No Letting Go: Man-Maid, Book 2 (5 page)

“He’s in the doghouse with Marquetta, and he aims to rectify this situation before he takes up permanent residence there.” Jason left off the part about the marriage proposal. That was Jason’s business to share. “What’s up with you two? Finished for the day?”

“Yep,” Seth said. Both men went straight to the large window and stared at AJ as she worked her fingers to the bone. Seth’s entire body was tense, and Ames looked as if he’d been struck dumb. Did they realize that every time their gazes landed on the petite AJ, they turned mute?

“What do you guys think of AJ being on the payroll?”

Seth nodded. “About time. She isn’t officially part of Man-Maid, but she helps out enough that she may as well be.”

Right now, she had both Seth and Ames running around in circles. Did the woman have any clue?

“She’s wearing those workout shorts again,” Seth grumbled as his concentration went back to AJ.

“I love those shorts,” Ames muttered right back.

Seth pushed away from the window and dropped into a chair. He ran a hand over his messy, sandy-blond hair, not that it mattered. It obviously hadn’t seen a comb in days. He wore worn-out jeans and the company’s black fitted T-shirt that read
We Polish It Until It Shines
in bold letters across the back with the Man-Maid logo on the front. “Yeah, and so does every other guy within touching distance of her.”

Ames kept his focus glued to AJ. Today he wore a pair of black slacks along with the company T-shirt. His collar-length black hair was combed and neat, probably in anticipation of seeing AJ.

Jason laughed. “Guys, if you both want her this badly, why don’t you just go get her?” He heard Seth and Ames both curse. Jason decided to push the matter a little harder. “You two have watched her for as long as you’ve known her. What’s it been, a year?” When the men nodded, Jason said, “Yet you both seem intent on being best buds with her. Why is that?”

Seth was the first to reply. “Hell if I know. Usually I’m pushy and stubborn. I go after what I want. But with AJ it’s…different.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “For the love of God, I’m getting sick of hearing you two pant after her. Ask her out already!”

Jason had been friends with AJ since high school. She barely reached five foot, but she was a firecracker. When Seth and Ames had come into her life, the three of them were rarely seen apart. Jason didn’t think AJ had even dated since she’d met the two dorks. “Has it ever occurred to you that she might be into you? That she might be waiting for you to ask her out?”

Ames turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, but which one of us does she like?”

“Hell, maybe both.” He shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” Seth started to speak, but Jason spoke over him. “Or she just might get tired of waiting and move on to greener pastures.”

“Christ, it’s not that I don’t want to walk up to her right now and kiss the daylights out of her,” Ames said, and Seth nodded his agreement. “But what happens after? We’re friends, and I don’t want to ruin that with sex.”

“I’d be great sex, though,” Seth said under his breath.

Ames shoved a hand through his hair. “Damn straight.”

Jason moved to the window next to Seth and Ames and looked out. Jason whistled low. AJ was now bent over and used a vacuum on the front driver-side seat. Evidently, she’d decided to take advantage of the warm, clear weather. She wore a pair of old, frayed, jean shorts that had stains on the back pockets, and a red tank top. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun. “You know, she is awfully cute, isn’t she?”

Seth and Ames swung icy gazes toward him. “She’s off-limits, Kershaw,” Seth ground out.

Jason allowed a small smile to slip, but when he noticed a few other men from neighboring businesses watching AJ with avid male interest, he said, “You might want to tell those other guys that, then.”

Seth and Ames glanced in the direction Jason had pointed. “Ah hell,” Ames muttered.

Jason pushed away from the window, slapped Seth and Ames on the back, and proceeded to goad them into action. “The clock is ticking, fellas.”

He looked at the time on his phone and realized he had an hour to shower and get to Emma’s for their date. “Speaking of that, I’ve got a date. Lock up, boys,” he said as he grabbed his keys off the desk and sprinted toward the door. That easily, he forgot about the three musketeers. Tonight was about Emma. If he played his cards right, it would be the first of many nights.

The restaurant he took her to was a small, quiet Italian place across town. She’d heard good things about their food. It was a classy place. But she almost wished they were somewhere alone rather than a crowded restaurant. Just as the thought flitted through her mind, his brow arched up in inquiry, as if he could read her so easily. As if he knew what she was thinking. Heat crept into her face, and Emma glanced away.

“You look amazing,” Jason said as he finished off the last of his cannelloni. His gaze traveled over her face. “And I’m not the only one in this place who thinks so either.”

Emma put her fork down and pushed her plate away. “Thank you.” A little thrill of excitement raced up her spine at Jason’s words. The dress had been more than her budget allowed, but worth it, judging by the heat in Jason’s dark eyes. It was a little black number with a hem that stopped just above her knees. Tonight she was seriously glad of all the hours of exercise. She felt pretty. Like maybe she wasn’t the lumpy, dull woman she often imagined herself to be.

When Emma’s gaze landed on Jason again, she had to force back a moan. He wore a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and the view of his sculpted arms turned her body to liquid fire. He’d combed his messy dark hair, and he’d even shaved away the five-o’clock shadow. God, he was so handsome. Jason leaned in close. His hot breath caressed her ear, and she wanted to purr like an eager kitten. “Care to dance?”

Emma looked over at the small dance floor, noticing a few couples swaying to a slow, romantic tune. She took a deep breath and gave Jason her hand. He stood, bringing her along with him. Jason had effectively stopped her heart with his intensely sexual glances. Asking her for a dance was the final straw. She had no idea what she was going to do about the attraction between them, but it was potent. She shut her mind off and let him lead the way.

Together, they walked out to the dance floor. Jason turned her in his arms and pulled her close. Instantly aroused, Emma felt his tight embrace all around her, inside her. She glanced over his shoulder and realized no one else was dancing quite so intimately. “Uh, you really shouldn’t hold me so close.”

“You don’t like it?”

“Well, yes, but—”

He continued to hold her against him. “That’s what I thought. You want distance between us because it’s the proper thing to do. But I’m not interested in proper. Not when I have you in my arms.”

Her heart sped up. He was so close she could smell his masculine scent. God, he was delicious. “Jason,” she breathed out.

Jason licked her earlobe, then gently bit the sensitive flesh. “Baby, I’m seriously loving your sweet body pressed to mine right now.”

He kissed his way down her neck and sucked at her pulse. Surrounded by his large, powerful body, Emma forgot all about dinner. Everything vanished as Jason’s mouth made an erotic journey over her skin. When he pulled back an inch, she whimpered.

“I want you,” he murmured. “Tell me it’s mutual.”

Did she dare? She was sinking deeper into Jason’s net until she wasn’t sure which end was up. But as he began smoothing a palm over her back, she knew she was powerless against him. In the end, there was never any other choice.

“Yes, it’s mutual,” Emma blurted out.

“I want to get you alone,” he told her with blunt honesty.

She nodded. “Yes,” she replied around the lump in her throat. “I’d like that too.”

Looking at Jason, she saw an answering heat there. If she were honest, Jason scared her a little. The way he affected her. He so easily turned her body to fire, and all he had to do was smile. That kind of power scared her. No, damn it. She was a confident woman now. Not the shy, overweight girl she’d been in school. She was in control of her own emotions. She could do this.

In less than half an hour, Emma and Jason were back at her shop. As she unlocked the door, a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned to see a man in a hoodie standing across the street. The way he stared at her, as if filled with hatred, gave Emma the willies.

Jason followed her line of vision and asked, “Do you know that guy?”

“No, but it’s a little creepy the way he’s just standing there watching us.”

Jason frowned. “Yeah, it is.” He nudged her inside, then shut and locked the door behind him. He went to the back and a moment later came back and said, “Just making sure we’re all locked up tight.”

“Thanks,” she replied, more glad than ever that she wasn’t alone tonight.

He smoothed his palm over her back as he stared out the front window. “Have you considered moving your shop to a safer neighborhood?”

She bit her lip and watched the man across the street. She shivered. “I wish I could, but this is all I can afford.”

He pulled her close and squeezed her tight. “Maybe you should think about getting a dog. One trained in protection.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” she said as the notion began to sink in. “I love animals, and it’d be nice to have the company when I’m here alone.”

“I can help you find one,” he offered. “There are lots of dogs at shelters in need of a loving home.” Jason pulled out of her arms.

Emma’s heart filled at the idea. “I love it.”

He nodded. “Good. We’ll get busy on that project later, though.” When his gaze landed on her again, his lips tilted sideways. “Now, where were we?”

Emma pushed the eerie feeling away and concentrated on the gorgeous man in front of her instead. She lifted her arms around his neck and stepped closer. “Is this about right?”

He dipped at his knees and wrapped his arms around her, then lifted her into his arms. “No, but this is,” he replied as he’d carried her up the stairs to her apartment. This time he didn’t put her on the bed. Instead, he sat with her perched on his lap.

She cringed at the thought of all her bulk on top of him. “I’m too heavy.”

He frowned. “Don’t put yourself down. I don’t like it.”

Her face heated. “I wasn’t.” His black look called her a liar. “I’m only speaking the truth. I’m not exactly the ideal body weight.” Then she thought of his lack of enthusiasm toward her when they were in high school together, and all her bravado vanished.

He was silent a moment, and Emma began to feel awkward perched atop him. Finally he said, “You seriously thought I didn’t want you because you were overweight?”

She felt unaccountably weepy. Talking about her high school days always did that to her. Being a teenager was for the birds. “You never paid much attention to me.” She quirked a brow at him. “Unless you needed help on a test.”

“Ah, I’m starting to get the picture now.”

She gritted her teeth. “God, men are so dense.”

He cupped her chin. “I did want you then. You were always a temptation to me. Why is that so hard to believe?”

She squinted at him. “You never said anything. You never even flirted.”

He cupped her chin in his palm and murmured, “That’s because I would’ve done very naughty things to you. I don’t think you were ready for that. Do you?”

She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll never know now.”

“How about we make up for lost time, then?”

Emma could refuse. She could send him home right now, and he’d go without a fight. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her heart open. “I want you more now than I ever have. You’re in my mind all day. I couldn’t sleep last night because I kept thinking about that kiss.”

His smile was possessive and proud. “Good. We’re on the same page, then, because I went to sleep thinking of you too. And wanting to do this again.”

His talented mouth pressed against hers, and Emma forgot about everything else. There was only Jason and Emma. All the worries and fears fell away. She opened her mouth and danced her tongue over his lips. With a rumble of approval, Jason opened up and took her in. Their tongues mated, and Emma clutched Jason’s biceps, excited and scared. Her body was on fire. She wanted him. Inside of her. Around her. Drinking her in, filling her up. He was a craving in her blood, one she could no more deny than she could her next breath.

Emma trailed her fingers over his muscular arms, and she drew in a breath when they came around her waist and pulled her in tight. A moan escaped her. He was so strong, so virile. She was safe and secure with Jason. Once upon a time, after Damian’s departure from her life, the thought of giving her trust to another man would’ve made her run the opposite direction. Wrapped in Jason’s strong embrace, she only felt cherished.

Jason lifted his head and saw the hunger in Emma’s sweet gaze. Christ, he ached for the taste of her on his tongue. Wanted to love her in every way possible. Watch as her orgasm took her into another world.

He stood and brought her over to the full-length mirror on the wall next to her dresser. He aligned the entire length of his body against her back. He could feel her trembling, and she closed her eyes. “No, look at yourself, baby. Open those pretty eyes and see what I see.”

Her eyelashes fluttered open, and her gaze locked on his in the mirror. “You are stunning, Emma. Every inch of you.”

“That can’t be me,” she replied, a note of nervousness in her voice. “I’m not stunning.”

Jason smiled. “You’re so unaware of your own appeal. How could you not know how sweet and sexy you are?”

“It’s just that I’ve never…been the type of woman to inspire words like stunning and sexy. I don’t know how to feel about that.”

As her ass cradled his cock through their clothes, Jason groaned. “I want this first time between us to be so damn slow and gentle that you can see just how beautiful you are to me.”

“Don’t most men want hard and fast?”

“I want both,” he admitted. “I want everything with you, baby.”