also too tight. And I don’t…I don’t like people looking at my body.” Desperate to lighten the mood, she tried for a joke. “I mean, I don’t even like looking at my body. Why would I want to force it on some unsuspecting male?”

  “Is that what I am, Miss Brenna? Some poor, unsuspecting male?”

  She started to respond, not really sure what she was going to say, when he suddenly demanded, “And why the fuck don’t you like looking at this body?”

  The heat in his voice, not to mention the guttural emphasis he’d put on the word fuck, completely stunned her. Jonah Cartwright was the epitome of the laid-back, easy-going, not-a-care-in-the-world playboy. He cursed for pleasure, not with anger.

  Feeling more off balance than she had just a moment ago, she quietly said, “Just…stop. Please don’t look at me.”

  He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Not a chance in hell.”

  “Can you just help me out here?” she huffed, jerking her left wrist so hard that it nearly pulled out the chunk of hair it was snagged in, bringing tears to her eyes.

  “Not yet, Jace.” There was something different about his deep voice, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly. Had he…had he knelt on the floor in front of her? “Just…hold still for a second, okay?”

  “Only my friends and family call me Jace,” she rambled nervously, wondering if that click she’d just heard was the door. “And you’re not my—Mr. Cartwright!” she gasped, nearly stumbling back on her ass, the strong grip he’d put on her hips the only thing that kept her upright as she felt the brush of his lips against her skin. “What on earth are you—”

  “It’s Jonah,” he said, cutting her off. “When I’m on my knees in front of you and have my mouth on your stomach—or anywhere else on this sweet little body—you call me Jonah. None of that Mr. Cartwright crap. Understand?”

  The instant he’d pressed a shocking kiss against her abdomen, her heart had started hammering so hard she was surprised it hadn’t burst from
her chest. “What? Are you crazy? You’ve lost your mi—”

  “Shh. Calm down, Jace. There’s no need to panic,” he murmured, his lips coasting across the sensitive strip of skin revealed between the hem of her cursed blouse—she was burning it when she got home!—and the top of her skirt. Then he squeezed her hips a little tighter, as if to make sure he had her complete attention. “Jonah. That’s all I want to hear you say.”

  “Jonah,” she heard herself echo in a low voice, his sexy name flowing past her lips like a warm, rich spill of honey, the same way her juices were pooling between her thighs.

  Wait…what? Am I seriously… Ohmygod, I am!

  Somewhere between being irritated and embarrassed, she’d gone and gotten turned on. There wasn’t any point in denying it, because she was wet. Wetter than she’d been in years. Damn it, she didn’t think she’d ever been this wet before in her entire life. What in the holy hell was wrong with her? She should be kicking him in the balls, not melting like a sex-starved nymphomaniac.

  “You have the most beautiful skin,” he murmured, and the catch in his husky voice made her knees tremble. His hands slid up her sides, thumbs spread across her front, taking the hem of her blouse even higher. She gave another gasp when his open mouth pressed against the patch of skin just beneath her navel, his warm breath somehow even hotter than her skin. “I love the freckles,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice as he stroked the pad of his thumb against her left side. “Did you know these here look like the stars in Cassiopeia?”

  She knew she still had some pounds there that looked anything but sexy; the constellation was a surprise. So was the way he followed the spray of freckles with his tongue, dragging the moist, rasping tip over her quivering belly. It pulled a strangled moan from the pit of her stomach, her thighs clenching together so hard she could have cracked a walnut.

  “Mmm. But you’re nothing like that vane queen, are you? No, you’re too shy and sweet.”

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, knowing in that moment that she’d been right to keep her distance from this man. He was too much, too mesmerizing, and there wasn’t a chance in hell she could handle him.

  When she’d first taken the job at Atlas, Jocelyn had been shocked by how good-looking the five owners were—each of them gorgeous, brilliant, and mysterious in their own way. But it was Jonah Cartwright who had completely enthralled her. It’d taken everything she had these past months to keep her distance from him and play it cool. But she’d done it, because even though she was nowhere close to being in his league, she’d known he was trouble. Her instincts had screamed it. Screamed that he had heartbreaker written all over him.

  And so she’d blanked him as best as she could, doing her damnedest to pretend like he didn’t exist.

  She’d done it to protect herself from getting crazy over him (not that it’d quelled her fascination in the slightest). She’d also done it in the hopes that it would help keep her grounded in reality, because he was so not a relationship kind of guy. He was an enjoy-life-to-the-fullest, and gorge-on-all-the-variety-along-the-way, kind of man. And right now… Damn it, she needed to walk away.

  But—dear God—she wasn’t going to. Even if the stupid sweater hadn’t blinded her, Jocelyn knew that leaving was the last thing she would be capable of doing. Instead, she was going to stay right where she was, for one simple, incredibly selfish reason: Just this once, she wanted to know what having Jonah Cartwright so close felt like. He might even kiss the hell out of her before Lucas returned, and there was no way she was going to miss that. Didn’t she deserve at least one stolen moment of pleasure?

  “Are you turned on, Jace?”

  His low voice pulled her back from her tumbling thoughts, and she almost whimpered as she felt herself fall deeper into the moment. And he wasn’t even done seducing her with his deliciously filthy mouth!

  “Are you getting all warm and wet and soft for me?” he asked, nuzzling just beneath her navel with the tip of his nose. “‘Cause I can smell you.” She heard him inhale a deep breath, the rumbling sound of satisfaction that followed making her melt even more for him, when her panties were already close to being soaked. “I can smell the juices creaming your hot little pussy right under my nose.” His long fingers dug into her sides, the seductive rasp roughening to a growl. “You might act like you hate me, but it’s all a lie. Because you’re as hungry for me as I am for you. And you’re going to show me just how much when I put my mouth on your slick cunt and fucking devour you before I swallow you down.”

  Oh…My…God!

  Understanding too late just how out of her depth she was with a man like him, Jocelyn felt her panic start to nibble away at the haze of need clouding her head. She’d been thinking about letting herself have one forbidden, mind-blowing kiss, and here he was talking about eating her out! Her pulse rioted as she instinctively tried to twist out of his hold, the strength of her arousal, and how easily she reacted to him, scaring the hell out of her.

  “This isn’t right,” she said in a rush, reminding herself that she freaking worked for this man’s company. God, did she never learn? “I can’t do this. Whatever this is, it’s…it’s stupid and completely irresponsible!”

  “Fuck what’s right,” he shot back. “I’ve been walking around on eggshells with you for goddamn months now. Just give me this. Tell me the truth and don’t even think of lying to me.”

  She breathed even harder…faster.

  “Now, Jace.”

  “Yes!” she snapped, vibrating with emotion. Though for the life of her she couldn’t have pinpointed a single one. They were all too jumbled together, colliding against each other in a dangerous combination that was guaranteed to bring her low.

  “Say it louder. I want to hear it.”

  “Yes! Yes, I’m turned on. Yes, damn it, I’m wet! What in the hell do you want from me?”

  “I want you to answer another question.” His head dipped lower, and she could feel the erotic slide of his tongue just above the waistband of her skirt. “Do you want me to fuck you, baby girl? I’m so damn hard right now, and it’s all for you. Every inch of it. Do you want it?”

  Her breath sucked in on another sharp gasp, and she jerked back so hard she nearly fell on her ass. Would have, too, if he hadn’t held on to her even tighter.

  “Answer me, Jace.” The next thing she knew, he was standing up in front of her, his long body brushing close, and for a split second she felt just how massive and hard he was against her midriff. She half expected him to pull her close and grind that impressive erection against her, her mind spinning as she tried to picture what his powerful body would look like without the expensive clothes. Gorgeous, no doubt. Ripped and hard and shatteringly beautiful.

  But instead of embracing her, his hands reached between her upright arms and nudged her fumbling fingers aside so that he could work on getting her free. He was so tall, it was easy work for him, and though his hands were big, his touch was so gentle that he never once pulled her hair. And then the sweater was being lifted over her head, and she was finally able to see again.

  As blood rushed back into her tingling arms, Jocelyn blinked against the bright lights, wincing at the realization that so many of her flaws had been on harsh display. The curve of her belly and the light marks that marred her lower abdomen from weight gain. This was a guy used to supermodel perfection, and here she was looking like something that had walked onto an episode of one of those “I need a makeover” TV shows.

  But he was the one coming on to her, and she honestly didn’t know what to think of that. Her head felt thick, her breaths coming fast and shallow. And he was still right there, looming over her, so freaking tall she had to tilt her head back to see his face.

  Jocelyn had never been this close to him before—and, God, she’d never seen his handsome face look the way it did at that exact moment, with his lips parted and his eyes so dark with need they were like smoke.

  Taking her face in his big hands, he kept his
heavy-lidded gaze locked hard with hers as he said, “Do you want my cock, Jace? Do you want me inside you? Do you want me to fuck you so hard I’ll have to carry you out of this room when we’re done, because you won’t even be able to stand?”

  “I… Um, I…” she stammered, unable to find the words—any words—that would explain what she wanted, her mind completely fried. Then something at the corner of her eye caught her attention, her head whipping to the side as she jerked back a step, and that’s when she realized they weren’t alone. That they hadn’t been alone for quite some time, because Lucas Bennett was standing with his back against the closed door, his powerful arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes hooded as he returned her stare from under his thick lashes.

  And stretching the front of his trousers was an erection that could have given Jonah’s a run for its money.

  “Wh—what’s going on?” She started re-buttoning her blouse as she looked at Jonah, horrified by the dawning suspicion that she’d just been the subject of some kind of set-up or sick joke. What an idiot she’d been to think he wanted her, even if for nothing more than a quick office fuck!

  He opened his mouth, but seemed at a loss for what to say.

  “I…I hope you had a good laugh,” she scraped out, hating how badly her voice was shaking, “because you won’t get another chance to humiliate me. Come near me again, and I’ll file a complaint with HR so fast it’ll make your head spin.”

  “Baby, just—”

  “Baby?” She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Ohmygod. You’re such an asshole. Get out of my way!”

  Jocelyn tried to go around him, needing to get her things, but he mirrored her movements, his brow creased with concern. It made him look more serious than she’d ever seen him, and there was a rough bite to his voice as he said, “Jocelyn, it wasn—”

  “Shut up and let me by,” she snapped. “Now!”

  He looked at Lucas, and she took the opportunity to slap his beautiful face, hitting him so hard that it jerked his head to the side. She’d never done anything like it in her entire life—not even when she’d been faced with another lowlife bastard who’d been hiding behind a pretty face—and her palm stung so badly it brought tears to her eyes. Or maybe that was just the violent wave of emotion pounding through her. She felt like such an idiot, because for a moment there, she’d actually started to believe that this gorgeous creature was interested in her. And all the while, Lucas had been standing there, listening to every word. Watching her shiver and gasp with arousal, while Jonah Cartwright had toyed with her like a fish on a hook.