Brash (12 page)

Sex was the answer.

The sooner they fucked, the faster he’d get rid of this funk.

Yeah, keeping it physical would ensure he got out of this with his sanity intact by the end of the week.

Maybe if he kept telling himself that often enough, he might start to believe it.

Jess waited until nine, when the last of the resort staff guarding the kitchen moved onto other jobs, before ambushing Jack.

She’d respected his need for space today, had known he’d been freaked out last night when he left her villa.

He’d given her so much pleasure and she’d wanted to return the favor but he’d bolted like the demons from hell had been unleashed.

So she let him hide in his man cave all day but when he didn’t show for lunch or dinner, and she tried to approach him only to be barred by staff at his request, she decided to tackle his avoidance head on.

By ensnaring him.

Seriously, how many dishes could one guy concoct? He may be Australia’s top celebrity chef for the third year running but the guy had to stop some time.

Like now.

She eased the door open and slipped inside, closing it softly behind her. Surprised by the dimness, she blinked, allowing time for her vision to adjust.

It took a good thirty seconds before she saw him, propped on a bar stool behind the massive industrial-size steel bench, swirling a glass of red in one hand, his unwavering gaze fixed on her.

Unnerved by his silence and scrutiny, she padded barefoot across the kitchen toward him. “Seriously, aren’t you taking this creative genius thing to extremes? Hiding out here all day? Posting guards at the door?”

She stopped a foot in front of him, yearning to touch him, wishing he’d say something. “Or is it more a case of keeping people out than being afraid they’ll steal your trade secrets in here?”

“I needed time.”

“To second guess last night?”

He took a sip of red, swallowed it. “To get some work done without being tempted to say screw this wedding and spend the day screwing you instead.”

Jess shivered, surprised and turned on by his bluntness. It’s one of the things that had captivated her a decade earlier, the Aussie way of saying exactly what he meant. No crap, no lies, a refreshing honesty that she hadn’t found since.

Emboldened by his straightforwardness, she stepped closer, between his knees and braced her hands on his thighs. “What about now? Surely it’s time to down utensils?”

“I’m waiting for a new mousse to set, then I’m done.”

He didn’t move to touch her but she felt his thigh muscles flex beneath her palms.

Impressed by his ability to play cool after how hot he’d got her last night, her newly discovered imp upped the ante.

Sliding her palms upward, she said, “I have a fridge in my villa. Why don’t you bring the mousse and it can set there. Or we can—” she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, “—get naked, spread that mousse over our bodies and lick it off. Or I can just spread it here,” she cupped his erection and he swore, “and suck it off.”

“I’ve created a monster,” he said, before crushing his lips to hers in a toe-curling, breath-stealing kiss that made her dizzy.

He tasted of smooth Shiraz as his tongue invaded her mouth, taunting her to match him. And she did, their long, hot, open-mouthed kisses the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced. Discounting the number of times he’d gone down on her last night.

His hands cupped her butt and pulled her forward until she was nestled snug against his hard-on. A few rubs and she’d be falling apart.

Not this time. This time she wanted him screaming right alongside her.

She tore her mouth from his and dragged in several breaths before she could speak. “Grab that mousse and let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Sure, but let’s make it my villa.” His answering smile made her want to strip on the spot. “Unless you don’t want to take this all the way?”

Greedy to have him inside her before she combusted, Jess poked his chest with a fingertip. “What I want is less talk, more action.”

He growled and lunged for her, and she dodged, laughing.

“Last one to the villa owes the other two orgasms before they get off,” she said, sticking her thumbs in her ears and waggling her fingers in challenge.

“No fair, considering I’ll be carrying the mousse.” He stalked toward her around the steel bench, mischief and desire lighting his eyes.

“Why don’t we even the odds?” She grabbed two punnets of strawberries and the bottle of Shiraz. “There. Now I’m carrying stuff too. Happy?”

“No, but I will be when you’re yelling my name in another ten minutes.” He almost slammed open the fridge door in his haste to get the mousse.

“Reckon it’ll take you that long?” She tsked-tsked. “Must be losing your touch.”

He straightened, holding a glass dish filled with a delicious looking chocolate/raspberry mousse. “You know I’m going to make you pay for this, right?”

“You’ll have to catch me first.”

With that, she slipped out of the sliding door opening onto the patio and headed for Jack’s villa.

She didn’t run.

She knew Jack would be right behind her and whoever made it first was irrelevant.

They’d both get their fair share of orgasms tonight.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Burlesque Bombshell Basics

The infallible motto of a Burlesque Bombshell: glamour, all day every day
.

“What do you reckon? Dead heat?” Jack opened the door to his villa and gestured Jess ahead of him.

Surprisingly nervous now they were here, Jess nodded. “Sounds fair.”

He laughed at her reticence. “Relax, babe. Surely after last night you know I’ll take care of you? Many times…”

“I know.” She placed the wine and strawberries on the nearest table, took the mousse out of his hands and did the same.

“That needs to go in the fridge—”

“Not with what I’ve got planned for it.” She grabbed the lapels of his open-necked shirt and tugged, hard, sending buttons pinging on the floor.

His eyes widened and she grinned. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“What if it was my last shirt?”

“I’ll buy you another.” Her gaze dipped to his glorious chest, big and bronze, covered in a smattering of dark hair. “On second thoughts, maybe not.”

She leaned forward and kissed him over his heart, dipping lower to lick around his left nipple before moving across and nipping his right.

“You’re frigging killing me…” He grabbed her arms and hauled her up, their gazes locking for a wild, loaded moment that signaled the point of no return.

“Get the towels and the condoms,” she murmured, cupping his cheek for a brief, tender moment that made her realize just how dangerous this game was.

No matter how many saucy quips they traded, how many sultry looks, what they were about to do wasn’t purely sex.

Which meant Jess was in too deep.

Uh-oh.

Jess had no idea if the panic clogging her lungs and making it difficult to breathe showed on her face and Jack caught a glimpse, for he didn’t say another word but headed for the bathroom while she stood there, unable to move, her body trembling with need, her mind reeling from the fact she was about to have sex with her fantasy guy.

“Do you have another of those?” He pointed to her black chiffon cover-up as he returned, before spreading the towels on the floor.

She glanced down at what she was wearing. “Yeah, why?”

“No reason.” He emptied his pockets, spilling countless foil packets onto the floor, before reaching for her.

He slid his hands into the neckline of her cover-all and ripped it in half from top to bottom. “There. Much better.”

Jess had envisaged this very scenario when she’d gone to the kitchen tonight. Hell, she’d even imagined a little spicy kitchen sex if Jack had wised up and slipped a condom into his wallet. Being naked beneath the flimsy but artfully layered cover-all had been about making him hot for her but right now, with his hungry gaze devouring her, she was the one in danger of going up in flames.

“Don’t move.” He unbuckled his belt, undid the top button of his khaki shorts and lowered the zip with torturous slowness.

Saliva pooled in Jess’s mouth and she swallowed, unable to tear her gaze away as the shorts fell to the floor, Jack stepped out of them and kicked them away.

Black cotton boxers. Designer. Very nice.

But nothing compared to the impressive bulge in them.

“I’ve been fantasizing about this moment for so long,” she said, the words slipping out as a trickle of perspiration ran down the back of her neck. “Let me see you.”

The corners of his mouth kicked into a sexy smile. “Only if you say please.”

“Goddamn it, Jack…”

“Well, seeing as you asked so nicely.” His thumbs hooked into the waistband and tugged the elastic down.

Unaware she’d been holding her breath, Jess made a strange hissing sound that echoed in the silence as Jack’s hard-on sprang free.

She stared at it, fascinated by its length and width, feeling incredibly short-changed by Max.

“It’s not polite to stare,” he said, scooping a handful of mousse and crossing the short distance between them.

“Can’t help it,” she said, licking her lips. “It’s pretty damn amazing.”

It twitched in response. “You’ll give it a big head.”

“I think you’ve got that covered all by yourself,” she said, gasping as he smeared mousse over her breasts.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart.” He spread the mousse down her stomach and across her mound, kneeling before her. “I’m starving.”

“Don’t let me stop you from eating…ooh…” He started at the bottom and worked his way up, licking the mousse from the top of her bikini line before his tongue cleared her belly in long, slow sweeps.

He half-stood, reaching for her breasts, pressing them together with his hands before feasting, laving and sucking and swirling his tongue repeatedly over her nipples until she couldn’t stand.

She sank to her knees, her muscles quivering, her skin burning from the inside out. Grateful he knelt too, she clutched at him for support.

“As much as I’m loving the foreplay, I had hours of it last night.” She captured his face in her hands and eyeballed him. “I’m on the verge of coming every time you look at me, so can you please…”

She stalled, as the enormity of what she’d been about to say hit. No way could she say to Jack
can you please make love to me
.

Because that would imply too much, would give away too much.

And if he twigged this was more than sex and reneged…no, she wouldn’t be satisfied with anything but going all the way this time.

“Please what?” He slanted his lips across hers, teasing an answer out of her.

So she said the one thing guaranteed to keep things strictly casual between them.

“Fuck me,” she whispered, the harsh plea sounding incredibly erotic to her inexperienced ears.

Thankfully, Jack didn’t need to be asked twice. He picked up a foil packet, ripped it open and sheathed himself in record time.

She whimpered as he slid a finger between her folds.

“You’re so wet.” He circled her clit but didn’t touch it and she pressed her hips forward.

His low chuckle was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard, as he rubbed the head of his dick against her clit.

His length slid against her slickness, repeatedly rubbing her clit until she couldn’t stand it any longer.

The tension spiraled too quickly, her inner muscles spasming as she came, clutching at his hips, desperate for him to drive into her. Now.

She spread her legs a fraction wider, all the invitation Jack needed to plunge into her.

Her muscles convulsed around him, adjusting to his width.

“Babe, you feel so good.” He thrust up as she sank down, straddling him, filled by him. “So fucking good.”

Words failed Jess as a riot of sensation overwhelmed her. It felt like every inch of her body was being zapped by electricity, like she was on the verge of shattering.

She couldn’t control her responses to Jack any more than she could control her feelings and as his hands spanned her waist, guiding her up and down, faster and faster until the pleasure bordered on pain, Jess knew that after this nothing would ever be the same.

“Jess…babe…” His head fell back, exposing his neck as he pumped into her harder.

Mindless with the escalating tension, Jess nipped his corded neck muscle.

Jack roared and thrust upward a final time as Jess’s insides convulsed in an orgasm so intense she couldn’t breathe.

She had no idea how long it took for the exquisite ripples to subside, but as Jack wrapped his arms around her and her head sank onto his shoulder, a persistent thought intruded on her hazy bliss.

How the hell could she walk away from this?

“Bad news, hun. The minister Dorian insists on using to marry us has his first grandchild being delivered by C-section on the weekend and his wife’s insisting he be around.” Zazz pressed her thumb to her forehead. “Yeah, he’s under this but what can you do? It means we’re getting married in two days instead of next week.”

Jess stared at the laptop screen in horror. “So you’re saying I need to wrap up the plans by tomorrow?”

Zazz nodded. “I’m really sorry to do this to you but the whole gang’s arriving on the island late tomorrow evening and we’re getting married the night after.”

Jess shook her head. “No way. There’s still so much to do—”

“Hun, I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.”

Jess gaped at Zazz, stunned at the thought of pulling the rest of this wedding together in two days.

Zazz laughed, the complete antithesis of a bridezilla and way too calm while Jess was freaking out. “Dorian’s already called the resort and let them know, so the setting up will be fine. We’ve already approved everything, along with your cake table suggestions, which we loved by the way.”

Jess couldn’t comprehend the speed at which this was happening but by the bride’s unflappability, this wedding was definitely going ahead sooner rather than later. “But the flowers—”