Burning Up (10 page)

Staring at me, Jared answered for us both. “No, I’ll be taking her back to the apartment myself. And, Daniel, my place in an hour
, please. I have some things to discuss with you.”

Damn it. My day trip sightseeing had not only landed me in a heap of trouble, but now Daniel was
, too. Agreeing, Daniel hung up and Jared continued to stare at me coolly.

“Do we really have to go over this again, Jared? You said I couldn’t go wandering around the city alone
, and I didn’t. I went with Daniel. I saw the
Statue of Liberty
, had a nice lunch, saw his apartment …“

Reaching down, Jared caught my arms and lifted me to my feet so that we were now face to face. “You did what? You were in his apartment? Alone!? What the hell, Layla!”

I gave him a confused look. “Hey! Don’t make it sound so seedy and underhanded. I told him to change because I wasn’t walking around the city with a suit!”

His eyes widened and he was practically spitting feathers as he yelled at me. “He was undressed!?” Holding his hands in the air, he let out a loud groan. “Jesus Christ, Layla. Don’t you ever think about what you’re doing? What if you were seen going into his place? What if you were followed there? What if people think the two of you are
…“

Was he serious? “Who cares what other people think? You know I’m not cheating on you
, and that should be all that matters. Don’t you trust me?”

He snorted and it irked me. “Asks the girl who had sex with me, ran back to her boyfriend
, and then broke my heart.”

I held my hand to my mouth as tears filled my eyes. It was a low blow
, and judging by the hurt on my face, Jared knew it, too.

“Layla, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Grabbing my purse from the floor, I strode fast toward the door, but he caught my elbow and spun me around, forcing me to look at him.

“Let me go, Jared.”

“Layla, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just …“

“You just don’t trust me. Even now, when I’ve traveled here, left everyone
, and chosen you, you still don’t trust me. Well, maybe if you didn’t have so many of your own secrets, you would find it easier to have some faith in me.”

He shook his head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Yanking my arm from his grasp, I swiped my tears away angrily. “The apartment in Daniel’s building. The cozy little sex penthouse you have set up there. Ya know, the one that Daniel begged me to stay away from. The one that, if he hadn’t been there, I would have been standing in!”

Holding his head in his hands, Jared growled in frustration. “Why, why must you be so damned nosey, self-righteous, infuriating
, and persistent? That apartment isn’t my ‘cozy little sex suite, okay? Yes, I used to … entertain there. But, that was a lifetime ago. You have been the only woman in my life and my bed for almost a year now. Please, have a little faith in me.”

Taking my hand, he held it to his chest
, and I could feel the gentle thud of his heartbeat against my palm. “I love you, Layla. Only you. That apartment is just something I own now. I haven’t been there in months. If it bothers you so much, I’ll sell it.”

I gazed up at him and thought for a moment. Would I really make him sell it or maybe it was time for me to make a leap of faith. “Don’t sell it because of me. It’s your place and you can do whatever you want with it. I trust you.”

He smiled down at me and brushed a strand of hair from my face, grazing my cheek with the back of his hand.

“Thank you. I mean it though. I would give it all up for you.
The business, the money, the lifestyle, it’s all worthless if I don’t have you to share it with.”

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers sweetly. His thumb rubbed over my ring finger and he frowned. “Did you call the girls about that ring?”

I shook my head. “I will later, though, I promise. Right now I just want a hot bath and some R and R.”

He chuckled. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

Picking up my shredded panties from below the desk, Jared stuffed them into his back pocket and grinned.

“Memento.” He held out a hand for me
, and laughing, I took it gladly.

As we left the office, I glanced at Stephanie who had clearly heard our little session inside as she was blushing ferociously.

“I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off, Stephanie. Please take any messages and forward them to me via email. I’ll check them later.”

She nodded and quickly busied herself making notes and typing on her computer. Jared gave me a small smile.

“I think some R and R sounds wonderful, but I was thinking a little more … S and M.”

My eyes widened and I had to bit my lip to hide my excitement as we walked down the hallway to the elevator.

“Shhh. Keep your voice down. Don’t you ever get tired? After everything in the office, haven’t you had enough?”

The elevator arrived quickly
, and pulling me inside, he pressed me against the far wall. The doors closed and his arms caged me in like a wild animal.

“I can never get enough of you, Layla.”

Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling. My legs were weak and my wrists were still a little sore from the handcuffs. Jared’s fingertips glided gently up and down my arm
, and a soft sigh left his lips.

“You are quite possibly, the most beautiful creature on God’s green
Earth.”

I smiled and rolled onto my side. “I don’t know about that. You’re pretty special yourself, Mr. Garrett.”

He kissed the tip of my nose and this time, he sighed
loudly
. His brow furrowed, and I could see something was bothering him.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and rolled onto his back.

“I have to go to Paris.”

I gave him a confused look. “Already? But we were supposed to be going in a few more weeks. I thought I’d still have time to …“

He cut me off, placing a finger on my lips to silence me. “
I
have to go. The company has hit a snag in the project, and I have to fly out to oversee things. But only me.”

Sitting up, I clutched the sheets to my chest and stared at him. “You’re leaving me behind?” My voice was shaky and from the instant worry I saw spread across Jared’s face, I got the feeling that my own expression appeared as heartbroken as I felt.

Pulling me into his arms, he held me tightly to his chest. “No. God, no. You’ll fly out to meet me a week later, but for now, I have to focus on the job. I don’t expect you to stay here alone, either. I’ve made some arrangements. I fly to Paris on Saturday and I’ve organized a seat for you on a plane back to L.A. I thought you might want to spend a week with your family before we head to Europe. But, if you’d rather be here …“

Pushing away from him, I bounced up and down excitedly. “Really? I get to go home?” He looked a little upset at my reaction. Throwing my arms around him, I kissed him passionately. “Thank you, Jared. You have no idea how much that means to me. Not that I won’t miss you terribly, I just really miss my parents
and the girls. When did you even have time to get all of this done?”

Smiling, he l
ied back down and opened his arms to me. Snuggling into the crook of his arm, I breathed his scent in deeply. Vanilla, sex, and Jared.

“While you were in the tub
, I checked my emails and realized I couldn’t put the trip off any longer. I knew you’d be upset, but I thought it would be a good time for you to make a trip back home and visit your folks. Are you mad?”

I shook my head in a definitive no. “How can I be mad? Jared, I get to go home! Oh, I can’t wait to see the surprise on their faces.”

Grinning, I squeezed him tightly gently running my fingernails up and down his silky, smooth skin. His arms were folded around me, enveloping me in a warm and strong embrace. I would miss this while he was gone. The elation of seeing my family was suddenly dwindling as a slight ache began to settle inside my chest. It would be the first time we’d been apart in over a month and I was already dreading our goodbye.

Lifting my chin, he rested his nose against mine and shook his head. “Stop it. It’s only for a few days
, and I’ll call you all the time. You’ll be sick of me by the time you arrive in Paris.”

Giggling, I placed a quick kiss on his lips. “I could never be sick of you.”

Releasing him, I sat up and began removing the plethora of plush quilts from my body.

“You should keep that in mind when I’m calling you at ridiculous hours just to hear your voice.”

Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I turned and shot him a smile. “I will as long as you keep in mind that this girl needs her beauty sleep.”

A loud laugh echoed around the room as Jared’s booming chuckle reverberated off of the pale blue walls. “Layla Jennings, if there is one thing you absolutely do not require, it’s beauty sleep. You were born stunning and will be taking my breath away for years to come.”

“Well, we’ll see about that when I’m old, wrinkly, and have an ass like a dried-up prune.”

Rolling onto his front, Jared laughed hard into his pillow
, hitting his fist on the mattress as he roared. Picking up my own pillow, I struck him with it playfully. I was about to strike him a second time when he rolled over, grabbed the pillow, and pulled me down onto the bed. In a quick swoop, I was on my back with him firmly pressed on top of me.

His lips pressed against mine as his tongue slid inside my mouth giving me another one of his heart melting kisses. I closed my eyes and surrendered to the sensation, savoring every touch, caress and roll of his tongue. After all, I would soon be desperate for just a taste and unable to quench my desires. Paris was a world away from L.A.

Pressing my hands against his chest, I sighed heavily. His eyes wandered from my eyes, to my lips, then back again. “These lips are something a man could become truly addicted to, and these eyes are hypnotic. You’ve bewitched me, Layla Jennings. I am completely under your spell.”

I bit down on my lip and smiled back at him. “Bewitched
, huh? Well, I would certainly agree there is something magical about us, but I can’t take all the credit. That glass door played a crucial part.”

Chuckling, he held his fingers up to his nose and winced. “Love is painful. And speaking of pain, I have another very dull meeting today. Of course, we could always make it more interesting with a repeat of yesterday.”

I shook my head and pushed Jared away from me gently as I clambered off of the bed. Grabbing my robe, I headed for the bathroom.

“Is that a no?”
he yelled after me.

Standing in front of the mirror, I smiled at my reflection. Thoroughly fucked and with an afterglow that resembled radiation poisoning, I looked like a woman with a purpose. And with my day all planned out, I did have a mission. I had a date with Manhattan and all its finest stores.

Poking my head around the door with my toothbrush in one hand, I smiled at him.

“Rain check? I was thinking that with this trip back to L.A, I could head into town and do some shopping.”

Sitting bolt upright as though I had just fired a gun into the room, Jared gawked at me.

“Shopping? Really? You
want
to shop? Who are you and where is my Layla?”

I tilted my head to the side and stuck my tongue out at him.

“I just think it would be nice to have some new clothes to go home with. After all, the weather must be pretty good right now. Maybe I’ll get some new bikinis.”

His eyes widened and he was immediately on his feet and striding over to me. “Screw the meeting. I’m coming with you today. I think my expert services are of far more use to you, your hot body
, and those tiny bikinis you’re going to model for me, than they are at the office.”

I rolled my eyes. “You mean you’ll actually allow me to buy a bikini?”

He shook his head, brushed past me, and began looking through the bathroom cabinet for his razor. “I never said I’d let you buy one. But I’m certainly in favor of a fashion show. Privately, of course.” Winking at me in the mirror, he started his morning grooming ritual. Shave, run fingers through hair, and somehow come out of the bathroom looking like he’d been made over by a stylist. Jared was simply, naturally handsome and it required very little effort to keep him looking that way. That panty dropping, heart stopping, and breathtaking way.

O
n the other hand, I would spend at least an hour just taming my hair. But with a day out with Jared on the schedule, it was worth every minute!

* * * *

Collapsing onto the couch, I groaned loudly. Casting my eye out to the hallway, I watched as Jared directed people carrying my mountain of shopping bags left, right, and center. My small shopping trip had turned into an all-out, no expense spared spree at the hands of my sweet, but infuriating, boyfriend.

After expressing how much I adored the new Donna Karen line, Jared had insisted on dragging me into the store and having a personal shopper dress me from head to toe in several different outfits. I would be wearing DKNY for the next year based solely on the amount of clothes I now owned. From gym wear to evening dresses, I was completely
decked out. I’m sure the whole trip gave him more pleasure than me though, especially after we spent two hours and over a thousand dollars in Victoria’s Secret.

He insisted there were better stores
, but I liked my small comforts, and I’d been buying my panties from there since I was sixteen.

Waltzing over, he loosened his tie and flung i
t on the coffee table. “I’d say that was money well spent. Not only did I finally get the opportunity to lavish you with the things you deserve, but watching you parade around that dressing room in various sets of underwear was the highlight of my day.”

I rolled my eyes. “You realize we are probably banned from that store for life. Paying them a thousand dollars to close the store is one thing
, but screwing me in the very expensive looking dressing room is probably where they draw the line.”

He let out a loud chuckle. “There are many things I did to you in that store today
, but screwing wasn’t one of them. I never screw. With you, Miss Jennings, I love, caress, and worship your hot little body. After all, those tiny black lace things were practically begging me to tear them off.”

I couldn’t hide the smile that was slowly spreading across my face. Catching my eye, Jared grinned with satisfaction. “See, you’re just as kinky as I am. I’ve created a monster.”

Getting to my feet, I silently made my way to the kitchen; knowing full-well that he would be right on my heels. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sighed heavily as I leaned my back against the cool steel door. Raising an eyebrow at me from across the room, Jared smiled.

“Out with it
,” he demanded.

Taking a breath, I shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking how I have to say goodbye to you in two days. I know it’s not for long
, but spending the day with you today made me remember all the reasons I love you, and I hate the idea that I won’t see you for a week.”

He reached out his hand for mine
, and as I placed it gently in his palm, his fingers closed tightly around mine. “Stop, Layla. It’s not forever, and the more you think and pine over it, the worse it feels. I don’t like the prospect of being so far away from you, either, but I have to go, and you need some time with your family and your friends. Which brings me on to something that’s been bothering me all day.”

I held my breath. I knew this would come up. I mean, how could it not? I had hoped that we could have avoided a conversation about him
, but the way Jared was gazing at me, told me that I wasn’t running away from this. No matter how painful it would be. We were going to have the Ollie talk.

“I know what you’re going to say, Jared
, and we really don’t need to talk about it. He hates me, and I’m sure that I’m the last person on Earth he wants to see again. Please, let it go.” I made a move to walk away, but his grip on my hand tightened.

“I can categorically tell you that he doesn’t hate you. No one can hate you, Layla
, and the fact that he was completely in love with you so much that he begged you to go to Utah with him, doesn’t give me the impression of a guy who will forget that very quickly. I want you to promise me that you won’t see him. I can’t take the risk.”

I almost choked on a breath. “Risk? What risk? You can’t tell me who I can and cannot see, Jared. Have we both learned nothing about trust? We have been over this again and again. I chose you. I left everything and everyone to be here with you. When is it going to be enough? What do I have to do?”

Jared’s eyes burned, and his jaw tightened as we engaged in a standoff, each too stubborn to back down first.

“It’s not about trust. It’s about you still being in love with him.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he stopped me with a stern look and shake of his head. “Do not try and deny it, Layla. You love him more than you will admit to, and I’m not too blind to notice. You think I don’t see you smiling when certain songs play? Or how you get lost in thought when you’re reading your psych books? Or how about the way you ask your friends about him every time you make a damn call?”

Whipping my hand from his, I glared at him. “I care about how he is! Is there a crime in that? He was my friend first and I want to know that he’s okay. I broke his heart, Jared. Shouldn’t I show him some sort of fucking compassion? Even if it is a little too late.”

Throwing his head back, he gave a sarcastic laugh. “Compassion? That’s what you think it is that you’re feeling? Well, then answer me this, why do you say his name in your sleep?”

My mouth fell open as I stood in front of him completely lost for words. Surely he was making this up. He had to be. Right?

“I
…I …” I stammered and stuttered. I had no words. No explanation to offer. Running his fingers through his hair, Jared growled before sighing heavily.