CHAPTER ELEVEN
JACK WATCHED Mallory’s retreat, regret clenching and unclenching his gut. Calling her one of the boys had been necessary, but one of the hardest things he’d ever done—because he knew how deep his words would wound her. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he turned back to Lederman.
“Come on, Paul, she’s gone. Now tell me what you’ve got going. I met up with Eva down at the gym. Now she’s hot.”
“She’s yesterday. You know that Nantucket deal I was telling you about?” He dropped his voice to a hushed tone.
Jack groaned. “Don’t tell me you’re buying a resort just to get an in with some woman.” He glanced out toward the large veranda-like porch where Mallory had gone and realized he’d buy a lot more than land just to keep her with him.
The more he learned about her past, the better he understood her. He respected her professional climb and he trusted her.
“What better way to retain control of the situation?” Lederman asked.
Jack sighed. Regardless if he could empathize with the concept Lederman had just broached, professionally the man was talking a suicide move. Paul was thinking but not with his brain.
“Look, say you hire me and I get you out of this marriage with most of your assets intact. Why would you go buying yourself a problem? Screw the woman if you have to and walk away. You’ve heard of sexual harassment. You buy the resort, you’re buying yourself major headaches.”
“This woman’s special.” The older man leaned forward in his seat. “And she understands me, something I don’t have now.”
“They’re all special in the beginning,” Jack said, repeating the same mantra he’d used on other clients embarking on an affair while embroiled in a messy divorce.
Only this time, a voice in his head he’d never heard before argued that maybe Lederman had a point. Maybe one woman could be special enough to make it worth risking everything for.
That’s when Jack knew, morning or not, he needed a stiff drink. Or an immediate getaway from the enclosed hotel atmosphere and the intensity of the feelings Mallory effortlessly invoked.
Lederman shook his head, his lips thinning in disappointment. “You’re too young to be so cynical. Maybe you need to get lucky yourself.”
Jack let out a laugh. Lederman would fall over in his chair if he knew how close Jack was to getting lucky. “You’re paying me to be cynical. Which reminds me, are we in or out as your divorce attorneys? Because much as I like it here, I can’t afford to lounge around much longer.”
“Relax, Jack. Like you said, I’m paying you to lounge around. I’ll see you later.”
Jack groaned. What he needed was to get the hell out of this resort and back into the real world, but with Lederman calling the shots that wouldn’t be happening. Still, there were other ways of alleviating his cabin fever.
The ball was back in his court where Mallory was concerned, and he knew just the solution. He’d take Mallory into the real world—where he’d see how little they had in common and where he’d be reminded of how much he hated the feeling of being tied to any one woman.
Special ones like Mallory included.
* * *
MALLORY STOOD in the luxury gift shop of the hotel, looking over the array of eyewear. She tried on gold-rimmed Fendi frames, thick-framed black Gucci sunglasses and Prada glasses with no frames at all. They were all way out of her price range, but she continued to look, convinced that wearing such feminine and sexy glasses would rebuild her pride, still wounded from being called one of the boys. By Jack.
“Have you made a decision?” The saleswoman asked.
Mallory shook her head. “I’d love these.” She slid on the Prada glasses, so opposite of her daily frames, and posed in front of the mirror. With the sun shining through the windows and no heavy black lenses bogging her down she felt lighter and freer.
“The lavender tint compliments your skin tone.”
Mallory didn’t know if that was truth or a sales pitch, not that it mattered. “Unfortunately they’re beyond my means.” She’d spent her surplus money on the cozy cabin for herself and Jack. The memories they made there would last a lot longer than an expensive pair of sunglasses or the illusion of femininity and freedom they provided.
All she needed to do was glance in the mirror without her glasses to see the shabby truth. She pulled off the shades and handed them back to the woman. “Thank you anyway.”
“My pleasure. Here’s my card if you change your mind.”
Mallory smiled. “I appreciate that.” She left the store, realizing she’d fallen into an oh-poor-me routine that was as pathetic as it was unnecessary.
She’d chosen her life and had no business regretting it now, just because she’d gone and fallen in love with Jack.
She’d fallen in love with Jack.
Mallory stumbled toward the group of chairs arranged in the center of the lobby. She settled herself into the nearest one before her knees buckled beneath her. She’d fallen in love with Jack. The revelation shouldn’t be a shock. It was exactly what she’d feared when she’d embarked on this trip, even though she hadn’t voiced that fear aloud. Her heart thudded hard in her chest. She tried to calm herself by forcing deep and even breaths.
She’d get through this. For once her past was going to work in her favor. If she could learn to live without the love of her parents, she could darn well learn to live without Jack’s.
“Excuse me, Miss?”
At the sound of the saleswoman’s voice, Mallory turned around. “Are you calling me?”
The blond-haired woman nodded. “These are for you.” She held out a sunglass case with the silver Prada logo on top.
Mallory shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“A good-looking man with dark hair said to tell you there’s a note inside. You are so lucky. It’s such a romantic gesture.”
“Well…” Speechless, Mallory accepted the case. As the saleswoman retreated, Mallory stayed seated so she could read and absorb Jack’s words.
What good are sunglasses without a convertible? Join me for the ride of your life. Fifteen minutes out front. If you dare to go out in broad daylight.
She slipped the glasses on and her adrenaline started pumping. Mallory Sinclair wasn’t a quitter. She wasn’t someone who felt sorry for herself and wallowed in pity. She was a survivor who made the best of what life threw her way.
But for whatever time they had left, fate had given her Jack. She loved him and maybe she couldn’t have him for forever—but she could most definitely have him for now.
* * *
MALLORY MANAGED to change clothes and get back downstairs with one minute to spare. She walked outside, caught sight of the red convertible gleaming in the sunlight and fell in love—this time with the sleek machine and the lure of freedom. Not to mention the man sitting in the driver’s seat.
He was tanned and sexy and waiting just for her. He honked the horn and waved her over. “Come on before we miss the best part of the day.”
She couldn’t see his eyes behind his darkened shades but just looking at him warmed her blood faster than the sun overhead. She ran to the car and jumped into the passenger seat. She paused only to pull her new glasses out of her bag and slide them onto the bridge of her nose. “I won’t ask how you knew about these, but thank you just the same.”
He slung one arm over the back of her seat. “You’re welcome. Pleasing you is my number one priority.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that.” She rubbed her hands together and reminded herself he was joking. “Where are we going?”
He grinned. “You’ll see.”
She kicked her sandals off and curled her legs beneath her. “I can’t wait.”
He studied her intently. His admiring gaze never left her face. “You look sexy in those lenses.”
She couldn’t doubt his sincerity and the compliment soothed her bruised feelings from earlier. “Thank you.”
His fingers brushed her bare shoulders, skimming the flesh her halter exposed, and she trembled. “That top is something else, too. Or should I say it’s the body beneath it that’s so spectacular.”
She laughed. “You can say whatever you want as long as you keep those compliments coming.”
“That’s no hardship, sweetheart.”
Her heart lodged in her throat. She couldn’t let his sweet-talking words go to her head. “Don’t you think we ought to get going before someone sees us looking and acting less than businesslike?”
“As usual you’ve got a point.” He shifted gears into drive, put his foot to the pedal and they hit the road. “And speaking of business, what’s going on with Rogers?”
Mallory shrugged. “He thinks he’s on to something. He’ll be in touch.”
“Soon, I hope. Lederman’s stalling is making me crazy. John Waldorf says things at the office are status quo and they’re handling his most recent business—no mention of Nantucket but it may be too new. We’ll see.”
She nodded. “But it’s all moot for the day anyway.”
“So let’s put it behind us for now, yes?”
She grinned. “Yes.” A day alone with Jack. She could handle that.
She’d let down her hair for his benefit and as the car picked up speed, the warm wind blew the longer pieces wildly around her face. She reveled in the freedom as he drove with one hand and laced his fingers through the strands with the other.
The sensual tugging on her scalp felt wickedly good. She leaned her head against the seat, shut her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation of the wind and his hands playing a seductive dance in her hair and against her skin.
“This is heaven,” she said aloud.
“Just wait till we reach our destination.”
Almost forty minutes of bliss and comfortable silence later they turned onto a road that ran parallel to the beach and boasted huge estates on the water.
Mallory peered through her sunglasses at the mansions, replete with gates, security systems and too many rooms to possibly count. Each one had a magnificent view. With the sun high in the blue sky and not a cloud in sight, the water seemed to go on forever.
Leaning closer to him for a better view out his side, his potent, masculine scent assaulted her senses. It was all she could do not to cuddle close. Thank heavens for the gear shift, she thought, which protected her from her baser impulses.
“Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live in one of those homes?” she asked instead.
His grunt let her know exactly what he thought of that question. “I grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in the city. One of those places was never within the realm of possibility.” His jaw clenched, making her think she’d hit a nerve.
She quickly changed the subject. “Well, I grew up in the suburbs. We used to go to Cape Cod and Rhode Island for a few weeks during the summers—as soon as sleep-away camp ended, which was how they got rid of me during the bulk of the summer.”
She shifted in her seat and glanced out the window at the ocean beyond. “My parents would drop me at an aunt’s house while they took off shopping or sightseeing. “‘You stay home, Mallory. You’re too young toappreciate antiques,’” she said in a perfect imitation of her mother.
“She sounds charming.”
“Cool is more like it. They both were. After dropping me off, they’d take these romantic drives around the beach or into town. I know this because it’s all my mother would talk about when they finally got back hours later—sometimes days if the whim struck.”
His assessing eyes bore into hers before he turned his focus back to the road. “You hated being left out.”
She gripped her forearms tight, hugging herself against the memories that surfaced as hard and strong as the ocean current. “I hated being the third wheel, which I was whether I was dragged along with them or left behind.”
“How’d you get through it?”
“By daydreaming about living in a castle or fantasy house where everyone catered to what I wanted. Especially my parents who couldn’t bear to be separated from their only daughter.” She let out a cynical laugh. “As if.”
His gut clenched in her defense. As if anything he felt on her behalf could chase away the truth of that awful time in her life. He hated that anyone could make her feel so isolated and alone.
“And now? You mentioned a heart scare to Lederman. Did you get through it okay?”
She leaned her head back against the seat. “It was easy enough to get through the incident itself considering they never called me until after he was released from the hospital and only then because they were returning my call. As usual they forgot all about me.”
Jack winced. He had wanted to protect her from the pain, not dig into old wounds. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
She laughed, easing the tension. “Sure you did, but that’s okay. I didn’t mean to bore you with my life story.”
“You could never bore me.” Anything that gave him an inkling as to what made her the woman she’d become was a fascination for him.
“Yeah, and I own some of this beachfront property I could sell you dirt cheap.” She grinned and the arousal he’d somehow held at bay for the entire drive came rushing back in full force.
He could see the sparkle in her eyes even behind the dark glasses and her easy smile seemed meant for him alone. Even if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t mind deluding himself for a while longer. But at least her quick comeback told him she underestimated the effect she had on him—which was a good thing, since it afforded him some protection against falling too hard.
And maybe he had some beachfront property he could sell himself, he thought wryly. He eased the car into a slow crawl. “Any more dreams you want to share? Like the ones for your future?”
“You mean, do I have the American dream of being someone’s wife with the house, the white picket fence, kids and a dog? Or do I dream of being barefoot and pregnant running around the kitchen baking cake and organizing PTA meetings?” She let out an ineloquent snort. “Not hardly.”
He propped one arm over the wheel and studied the woman beside him. Sarcasm aside, he caught a wistful quality in her voice and the longing in her expression told him she wanted some of those things more than she let on. Maybe even more than she admitted to herself.
And despite all good intentions, he could envision her in either of those roles she’d mentioned because Mallory was a woman who could accomplish anything she chose. When it came to the barefoot and pregnant part, well he was certain she’d excel at the getting pregnant part.
The driving need to test his theory grew stronger. So did the erection inside his shorts. It was a wonder she hadn’t called him on it already.
“What, no comment? The Terminator has nothing to say on my feelings about the American family?” she asked.
He felt sure she didn’t want to know what he was thinking at the moment. He donned a grin. “The Terminator doesn’t believe in the American dream either.”
She clucked her tongue. “I didn’t say I don’t believe, I said it won’t be happening for me. I’m the dreamer, remember?”
He nodded. “Dreams are for people who haven’t experienced reality.” Not wanting to get caught up in the fantasy, he brushed it off as easily as she’d pretended to.
“What’s your reality, Jack? It seems to me I’ve exposed my soul while yours is still hidden.”
Knowing she had a point, he said, “My parents’ marriage was, or should I say is, the opposite of your folks’.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Nothing to apologize for. It is what it is.”
“Doesn’t sound that simple to me. Take it from someone who knows. These things stay with you.”
His chest constricted, knowing she’d unintentionally struck him where it hurt. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“Does your choice in careers have anything to do with what you saw growing up?”
He shook his head. “I fell into family law.” He started to give her the same rehearsed speech he’d given many times before when he suddenly changed his mind. “Actually, it has everything to do with it.” He reached out and stroked one finger down her thigh, toying with the fringe on her cut-off shorts.
She covered his hand with hers, stilling his intentionally distracting movements. Her warmth soothed him and he was able to continue. “At first I figured I’d become a lawyer and get my father out of the hell his marriage had become.”
“And then?” she asked quietly.
“Then I realized he stuck around because on some level he liked the sick situation, or was too weak to get out of it on his own. By then I had a career and was on that partnership track you know so well. I wasn’t giving that up so…here I am.”
“The Terminator.”
“Yup. Meanwhile my folks are still married and making each other miserable.” They inched along the road parallel to the beach. And as they continued to drive in silence, Jack realized that admitting those truths out loud for the first time gave him a sense of freedom he’d never had.
“You told me why your father stuck around, but why hasn’t your mother opted out?”
“Because my mother doesn’t know the meaning of fidelity, and since my father doesn’t know how to stand up for himself and get the hell out, she’s got the best of both worlds.”
At least she had until now. Jack still didn’t know if his father would go through with the divorce.
“That’s sad. And so opposite of my parents. Which I guess goes to show you that neither extreme is a healthy one.”
“Guess not.” He shrugged, not knowing what else to say.
He inhaled the salty ocean air. He’d never spoken about his family life before, but he trusted his past in Mallory’s hands.
And he needed those hands around him now. Badly.
“So you shut down your dreams for the future, afraid you’ll end up the same way?” she asked.
“It would seem so.” He shouldn’t be surprised she hadn’t passed judgment, merely understood.
But those dreams she thought he’d shut down were pushing past the barriers he’d built, and they centered around Mallory, threatening the stability and peace he thought he’d found.
He glanced her way. The sunglasses he’d seen her eyeing earlier were perched on her scrunched-up nose. The wind had blown her hair into wild disarray and her cheeks were flushed from being outdoors—just how he imagined she’d look after a hot night of making love. With him.
Damn. Why hadn’t he thought of it as just sex? Jack swallowed back a curse. Had he really thought getting away from the hotel would give him distance? All this trip had done was bring them closer emotionally. This getaway hadn’t made him want her any less, nor had it alleviated the burning tension inside him.
“And those dreams of yours. Are they shut down as well?” he asked.
She nodded. “I got older, immersed myself in reality, decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and try to make the old man proud.”
“That’s too bad. Because I have a hunch if you let yourself, you’d find a goldmine of untapped dreams inside you.”
She rested her chin on bended knee and glanced his way. “Maybe I was wrong.” Her expression grew pensive. “I don’t think anyone can really close themselves off to dreaming,” she said softly. “Including you.”
He would have vehemently disagreed before this trip. He hadn’t thought he had any dreams for the future beyond the life he’d created. He’d always associated women with his mother and marriage with his parents’ disaster of a union.
And now…
“What was I thinking?” she asked before he could take his thoughts any further. “Macho men don’t dream and if they do, they don’t admit it.” She laughed, breaking the seriousness that had been surrounding them.
The sound, light and carefree, eased the growing knot of tension in his stomach. She was back to relaxing. Best of all she wasn’t asking him for a damn thing beyond their stolen time together. So why was he allowing himself to get caught up in such serious considerations like relationships, marriage and the future?
He turned his attention to the scenery. They’d left the stretch of homes behind and the now empty beach stretched out before them. Jack spotted a deserted outlet beneath a boardwalk where he could park. He turned into a secluded spot that afforded them a perfect view of the water, and because they were still in an exclusive area, they wouldn’t be interrupted by tourists. Jack silently thanked Eva, the gym manager, for telling him about this place even though her reasons for helping him would make Mallory green with jealousy.
He shifted to park and before he could blink she climbed over the seat and into the back, motioning for him to join her.
He studied her and glanced around them. “You sure about this?”
“Are you afraid of getting caught?”
He flew out of the car and joined her in the back seat. “You’re naughty, Mallory. And you’re also forgetting who extended this invitation.” He pulled her into his arms and into the kiss he’d been dying for all afternoon.
She didn’t resist. Her lips opened wide and she let him in, deeper than he’d thought possible. He moved his mouth over hers, tasting her luscious lips before moving to nuzzle her cheek, lingering only seconds before traveling down to her neck.
He suckled and soothed, then inhaled the fragrant scent of her perfume. “Man, you smell good.”
“Then keep going.” She tilted her head to provide him with better access as he slid his wet tongue across her collarbone. He pulled on the neck of her shirt and pressed butterfly-light kisses to the white skin on the swell of her breast.
She shuddered and let out a trembling sigh, but caught him off guard when her hands moved to the fly on his shorts. His brain warned him to stop as he had last night, but this time he couldn’t. He’d been holding back for too long, needed release by her hands too badly.
The pop of the snap echoed in the car and the rasp of his zipper moving over his straining erection caused a surge of renewed desire to flood his veins. “Sweetheart, our first time is not going to be in the back seat of an open convertible,” he said.
She opened her mouth to reply.
He pressed one finger to her lips. “Hush. Because nothing you say now, including a challenge, is going to change my mind.”
She licked at his finger and a sizzling current traveled from her hot mouth straight to his groin. He clenched his fists and cocked his head to the side.
“Okay. I can play just as easily another way.” She pushed his legs apart in a wide vee and settled herself in between before dropping to her knees in front of him.
Her hands reached for the band of his shorts and he let out a strangled groan.
“Lift your hips.”
He liked the command and his waist bucked forward in an involuntary response.
Mallory laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”
The strain of desire was wearing on him. “I know what you meant. I just can’t believe you mean to do this here.”
Her blue eyes darkened with real passion. “Oh, but I do.” She reached for the blanket on the floor beside her. He’d bought it in the gift shop, in case they stopped for food and wanted to sit on the beach. “Good planning, wouldn’t you say?” she asked.
“It’s not the reason I bought it.”
She shrugged. “That’s okay. I won’t hold it against you if my imagination’s better than yours. It’s a female thing, I guess.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Now lift those hips.”
“Bossy wench.”
“Yeah, and you love it.”
Damn but she was right. He glanced around. Not a single person or car was in sight for what seemed like miles. But just in case, he spread the blanket wide and tossed it over the headrest of the front seat. “Just in case.”
She giggled. “You can cover me and your lower half if you need to.”
He rolled his eyes. “And explain what I’m doing alone in the back seat of a car covered by a blanket in the heat of the day.”
“You’re a smart man. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
In another minute he figured he’d be too far gone to utter a coherent word. He raised his hips off the seat and helped her wrest his shorts down to his ankles, freeing his erection for her waiting hands.
She didn’t waste a minute. As he watched, she cupped his length in her delicate fingers, which were warmer and stronger than they looked. His body shook and he leaned his head back and exhaled a groan.
“Watch me, Jack.”
He opened his eyes. She’d pay later for this control thing of hers, but right now he liked her being in charge too much to do anything about it except enjoy.
So he watched.
Just as she lowered her head and licked at him with her tongue. “Oh, man.” The words burst from him as his hips thrust forward and he nearly came right then.
“I’m assuming that’s a good thing?” She raised her head and asked lightly, but he sensed the import of her words.
That she didn’t do this often filled him with ridiculous male pride. That she did it now, for him, filled him with a sweeping emotion so strong he didn’t dare give it a name. Not that he could have, because at that moment she took him into her warm, wet, willing mouth and Jack was lost.
Her hands worked a slick vertical gliding motion in synchronized rhythm with her talented mouth. If he was an experiment, she’d found the formula for success. His hips began a gyrating motion he couldn’t control, bucking up and down without regard to her sensual assault.
She licked and suckled, providing friction with her tongue. She pulled and pushed with her slick palms, bringing him to the peak and easing him back without allowing him the pleasure of release.
“Mallory, please—” The word burst from him in a groan. He’d never begged a woman before. But this was Mallory, and experienced or not, she was so damn good.
Without warning, her hand position changed and she pressed at the base of his penis, in a spot low and deep. “Jesus, don’t stop.” She didn’t and white-hot darts of fire exploded in every nerve ending he possessed.
Seconds before he came, he leaned forward and pulled her up and on top of him until her feminine heat aligned with his hot and ready erection.
She caught on quick, clamping her thighs tight around his and grinding her pelvis into his erection. He jerked his hips upward one last time and found the hottest, sweetest release he’d ever known.
Without being cocooned inside Mallory’s warm body, it wasn’t enough but at least when he came she was where she belonged, sitting on his lap and writhing against him, straining for her own release and helping the quaking shudders to continue wracking his body long after they should have ceased.
He closed his mouth over hers and with his palm, he cupped her hard between the juncture of her thighs. She moaned and arched into his hand.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Let me feel it.” With his fingers, he worked her the best he could through the denim barrier and her hips gyrated in time to the movement of his hands.
“Harder, more, Jack please…please…” Her breathless words caused a renewed stirring in his loins and when she started to convulse against his hand, the sounds and the feelings were as strong and intense as his own orgasm.
She collapsed against him, her chest against his damp one, her head cradled in his shoulder and her breath hot and heavy in his ear.
* * *
MALLORY TRIED to move and couldn’t. “I can’t catch my breath.”
His hands tangled in her hair. “I can’t say that’s a problem, considering the reason.”
She chuckled. “Good point.” She’d meant to please him and she obviously had. He’d pleased her, too, but an aching emptiness in her body remained and Mallory understood the reason only too well. She hadn’t experienced everything he had to give.
She’d had that same thought as she’d changed from her plain gray dress into the shorts and halter top she now wore. And she’d planned ahead.
“Jack?” She pushed herself back so she could meet his gaze.
Still clouded with residual desire, his dark eyes stared back at her. “What is it?”
“I hope you realize we’re not finished yet.”
Laughing, he leaned his head back against the leather seats and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m pretty damn well spent.”
She punched him lightly in the shoulder. “That’s not what I mean.”
Though she had no intention of getting all weepy or clingy with a man who only took commitment seriously when it came to escaping one, she did plan to make her point.
She reached for her purse on the front seat of the car and pulled a silk scarf from the outside zipper.
“I draw the line at wearing women’s clothing.” His lips twitched in a grin.
She let out a breathless laugh. “Thank goodness.”
His impossibly shaded eyes darkened as his palm caressed her calf.
A renewed stirring surged inside her. “Not yet.”
She took the scarf and wrapped it around his neck like a tie, pulling down on the ends until he leaned forward, his lips inches from hers.
“Bring this to my room tonight,” she ordered.
A wicked expression crossed his features, anticipation lighting his eyes. “Not the cabin?”
“I’d like to say it’s already rented but the truth is I’m tapped out. But trust me, you don’t need the cabin for what I have planned.” She pressed her lips against his and teased him with a kiss that tantalized but her tongue never plunged into the warm recesses of his mouth.
“You’re killing me.” His lips moved against hers.
“Now why would I do that before we’ve gone all the way?” She wriggled her hips downward, feeling him begin to harden and swell beneath her.
“You feel good.”
“There’s so much more where that came from. And remember, control is an illusion. Now be at my room at eight.” She bolted for the front seat before her desire and feelings for this man overwhelmed her too soon.