Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
She bit into her lush, kiss-swollen lower lip, and his restraint nearly snapped like a twig. But he didn’t react to the longing in her gaze or the lust etching her features. No matter how much he wanted to.
If she was any other woman, Derek wouldn’t hesitate to take this encounter to its logical conclusion. But that was the problem. She wasn’t any other woman. She was his best friend and business partner’s sister, and he respected Ben too much to cross that line. Not to mention, there was so much at stake if things between him and Jessica went south.
Besides, he’d be a fucking hypocrite to sleep with Jessica when he’d given Asher a heap of shit for sleeping with his own sister, Nikki, on his private island. Derek’s issue with Asher had more to do with the age gap than bro-code, but still . . . if Derek fucked Jessica and did something stupid to hurt her, he’d screw up not just his friendship with Ben but their partnership and successful business, as well.
And he just couldn’t take that risk.
Jessica took a step back, her action bringing him out of his thoughts. “I guess silence does speak volumes. I suppose that kiss was you fulfilling your duty? Making sure I got something for the money I spent buying you for the weekend?”
“What?” It took him a minute to process what she meant. It was the obstinate tilt of her chin and the flicker of self-doubt in her gaze that made him understand. “You think I kissed you out of obligation because you won my services for the weekend? That what just happened between us was a pretense on my part?”
She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, the movement clearly self-protective. “Why else would you stop?”
Jesus. He hated himself for causing her to doubt him. “Because there’s more involved here than just me and you,” he said, making sure she knew his decision had nothing to do with her personally.
“I don’t understand,” she said, her hands still wrapped tightly around herself.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s . . . I can’t risk the possibility of putting a strain on my working relationship with Ben. Trust me, if my dick had a vote, we’d be up in your bedroom and you’d already be naked beneath me. But I’m trying to be smart and not do something either of us might regret.”
She shook her head and sighed, her arms dropping to her sides, her lips puckered in an adorable frown. “I guess I understand . . .” she said, the glint back in her eyes, and he felt so much fucking better. Still hard and aroused. But glad she wasn’t hurting. “But just so you know, I wouldn’t regret anything.”
Fuck me. That mischievous sparkle in her gaze should have warned him. With a groan, he pointed to the doorway leading to the living room. “Go,” he ordered in a low, playful growl. “Before I do something even more drastic.”
She didn’t move, purposely defying him. “Like what?” she asked, her tone back to sassy and sexy.
He had the distinct impression she wasn’t going to let this kiss go. He’d opened Pandora’s box and there was no going back. No matter what valid protests he had. She’d never want to jeopardize his friendship or business with her brother, but this new-to-him Jessica obviously had her own agenda. His only choice was to freak her out enough that she’d be the one backing away.
He took a warning step toward her. “Like putting you over my knee and spanking your ass for thinking I’d pretend anything with you.”
Her lips parted, but instead of a horrified gasp, her eyes darkened and her cheeks flushed a healthy shade of red. But she didn’t make a move to leave. She also didn’t push the issue any further. So Derek did the only thing he could and walked out of the kitchen first.
A man only had so much willpower, and Jessica Cavanaugh was clearly going to test every ounce he possessed.
Chapter Eight
Unable to sleep, Jessica put on a silky robe over her short nightgown, tied the sash around her waist, then left her bedroom. No light showed beneath the closed door of the guest room across the hallway, where Derek was sleeping. Clearly, he didn’t seem to have any issues dozing off tonight.
It was after midnight, but it wasn’t unusual for design ideas to keep her awake until she got up to put them on paper. She’d learned the hard way that if she didn’t jot down notes or sketches immediately, even if she swore she’d remember everything in the morning, she rarely did. And losing an idea like the one in her head right now would keep her tossing and turning, so it was just easier to get out of bed and follow her muse.