To Tempt a Wolf - Excerpt |
Publisher: Ellora's Cave |
|
"Jace," Clare acknowledged. "How goes the architectural business? Or should I ask, since you're reduced to replacing broken windows for ice cream."
"I just like to keep my hand in on the basics now and then," he smiled. "The business is doing just fine. You know Gracie Stevens?"
Clare nodded.
"She just got a nice, fat settlement check from her old man. Seems she had a suspicion he was cheating on her and hired a detective to catch him in the act. When she filed for divorce, a picture was worth a thousand words. And a hell of a lot of cash. She's looking to have some renovations done on that outdated mausoleum she's living in. It's gonna be a sweet job."
"Hmm, is it just the house she's looking to have renovated, or does she have some more personal adjustments in mind?" Clare asked with a teasing smile. She was well acquainted with Jace's reputation. He was a top rated favorite among the local, and not so local, ladies.
"Some of both, I imagine," Jace answered and gave her a wicked wink.
Bryn cleared her throat. "Now I'm not so sure I want to introduce you to my sister." Hayley, who'd watched the exchange between Clare and Jace with unwilling interest, found herself disgruntled by the talk of his exploits with women. "Don't be silly, Bryn," her tone of voice was cutting and cool. "If Mr. McKenna chooses to indulge in illicit affairs with his clients, that's entirely his business," she held out her hand. "Hayley Royden, pleased to meet you."
As Jace transferred his blue-green gaze and open smile to Hayley, he took her hand. She'd had men undress her with their eyes, but she could almost believe that this man had actually seen her naked. She was puzzled by the unexplained recognition and heat that filled his eyes. It sent goose bumps marching over her skin. A sudden image of Jace, naked, was presented for her inspection by her sometimes all-too-vivid imagination. She sternly suppressed her surprise. With an effort, Haley held on to her composure, keeping her expression neutral.
"Call me Jace, and that's very open-minded of you. May I call you Hayley?" at her nod, he applied a gentle massaging pressure to her hand. "What you have to keep in mind, Hayley, is that a man doesn't always accept what he's offered. Just as I'm sure you yourself don't," his voice carried a gentle admonishment.
Haley bristled. "You are so right, Jace," she agreed pleasantly, as she deliberately withdrew her hand from his. "There are some things a woman just couldn't tolerate," she added glacially.
Despite her irritation, Hayley couldn't deny the electric charge that caused her skin to tingle where his hand had touched hers. The heat flowing from his fingertips had swept in a wave up her arm and through her body, sending her temperature up a few notches. The sensation was reminiscent of submerging oneself in a warm and welcoming tub of water.
"It's always been my experience that a person can learn to tolerate quite a lot," Jace asserted in a husky growl, as he stepped closer. "Even enjoy something they initially thought to repudiate."
His eyes took on a hooded, sensual look that had seduced many an unwary woman. Hayley was not so easily taken in, and she stepped back, distancing herself while taking in a deep, calming breath. That deep influx of air turned out to be a mistake.
Softly subtle, Jace's scent invaded her nostrils. Warm, male musk beckoned and invited, while arousal, swift and insistent, suddenly increased its demands. Her insides tightened and she fought to still her quickened breath as her temperature rose yet another notch. It didn't help when she noticed a distinct thickening of the bulge that filled the space behind the zipper of his jeans. Hayley felt her mouth go dry, just as her pussy grew wetter.
"Perhaps some of us aren't that flexible," she managed to say, ungluing her tongue from the roof of her mouth.
"Oh, well, flexibility. That's something that can always be worked on."
Jace's voice had taken on a warm, inviting timbre that drifted over her skin and stroked her nerve endings. She could well imagine some of the things he would want to do to improve a woman's flexibility. Squelching the provocative images that flooded her mind, she narrowed her eyes and steeled her backbone. She was determined not to fall prey this dangerously seductive man. Jace was all too clearly a man used to making easy conquests.
"Yes, that's true, but in order to achieve a goal, one must want it. If it's something you don't want, what's the point?"
"Sometimes a person isn't always sure of what they want, and it takes someone else to point them toward an experience that could very well change their entire life." Jace insisted.
Clare burst out laughing and Hayley turned to find her and Bryn watching herself and Jace. Bryn was staring at the two of them in wide-eyed astonishment.
