Fair Play (4 page)

“Jace.” Dani put her hand on his chest to move away, but he caught it in his hand and in one deft movement, he switched their positions trapping her between the wall and him.

Her lips twitched. “You’ve done this before.”

“Maybe once or twice.” He gazed deeply into her eyes as he tried to decipher her thoughts. “You have bewitching eyes. I get lost in them every time I look at you.”

Her eyes widened. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“Fools.” Jace lowered his head and captured her lips in a sensuous kiss, taking his time to savor the sweet flavor of her mouth. His tongue traced the outline of her lips, relishing the softness before exploring the recesses of her mouth. As his lips and tongue joined with hers, he tasted the sweetness of her lips mingled with the blistering heat of her passion. A dark sultry flavor that fueled his desire.

Dani let out a low moan of desire and snaked her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. Encouraged by her response, Jace cupped the curve of her butt as he hauled her body snug against his, knowing she could feel the evidence of his desire pressed against her. Passion filled every pore of his body as his heart quickened sending his blood surging through his veins.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded.

Her eyes opened slowly, misted with desire. He pierced her with his eyes, compelling her to surrender everything to him. His body ignited with savage passion as he crushed her mouth to his. His kiss, no longer soft and coaxing, became ruthless and ravaging as he demanded a like response from her. His vision blurred as his need for her became acute.

Desire as Dani had never known, blazed a path through her body, incinerating everything in its wake. She felt her bones melt and liquefy as Jace continued his onslaught of her senses. The only thing keeping her upright was his embrace. Her body moved restlessly against his, searching for relief from the exquisite torture.

Her blood heated and rushed through her body at an alarming rate, scorching her with the intensity of her passion. Her body answered his with a will of its own, pleading with him to extinguish the fire devouring her. She lifted to her toes, trying to fit her body closer to his, needing him more than she needed air to breathe.

“I want you. Come with me and let me love you,” he implored.

She dropped her head on his shoulder. She’d lost all will to resist and wanted him with a fervor that frightened her. She knew that if she gave in, he’d brand and devour her, stripping her to her very soul, taking more than she could safely surrender to him. He had the power to shred all her defenses and ferret out the secrets she so desperately needed to keep. Secrets which would give him the ability to completely annihilate the fragile existence she had created. Digging deep for self-control and with a strong sense of preservation, Dani struggled to free herself from his embrace. Jace let his hands drop from her body but did not move completely away.

She planted both hands on his chest, but he still didn’t budge. She had to figure out a way to convince Jace that he needed to forget about her. “What don’t you understand about I’m not interested?”

Jace peered at her with his unfathomable eyes. “Your body is on fire with wanting me and yet you deny it. Why?”

“Don’t you understand?” she pleaded. “I’m not able to be with you. Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“Can’t you see that’s impossible? My body aches for you. The more I taste you, the more of you I want, and I know you feel the same way. You’re not married or engaged, are you?”

As desperate as she felt, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. “No.”

“So why aren’t you able to be with me?”

Not able to truthfully answer his question, she used the only excuse at her disposal. “You’re my boss. Don’t you understand? It’s not right.”

“Fuck our business relationship. This has nothing to do with that, and you know it. I won’t let you use that as an excuse. I won’t relent. This is too important.”

She pushed on his chest again. This time he took a step back. “I’m sorry. You don’t understand. This can never work out.”

Turning, she fled, not back to the club, but to the elevators, intent upon locking herself in the safety of her apartment. She had to hurry. She didn’t want him to see the tears streaming down her face. The one thing Jace didn’t understand, that she couldn’t afford to let him understand, is that she wanted him, too.

Jace followed her flight with his eyes and smiled grimly. “One thing you’ll learn, Dani, is that I never give up.”

For the next two days, Dani avoided Jace as much as possible, making sure she was never alone with him. The hotel was booked solid, making it easier for her to stay clear of him as she was kept busy taking care of her whales. Although she’d still see him a couple of times a day, her treacherous body instantly recalled how it had felt to be held and kissed by him. All the feelings he aroused with those mind-numbing kisses, jolted back into her with lightening speed.
Was she making a mistake not trusting Jace?
Not only did she yearn all during the day for the feel of his arms holding her and his lips moving sensually on hers, but also all through the night when even her subconscious betrayed her. Her dreams were filled with thoughts of him, preventing her from getting any restful sleep. Should she just sleep with him and put an end to her misery? But even if she tried to keep it casual, sex with Jace wouldn’t be that simple. He wouldn’t stop until he branded her as his and possessed her, body and soul. That she couldn’t allow for so many reasons, the most important being the danger of discovery. Discovery that would land her in jail.

“Dani, where are you, girl? You look like you’re in another time zone.”

Startled out of her reverie by Julie, she changed direction and went over to the desk to talk to her best friend. “Sorry, didn’t mean to ignore you. My head’s in the clouds today.”

“Anything I can do to bring you back down to earth?” Julie teased.

“My mind keeps wandering, that’s all. So ... how’s everything with you?”

Julie gave her a sly look. “It’s going okay, I guess. Nothing new in my life, except that I’m seeing Steve now.”

Dani’s eyes flew open and she felt her lips curve upward. “Steve? You mean Steve, the hunky good looking blackjack dealer from our gang, Steve?” The one who’d been dancing with her until Jace had interrupted. Her body warmed. Boy, was that some interruption.

“One and the same. Dani, are you listening to me?”

Dani shook her head as she raised her hands, palms up. “Sorry. So what happened to Derek, and how come I’m just hearing about this now?”

“Well ... I’ve been kind of busy dating and everything lately. Can I help it that I’m Miss Popularity all of a sudden?” Julie popped the collar of her shirt jokingly.

“Okay, Miss Popularity, spill the beans. I want all the juicy details.”

“Well, remember when we went to the club?” At her nod, Julie continued. “After you left with the boss, we started talking, hanging around, one thing led to another, and we ended up at my place. We hit it off so well that we’re still seeing each other.”

“But what happened to Derek? You were so hot to trot when he came along.”

“That creep two-timed me with Melanie from the keno lounge. He’s such a loser.”

“What a jerk. But, hey, look at the bright side. It’s his loss and your gain.” She leaned across the counter and gave Julie a hug. “I’m so happy for you and Steve. He’s such a nice guy.”

Julie lowered her voice and asked, “So what’s happening with you and Mr. Hot Stuff?”

“Mr. Hot Stuff?”

“You know, Jace, our boss man with the great body ... Mr. Hot Stuff.”

Dani grinned. “Oh, that Mr. Hot Stuff. Nothing’s happening.

We just danced, that’s all.”

“Come on, girl, out with it. You two were all over each other like bees on honey, and you didn’t see anything going on around you. I swear I saw sparks arcing between your bodies before you left together. I thought the place was going to go up in flames there was so much smoldering heat going on between you. You can’t tell me nothing happened that night.”

Dani’s face flushed. “I hate to disappoint you, but we just talked for a few minutes and then I left. By myself. Nothing happened.”

“Girl, you’d better get your head on straight because he’s definitely got the hots for you, and he’s definitely worth the tumble. What the hell is wrong with you? You need to grab that man and not let go. He is one hot daddy.” A customer came up to the counter, and Julie said, “Gotta go. If you’re free tomorrow, let’s get together for lunch.”

“Sounds great. I’ll come by around one.” Dani spun around and plowed right into Jace.

Putting his arms around her to prevent her from falling, Jace teased, “Anxious to fall into my arms? All you needed to do was let me know, and I would’ve gladly accommodated you.”

Dani’s body tingled where his body touched hers. What was she going to do? Why was it that whenever he touched her, she’d get all weak inside and couldn’t think of anything but wanting more? What was it about Jace that made him so different from other men? Her legs were beginning to turn to jelly so she moved away from him. Hoping Julie hadn’t noticed the exchange, Dani glanced over her shoulder and saw Julie wiggle her eyebrows at her. So much for Julie not seeing her. She walked quickly away from Jace saying, “Sorry, I was in a hurry and didn’t see you there.”

Jace caught up with her by the private elevators and snagged her arm to stop her. “Why are running away from me?”

Still feeling the effects of their brief contact, she became flustered and her face warmed. “I ... um ...” Damn, she couldn’t seem to get a complete thought in her head.

Jace stared at her with his maddeningly cocky smile. “I make you nervous, don’t I?”

“Don’t be absurd. You give yourself too much credit if you think you make me nervous,” she answered indignantly. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and pushed the button for the elevator.

Jace trapped her with his body when he leaned his arm on the wall next to her. “Then why are you running away from me?”

“I’m not running away from you, I’m just in a big hurry, that’s all.”

Lowering his head, Jace kissed her. Dani lost all thought and reason when his lips touched hers. As the heat from his body brought hers to a fever pitch, she wound her arms around his neck and fitted her body closer to his. Her body burned, needing him. She yearned for his kisses like a drug she couldn’t seem to stop wanting. Why was it the minute he touched her lips she became instantly mindless?

The taste of her made him forget his intention to give her a light peck. When Dani wrapped her arms around him and brought him close, desire sped through his veins like a brush fire incinerating him. He parted her lips with his tongue as he thoroughly tasted her torrid flavor. His body hardened with her answering response. Wanting to feel her heat, he crushed her body to his. His hands tangled in her hair as he slashed his mouth against hers, need driving him almost to the point of madness.

With desire raging throughout his body, Jace lost all reason. “I want you. Your body tells me you want me as much as I want you. Let me love you,” he cajoled as he tasted the hot, seductive taste of her neck. He ached with the need to possess her, to touch and kiss every inch of her, to make love to her until she begged him to stop. Jace wanted to give her what he inherently knew would be pleasure beyond anything either one of them had ever felt.

When Jace's lips had moved to her neck, Dani's head fell back to give him easier access as he drew her whole being into him. Moaning and moving fitfully against him, Dani was ready to give him anything and everything he wanted until he implored, “Come with me now. Let’s finish what we started.”

Jace's words brought Dani's sanity rushing back at a frightening rate. Was she really surrendering to desire without thought of where they were or her dangerous situation?

“No,” she protested as she tried to pry out of his arms. Holding her tight to his body, Jace trembled as he tried to control the passion burning inside of him.

“No ... you need to let me go. Jace, please, we’re in the casino ... please let me go,” she implored.

Pushed to a point of frustration he’d never experienced, he lashed out in anger. He gripped her shoulders. “Why, Dani? Why do I have to let you go? Is it because I want you, or because you want me? Is it so wrong for us to be together? I know you’re as affected by our contact as I am. You know as well as I do there is something extraordinary happening between us. So why do you push me away? What are you so afraid of?”

Shoving his hands away, she was angry that he was right, yet fearful that he could persuade her to lose her resolve. She couldn’t afford to give in to this insanity. “You're such an arrogant ass! You think you know me, but you don’t. So listen, and listen good. I. Don’t. Want. You. All you’re interested in is instant gratification. You tell me there’s something between us, but there’s nothing between us but lust.”

She shook her head. “Why do you keep trying? Is it because I’m the only one that’s ever said no to you? Are you that needy?” She glared at him. “As good-looking as you are, I’m sure there’s has to be at least a dozen women around here who would willingly fuck you. I’m not one of them.

“I wouldn’t let you touch me if you were the last man on the face of the earth and I was a raging nymphomaniac who hadn’t been with a man for a year.” She turned to walk away, disgusted that she had almost given in to her needs in spite of the dangers and for the vulgarity she’d just exhibited, and that she’d lashed out at him unfairly.

Before she could even take a step, Jace spun her back around to face him. Her eyes widened when she saw his usually cool eyes shooting sparks of amber fire at her.

“You don’t know what you want. Your body begs for my touch while your mouth spouts lies. You’re afraid to want me because then you’d have to admit you’re wrong. As far as you not letting me touch you, I could have taken you here ... right now ... in front of everyone, and you wouldn’t have cared. So don’t tell me that I’m the one that doesn't know what he wants.”