Tempting Grace (Vaughn)

He chuckled and steered her toward a fancy restaurant. She was still so dazzled by all the glitter and lights. Vegas life and small town Ohio were not to be compared. It was as if she’d entered an entirely different world.

As the hostess seated them, Grace noticed they were tucked away in a private little alcove, away from the main part of the restaurant. She wondered if Jackson had planned that along with everything else. “Nicely secluded. Your idea?”

Jackson winked, and it did things to her. Wild things. Her pussy flooded with liquid heat and her heartbeat sped up. “I wanted to get you alone so we could talk. Is that a crime?”

Grace reached for her menu and held it in front of her, not bothering to answer. “The prices are outrageous.”

“Everything in Vegas is outrageous,” he said. “Answer me.”

She dropped the menu and frowned. “No, it’s not a crime. Happy now?”

He stayed silent, watchful and mysterious. Grace wished she had the ability to read Jackson’s moods, but the only time she knew what went through his ornery mind was when he was turned on. In those heated moments when he teased, challenging her to take him up on his offer to push their relationship into more intimate territory, Jackson dropped his armor. Only then could she see into his soul. And what she observed made her nervous as hell. He wasn’t an easy man. Jackson was hard, inside and out. He played hard, worked hard, and he expected everyone to do the same. Grace was very much afraid that he wanted things from her she didn’t know how to give. The X-rated things he’d whispered to her on the plane had sent her straight to a cold shower. Well, a cold shower after she’d answered several phone calls from her family asking if she’d landed safely. Not just her mother, like normal people, but nearly the entire Vaughn bunch had called to make sure she hadn’t crashed. She loved them, but there were times she was tempted to move to Alaska just to escape their coddling.

Crap. Three days in Vegas. Three days of denying Jackson and the needs he brought out in her. As if she was that strong.! She’d be lucky to last one night before she came begging for him to fuck her.

When their waitress came around and started her spiel about the house specials, Grace glanced across the table. The wicked look Jackson shot her way told her two things really quick. He knew exactly what she’d been thinking, and she’d be lucky if she could still walk by the time he finished with her. Excitement had her heart beating faster. Fear had her pretending an unusual interest in the menu.

Chapter Six

Jackson gritted his teeth in frustration. They’d long since finished their meals. Grace had eaten a damned grilled chicken Caesar salad, probably because it was the cheapest thing on the menu, while he’d devoured a succulent filet mignon. After the waitress had brought out the dessert cart, Jackson nearly came in his slacks as he watched Grace’s deep blue eyes glaze over. She’d stared at the selection of rich culinary delights and licked her lips. He’d wanted to pull her out of her chair, slam her down on the table and have her pussy for dessert. But her refusal to pick anything from the cart was causing him to fast lose his patience.

“Get dessert,” he ordered.

Grace played with her water glass and eyed the cart as if she wanted to steal away with the whole thing. “No, I can’t. It’s all just too expensive.”

Christ, her cousin was the owner of the company she worked for and she still refused a simple slice of cake? “Merrick doesn’t mind if we indulge ourselves a little when we’re on business trips. He would insist if he were here, and you know it.”

“I would feel like I was taking advantage of him. Just because we can turn in our expenses doesn’t mean we should go hog wild.”

Was she for real? Anyone else would be racking up the bill if they knew their boss was footing it. Damned irritant. “A slice of cake is not going hog wild. Having the entire cart would be hog wild.” She shook her head and looked away. “Fine, then I’ll pay for it. Just get the damned chocolate cake, Gracie.”

Her lips thinned in anger. “I’m not poor. I don’t need you buying me cake, Jackson Hill. I just don’t want it. Let it go.”

Jackson looked at the waitress and growled, “We’ll take two slices of chocolate cake. Put it on my bill.”

“Yes, sir,” the waitress squeaked before rushing off.

/> He watched as Grace’s nostrils flared with anger. “You did not just do that.”

“Why do you refuse such a simple thing? There’s no point, Gracie. And don’t ever lie to me again. You want the fucking cake. Hell, you were damned near drooling over it.”

“I decide what I want and don’t want, Jackson, not you.”

As the waitress came back carrying a tray filled with their cake, he was forced to silence. After she placed the decadent treats on the table then left, his gaze snagged on Grace. She licked her lips, but still didn’t pick up her fork.

Jackson had had enough of her stubbornness to last a lifetime. He leaned across the table and whispered, “Baby, we can eat the cake here with forks and napkins like civilized adults, or we can lick it off each other back in my room. Your choice.”

Grace didn’t speak, but merely sat there, as if warring with herself. Was she imagining what he wanted her to imagine? Jackson desperately wanted an answer to that question. She shocked him when she picked up the fork and took a chunk out of the dark dessert. Her eyes were trained on him as she brought it to her mouth. The fork disappeared between her plump, ruby lips. She closed her eyes and moaned deep in her throat. When she went back for a second bite, Jackson spread his legs and sat back, content to watch Grace seduce him with chocolate. By the time she’d devoured the entire slice, his cock was hammer hard and ready to be buried deep inside Grace’s pretty cunt. Tight and hot, right where he belonged for the next fifty years.

Grace sat back, dabbed her lips with the white linen napkin and murmured, “You’re right. I did want the cake, but you were wrong about the other.”

Jackson cleared his throat. “What other?” Hallelujah, he really could speak.

This time it was Grace’s turn to lean across the table. “I never mix my two favorite vices. Chocolate is orgasmic all on its own. When I have sex, I prefer to leave the food out of it.”

And again, Grace Vaughn takes the lead. Their verbal sparring matches were wearing him down. Jackson couldn’t figure out why he didn’t just forfeit, lay himself at her feet and beg her to put him out of his horny misery. He sure as hell wasn’t getting anywhere by hoping she’d come to him on her own.

She smiled as the waitress brought their checks. Jackson could only sit there, staring like a horny teenager with his first nudie magazine. By the time they were headed out of the restaurant he had his voice back and his cock was only semi-erect. As they reached the elevator, he took her arm and turned her toward him. “Come up to my room for a drink.”