Too Far Gone (In Too Deep #2) (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

Jake

I’m in idiot
.

Her first text since we returned from the Hamptons came just as I was getting out of the shower.  Without thinking, I called her, rushing to get dressed in case I’d have to run out the door.  I yanked my jeans up my legs just as the ringing stopped.  “Lara, where are you?” I asked before she could say anything first.

“I’m at Broome Street Kitchen.  With Sloane.”

I let out a hard breath. 
Thank Christ.

“I’m outside right now.  I wanted to text you to see if we could meet up about something I found out last night… from Dane.”  She paused.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was going to see him.  I just didn’t want to know you were worrying somewhere.”

I ran a hand through my wet hair, waiting for my spike in adrenaline to fade.  “It’s okay, Lara.”  Feeling my pounding heart calm, I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forward.  “Did he try anything on you though?”

Her silence had my shoulders rigid.  “He…” she trailed off for a second.  “I managed to leave without him touching me but he’s made it clear that he wants to see me again.  And of course, he’s not very subtle about the fact that he’d like me to get back at Jackson with him.”

I gave a bitter laugh.  “Christ.”  If Dane deserved credit for anything, it was the fact that he never tried to hide what a piece of shit he was.  “I’m glad you got back safely.  There wasn’t a second that I wasn’t thinking about you last night.”

“Me too,” she murmured, quiet for a second.  “So did you hear anything… interesting from Jackson yesterday?”

It was my turn to be silent.  I stared at my screen, watching the seconds on our conversation tick by as I wavered about telling her the truth.  While I decided to, my lips betrayed my intentions.  “No,” I lied.  I hated doing it but something told me that Lara didn’t need to know about Jackson’s on-again fling with Audra.  I knew firsthand that it was possible to hurt over someone you didn’t love.  As loathsome as I found Jackson, it still pained me to think about the person he had once been.  As kids, he’d always been the dutiful big brother.  He’d defended me, taken the blame for countless broken vases and scratched tables.  Even as adults, I had genuinely good memories of surfing and boating with Jackson.  They were all from before he’d become someone else.  And though he’d been that person since the first day he met Lara, I figured she deserved the illusion that he hadn’t.

So I went with the lie.  “I’m sorry I came up empty.”

“It’s okay.  I didn’t,” she said.  “Though I’m kind of amazed with myself for never having thought about it before last night.  I was hoping to talk to you about it in person.  Should I head over to Brooklyn after lunch with Sloane? I can’t think of any other place where we’d have any real privacy.”

I got up and reached for my shirt.  “Actually, I was about to head into the city for work.  And I know a good place for us to talk that’ll be a nice change of scenery.”

Her voice came back with a hint of mischief.  “Oh… but I was kind of hoping for a place where we’d have access to a bed.”

I grinned.  “Don’t worry.  We will.”

~

The conference room at the Monarch was located on the thirty-fourth floor of the fifty-story hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River.  I arrived to see Lara already there, standing at the edge of the room, her trench coat draped over her shoulders as she gazed out at the view.  I stood quietly at the doorway for a moment, just to take in the sight of her perfection. Her long hair cascaded down to the middle of her back, ending just above the point where that narrow waist flared into the hips I dreamed about running my hand along every night.  It felt like ages since the last time I’d been able to really feel her body – to savor every inch of it without rush.  It had probably been less than two weeks since the night she’d been in my apartment, in my bed, but it felt like an eternity as I soaked her in.

Christ. 
As she gazed out the window in a rare moment of peace, I realized it was actually possible for me to find her even more beautiful.

“Lara.”

She spun around when I spoke her name, breaking into a big smile as she caught the look on my face.  I had to have looked floored as I took her in from the front.  Perfectly wrapped around each dip and curve of her body was a long dress the color of sand.  I walked in a haze toward her as she shed her coat and draped it over a chair.  Coming in, I’d been anxious to hear about what had happened last night with Dane.  Now, finally alone in a room with my arms circling Lara’s waist, I could hardly remember who the fuck he was.

“Hello.”  There was a sexy, teasing lilt in Lara’s voice as she slid my hands back to the front of her body, pushing them up from her stomach to the underside of her breasts, somehow contained by the strapless top of her dress.  I groaned, my fingertips straining for more.  I smirked as she gave a mischievous little laugh.

“Right.  Remember when we first met and I said you were good at torturing guys?”

“Mm.”  She pushed my hands up another inch, biting her lip when my cock jumped between us.  “Maybe.”

I grinned.  “You can’t come here looking like this and expect me not to rip your clothes off within the first five minutes.”

“That’s why I’m holding your hands where they are,” she murmured, her eyelids heavy with arousal as I teased the curve of her breasts.  “We have business to discuss.”

“It’ll have to wait.”  Curling my fingers into the cotton, I tugged gently, watching the top of her dress stretch down slowly, exposing her inch by inch till the stretchy fabric clung desperately to her just tight nipples.  I grinned at the hot arousal blooming in her cheeks.  And with one more yank, she sprung free, standing topless for all of a second before I shoved the rest of her dress down into a puddle around her heeled feet.  “Keep those on,” I muttered as I stepped back to take her in.  My eyes were unblinking as I watched her walk slowly backward toward the long glass table, her slight tan lines accentuating the parts of her body I’d been fantasizing about the whole drive over.

“How about a compromise?” Lara smirked as I gravitated toward her.  In white lace boy shorts, she seated herself at the end of the table, tapping her foot on the chair before her.  “I mean who says we can’t have a professional meeting without our clothes on?”

Grinning through my torture, I took the seat, savoring the half-second that Lara kept her legs apart before crossing them daintily.  “Fine.”  My eyes raked across her luscious thighs as I stroked my hard-on over my slacks.  “First order of business.”  I took the pen from my pocket and handed it to her.  “Put your hair up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Be professional.  I don’t want it covering your body.”

Her mouth twisted into a crooked grin that made me want to bite her lips.  “Since when were your this bossy?”

“Since you came into the conference room I built and tried to keep me from putting my hands all over you,” I said as she wound her hair into a knot at the top of her head, securing it with my silver pen.  I wet my lips as a few kittenish strands fell down the sides of her face.  My gaze slid from them down to her perfect, naked breasts.  “Much better.  Now tell me what you heard from Dane last night.”

She tilted her head as she gazed at me.  “Jackson has another phone that he does all his shady business on.”

“Probably should’ve guessed that,” I said, though I was too distracted to feel the anger I would’ve had I not been entranced by Lara’s naked body elevated before me.

“Mm-hm.”  She dangled one of her shoes off her toes till it fell to the ground.  “It’s obviously a secret from me, but not from his boys.”  Gingerly, she rubbed my cock with the arch of her foot.  “So I need you to find a way to get to it.  I’m sure it’s not in service anymore but I know he showed Dane the video of Gabrielle on it, so I’m sure he would bring it out in front of you. If you ever got to the topic of that kind of thing.”

“So, what, ask to see the video?”

“Yes.”

In the back of my head, I found the idea revolting.  But the front of my mind had other thoughts, all of them about Lara’s naked body and the various positions I wanted to see it in.

“In the meantime,” she uncrossed her legs to give me a perfect view of her pussy, “I’ll do my best to find out more about the man who broke in.  Possibly from Dane.”

I cut my eyes to her.  “You can’t possibly be thinking of seeing him again.”

“I am.”

“If he didn’t get you in bed last night, he’s going to be expecting to a hundred percent the next time.”

“I promise you he was expecting it last night but I still managed to – ”

“Lara.  As far as pulling fucked up shit, Dane’s the one who showed Jackson the ropes.  And I’ve seen him enough times around beautiful women.  He feels entitled to them and he’ll feel even more entitled with every piece of information he gives you,” I said between my teeth.  “So while you did a good job finding out about the other phone, there’s no way in hell you’re going to meet Dane again and – ” My sentence cut off when she slid her fingers into her panties.  Fuck
. 
“Lara.”  I glared as I watched her hand move in small circles under the thin, white lace.  “Lara,” I repeated.  But one breathy moan from her lips and I gave the hell up.  Leaning back in my chair, I sneered, undoing my belt as I watched her arch her back and grind her pussy against her own fingers.  Fuck, she was the sexiest thing I’d ever see in my life.  There was no doubt about it.

“Are you unhappy with my work?” she asked coquettishly.

“No.”  I smirked, my cock fighting against my pants.  “You did good.  I’m just not happy with the decisions you’ve made since.  But I’m sure there are some things you could do to win back my favor.”

“Like?”

“Definitely keep doing what you’re doing right now.”  I pulled my zipper down.  “But I’d also like you to play with those fucking perfect tits of yours.”  I got comfortable in my chair as I watched Lara bite back a sexy grin.  Cupping her breast, she squeezed, gently first, then so rough I had to free my pulsing cock from its confines.  I reveled in the way Lara’s eyes flew to my shaft, her lower lip swelling between her teeth as she rubbed herself harder.  “Good girl,” I murmured, an arm draped over the back of my chair as I stroked myself, soaking in the unreal view.  If I could, I’d spend every day watching Lara touch herself, every inch of her skin illuminated by sunlight in front of a wall of twenty-foot windows,

“Are you close?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she panted.

“Then lay down for me.”  I rose to my feet as she did as she was told.  At the end of the long table, I watched her writhe on top of the shiny glass, raising her hips for me as I pulled off her panties and tucked them into my pocket.  “Put your hands over your head,” I said, reveling in her little whimper as she gave a last, desperate stroke between her thighs before doing as I asked.  Running my grip along my shaft, I felt the rest of the room fade away as I took her in. All I could see was Lara, her perfect, naked body on display just for me.  “Now spread your legs.”

I groaned as she did, arching her back and presenting me with the slick, smooth pussy I couldn’t wait another second to feel my cock inside.  So with one pull, I had her at the edge of the table with her legs on my shoulders.  As I tore open the condom with one hand, I teased her clit with the other, rubbing my helmet up and down the length of her wetness.  “Please, I need you inside me, Jake,” she breathed.  “Please, Jake, I –
oh God,
” she gasped when I slid my first few inches inside her, her hot, unbelievably tight walls throbbing around my thick rod, squeezing me like a vise.  My jagged breathing was a growl as I watched her squirm for me, savoring the moment I’d been waiting far too long for.

And without another word, I sunk the length of my cock inside her.

Chapter Twelve

Lara

I changed upstairs while Jackson hosted our friends in the dining room.  They had all come over for some food and a toast – or three – before we all headed off for the grand opening of the Monarch Hotel.

I was fastening my earrings in front of my vanity when I made out the sound of Jake’s arrival.  My heart beat faster the second I heard his voice, my dress feeling suddenly too tight as I flashed back to yesterday, on the thirty-fourth floor of the hotel. 
“No one else can do this to you.” 
Jake’s raspy words replayed in my ears as my breath grew shallow under my cutout bodycon dress.  They had growled in my ear as he plunged into me, every thrust deep and hard from the start, getting me so incredibly wet I could hear the sounds of him plunging in and out.  Holding my both my hands above my head – with just one of his – he had pounded me endlessly.  Mercilessly.  And I’d loved every second of it.  He had dominated every last inch of my body and it had been breathless, blissful delirium.  The full body release I didn’t know existed.

And I had nearly come again from watching Jake’s ferocious orgasm.  His muscled body had caged over me as he roared, pumping to a finish inside me before collapsing onto my body, still in a state of euphoria as he murmured in my ear.  “
You’re mine, Lara.  You belong to me and only me
.”

I couldn’t deny it.

There was no other explanation for the fact that I was living a nightmare yet still rose every morning feeling okay.  Sometimes even with a vague smile on my lips.  When I wasn’t in Jake’s arms, I dreamt about him.  I dreamt about the sand my toes would sink into as he walked me across his favorite beach.  I dreamt of the breeze that would blow my hair past my shoulders as he kissed me on his boat, in the middle of the sea.  Amid the chaos, he was the only thing that kept me standing on two feet.  I couldn’t think of any reason why I wouldn’t belong to him, and I couldn’t fight the realization that floated through my body as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror.

I loved Jake.

“Babe.”

I gasped when I heard Jackson’s firm voice.  I opened my eyes to find him standing behind me, smiling as he gazed at me through the mirror.

“God, I always picture how you’ll look in these dresses when I buy them,” he murmured, drinking his scotch.  “But you always wind up looking better than my fantasies, which is fucking ridiculous.”  He laughed, nodding out the door.  “Come on, babe.  Come downstairs with me so I can show you off.”

“Can you give me a second, Jackson?”

“No.  It’s imperative that I get to parade your body in that sexy fucking dress now.  I know you’re not going to be happy to hear this but Dane’s here, and he’s already asked where you are.”

My body went cold.  I froze, staring at Jackson through the mirror.  “What? I thought you guys weren’t friends anymore.”

“He reached out to me recently, so I figured I’d bury the hatchet like an adult.”

Every muscle under my crawling skin went cold.  “He reached out to you? What did he want to tell you?” I asked in a casual voice, but my legs were already shaking under the vanity.  I tried to study Jackson’s expression as I asked myself a million questions about why on Earth I’d ever trust Dane.

“What do you mean what did he want to tell me?” Jackson laughed, tossing back the rest of his drink.  “Pretty sure he called me up because he wanted an invite to opening night, which is fine with me.  If he wants to grovel, I’ll take it.  And if he wants to say hi to my fiancée, I’ll let him – so he can take one look at her perfection and remind himself that no matter where Forbes ranks him, I’ve got what he wants.  Now come the fuck on.”

~

It was tipsy, champagne-fueled madness downstairs, but Jake caught my eye the second I stepped into the dining room. Our gazes locked intensely as he stood with Piper, whose method of seduction tonight involved eating her piece of sushi very slowly, chewing languidly and then sucking on the ends of our steel chopsticks from Japan – flirtation gone wasted because Jake barely looked in her direction as Jackson led me to Dane.

Wearing a vintage suit and hair gelled like it was 1950, Dane stood among some guys I didn’t quite know.  Once he spotted me coming, he stepped away from his friends, his eyes gleaming at me with such a wolfish hunger that I couldn’t believe Jackson failed to see it.  “Miss Future Kinsley,” he grinned, his stare unblinking on me as he pulled away from our kiss.  “Stunning, as always,” he murmured, sliding his lecherous gaze all over my body as if he were trying to mark his territory.

Jackson smirked.  “Take it down a notch, Nult.  Your creep level’s at a nine and I need you closer to a three.”

“Fuck off, Kinsley,” Dane grinned.  “We both know you love the fact that I’ll never have her,” he said, staring straight at me as he did so.  “Ever.  Correct?”

Jackson laughed.  “As long as you know it,” he said just as the concierge called to let up another guest.  My gaze flicked toward Jake when Jackson walked away, confirming his watchful eye on me as Dane closed the gap between us.  His lips curled as he spoke.

“I’ve been thinking about you, Lara.”

I could hardly bring myself to look at him.  “Why are you speaking to Jackson again?” I demanded under my breath.  “Are you planning on telling him that I came to you?”

“If I must.  I’m just covering my bases, sweetheart.  And I figured my renewed friendship with your fiancé would give me more opportunities to see you, which I’ll clearly need if you plan to continue ignoring my texts and leaving so abruptly from our meetings.”

“I ignored one of your texts, Dane, and it’s only because I saw you recently. It’s not like I can constantly sneak out of my house.”

“Your fiancé’s at work ten hours a day so let’s cut the bullshit now before I get annoyed.”  Dane leaned in so close that I could feel his breath and smell the bourbon on it.  “I haven’t come close to telling you everything yet, Lara.  You know I’m smarter than that.  And you also know how I run business,” he said, running a single finger along the curve of my hip. “I don’t do favors. I make exchanges.  And I’m not asking you to fall in love with me here, sweetheart, I’m just asking you to show me just a night or two of those talents that Jackson’s constantly – ”

“
Fuck!
” Barreling in out of nowhere was Sawyer, spilling his full glass of whiskey straight down the front of Dane’s jacket.

“Shit!” Dane stumbled back and shot a wild look at Sawyer that had me anticipating a fight.  But then his attention returned to his ruined outfit.  “This is a fucking thousand-dollar jacket you dumb fuck,” he snarled, shedding it to assess the damage and put his indecent proposal on the backburner – for now. 
Thank you
, I mouthed to Sawyer, my heart still pounding as my shaking legs carried me anywhere else but near Dane.

I found myself in the guest room for all of a second before Jake burst in.  Without a word, he took me in his arms, holding me so tight I could feel his heart pounding.  “What’d he fucking say to you?”

“Don’t worry, it was stupid – just the same things he says to any girl he’s done a favor for,” I breathed hastily, wondering why I’d even let stupid Dane McNulty rattle me so much.

“Whatever he said, don’t worry about it.”  Jake kissed my forehead.  “Don’t even think about it.  I’m going to find what we need, baby, and he’s never going to say a word to you again.”

I blinked and nodded, breathing so fast I could barely process what made me feel suddenly so good.

Oh.

Baby. 
The way he had called me baby.

“Come on,” Jake murmured, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs and kissing my lips.  “Let’s go back out there before they notice.”

“Wait.”  I couldn’t stop my tongue.  “Jake,” I breathed.

I knew I shouldn’t risk it but he’d done it again – he’d breathed calm into my veins when I was seconds from breaking.  He’d restored my sanity before even an ounce could be lost.  And he looked so damned handsome in his sleek suit with his hair actually done and his sculpted lips curving into such a sexy, inquisitive smile. I couldn’t stop myself.

“I love you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second but it felt like an eternity.

When I opened them again, I could see the surprise registering in Jake’s gorgeous eyes.  They gleamed darker than usual as he gazed down at me.  Still cupping my cheeks, his brows flinched just a bit before he pressed the softest kiss on my lips.

But the words weren’t returned.

“Let’s go outside, Lara,” he murmured, looking me dead in the eye before disappearing back into the party, leaving me alone in the room.

And there, I stood still for a minute, desperately holding back the tears that eventually spilled.