He’d never been this hot this quickly for anyone. Luke closed his eyes as her quick tongue tasted his bottom lip, then tangled with his in a long, lazy slide. One hand held the back of her head and the other skimmed the side of her torso, its thumb sliding over the swell of her—
This had gone too far, Luke told himself. He had to stop this. Now.
Instead he ran the palms of his hands up the back of her silky-soft thighs and gripped her butt.
Holy hell, he thought as his hands encountered nothing but warm skin. Where were her panties...? Their kiss deepened and went from crazy to wild. He massaged her as he pulled her up against him and...oh, there it was. An ultra-thin strand of cotton. He traced his fingers upward and found the T of her thong, embellished with what seemed to be a fabric heart flat against her lower back. Luke hooked his thumb under the T and rubbed that gorgeous patch of skin. So soft, so smooth... He could snap the cord with a quick twist...
Luke wrenched himself away from her, sucked in a breath and hoped that she didn’t notice him gripping the edge of the desk for balance. She looked glorious, with her flashing eyes, swollen mouth and mussed hair. He could take her right now, right here in the late-afternoon sun.
It shook him how much he wanted to see her naked, sprawled across his desk, her body exposed to his hot gaze, her creamy skin flushed with pleasure.
Luke summoned up the last reserves of his self-control and slowly felt his self-restraint returning. When he felt his big brain had the edge over his little one, he stood up straight and wordlessly pointed to the door.
Jess nodded as she straightened her shirt. ‘Right—time for me to leave.’ She rocked on her heels, then dug in her tote bag and pulled out a large envelope which she placed on his desk. ‘A marketing strategy—an alternative to what you have now. Maybe we can discuss it another time?’
Un-frickin’-believable.
Had she heard anything he’d said before he’d kissed the hell out of her? Obviously not.
Luke shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’
A tiny frown appeared between her arched brows. ‘Why not?’
Luke walked around his desk and flopped into his chair. ‘Because you’re fired. Pack up your stuff and get off my property. Immediately.’
ONE
Jessica
I seem to be missing one of my Shun knives. A boning and filleting knife. If you do not return it I’ll be forced to ask you to replace it as I bought it during our trip to the States. They retail for around 200 US dollars.
Grant
Jess Sherwood dropped her head as the e-mail on her screen winged its way to the deleted folder. Grant was smoking something very green and very strong if he thought that she had any intention of paying him another cent. Who had supported him and his extravagant lifestyle when he’d lost his job and while he’d struggled to get his fledgling catering business off the ground?
And, while she’d dished out the money and the sympathy, every day when she’d left for work he’d found something else to do. Or perhaps she should say someone else to do...the blonde living in the simplex opposite them.
Jerk.
The door to her office opened and Jess watched Ally enter, her iPad in her hand. Jess counted her blessings that her stunningly efficient office manager was also her best and most trusted friend.
‘What’s the matter?’ Ally asked, dropping into the chair opposite Jess.
Jess waved at her computer. ‘Grant. Again. Looking for something called a Shun knife. Um...what’s a Shun knife?’
Ally, well acquainted with Jess’s lack of culinary skills, smiled. ‘It’s a brand of expensive kitchen knives. Nice.’
‘Well, if I find it in my kitchen it’s yours,’ Jess said glumly.
‘What else is the matter?’ Ally placed her iPad on the desk.
Jess waved at her computer. ‘Grant’s trying to yank my chain.’
Ally’s bold red lips quirked. ‘Judging by the scowl on your face, I’d say “mission accomplished”.’
Jess wrinkled her nose. ‘He’s the larva that grows on the dung of...’
‘Yeah, yeah—heard it all before. It was over months ago, so why are you still so PO-ed?’
Jess rested her elbows on her desk and shoved her fingers into her hair, considering Ally’s question. It had been a year since Grant had lost his high-powered job as brand manager for a well-known clothing chain, and six months since she’d caught him in their bed with what’s-her-name with the stupid Donald Duck tattoo on her butt...
Since she’d been on top when Jess had walked into the bedroom the image was indelibly printed on her mind.
Okay, so the incident had also catapulted her back to that dreadful period in her teens when— No, she wasn’t going to think about that. It was enough to remember that she now knew the pain infidelity caused—first- and second-hand.