To my shame, I couldn’t resist for a fraction of a second. Making a needy noise in the back of my throat, I speared my fingers into this thick hair, reveling in its softness and kissed him greedily. His taste burst onto my tongue, smooth and luxurious, like the richest dark Belgian chocolate. I wanted more. I craved more.
The tiny part of my brain that was still rational warned that overindulgence in chocolate was not good for me, but the thought was distant and receding quickly. My fingers dug into his scalp, holding him closer. Needing to draw in more of his essence, I widened my mouth and explored the rough texture of his tongue. Jake tilted my jaw slightly and deepened the kiss, his lips turning hard and possessive.
His right hand slid to middle of my back and slowly trailed down my spine, lighting a fire in its wake. I gasped into his mouth as his fingers reached the top of my backside. Heat funneled directly to my center.
My body molded to his length, my breasts flattening against his hard chest and my belly cradling his erection. The fact that I could arouse this gorgeous man gave me a heady rush.
Abruptly, he broke the kiss, but he kept his face close. Banked heat simmered in the back of his eyes. “Don’t fucking tell me that I’ll forget you. My body won’t let me.” He pressed his hips against my stomach to emphasize his point, letting me feel his engorged cock. “I can’t get the taste of your sweet lips out of my mind.” He dipped his head and sucked on my lower lip, turning my legs into limp noodles. He raised his right hand to cradle my face. “Don’t tell me I’d forget your beautiful eyes. And don’t fucking call this an affair. You have no clue what I want.”
With a cry, I twisted out of his arms and turned my face away, the back of my hand touching my mouth. His sexy words tore at my resistance. His taste still lingered and I wanted to wail at the unfairness of the situation. I wanted him, but giving in to my desires would be my downfall.
No, I had to resist him.
I waved a hand between us. “Jake, this can’t happen. We can’t happen.”
He folded his arms. “You still haven’t told me a compelling reason why not.”
A growl of frustration vibrated in my throat. “I’ve given you a million reasons why not!”
“None that matter!” he countered, a scowl on his face.
I decided to change tactics. “What do you want from me, Jake? Are you looking for a convenient fuck-toy in the office?”
His eyes turned into narrow slits at my crudeness, but I didn’t get the explosive fury I wanted to elicit.
“Cora, why is it so hard to believe that I want you because you’re you?” His blue-green gaze was so piercing, I felt like he would root out all of my deepest secrets.
Because the long string of broken hearts trailing behind you tells me you can’t feel any deeper emotion than lust. And I could fall for you.
I lowered my lashes, feeling too exposed.
I settled on a half-truth. “I don’t doubt you want me now, Jake, but a brief fling is not something I want to risk my career on.” And my heart.
Face hardening, he abruptly turned away from me. He strode to the window and gazed out at the view.
Silhouetted against the vastness of the city, Jake looked invincible, but as I stared at his stiff carriage, I was struck again by how alone he seemed.
After each of my parents died, there were moments of unbearable loneliness in my life, like there was nobody else in the world who could understand me. I sensed that Jake was feeling something similar in the moment. Even as I was telling myself it was in my imagination, I ached for him.
After a long stretch of silence, I asked tentatively, “Jake, would you please accept my resignation?”
His shoulders visibly tensed at my question and he whipped around to face me. “No!”
Even as I castigated myself, a wave of relief surged through me. “And we won’t talk about last night or this morning again?”
Blue-green eyes turned hard, radiating an iron will. “This is not the end of the discussion.” It was a promise.
“Jake!” I protested.
His right hand rose to stem my words and I pursed my lips in aggravation. “We will continue this argument at another time, but just be warned, I’m not giving up.”
“Jake! This is ridiculous. You could have any woman you wanted. They fall at your feet when you walk by. I don’t know why–”
The sudden grin he shot me scrambled my thoughts. “I’m glad you think so highly of my charms, Cora.”
Cheeks warm, I shrugged. “I don’t need to boost your giant ego by telling you how attractive you are. I just think anything between us would be a disaster.”
“That’s bullshit.” He said this with a small smile. My inadvertent compliment seemed to restore his good humor.
I closed my eyes and prayed for patience.
“Here!” He lifted my hand and placed a piece of paper in my palm.
“What’s this?” I stared at the phone number scrawled in his bold handwriting.
“That’s David Bouchard’s personal number. He’s expecting your call today.”
“Why do you have the private number of the principal of Marcus’s old school? And why would he be expecting to hear from me?” Confusion seemed to be my default state when dealing with Jake.
“A friend of mine is on their board. When I discussed Marcus’s abilities with him yesterday, he was appalled Marcus wasn’t still at the academy. Jon made some calls. Marcus can matriculate into school as soon as he wants. David is waiting to hear from you to can set up an appointment to discuss Marcus’s classes. And don’t worry about tuition. The board is offering your brother a full scholarship until he graduates.”
The most unflattering sound came out of my mouth. I could only categorize it as a squawk.
A million things ran through my mind. Galileo Academy was not the type of school to accept students mid term and they certainly did not offer any scholarships. Most likely, Jake had pulled in a few favors and arranged for the tuition to be paid in full.
“How did you know Marcus was at Galileo?”
Jake scoffed as if I had asked him the simplest question in the world. “It wasn’t hard to figure out that the son of Sebastian Branton wouldn’t attend any other school other than the premier institution for math and sciences.”
I looked at the phone number longingly. One phone call could resolve so many of our problems, but having Jake use his clout on my behalf didn’t sit well with me. “Jake, this is too much. It’s wonderful of you to do this for us, but I can’t accept this.”
He dismissed my protest with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t do anything except chat with a friend. Jon was the one who offered the scholarship. Besides, you can’t turn down something like this without discussing it with Marcus.”
“That would be pointless. Marcus would jump at the chance to go back to his old school.” I knew my brother missed the academic rigor as well as his friends. He kept in touch with them online and saw them on the weekends, but it was not the same.
Jake shrugged, unsympathetic to my dilemma. “Well, then I guess Marcus is changing schools. Besides, you can’t deny him this opportunity. I was blown away by how smart he is.”
I felt a glow of pride at his words.
Jake squeezed my fingers around the scrap. “Cora, he needs an environment that would foster his abilities. It would be a shame to turn it down because of some misguided sense of pride.”
I bit my lip, feeling torn. As much as I didn’t want to be beholden to Jake, he was right. Marcus had been languishing at his current school. I inclined my head in acquiescence and smiled at him, a wave of something I was afraid to name overwhelming me. “Okay, I’ll call David Bouchard. Thank you, Jake.”
He grinned in triumph, looking heart-stutteringly handsome.
That he didn’t tell me about his efforts on Marcus’s behalf before he expressed his personal interest in me was to his credit. It showed me he respected me enough not to manipulate me.