Page 7 of Desperate Temptations

Cain pushed her back behind him when she tried to walk around him. His lips twitched when she hit his back and hissed irritably behind him.

“I’m fine, Mike.” Jessa gritted her teeth, and she tugged at his shirt. “Cain, let me around you so they can see I’m fine. They won’t leave until they know for sure.”

He sighed but stepped to the side and let her come up next to him. When she moved toward the guards, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her firmly at his side.

She frowned up at him, not at all pleased with the possessive gesture. Jessa took a breath and tried to quell the anxiety and heat that coursed through her veins. She looked back at the people standing in the doorway.

“Cain was a friend of my husband’s.” She ignored the way he tensed. “He has no desire to hurt me.” Jessa fidgeted under the intense scrutiny of everybody in the room. No one moved. “Thank you so much for checking on me, but I really have no need for your protection. Right, Cain?”

Cain nodded, not taking his eyes off the other men. Both guards stood silently, neither moved to leave, neither was willing to trust this man with her.

The guard in the front relaxed a bit but continued to scowl. She could see his displeasure about leaving her, but he finally turned toward the door, the other guard following.

“Close the door,” an arrogant and commanding voice barked from above her, making her jerk against him.

Jessa gave a little wave and smiled, trying to reassure Leona as the door closed. When she tried to move away, he turned her until she faced him, his arms around her waist, keeping her against him but taking care not to hurt her. His gaze pinned her, his eyes riveted to her.

“When can you leave?”

She tried to wedge her arms between them, nervous again that they were alone.

His hands on her, holding her close, was making her heart pound violently and at the same time made her senses swim.

If he would only give her a moment to reorient herself, her lungs wouldn’t feel so constricted, making it hard for her to take a deep breath.

“Let me go,” she spoke in a suffocated whisper.

He shook his head.

“Why?” she asked.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Loose strays were slipping out of the clip she used to pull her hair back.

“Because we have to talk, Baby.”

Her body turned rigid. His voice and touches were flooding her bloodstream with warmth so intense she felt lightheaded. Jessa squirmed, trying again to put space between them, trying to keep the panic from building and her alarm at bay.

“I don’t want to talk. Besides, we have nothing to talk about,” Jessa said as she shook her head. “Please leave me alone.”

He held her tighter against his chest.

“Too bad we don’t always get what we want. It’s going to happen tonight, one way or another.”

She stepped back and was a little surprised when he let her in. Shaking, she stepped behind her desk and gathered the papers she needed to take home. She felt better putting space between them, and her breath came a little easier. She tried to sound calm, hoping to diffuse the tension in the room.

“I’m swamped right now. Maybe another time?”

When he didn’t answer, she looked up. He looked formidable, his eyes hard and cold. When he started to smile, it made her nerves dance, her hands began to shake, and her heart rate accelerated.

“Busy with what?” Cain crossed his arms and braced his legs apart.

He looked so damn arrogant it made her body ache at the same time it pissed her off and made her want to smack him.

“We can do this the hard way or the easy way. I’ll let you pick, but know this, Jessa, we are going to talk tonight.”

Jessa put her hands on her hips, her stubborn chin jutted out, anger overriding any common sense she had as she growled at a man who could snap her like a twig.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t tell me what to do.”

His smile grew, making anger override her fear and any common sense she might have had. She walked briskly around her desk, livid. She poked him in the chest with her finger.

“What’s so funny, dammit?” Her frown deepened when he laughed.

He laughed louder when she stamped her foot.

When she snarled, he grabbed her hand, pressed it to his chest, and coughed back another laugh, making her grit her teeth.

“I’m sorry, Jessa. But we really do need to talk tonight. It’s important.”

She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, with her brows still creased.

“What if I already have plans?”

“Like staking out the warehouse?” he growled.

She raised her chin.

“No, like a date.” She knew immediately she’d said the wrong thing. She stepped back and bumped into her desk when his eyes darkened dangerously. His body stiffened and became even more substantial and menacing before her eyes, and it sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.

“Do you?” he demanded fiercely, his tone deep and harsh.

Jessa swallowed when he took a threatening step toward her, crowding her against the desk. She was unnerved by the sudden change that came over him, but she still didn’t fear him. Much.

She leaned back a little, preventing her breasts from rubbing against the warmth of his chest.

“No, I was just kidding,” she yelped, trying to calm him using her hands on his muscular chest and to hold him back at the same time.

He bent forward, placing his hands on the desk on either side of her hips, making her breath catch in her throat as she used her arms to support herself.

“Don’t ever,” his lips against her ear, in a controlled, gruff whisper. A shiver of heat raced down her spine because of his warm breath and intoxicating scent. She swallowed down her needy moan when he continued. “And I mean ever , tease me like that again.”

He backed up so he could see her eyes better, and she could see how serious he was.

“Do you understand me, Jessa?” As he watched her intently, she nodded mutely. He paused for a moment and moved back a step. “Good. Now get your purse. We're going to head out. Your place or mine?”

She moved slowly, her body weak, her legs shaking. Awareness slowly took over the fear she’d had just a moment ago. Who the hell did he think he was? It was none of his business who she dated. She didn’t belong to him. It didn’t matter how he made her feel.

Oddly, he didn’t terrify her anymore. In fact, the more time she spent with him, the less fear she felt.

He’d made her really nervous, but worse, he’d made her feel emotions again, feel alive.

She hadn’t felt like this since before the accident, and never this strongly.

Worse, he made her feel like a woman—something she never thought she’d feel again.

She was unable to come up with the energy to fight him that night.

“My place,” she murmured.

Jessa grabbed her purse and briefcase, and they headed out the door. They stopped short when she caught sight of several people outside her door. They all stood by Leona’s desk. Everyone stopped talking and stared with different levels of curiosity, fright, and apprehension.

She didn’t look back when Cain stepped up behind her and placed his hand possessively on her hip, which sent a shiver of awareness down her spine.

“What’s going on?” she asked, bewildered.

She trembled again when he bent down to whisper in her ear, “I think they thought I was molesting you.”

Jessa threw a frown over her shoulder.

“That’s not funny,” she whispered furiously. She looked back at her colleagues. “What’s going on, Leona?”

Leona frowned at the man over Jessa’s shoulder like Satan himself was standing there. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.

“We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She was utterly astonished at their show of concern.

“Than...” She cleared the lump of emotion from her throat that threatened to cut off her breath. “Thank you for being concerned, but I really am fine.”

Jessa wanted to kick herself. All this time, she thought she’d been alone.

She had been so consumed with grief after the accident, she never contemplated that the people around her might care about her.

She introduced Cain to them and quickly explained his relationship with Drew.

She didn’t tell them why he was there to see her, and thankfully, nobody asked.

Everyone but Leona looked convinced. Jessa thanked them one at a time as they filed away and showed each her appreciation.

She walked to Leona and impulsively hugged her.

“Thank you, I really do appreciate your concern.”

Leona hugged her back and smiled.

“I’ll always worry about you, dear.”

Moisture collected in the corner of Jessa’s eyes.

She had known Leona for four years, and this was the first time they had talked about anything besides work.

She turned and waved over her shoulder as Cain directed her out of the office with a hand at the small of her back.

He walked her to her Rover and made sure she was belted.

“I’ll meet you at your house.”

He walked away and climbed into a large black truck. Jessa’s eyes kept glancing back at him as he followed her out of the parking lot. She headed down the main boulevard, being careful as she drove in rush-hour traffic.

Jessa glanced in the rearview mirror and watched as he made a sharp turn down a side street.

Jessa sighed and relaxed back in her seat.

Maybe something came up, she thought. She smiled and took a relieved breath.

She hoped that meant she was off the hook that night.

She needed to put some space between them.

The ache in her body was getting more intense the longer she was around him.

Jessa’s mouth turned down. If she gave in to her desire to touch him, she worried the guilt would overtake her and wrench her back into the dark void of depression she just pulled herself out of recently. She didn’t think she was strong enough to move on yet.