Rescuing A Runaway Bride (17 page)

She watched him walk away, thinking that despite his sometimes high-handed tactics, it was amazing how well Jake could fit into her life when he tried.
But is it enough to build a relationship on?

Samantha heard the shower start. A moment later, the doorbell rang. She got up to answer it, stopping to peer out the peephole. Oh, good grief! Grayson stood on her doorstep, leaning heavily on the bell. Given the crazy afternoon, she’d forgotten to call him and tell him not to come. Maybe if she pretended she wasn’t home, he’d go away.

He pressed the bell again for an extended ring. Groaning in disgust, she pushed the sequence of buttons on the control panel Jake taught her to disable the alarm. She had to get rid of him before Jake came out to see what the ruckus was. She didn’t have the energy to deal with two outraged male egos right now. Jerking open the door, she frowned at the man on her doorstep.

Grayson thrust a bouquet of flowers into her hand while flashing a suave smile. “Here you go, sweetie pie,” he said as he stepped forward, forcing his way inside.

Samantha scowled and took a step back. She could understand a need for closure but this invasion was too much. “Hold it right there, buster. Just in case you didn’t notice, I haven’t invited you in. As a matter of fact, I’d like you to go.
Now!”

A flash of cold anger flitted across his handsome face before it resumed its smooth façade. “You said you wanted to talk.” His tone was confident as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Samantha dodged the kiss. “I meant far in the future, and you know it.” His wounded expression was the last straw. She knew now she’d never had the power to move him. He was probably just worried their split would hurt his standing in her father’s company, and as far as she was concerned he could stand or fall on his own merit. Grayson St. James wasn’t her problem anymore. Her problem was, thank goodness, busy in the shower.

“I’ve been waiting for you to wash my back, darling.”

Samantha watched Grayson’s jaw drop as he gazed beyond her. She spun around, already knowing what she would find. Jake stood in the middle of the living room, naked but for a towel wrapped around his hips. Sunlight glistened on the water droplets on his chest.

“So that’s why you tried to get rid of me,” Grayson hissed.

Samantha was too busy frowning at Jake to pay much attention to Grayson’s accusation. Jake stood there resolutely with a dangerous glint in his eye. She’d wait until she got rid of Grayson to deal with him. She turned back to confront Grayson. He was focused on glowering at Jake, and took no notice of her. This situation was rapidly spinning out of control. Grayson had no hold on her anymore, and it was high time he accepted that fact. Determined to resume control of the situation, she waved her hand in front of Grayson’s face to draw his attention.

After a moment, he slanted a scornful gaze her way. “Really, Samantha, sleeping with the hired help is so low class!”

Her sense of outrage boiled over, as she stalked up to him. How dare he criticize her? “You ought to know. What did you do, sleep your way through Logan Industries? At least I love a man before I sleep with him. I thank my lucky stars I had the good sense not to sleep with you, jerk.”

Grayson’s eyes widened in alarm as he backed away.
He scuttled toward the door and safety.

Samantha caught up with him in the doorway. “Get out of my house!” Reinforcing the demand with a shove over the threshold, she threw the bouquet at him. It felt so good to toss him out of her house. It was payback for the humiliation he’d put her through.

Grayson went still, the bouquet bouncing off his chest. “Sweetie pie, please don’t be hasty. I’m sorry if I made you mad. It’s just that seeing Ramsey naked in your house made me crazy.”

“Sorry, my ass.
And as for crazy, yeah, I think you are.” Samantha shook her head as she watched him try to backpedal. He had a hidden agenda. She realized that now. She wasn’t falling for his apologetic act again. “Tell me what you really came here for.”

Grayson hesitated, shifting a nervous glance down to the ground.
“About my job.”

She sighed as her suspicions were confirmed. She’d always been just a commodity to him on his climb to the top of the corporate ladder. “You can stand or fall on your own merits, Grayson. As Rhett Butler once said, ‘frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.’”

His suave mask melted as he scowled at her. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you, you spoiled little bitch.” He turned, and stalked away.

“Vice versa, believe me!” she shouted at his retreating back. She slammed the door, and then spun around to look at Jake.

He had the pleased expression of a tabby cat with a bowl of cream.

“Good work, sunshine,” he said.

She was irritated by his confident tone. “You are not off the hook just because I threw that jerk out.” Samantha put her hands on her hips. “The stunt you pulled made me look like a fool.”

“No, it didn’t.” He walked back toward the bathroom,
then
stopped to glance back at her from the doorway. “It made you look like a woman who knows enough to get rid of unwanted males before they get pulverized.” He stalked up to her. She
retreated
heating up as he stepped into her personal space. How could he think she’d even want Grayson now that she’d had him?

Before she could say it he grabbed her arm and towed her into the bathroom and she grinned. He was staking his claim and she loved it. When he peeled off her clothes she smiled. Then he pulled her into the shower and she purred. “This is getting to be a habit with you.”

“Any objections,” he murmured before nibbling her nape as he backed her against the tiles.

“Not a one,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he bent to kiss her, she kissed him back feeling claimed and loving it. Her tongue tangled with his making her hot.

Then he broke the kiss frowning down at her.

She chilled wondering just how pissed off he was. She hadn’t really asked Grayson to come here. She didn’t play those
kind
of games. But it sounded lame even to her mind. She should have been firmer with Grayson at her shop.

Jake’s eyes glittered as he picked her up off the shower floor and stepped her under the spray letting it cascade around her. “Wrap your legs around my waist, brat.”

Oops, calling me brat isn’t a good sign.
Smiling, she did as he said wrapping her legs around his toned middle feeling his muscles ripple, and the hot brand of his cock against her naked ass. Then he positioned her over him poised at her entrance but not taking her. She looked at him panic-stricken afraid for a moment that he was going to refuse her. But then he gave her a wicked smile and plunged into her making her cry out with bliss, her vaginal walls clinging to him as hard as she did.

He drew back his hand and gave her a wet smack on the ass making her cry out, her ass heating and her pussy rippling.

“Flirt with another guy again and I’ll give you a spanking you won’t forget.”

She met his gaze seeing the heat and certainly in them and melted against him wanting to placate him. “I wasn’t flirt—”

Smack
. He spanked her again making her cry out and grip his cock making him groan. “Why don’t you quit while you’re ahead, sugar, and take your punishment like a good girl.”

She glared at him then ruined it when he spanked her again making her whimper as it drove her clit against him. And then he spanked her hard driving her against him, fucking her that way until she was tied up in seductive knots, her pussy all but wringing him as she
spasmed
with heat. And then he did it again grinding against her as he kissed her and she exploded. Coming hard, screaming into his mouth. And with a hoarse shout, he came inside her.

* * * *

“Samantha, aren’t you ready yet?” Jake called out from the living room the next Saturday night.

“I’ll be right there.” Samantha stood in front of the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She wanted
to look just right for her father’s birthday bash tonight. First it was a big step for her business. But secondly and more importantly in her mind was that it would show to the world that she and Jake were a couple. She studied her image in the mirror wanting to make her erotica instructor proud.
Her hair was swept back in a chignon and diamond studs glittered in her earlobes. She was dressed in an elegant silver gown. It was the same color of Jake’s eyes. That was why she’d chosen it.

It would give her a sense of assurance for the job ahead. How would her father’s employees act, given Delbert’s morose mood last week she wasn’t so sure. Even worse, would Grayson be there? She didn’t know because she’d studiously not pried into whether he was even still employed by LI. And Jake had honored her wishes and not spoken of him. She knew Jake’s staff was still looking for the culprits involved in the crimes. But so far they hadn’t caught them. But now was not the time to worry about the past, now was the time to plan her future. A future that she hoped included her own personal erotica instructor. She opened the door to find Jake, looking drop-dead gorgeous in his tux, pacing the living room and practically drooled. To think that was all hers.

Jake was pacing the living room. He stopped and gave her an appreciative once-over when she came out of the bedroom. He let out a wolf whistle. “Samantha, you are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Samantha was warmed by the compliment
but thought it went double for him. It was all she could do to keep from touching him but she had a job to do. Still it didn’t stop her from giving him an appreciative ogle. “Thank you. Want to just blow off the party and have our own little party?” she purred, stalking up to him.

He gave her a rueful grin shaking his head. “I think my erotic love lessons have created a shameless female.”

“You bet,” she said, shimmying against him and feeling his heat.

“Later,” he said, steering her toward the door.

She sighed glad he was keeping them on track and let him hustle her out to his car. Her hormones were still sizzling when he pulled up to the five star
hotel
where her father’s birthday ball was to be held. They were there an hour ea
rly in order to put out any fires that might occur. “I need to check on things. Why don’t you go have a drink at the bar? I’ll join you in half an hour.”

Jake gazed around the room. Samantha’s staff bustled around the room, setting up the area. He nodded at Monica and Gary as they placed floral arrangements on the tables.

“Okay, I guess you can’t get in any trouble here. I’ll meet you in half an hour. It’ll give me time to touch base with my staff.”

She could feel his tension.
He was still on edge because of the quiet lull after the crimes as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop but she wasn’t worried. Whoever was behind it was either scared off or lying low. Either way it meant that Jake was safe and she was happy. “Don’t worry, Jake. I’m sure everything will be okay. And whatever staff members you have lurking around will do a great job.”

“You figure I’ve got the place staked out,” he said with a rueful smile.

“I know you, teacher. You have your sneaky staff staking out the cabin for heaven’s sake. I never asked, was that before or after I flipped you?” She saw him flush and
grinned
glad that she could kid him about knocking him on his butt. And on the plus side it took the worried look out of his eyes.

He pulled her into his arms to kiss her deep and hard and then set her back on her feet flashing
her a
wicked grin. “Ask me nice tonight and I just might tell you. Remember, I’m just a shout away if you need my help
.”

Samantha
burned with desire as she watched him walk away, thinking about what a difference a few days could make. Just a week ago she was an inexperienced late bloomer. Now she was every inch a woman. Jake’s woman and she wanted him bad. She smiled at the thought, but reminded herself that she had a business to run. Even though she wasn’t supposed to work this evening, she wanted to make sure her dad’s birthday ball ran smoothly. She walked toward Monica who stood by the head table, clipboard in hand directing
the activities.