She Does Know Jack (16 page)

The concern in
his eyes turned to blatant amusement.

“Found him,”
Matthew stated with a smirk. “You’re sitting on my brother.”

Brielle’s gaze
snapped to the intruder pinned beneath her bare legs. Blue eyes, black hair,
cocky grin.

“Jack?”

B
ody throbbing with stark awareness, Jack
stared at the sexy, wet vixen straddling his groin. That part throbbed most of
all. He swallowed, trying to regain control. It wasn’t easy. The woman was
nearly naked, and panting, and so damn hot.

“What were you
doing, Brielle? Practicing a new dance routine?” He hoped he sounded amused,
especially with a dozen pair of eyes and seven hundred cameras on him.

The woman
blinked, her mouth still opened in shock. He knew how she felt. Never had he
expected to find himself in this position. Well, okay, in his dreams, but not
in real life, and certainly not on national television.

It was his own
damn fault. His concern should’ve been for his brother, but it hadn’t been.
Thoughts of the beautiful, helpless Brielle brought him outside as soon as the
power had gone out. Helpless his ass. She’d taken him down like a professional.
Apparently her martial arts claim was real.

“Yes, I call it
‘Intruder Takedown.’” She slapped his chest. “Jack? What the hell were you
doing? Trying to scare me to death?” She hit him again, realization of the past
few minutes dawning in her eyes.

“No. I knew you
were alone out here, so I came to make sure you were safe.” He grabbed her
swinging hands and gazed into her flushed face. His groin tightened. If she
didn’t get off of him, he was going to burst.

He’d thought
this afternoon had been trying on his libido when she kept running her hands
over her well-rounded bottom. His jeans had tightened to the point of
exploding. But, that was nothing compared to having her wet, almost bare bottom
on top of him now.

Ranger training
had prepared him to handle any situation as soon as it arose. The instructors
obviously left out one course—how to deal with sexy bundle of mayhem Brielle
Bennett.

He swallowed a
groan. “Brielle, you can get off now.”

A wicked look
crossed her face, but disappeared so fast he might’ve imagined it. He hadn’t.
Hell no. His erection dutifully throbbed in response, pushing him ever closer
to blast off.

“Sorry, Jack.”
She hesitated, glancing down at him, her gaze stuck somewhere between heated
and amused. “But I can’t.”

“What?” He
dropped her hands and frowned. What kind of game was she playing?

“I can’t. I’m
sorry, but my limbs aren’t responding, thanks to that damn horse.” She clenched
her teeth. “Remind me to stick to the wooden ones that go round and round with
a pole shoved up—” She cleared her throat. “—through them.”

He would’ve
laughed, but her shifting caused something to rise, and it wasn’t her. His jaw
cracked. Shit! T minus ten and counting…

“Here, let me
help you, Brielle.”

Matthew came to
her side and Jack’s aid. Thank God. Now he wouldn’t have to kill his brother.

“I’m afraid it’s
going to take more than one of you.” Tears streamed down her face as she
laughed.

Her chuckles
vibrated through him, fueling his urge to flip them around, rip off their
clothes and thrust deep inside her wet, quivering body.
Jesus
. He always
considered himself strong, but not this strong.

“I may be stuck
here all night.”

“Oh, hell no,”
Jack muttered. He’d be dead by midnight. “Come on, someone grab her other arm.”

She stared down
at him, face flushed, mouth opened, eyes gleaming. Jack blinked. It was as if
his fantasy had suddenly turned real. Ever since she’d stepped foot on this
damn set, he’d thought of nothing else but having his own
alone-time
with the dancer. That hot kiss hadn’t helped. Or the way she handled a gun.
Christ. He should be concerned; instead, her marksmanship was the biggest damn
turn on. And now her wet, squirming body straddling his groin was pushing him
well beyond his limits.

T minus five…

“I’ll help.” One
of the crew rushed to her other side. Jack immediately made a mental note to
put that man in his will.

“Okay, on
three,” Matthew said. “One, two, three!” They lifted temptation straight up and
off him.

She was gone.

Jack closed his
eyes, drew in a deep breath, then exhaled. The torture had stopped and
throbbing slowly ceased. Telling his body it was glad, he opened his eyes and
promptly burst out laughing. Matthew and the other man held Brielle by the arms,
but her legs were still stuck in a sitting position. His chuckles increased.

“Laugh it up,
G.I. Jack.” She glared. “At least I wasn’t taken down by a girl.”

“Oh, good one,
Brielle.” Matthew grinned. “Your turn, Jack.”

Rising to his
feet, he shook his head. “No. I think the poor girl's been through enough.” He
glanced at her bent legs, then back to his brother. “Do you want me to have
Rodriguez get the riding mower? Brielle looks like she’s ready to tackle that
front lawn.”

“Jack Anderson,
so help me!” Amusement and annoyance danced in her gaze. “Just wait ‘til I get
my legs straightened, then I’m going to kick your ass—again.”

“Don’t flatter
yourself, sweetheart. You just got lucky. Once I realized it was you, I let you
pin me.”

“You
let
me?” Her voice rose as her legs began to straighten. “That’s bull. You’re just
trying to save your macho image.”

“Think what you
want, Calamity, but—”

“Calamity?” She
cut him off, exasperation rounding her beautiful brown eyes.

His pulse hit
high gear. The woman was breathtaking, and she was certainly taking his breath.

“Yeah. Think
what you want, but I know the truth.” He smiled, noting how the guys backed
away as her feet touched the ground. She was standing on her own without
realizing it.

Hands on her
hips, she stepped toward him, eyes alive with fire. “And what truth might that
be,
Uncle Sam
?”

God, she was so
damn beautiful it hurt.

Jack forced
himself to keep up the conversation, instead of dragging her close and tasting
her heat. “That not even on my worst day could you take me down.”

Chest rising and
falling, she stopped in front of him and glared. Desire rushed through his
veins and retightened his groin. There was nothing helpless about this woman.
Again, he should be concerned, but instead, he was fucking turned on. And if he
wasn’t careful, he’d be right back at
T minus five
.

“You wanna bet?”
Her voice dropped to a sexy, low timbre and restarted the countdown.

Matthew stepped
between them. “Okay, you two. Play time is over.”

Bill snapped his
fingers. “What a great idea!”

Brielle twisted
to face the producer and sent him a suspicious look. “What are you doing here? I
thought you’d left.”

“I did. I came
back when I’d heard the lights went out. The whole block was down, but I’m
happy to report, I called the power company and things are back to normal. But
anyway, boy, am I glad I came back.” He laughed, writing furiously on his
clipboard. “I’m going to schedule a self-defense training session Matthew and
Jack can show the girls.”

“Absolutely
not!” Jack crossed his arms and stared at the producer. Christ. The man’s ink
pen had more brains
.
“Look, Bill, under the circumstances, teaching
these women anything they can use against Matthew is a bad idea.”

“I’d have to
agree,” Brielle said. “As much as I firmly believe all women should know how to
take care of themselves, considering the threats on this show, I agree with
Jack. It’s a bad idea.”

His eyes
narrowed. He didn’t need her help on this issue and would’ve told her, but she
swung her gaze to his and chewed her lower lip. Damn. He’d just gotten his body
back under control. He opened his mouth to reprimand, but nothing came out.

“Something
wrong?” Intelligence worked behind her sexy stare. “Surely it’s okay for a
woman to have an opinion, especially if it coincides with yours?”

Why did his body
perceive everything this woman did as sexy? She was his parents’ choice as a
“mate” for his brother, for Pete’s sake.
Get a grip!

“I don’t think
Jack minds that you have an opinion, Brielle.” Matthew’s gaze ran the length of
her body, lingering on her legs before he smiled into her face.

Blood rush
through Jack’s ears as some foreign emotion irritated his nerves to the point
his fists clenched. “Opinions are good. I’m just surprised you sided with me
instead of wanting to show off your other talents.”

Fire replaced
her amusement as she glared at him. “And what talents might those be,
Ranger
Dick
?”

Try as he might,
Jack couldn’t stop his foot from entering his mouth. “Oh, my instincts tell me
you’re a very talented woman, Brielle. Just know that I’m watching you. Don’t
even think of trying anything on my brother.”

“Jack, Jack,
Jack.” She shot him a smug look, then grimaced with each step she made toward
Matthew. “I can promise you, with utter certainty, that I do
not
want to
harm this man.” Her arm slipped around Matthew’s waist, and his grinning
brother draped an arm around the beauty’s shoulder before pulling her close.

Jealousy stabbed
in several places, stiffening Jack’s spine. She was off limits, and his body
was just going to have to deal with it. Christ. It’s not like they had a past
or anything.

Matthew squeezed
her closer. “I believe you, Brielle.”

Jack wanted to
believe her, too. He really did. The thought that he could be attracted to a
liar—someone who wished to harm his brother—turned his stomach. But his past
dictated caution. Thanks to Caroline, he’d learned the hard way not to trust
anybody.

Nothing was ever
as it seemed.

“Okay, no
self-defense lessons,” Bill said, clipboard down by his side. “That’s all
right. We have a full agenda anyway. I’ve no idea where we would’ve fit that
in.”

 “Great, now
that that’s settled, and the drama is over...” Matthew glanced down at the
woman still clinging to him. “How about I walk you out?”

“Thanks.”

The warm
expression she granted his brother punched Jack’s insides. He swallowed and
tried not to listen. He failed. Every movement, every flicker, every nuance
that woman made increased his blood pressure.

She turned her
gaze on him. “Good night, Jack. Sorry about the tackle.” Her smile, plus his
brother’s laughter, did nothing to dispel Jack’s darkening mood.

And it had
nothing to do with the fact those two would soon share a goodnight kiss, he
told himself as he headed straight for the wet bar in the study. Nope. It had
nothing to do with the fact his brother's lips would be tasting Brielle’s
sweetness. A sweetness he could still recall with undeniable clarity. He poured
a stiff drink.

Ariel’s kiss was
the only other that left its mark on his memory. She’d tasted fruity, tropical,
where Brielle had tasted like lime cooler. But both had the same heat and
intensity. He rubbed his jaw, and not for the first time, wondered if they
could be the same woman. They were both dancers, hot, and wrecked havoc on his
libido. But, just as quickly, he dismissed it.

Ariel was
friendly and French. She had long, wavy red hair that had brushed her sweet
ass, and vivid blue eyes that drew him in. Although Brielle did have a sweet
ass, her silky, brown hair fell to the middle of her shoulder blades, and her
eyes were brown like the straight Kentucky bourbon in his hand. He smiled at
the bottle. They produced the same kick, too.

Brielle was
curvier. God, she had great curves. So did Ariel, although he wished he’d had
longer to enjoy them. Hell, he’d barley pulled out of her warmth when someone
had knocked at the dressing room door. He’d had just enough time to dispose of
the condom in the trash, and zip up before the redhead had thrust him out the
back door.

His smile
widened. That whole assignment had been crazy, right down to the sex. But the
dancer remained sweet. He closed his eyes and imagined the two women side-by
side. Hot and hot. Sweet and…spunky. Ariel was thinner, probably because she
was taller, at least he thought so. She’d always had on high heels, even when
they’d…

He opened his
eyes and let out a breath.
What the hell am I doing?
Christ, Brielle was
getting way too far under his skin.

Holding up the
glass, he stared at the dark liquid. Would Matthew send her home at the next
eliminations in three days?
I couldn’t be that lucky.
No. He had to take
care of this himself. Jack tossed back the drink. And he had to squelch his
growing attraction for the dancer.

Ariel aside,
it’d been a long time since he’d felt this way for a woman. In fact, he’d only
felt like this twice before—and both times had proven to be a mistake. He
wasn’t about to go for round three.

The first time
he’d succumbed to a relationship had been just before shipping off to the Gulf,
eleven years ago. He’d been a young recruit, buying into the old saying,
‘absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ when all it had done was garner him a
Dear John letter a year later.