Jane Millionaire

“You shouldn’t be here.” Another croak. Worse than before. He sounded like a damn frog. Or a boy just hitting puberty. Pathetic. And his rising libido had just gone literal.

“I know, but I couldn’t stay away. I feel like I’ve waited too long already. I keep thinking about wondering for years to come what it would have been like. What we would have been like.” She took another step. “I’m not willing to go through life without knowing. Are you?”

He resisted his urge to inhale deeply. To do so might allow roses to overpower what little good judgment he still had with her looking like something straight from a lingerie catalog. A really, really sexy lingerie catalog.

“A relationship between us can’t happen, and even if it could, I don’t do relationships. I’m a one night stand kind of man.” He didn’t want to think about the rest of his life. Hell, just managing the next few weeks without knowing how it felt to be inside her was almost more than he could deal with--especially with her tempting him like Eve’s apple being wagged in front of a starving Adam day after day. JP, where are you?

“Fine.” She shrugged a bare shoulder. “I want one night.”

Oh hell! He hadn’t seen that one coming.

Or had he?

“Jane,” he began, sifting through his brain for whatever reason he could find to order her out of his room. There were too many to choose from yet not a single one left his mouth. All he could think was maybe one nibble would satisfy his hunger. One little nibble. What could it hurt?

She closed the gap between them. “If one night is all I can have, I want my night. Now. Tonight. With you. No more waiting.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he had the sensation of rose petals raining upon him, beating his power to resist down to almost nothing.

Power to resist? What power to resist?

“It’ll ruin everything.” He stared into her eyes and wanted her more than any man had ever wanted a woman. He knew he wanted her that much.

“How?” Her lips inched closer to his.

Just one little nibble…

“The show,” he half-heartedly muttered. “Us becoming involved could ruin everything we’ve worked to achieve with JANE MILLIONAIRE. You know that as well as I do.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Tomorrow? When the sun comes up and you’re faced with the harsh truth that one night is really all we had? What then?” He held himself rigid, knowing if he dared move, it would be to possess her, body and soul, and to hell with the rest of the world.

“One night. You and me. Your man to my woman. Tomorrow we’ll go back to playing our roles and pretend like tonight never happened.”

Hope glimmered. Irrational as it was. Irrational as he was. If Jane meant her words, maybe they could have tonight. If he got his fill of her ripe body, she wouldn’t monopolize his every thought. He wouldn’t question his empty house and emptier life. If he could get over his obsession with her, life would be better, right?

“You’ll choose one of the bachelors and go on the honeymoon?” Her offer seemed like manna from heaven. What was that old saying about offers too good to be true?

“Tonight changes nothing regarding my role in JANE MILLIONAIRE,” she whispered the words he desperately wanted to hear. “I’ll fulfill the terms of the contract. Whether or not you make love to me tonight doesn’t affect my obligations to the network.”

Her fingers twined into his hair just like he’d wanted her to do while he watched her with Jeff in the garden. He groaned.

“You’re sure? You have to be sure you can go on as if nothing has happened between us.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?” Her lips touched his.

All desire to ask questions, to verify that he wasn’t destroying JP’s career, his career, fled. All he could do was feel. Feel the woman against him. Besides, if they made love, they could put this raging fire behind them.

Making love was the best thing they could do for JANE MILLIONAIRE. He was sure of it.

“I want you, Rob,” she breathed. “So much.”

He kissed her. He didn’t have to tell her what he wanted. The undeniable evidence of his desire pressed against her stomach. Her mouth opened, and this time he took what he craved. He plunged into her sweet mouth and tasted mint toothpaste and Jane. A heady combination. But then Jane in any combination added up to a dizzying effect.

He pulled her closer, kissed, and conquered her mouth. Or maybe she was doing the conquering because he was without a doubt captive to her every whim.

Her hands lowered, and she tugged his t-shirt loose from his jeans. Was that moan from her or him? He helped pull his t-shirt off. Damn, were they moving too fast? He briefly wondered. Her palms ran over his bare back, lower until she cupped his jean-covered buttocks. Quivers of need shook him. Not fast enough, he answered his own question. Not nearly fast enough.