Conquer Your Love (6 page)

“What are you afraid of, Miss Stewart? That
you won’t be able to resist me?”

Oh, god.

How could I have forgotten his inflated ego? I
bit my lip hard so I wouldn’t smile, not because it was funny but because he
was so spot-on—I might not be able to resist him. Not only was he
scorching hot, he knew the effect he had on women, and that’s never a good
combination. Jett raised a brow in challenge.

“You’re not God’s gift to the female
population.” I hated to admit it but he sort of was. At least his good looks
were, thanks to his inherited hotness gene. Not sure about his shitty
character. “I’ll give you five minutes over coffee, just to explain, and that’s
it. Then you’ll leave me alone. Deal?”

He seemed to consider my suggestion for a
moment. I felt my heartbeat speed up again as I regarded him. Even though I was
fuming mad and the scars of betrayal he had left behind would take years to
heal, if ever, I couldn’t help the bubble of happiness growing in my foolish
chest. Now that the shock was slowly wearing off, I was happy to see him.

“Make it dinner.”

I laughed at his self-assured expression and
the amused glint in his eyes. He obviously thought I was going to give in. The
guy definitely needed to be taught a lesson.

“Lunch, and that’s my final offer. Take it or
leave it.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Stewart.”

“I’m known for my bargaining skills,” I said
proudly.

“Throw in a drink and a dance today, and you
have a deal.” He moistened his lips, his tongue leaving a moist trail. I stared
at it for a moment longer than I should have, unable to peel my gaze off him.

“I’m not drinking tonight,” I said.

His leg brushed my thigh. It was just an inch,
but enough to remind me just how close we sat. My breath hitched and the walls
began to close down on me. The air felt too hot to breathe.

“A dance, then. And I get to pick the song.”
He grinned.

No way was I letting him pick the damn song.
He’d probably go for something slow and sexy.
Something that
would invite a lap dance.
That was way too personal, not to mention the
last thing my crumbling self-control needed.

“I pick the song,” I said decisively.

“What about we retreat to the VIP area and no
one picks the song?”

I shook my head. “We stay here, on the dance
floor, where everyone can see us.”

“Fine by me, Brooke. I’ve always been into
public performance. I’m glad to know I could give you a taste for it.” His
voice was low and hoarse, his stare intense, the glint of amusement gone,
leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Oh,
god.

My cheeks flamed as I thought back to the one
time we had sex on the shore of Lake Como, where people could have seen us. I
realized I had just said the most stupid thing ever and probably managed to
inflate his ego even more. Soon it’d grow to monstrous proportions, and he’d
need a bulldozer to push it through the door.

“Let’s just dance before I change my mind,” I
said. At least he didn’t get to choose the music.

Jett stood and reached down to help me up. I
placed my hand into his outstretched palm, trying hard to ignore the electric
shock running through my arm, playing havoc with my nerves.

As he pushed through the crowd making room for
me to follow, I scanned the dance floor and bar, realizing Sylvie was nowhere
in sight. She had taken off with Tattooed Guy.

Unbelievable!

My mood plummeted.

The dance floor was crowded but not to the
point of strangers touching you. The neon lights over our heads flickered with
the beat, bathing us in a seizure-inducing white glow. Above us I could see the
staircase leading to the darkened VIP area; to our right was what looked like a
DJ booth. Jett turned to face me but didn’t move. I frowned, wondering what the
heck he was waiting for.

The music was louder here. I leaned in to
shout so he’d hear me over the noise. “One song, Mayfield, and that’s it. No
touching, grinding, or any other funny moves. Or I’m gone.”

“What? You think I can’t keep my hands off of
you? You’re damn right about that, baby.”

As though to prove his point, his hands moved
to my ass and pulled me against him. Balancing on seven-inch stilettoes, I barely
reached his chin. His hand forced my chin up until our gazes interlocked. His
lips neared mine, scorching my skin with his hot
breath
.
For a moment I thought he’d kiss me but he just hovered there, leaving me both
wanting and fearing his kiss.

“What are you doing?” I managed to say through
ragged breaths.

“Waiting for the right song. I’m going to make
the best of my one and only dance.”

The music slowed down a bit as the DJ made an
announcement in Italian. I looked around, confused, wondering what was going
on. An instant later, half the dance floor cleared and other people joined us.
Most were couples. I realized the DJ was about to change the music and none of
us had asked for it. Damn! I had been pretty comfortable with the last
fast-paced song.

“What did he say?” I asked Jett, frowning.

His lips curled at one corner but he made no
effort to explain as the beat morphed into a different song.
A
love song.
I groaned inwardly.

Great,
just great!

Jett must’ve had a lucky day.

“That’s more like it,” he whispered as he
pulled me closer to him—so close I could feel his heartbeat.

I knew this song and instantly wished I hadn’t
agreed to a dance. The female vocalist began to sing something about love never
dying, lurking in the deepest crevices, bypassing time, and resurfacing once
more, stronger than before. It was just one song, albeit a stupid one. I chose
to ignore her voice and let the beat lead the way.

It was all so slow and sexy, the way my chest
trembled against his, the way Jett’s body began to move against me, his hips
molding into mine, his breath tickling my cheek, sending my heart into
overdrive. I wanted to run and yet I couldn’t move, as though he had put a
spell on me and frozen me in his arms forever.

As the music pulled us in, our bodies moved in
accord. I inhaled his scent—a mixture of manly aftershave and
him—
and let his arms envelope me,
pressing me so close against him I could barely breathe. Maybe it was the way
he smelled or the way his hands possessed me, but something about him drove me
wild and daring. I felt his body brushing against mine and my mind dissolved
into nothingness as our bodies merged to the hot beat. I don’t know how long we
just danced, clutching at each other, wanting, owning. By the time we stopped,
I had lost track of both time and myself. I had long forgotten why I was so
pissed at him. All that mattered was that I had never felt so
right
in anyone’s arms.

“You smell so good. Like wild roses in a warm
summer night’s breeze,” Jett said in my ear as he led me through the crowd and
back to my table.

Smiling, I averted my eyes so he wouldn’t see
how much his words affected my sappy heart. What woman wouldn’t want to hear
she smelled like roses?

We reached the table and Jett pulled me
against him, forcing me to meet his cryptic gaze. “Brooke—” He trailed
off, hesitating, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide
whether to continue, or not. We stared at each other in silence, relishing the
other’s presence. Eventually he said what he had started, though I could tell
by the guarded look on his face that it wasn’t all.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes looked so earnest that my breath
caught in my throat. No words could convey so much and yet so little. What was
I supposed to say? That I believed him and that everything was all
right—when it wasn’t? It’d be a lie because I didn’t believe him. I didn’t
trust him.

Jett squeezed my hand gently but combined with
his words, it was too much. A sting of disappointment and pain washed over me.
I pulled my hand away and stepped back to put some much-needed physical space
between us. This stupid song! Love wasn’t supposed to hurt.

 
His eyes bore deeper into my soul,
cutting through layers of hurt and mistrust. I could feel him in my heart and
in every fiber of my being.

“I know you don’t trust me, Brooke, and I’m
ready to give you as much time as you need, just don’t back away from me. Give
me a chance to prove that I was telling the truth.”

His gaze was so intense, I found myself
nodding. I
wanted
him to regain my
trust, not to get back together, but because I knew deep down he wasn’t a bad
person.

“There’s a bus station in front of the club.
Meet me there tomorrow and I’ll explain,” he said.

“Okay,” I said reluctantly, already regretting
my decision. “And no more lies, Jett.”

He took a deep breath and smiled that
dazzling, lopsided smile of his that always managed to send my pulse racing. “I
promise you the truth and nothing but the truth.”

“Now go,” I said. “I don’t want Sylvie seeing
us together, or she might decide to bite off your head.” And then I’d certainly
miss his beautiful face, but that I didn’t add. Jett didn’t need to know just
how much he still affected me.

His face clouded over. “I’m not letting
you—”

“I’ll be fine, Jett. I’ve never been better.
Now go, or the deal’s off.” I infused my tone with all the resolve I could
muster. I knew I sounded brisk and unfriendly, but I didn’t want him to get the
wrong idea. Jett could be stubborn, but so could I. I wasn’t going to spend the
evening with him and risk falling deeper into this mess before he had told me
his part of the story.

Countless emotions, ranging from annoyance to
mulishness crossed his features, and then it all settled into compliance.
Obviously, he was a clever guy and knew when to back off.

“Bus station. Twelve o’clock.” His fingers
trailed up my upper arm and settled beneath my chin, and for a moment I thought
he was going to kiss me. I held my breath, anticipating the intimate touch of
his lips, but it never came. “Please be careful. And Brooke—”

I raised my brows, barely able to breathe.
“Yeah?”

“Switch that goddamn phone on now. I don’t
want to have to remind you again.” His tone was menacing, carrying just a hint
of a sexy threat.

I opened my mouth to tell him where he could
shove his command, but he had already turned away, having the last word, as
usual. Speechless, I watched his broad shoulders move away until
he was swallowed up by the crowd
. Only after sitting back
down did I realize I had been holding my breath and my heart was acting
crazy.
And was that a hint of disappointment I detected?

 
I
exhaled and pulled my phone out of my handbag, fighting the urge to do as he
had bid. What would he do to me if I defied his authority? My heart skipped a
beat at the countless possibilities flooding my mind, and my stomach clenched
with anticipation at each and every one of them.

Did I want to find out what he had in mind?

Hell, no. We were done, so naturally I’d
switch on the phone—after letting him steam just a little bit longer.

Twenty minutes later—enough time to calm
down my nerves—Sylvie joined me at the table, blue eyes sparkling, cheeks
glowing. She placed another glass of water in front of me and slumped into her
seat.

“Thanks.” I pointed at the glass as I eyed her
carefully, trying hard to keep my expression as nonchalant as possible.

“Good catch! I’m glad you’ve met someone new,”
Sylvie said.

“What do you mean?” I looked up from my glass,
startled. Did she see Jett? Oh, god. I wasn’t ready to explain yet when I
didn’t know what to say.

She pointed at a guy lingering near our booth.
He had been standing there waiting for someone for the past ten minutes, and he
just happened to look our way that very instant.

“No, it’s not what you’re thinking.” I
grimaced, unable to hide my annoyance.

“No?” She raised her brows knowingly.

I chose to ignore the irritating grin on her
face and changed the subject. “Had fun?”

“Got his number.” She waved her phone and
laughed. And then she went on to tell me everything about the guy. As much as I
tried my best to listen to her gushing, I found myself drifting off, following
my own thoughts to green eyes and a warning that had managed to instill
discomfort in me.

“Hey,” I said, cutting Sylvie off. “I’m really
tired. Let’s call it a night.”

Maybe it was the disquieting undertone in my
voice that reached her through the veil of alcohol and raging hormones, but
Sylvie’s gushing stopped instantly and her expression became serious. “Are you
okay?”

“Yeah.” I gave her a half-hearted smile. “Just
tired.”

“Okay. I’m calling our driver to pick us up
early.”

I nodded and mouthed ‘thanks’ as I followed
her out into the starry night. Standing outside the club, the countless
unfamiliar faces only managed to magnify my unease, and I couldn’t wait to get
home.