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"Then I'm in." Ryan hugged me lightly, kissing my cheek again. "See you soon, okay?"
"Yeah. And thank you." I opened the door for him, and watched as he walked down the front path, confident and strong. Ryan McDonnell was a good guy. It would be easier if I really did want to date him, but I didn't find the spark of interest inside myself that burst into flames whenever Jace was nearby. There was no use fighting it. I wanted my bodyguard. And I decided right then that tonight, before this insanity kicked up a notch, I was going to have him.
Chapter Twelve
Jace
Icould feel myself clenching as I listened to Juliet and Ryan talk. He was so agreeable, so easy to get along with. And the guy was handsome, too. Of course he was willing to play the part of Juliet's boyfriend. Hell, she could ask any red-blooded human male on the planet and he'd say yes.
I'd say yes.
Only, I hadn't been asked. And I wouldn't be.
Instead, I'd stand by and watch while another guy—another lucky clueless guy who'd had every opportunity gift-wrapped for him, including this one—got to touch the woman I wanted for myself.
But this was what I'd signed up for.
My jaw was aching by the time I heard the front door click shut again, and I knew I'd been grinding my teeth. A shitty habit, but it was better than destroying things, and right now I wanted to tornado through this fancy dining room and rip the place apart.
I heard Juliet come back into the living room and forced myself to release, to take a deep breath. I wondered what might happen now. Would we talk about this? Was there anything to talk about? All I could imagine was pulling her into me again, holding her close and assuring myself I hadn’t imagined what I’d felt with her, hadn’t imagined that just maybe something could happen between us.
"Jace?" her voice came through the quiet room. "I'm going to head up for bed."
Disappointment washed through me unexpectedly. What had I thought was going to happen? She needed to focus on planning out her fake relationship. I needed to get a grip. "Okay," I managed, wishing I were a better actor.
"I'll take Elvis up. Maybe you can go ahead and shut down the house, and then you'll be off the clock, right?"
"Sure," I answered, beginning the process of checking the perimeter as I did each night. I radioed Chad to let him know I was shutting down inside. He'd keep watch until the overnight shift replaced him out front and then he'd be off the clock too, out in the guesthouse.
I walked through the enormous first floor of the house, checking windows and switching off lights, forcing myself to calm down, to breathe. By the time I'd set the alarm and begun climbing the stairs, I'd just about talked myself into a state of rationality.
But when I opened the door to my room, any semblance of calm I’d achieved washed away as my heart rate skyrocketed and my vision tunneled.
Juliet was there, on my bed.
Soft candles glowed on surfaces around the room, and music played from a bluetooth speaker on the table, something soft and low. Norah Jones, maybe? I didn't spend much time trying to figure out what I was hearing because my body was too busy reacting to what I was seeing.
My beautiful blond client was leaned up against the headboard of my bed. She wore a red silk nightshirt with long sleeves and little white buttons down the front. It ended just at the tops of her thighs, and her long slim legs were out in front of her. She was smiling at me—uncertainly. Shyly. Like she wasn't sure if this was okay, like there was a chance I might tell her to leave.
"Hi," I managed, as every cell in my body flared and pulsed. She was perfect, laid out for me like an offering on my bed. But, I told myself, she was still a client.
No matter what had happened before, we still hadn’t slept together. I could argue that I hadn’t really crossed a line. Taking a step closer now could change everything.
"Hi," she said, her voice a soft breath that moved hot into my mind and then exploded there, sending shards of fire through me. "Is this okay?"
At a complete loss for words, I blew out a long breath. "Yeah."
"Then maybe you could come a little bit closer?"
I blinked hard, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Maybe I was just dreaming this, while in reality I was downstairs destroying the dining room in a fit of jealous rage? Juliet moved on the mattress, and the squeak of the bed assured me this was real.
I toed off my shoes and closed the door, twisting the lock. Then I turned back to her and took a deep breath, finally crossing the room to stand next to the bed.
Juliet looked up at me, and I was nearly leveled by what I saw in her eyes. Hope and a little fear, maybe. As if this famous movie star was every bit as nervous about what might happen here as I was. I pulled my T-shirt off over my head and sank to the edge of the bed. She reached for me, and I scooted closer, pulling her into my lap as our mouths connected.
There was no uncertainty in the kiss, and all the restraint we'd both practiced in the past fell away as quickly as Juliet's red nightshirt and the belt around my waist. We kissed and caressed and undressed, and a few minutes later, I held her in my arms, every inch of her perfect form pressed up against me, my rigid cock between us against the soft flesh of her belly.
I should have been more careful, should have been thinking about my job, my family. But all I could think about was that I was really here, every part of my body pressed against Juliet’s soft yielding skin. There was no turning back now.
