“And I’m speaking plainly.” His face grew serious. “I’m not interested in Brittany or any other woman like her.” His deep voice rumbled through her body. “I thought I did, but what I really want is to be with a woman who takes risks, embraces life, and lives it on her own terms. Someone who brings joy and light and laughter when she walks into a room.”
Zara gave a begrudging huff. “She sounds not too bad.”
Jay laughed. “Her jealous streak is a huge turn-on. I think it’s her most endearing quality.”
“She also ruined your evening,” Zara pointed out. “Don’t forget that. You seem to only remember the good stuff and not the bad.”
“You got your autograph.” He ran his hand along the name scrawled on her upper arm in black Sharpie.
“Yes, and I also got a selfie with Lin-Manuel Miranda. And I got to tell him how amazing he is. It was awesome.”
“That’s all I wanted,” he said.
She tipped her head back to look at him. “I thought you wanted to impress Thomas and Brittany.”
“I want them to fund my international expansion. If they turn us down because you ran in bare feet to see your favorite musical star, then they aren’t the kind of investors we want handling our project. Now that the lawsuit is gone, we have other options.” He nuzzled her hair. “I just wish you’d waited for me. I wanted to see your face when you met him. I’d been looking forward to it all day.”
“I’m sorry.” Now that she understood him better, she regretted even more her hasty decision to leave. But what was she supposed to do with all his irritatingly attractive qualities? How was she supposed to keep him at arm’s length when he refused to be chased away?
He grunted, pulled her tighter against him. “Not much of a grovel but I’ll take what I can get.”
Did he mean what he’d said? Would he take what he could get, even if that was only casual? She couldn’t offer him any more, not when the thought of an actual relationship sent a wave of panic flooding through her veins. “What about our arrangement?”
“Let’s put it on hold for now,” Jay said. “I can’t risk any poor woman turning up in the morgue with a pink stiletto in her throat.”
“Don’t get too cocky.”
He took her hand and drew it down to his shaft, thick and hard between his legs. “Too late.”
Zara rolled on top of him, seating his cock at the juncture of her thighs. “Does the hold mean no more celebrity introductions?”
“I’ll still uphold my end of the bargain.” He traced the line of her jaw with a gentle finger. “In fact, we just got a gig for Chris Moskovitz’s birthday party. Are you interested?”
Zara sucked in a sharp breath and pushed up to a straddle. “THE Chris Moskovitz? One of Hollywood’s famous Chrises? Star of Lost Legend, Missing Mountain, Senseless Sea, and Dirty Desert? The number one Chris on everyone’s Chris list? The best Chris?”
A smile spread across his face. “That’s the one.”
“Oh my God.” Unable to contain her excitement, she jumped up and paced the room. “When is it? Not that it matters. I’ll be there.”
“Two weeks.” He rolled to his side and propped his head in his hand. “You’ll be going as a trainee guard. It was the only way to get you in. You’ll need to go through a safety briefing and wear a uniform. After tonight, I assume that won’t be a problem. You wore it well.”
She shivered under the heightened weight of his gaze. “Do I get a gun?”
“After what you did on the paintball field, definitely no gun.” His lips quivered, amused. “I told his agent you’re an attorney and you needed some on-the-job practical experience in a high-security environment for one of your cases.”
“True but not entirely accurate.” She grinned. “You’d make a good lawyer.”
“And you made a good security guard, although you never figured out what was stolen from the City Club.”
She tipped her head to the side, frowning. “What was stolen?”
“My heart.”
• 23 •
“Wake up, sunshine.”
Jay ripped the warm covers off Zara’s body, exposing her skin to the cold morning air. A firm-but-gentle slap landed on her bare ass.
“Ow. No waking up. Sleep. Or sex. Anything just so long as we can stay in bed. It’s Sunday morning. That’s what Sundays are for. That’s why Sunday begins with S.”
“This Sunday is beginning with an H.” Jay put her unused hiking boots on the floor beside the bed. “H for hike. I saw these in your closet last night, and I realized I couldn’t even remember the last time I went for a hike. It’s a beautiful day and I want to share one of my favorite things with you.”
“What about your other favorite things?” Zara groaned. “Do any of them involve being horizontal? Or food? Or both at the same time?” She still hadn’t had time to process his admission that she’d stolen his heart. What was she supposed to do with that? Did he think it would change things between them? Did he think it would change her?
“I’ll make it worth your while.” He used her own words back at her.
She rolled over and blinked, her eyes adjusting to the bright light. He was already dressed, his eyes sparkling, a grin spread across his face. Did he remember the nightmares he’d had last night? The moaning and thrashing? Shouts so loud Parvati had knocked on the wall. She’d shaken him gently, wrapped her arms around him, and spooned him from behind. After a few minutes, his tension had eased, and he’d fallen into a peaceful sleep.
“I’m going home to shower and change and get my gear,” Jay said. “I’ll be back in an hour. Be ready to rumble.”
She had never seen him this happy, so she pushed her concerns to the side. “I’m not a hiker, Jay. You may have noticed those boots are barely used.”
“Now they can be more used.” He bent down beside the bed and gave her a soft kiss. “I want to show you the world from the top of a mountain. It’s one of my favorite places.”
Zara groaned and flopped onto her back. There was no resisting Jay when he looked at her like that with his puppy-dog eyes and his wide smile. And how could she say no when a man who usually spent Sunday in his office wanted to blow off the day to show her something he loved?
“Fine.” She heaved a sigh. “I’ll come. But you’d better make it up to me when we get back. I’ll need pizza, ice cream, and lots of massages.” She frowned when she caught the naughty gleam in his eyes. “Not that kind of massage. The kind where you rub my back for at least an hour and feed me chocolate and alcoholic beverages.”