Tempting Grace (Vaughn)

Grace grimaced as she imagined what she looked like. Sex, that’s what. It was probably tattooed on her damned forehead. She tried to muster up some shame, but it just wasn’t happening. The sex had simply been too good to wish it’d never happened. In fact, she was hoping the memories would sustain her for the rest of her life, because she sure as hell wasn’t going back for a repeat performance. It was too dangerous to her heart to go anywhere near Jackson Hill. He should come with a warning sign or something.

Grace quickly fled down the hall to her own room. When she came to her door, it took her a ridiculous amount of time to find her keycard. She finally located it beneath a pack of tissues and slid it into the lock. As she stepped inside her room, she finally let herself breathe. Then it all hit her at once, and she slumped to the floor. What had she been thinking? She should have known she wouldn’t be able to go on this trip and still keep her heart intact. But he’d wanted a relationship. Hadn’t he said that last night? He was offering more than sex, so why was she so afraid? Because she knew Jackson. He’d sleep with her for awhile, it’d be great, then he’d be ready to move on to his next conquest. Her constant refusal to go out with him had posed a challenge. He liked a challenge. As soon as he had her tied around his little finger, she’d be out the door faster than a video game at Christmas time.

Her phone rang. Right away she knew who would be on the other end. She stood and went to it, staring as it rang again. “You can’t hide forever,” Grace muttered. “Be an adult and answer the damn thing.” She ordered her hand to pick up the receiver when it rang a third time.

“Hello?”

“Chicken.”

That single word uttered in Jackson’s sleepy morning voice had the power to push her out of her self-recrimination. “I needed a shower,” she hedged.

“You were running,” he teased. “Don’t lie.”

She went to the couch and plopped down. “I wasn’t running, I was walking.”

“Why are you so afraid of me? Am I so terrible, Gracie?”

For the first time since meeting the overbearing man, Jackson actually sounded unsure of himself. She didn’t want that. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, exactly, but she didn’t want him thinking things that weren’t true. “I’m not afraid of you,” she told him. “I’m afraid of the way you make me feel. I’m afraid of a relationship with you.”

“Why, baby?” Jackson asked, his voice as warm and tempting as fresh baked cookies. “I’d never hurt you. You must know that by now. There’s nothing to fear.”

Oh, god, this was too cruel. It was like standing a little girl outside the gates of Disney World then telling her she couldn’t go in. “I’m just a simple woman with a smartass attitude. I’m not up to your speed, Jackson. We both know it. You just refuse to see it.”

“Get real. You’re smarter, sassier and sexier than any woman I’ve ever met. You’ve all but flayed me alive with that wicked tongue of yours, so don’t act like we aren’t in the same league.”

“We have a conference to attend,” she said, hoping to derail him. “This has to end. I enjoyed last night, but it won’t happen again.”

Silence greeted her. When a loud knock sounded on her door, she dropped the phone. She left the couch to peek through the hole in the door. Her heart nearly stopped beating and her hands shook. Jackson. She bit her lip and turned the knob, knowing she shouldn’t. Knowing he would only turn her inside out all over again. Jackson moved faster than she expected, stepping inside her suite and shoving the door closed behind him. He slammed her against the wall with all the force of a man who was through being polite.

“Bullshit it won’t happen again,” he bit out. “It’s going to happen, I can promise you that. Over and over, baby. So many times you’ll want to stay in my bed just to make it easier on the both of us.”

“In your dreams,” she shot right back. A split second later, he captured her lips with his, effectively shutting out all else. Their tongues mated, and just that fast she went down in flames. Glorious, hot, wonderful flames. They engulfed her, and she forgot her reservations, her worries of never having his whole heart. Suddenly her body was reminded of just how truly wonderful it felt to be loved by Jackson Hill. She hadn’t really needed the reminder, but as she slid her arms around his neck and sank into the kiss, she knew it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered save for his taste. He picked her up and took her to the bedroom. They fell onto the bed together, rolling until she sprawled on top of him.

He broke the kiss and whispered, “I promised you could go wild, remember?”

“I remember.” She wasn’t sure what to do, though. She sat astride him, looking at him with his arms behind his head, a grin curving his sexy lips, and Grace suddenly felt vulnerable and unsure. Two things that usually had sarcastic comments spilling out of her mouth. For once, she had nothing to say. She could only stare at the male perfection stretched out beneath her.

Jackson reached up and cupped her cheek, sliding his thumb over her bottom lip. “Take off your dress, baby.”

Right, lose the clothes, good idea. She forgot about the zipper this time and yanked the black material over her head. After tossing it to the floor, Grace cupped her breasts and squeezed. “I can still feel the rope against my skin. My nipples tingle when I think about it.”

Jackson leaned forward and wrapped his powerful arms around her upper body. He placed a gentle kiss to each hardened tip. “I woke and you were gone, pet. The next time I bind you, I’m going to spank these pretty tits until they’re nice and pink.”

The use of that hated nickname should have doused her desire, but all it did was send her into a whirlwind of lust. God help her, she liked the idea of being his pet. At least in the bedroom.

“I think I’d rather tie you up instead. Have you ever been tied to the bed, Jackson?”

“No,” he stated firmly. “The rope is for you, not me.”

She frowned. “Speaking of rope… How did you manage to get that through airport security?”

He smoothed his palms over her ribcage, then down to her thighs. “I didn’t want to chance it. I can just see explaining that one.” They both laughed. “No, I bought it after we arrived.”

Grace’s blood ran hot in her veins when Jackson let his fingers journey toward her clit. He stopped short of touching her where she needed him the most, which made her crazy. As she braced herself on his chest, his words hit her. “Wait, you’re telling me you went out and bought rope?”

“No, I called down to the desk.”

“You can’t be serious.”