More Than Physical (The Physical Series Book Book 2) (12 page)

She moved past him in the entryway, his body angling to the side so she could step through with room. As she did, she caught a whiff of his crisp, earthy scent and felt the warm touch of his hand on the small of her back. She shivered as the combination of his touch and smell flooded her with riotous senses.

Moving into the spacious foyer, Sasha was greeted with a stunning view of his home. The hallway in front of them led to a generous kitchen opening up to an inviting family room with an incredible oversized stone fireplace, a large ornate rug on the floor in front of it. A bright and sunny library was to the left of the kitchen area, where hundreds upon hundreds of books lined the shelves. She smiled at the thought of Jax sitting in his leather chair next to the fireplace, reading a classic such as War and Peace, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose, as he absently pushed them back up.

They entered the kitchen, the granite countertops tidy and clean, as he turned toward the back counter which was set up as a bar.

“What are you thirsty for, Sash?”

God, the sound of her abbreviated name rolling off his tongue was hypnotic. He didn’t often use it, so the change was a bit disconcerting.

“Oh…hmm. How about a vodka tonic?”

Jackson nodded and turned his back to her, allowing her an uninterrupted moment to stare at his butt. Damn, that man could model for jeans. Perfectly sculpted and round, his ass was made to drive women crazy. And it definitely did it for her. The thought of his naked ass in her hands had her biting her lip and pressing her thighs together tightly.

Turning her attention elsewhere, lest she get a little too overheated, she noticed he had some music playing in the background. She knew music was something of a hobby for Jax, but wasn’t certain in what sense. This particular song was slow and melodic, somewhat haunting.

“Who are we listening to?” she asked, heading to a brown leather sofa that sat in front of the fireplace. An image of Jax laid out on the rug, the fire burning low behind him, the light dancing off his naked body, suddenly flashed through her thoughts.

“I have it on a shuffle play right now. This is a musician called City and Colour. I think this song is called
You and Me
. It’s an older song, a duet with Pink. I have a very eclectic musical taste.”

She took a deep intake of breath
,
the lyrics penetrating her thoughts, as if they were written specifically for her.
“You can be flawed but perfect for a person. Someone who will be there for you when you fall apart
.” How peculiar it felt to have those words sung, like a page from her own personal diary.

“Hmm. I like it. It’s beautiful.”

She was startled when his voice came from behind her, making her jump in surprise at his close proximity.

“I like beautiful.”

Jackson handed her the drink, clinking his beer glass with her martini glass.

“Cheers. Here’s to all things beautiful.” He winked and motioned for her to sit down.

Suddenly the red floral shift dress that she chose to wear seemed a bit indecent, as she sat back on the soft-cushioned leather couch and looked down to see the short shirt riding high up her thighs. Sasha had always dressed with a daring and bold flare. It was her trademark. She liked expensive, flirtatious and stylish clothes that showed off her assets. And she always used it to her advantage when it came to the opposite sex.

In this case, it definitely had an effect on Jackson. She glanced over to where he sat at the end of the couch and noticed his eyes hovering over the exposed skin of her legs. The heat alone pooling in his eyes had her shifting further back against the cushions.

No one would ever suggest that Sasha was shy, not since she was delivered, kicking and screaming, the day of her birth. Nor could anyone ever deem her to be conservative, in any way, shape or form. What she had, she flaunted.

Sasha was a shameless flirt and took outrageously calculated steps to get what she wanted, even going so far as once corning the young, twenty-something Rabi Levi in synagogue one Sabbath when she was thirteen. Yes, it was highly inappropriate and definitely against the Ten Commandments, but that didn’t stop her then. She wasn’t ashamed for her behavior and it didn’t faze her one bit.

Granted, her behavior that day was greeted with embarrassing censor and consequences, but she had gotten the reaction she wanted out of the young Rabi that day. And reactions to her boldness were what motivated her – got her blood flowing.  

Yet, Jackson’s wolfish-stare, which was currently caressing her body, as if he were actually physically touching her, evoked a bright blush to ribbon across her cheeks. His sensual perusal of her and his penetrating stare, made her feel like a shy, little virgin. The lamb to his wolf. The prey to the predator. 

Sasha swallowed the lump in her throat, adjusting her position by crossing her legs.

“I can see what you’re thinking, Jax. But I’m not going to fuck you again.”

She issued the warning, mostly to remind herself that their affair could go no further. She couldn’t get involved with a man like Jackson. She had to nip this thing in the bud right now, before it got too out of hand.

His lips quirked up into a self-assured smile. One that said he knew her better than she knew herself. He was calling her bluff.

“Oh really? I think I’ve heard that from you before. And yet here you are. And unfortunately for you, or perhaps fortunately, you can’t resist my charms.”

The gall of him
.

“Arrogant much? And I think you have things a little backwards, my dear man,” she said, leaning forward and pinning him with her stare. “I think it’s
you
who can’t resist
me
. I’m just that good. You’re addicted to me already. You want more of me, and knowing you can’t have me is a turn on. Admit it.”

She jabbed her finger into his chest to prove her point but was suddenly jerked forward when he grabbed her finger. Jackson wrapped his long, sleek fingers around it and brought it to his mouth, his lips parting as he slid it in. He took a long pull, sucking it hard - reminiscent of the attention he lavished between her legs not so long before. Just the thought of his mouth on her had her aching and wet.  

Why was this man so hard to resist? Why was the act of him sucking on her finger such a turn-on?

Normally she was the one making the advances, doling out the foreplay with men, getting them amped up with her sexual come-ons. Yet here was this incredibly sensual man who seemed to know exactly what to do to throw her off her game. Jackson pushed the boundaries and knew how to take back control, gaining the upper hand without blinking an eye.

Sasha closed her eyes briefly to regain her composure, pulling her hand free from his grasp, her finger still wet and warm from his mouth. She moved back an inch to incorporate some much needed distance. It was too easy to lose herself when she was this close to Jax. The chemistry and pheromones too strong to battle.

Sasha didn’t even like the man – at least she hadn’t
wanted
to like him. She wanted to go back to their incessant arguing, their bickering and verbal jabs at one another keeping the flood of desire at bay. That was much easier than giving into his sexual prowess once again.

“I don’t mind admitting it to you at all, Sasha,” Jackson conceded, scooting closer to her on the sofa, eliminating the space she’d valiantly tried to establish. “There is something I find absolutely irresistible about you. It’d be easy for me to say it’s just your beauty, or your sassy attitude. But that’s not all there is to you, is there?”

His muscular thigh brushed against her leg, the effect a rippling heat that penetrated through her skin down to her marrow. Had she ever felt anything this intense with any other man?

“You try to hide yourself, Sasha. I can see it when you don’t think anyone’s looking. Underneath that snarky façade of yours. Behind the flirty, Devil-may-care persona, you have a deep soul. And although you try to project something different, I know it’s there. And one way or another, I’m going to find out the real you.”

Jackson’s hand reached out to stroke the underside of her jaw, but she turned her face away, avoiding his gaze and his comments.

A sharp pain in her chest discharged, the crack unearthing a slew of long-hidden emotions that she wasn’t willing to acknowledge.

Not if she could help it.

Because her heart, and her secret, were never going to be shared again.

The following week went by in a blur, with a trip to Baltimore and D.C. added to Jackson’s already too busy work schedule. He’d barely had time to come up for air, working fifteen hours a day on some upcoming projects for Camden Ventures. Yet, somehow every time he had a free moment, his thoughts would drift back to Sasha and her visit the previous week.

Jackson hadn’t seen or spoken to her since she left his house that night, but they’d corresponded through a few email exchanges and texts. Mostly about the final plans for the upcoming party, with a few flirty, dirty texts thrown in the mix that had an immediate effect on his dick the minute he read them.

Like the one from earlier that day, as he was on the train to D.C. for a meeting with one of the senators on a green building initiative that he and Mitch were helping to fund.

Sasha: Knock. Knock.

Jax: Okay. I’ll play. Who’s there?

Sasha: Misses me.

Jax: Misses me, who?

Sasha: Your cock misses me.

Jax: Ha! That’s no fucking joke. He definitely misses you. And your mouth. Your sweet pussy.

Sasha: I thought so. Gotta run. :-)

Jackson laughed over her attempt at the joke, knowing that the true reason for the text was to get him riled up. Which was exactly what it had done. He was twenty minutes from walking into a meeting with a state senator and a committee of politicians, a very important conversation about the future funding of their project, and he had a hard-on pressed against the zipper of his trousers. Perfect. Just what he needed.

It was unbelievable how quickly Sasha could get him hard, even from hundreds of miles away. Jackson shook his head in consternation, as he picked up his satchel and disembarked the train, searching the parking lot for the car that was to be waiting for him.

Sasha was a paradox of greatest proportions. A complete and utter complexity to him – beyond all logical reasoning. And he liked dealing with the logical. He needed things to make sense. Yet Sasha was anything but…she confused the hell out of him and drove him bat-shit crazy with her hot and cold temperament.

One moment they’re going at each other like horny teenagers, insatiable and unstoppable – fucking like bunnies. And the very next instant, she’s pushing him away. Telling him she doesn’t want to sleep with him again – that she wanted to move forward as friends, like none of it had ever happened. WTF?

Every man at some point enjoys a little chase now and again. Men like a good challenge – especially if there’s a nice reward as a result. And a challenge that stimulates both his mental and physical states? Well, that’s even better.

But Sasha Lee was so much more than a flirtatious conquest. She knew how to play the game to keep him wanting more. And while he wasn’t into playing head games, something instinctively gnawed at him that this really wasn’t a game to her. The tactics she employed, albeit frustrating, kept him, and men before him, at bay. Sasha kept an appropriate distance in a manner that had him running circles around her, trying his patience at every turn.

She could be exasperating and unapologetic in her demanding, and oft dogmatic, approach to the world. That obviously made her a shrewd physician and business owner. But try and get close to the real woman? That took dare devil strength. And a dogged pursuit.

Sasha had an exterior like the prickly Opuntia cactus – baring the most beautiful blooms, but brush up against it in the wrong way and you’d be sorry. As in, pain in the ass.

That wasn’t to say Jackson didn’t enjoying sparring with the prickly woman, as demonstrated in the argument they managed to get into the night she was over to discuss the party. One minute they were sitting side-by-side on his couch, bodies touching, the heat emanating between them like a match to tinder, as things quickly spun off the rails.

She’d just informed him that she wasn’t about to sleep with him again, but he begged to differ. The next minute, an explosion of chemistry and pheromones ignited, as Jackson flipped Sasha on her back beneath him, both of them tearing at each other’s clothing in search of what they sought.

But true to her word, they didn’t end up sleeping together. Somehow during their heated make-out session, Sasha came to her senses, even though she was one lace panty away from being naked underneath him and ended their fun (much to his cock’s dismay).

Righting themselves and separating their bodies from temptation, they moved their discussion into the kitchen where they continued to talk over the next hour. Although it put a damper on his libido, Jackson found that the verbal exchange and easy conversation they fell into was just as riveting. It may have not ended in an orgasm, but it was satisfying all-the-same.

Jackson was greeted by the driver outside the train station, as he followed the man to the awaiting car. He made a serious effort to will away the image of Sasha’s gloriously naked body out of his head as he settled himself in the back seat of the Lincoln town car. It was easier said than done.

Jackson hadn’t seen Sasha in nearly a week and it was like his body was jonesing for another fix. Their hook-ups had been sporadic, and few-and-far-between, but he’d quickly developed an undeniable need to see more of her. To be with her exclusively. Fucking hell, he wanted to ask her out on a date.

Would she even consider going out with him? They’d had no discussions about their dating lives or anything much to do with their personal lives, outside their occasional outings with Mitch and Rylie. Aside from being her escort and date to the banquet a few weeks back, Jackson didn’t think that could be counted as a date. Yes, he picked her up and they got physical that night, but somehow it lacked the one-on-one feel that a date should have. It wasn’t just about a man and woman that night. And that’s what he wanted with Sasha.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Jackson dug out his phone from his pocket and dialed her number.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice sultry and smooth. “Hey, Rowdy. You calling to hear another one of my great knock-knock jokes?” She let out a soft snort that had him chuckling at her greeting.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I enjoy your jokes so much, I think we need to go out so you can tell me every single joke in what, I presume to be, a long list of insipidly stupid jokes in your joke repertoire.”

She let out a dramatic gasp, followed with a theatrical huff. “How dare you call my jokes insipid. I’ll have you know that I performed stand-up when I was in college and received a lot of laughs, thank you very much.”

He knew Sasha well enough by now not to let this insight about her past surprise him, but it did. Stand-up? She wanted to be a comedian?

“Are you telling me you thought you were funny enough to make a living from it?”

“Well…no,” she said reluctantly, a pregnant pause filling the line. “I was technically only on stage once, on a dare…and I was pretty drunk…but I did get some laughs! I was damn proud of myself.”

Jackson considered the nugget of detail she’d just shared about herself. Here was a woman that had accomplished what many women could only dream about – becoming a doctor, opening her own practice. And yet, she was seemingly proud of a drunken dare when she was in school. Sasha was such an enigma.

“I wish I could have seen that. Is there a small chance there’s a YouTube video of your performance? I need a good laugh after the week I’ve had.”

“Not likely. Plus, I wouldn’t want to give you any more ammo then you already have on me.” She paused briefly and he could hear a door closing in the background. He pictured her behind her desk, in her white doctor’s coat. Naked underneath. Spreading her legs, her hand sneaking down, fingers gliding through her…

“You’re having a bad week, huh? Poor baby. You calling me up to get some phone sex? I’m open to it, you know…just not in the office.”

A wild laugh erupted from his chest, causing the driver to swivel his head back to see what the ruckus was about. Jackson gave him an apologetic shrug, his attention immediately returning to Sasha.

“Nah…while that does sound enticing, there’s no need to test your ethical boundaries by getting kinky in front of your clients. I’m actually calling because I’m interested in the real thing. In being with you in person. I’ve been thinking about you all week. I’ll be back in town tomorrow and I want you, Sasha. Tomorrow night. After you go to dinner with me.”

It was obviously the last thing Sasha had expected to hear from him, leaving a gaping hole of silence as he waited for her to respond. Ten seconds…fifteen…the dead air was killing him.

His ego was taking a nose dive with every second of silence, so he went with casual. And cocky.

“Well? What do you say? How about dinner at eight at Madroni’s? Come on, Sash…I know how much you want to see my cock again. You don’t fool me.”

That garnered him a laugh, which was music to his ears.

“You’re making a lot of assumptions about my interests and my social calendar, don’t you think? I might already have plans for tomorrow night…maybe I’m already going out on a date with someone else.”

The idea hit him like a two-by-four, smack in his chest. Shit. Maybe she was seeing someone else. The thought made him want to murder the guy.

“Are you?”

He felt like a fucking idiot at the moment. Why hadn’t he even considered the possibility that she might be dating another man? What he’d known about Sasha’s love life was that she was always on the prowl and seemed to have an insatiable appetite for men. A revolving door, if you will, with a never ending supply of willing and eager suitors.

It made him angry that he was now potentially just another name on that ever-expanding lineup. Something inside him wanted that to change. He wanted to be the only one.
Her
only one.

His voice was quieter now. Less abrasive, allowing his knee-jerk reaction to die down. “Have you been seeing someone else since we’ve been hooking up?”

More silence descended, making him antsy.

“No.”

The relief was instantaneous. Jackson hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath as he waited her response. But when her one syllable reply hit his ear, he nearly coughed out his relief.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. So I’ll pick you up at your place at eight tomorrow.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll see you then.”

His driver was now waiting outside the door, the car parked at the curb in front of the Senate building. He knew he had to let her go so he could get to his meeting, but a feeling of longing took over, an anticipation in seeing where this thing between them was going. He wanted to leave her with as much wanton longing as he felt at the moment.

“One last thing, Sash…” He could hear her breath coming out in small, short pants across the line. Jackson liked that she was anticipating his words. His voice. His interest in being with her.

“Yeah?”

“I
will
be fucking you tomorrow night. And maybe even tying you up.”

Jackson smiled to himself when he heard the sharp gasp on the line before he ended the call.

There. That should rev her engines in the meantime.

And she sure as shit would be changing the impression she had of him sooner, rather than later. Very soon, Sasha was going to find out that Jackson was
anything
but boring in the bedroom.