Mismatch - By Nana Malone Page 0,56
clubs unless it's for celebrating.” At least, that’s what she thought.
“Jess?”
“Mm.”
“You remember that night in the club? When I set you on the table and stepped between your thighs?”
Jessica's tongue stopped working. As if all of a sudden it had been glued to the roof of her mouth with a paste of sandpaper and glue. All she could manage was a weak, “Mm-hm.”
“I want you to sit like that right now. Like I'm there standing between your thighs.”
She knew she shouldn't, but the part of her that had always been drawn to the dark and dangerous felt compelled to follow through. To listen to his instructions. To follow the adventure wherever it might lead. She finally found her voice as she positioned herself at the end of her desk. “Okay, I'm here.”
“Okay, beautiful, I have one rule, you're not allowed to touch yourself.”
“Newsflash, handsome, that's going to defeat the purpose of phone sex.”
There was that chuckle again. Deep and rich. “Who says? Besides, I think it'll be hotter if I can bring you off from the memory alone. You want to see if your memory rivals mine? Once I sat you down, what did I do next?”
Heat flamed up her face as her mind spun the photograph in her memory. Eli between her legs, lips hovering above hers as he bent to kiss her. And then the shocking rasps of his knuckles against her smooth thighs as they stoked up her legs. “Y-your fingers, right at my G-string.”
His voice pitched even lower. “Then what?”
She remembered the frustration as he'd refused to kiss her and only brushed feather light kisses against her lips. His fingers had stolen under her G-string and stroked her. Her center immediately softened in anticipation. “You were stroking me. So gently. Y—you, wouldn't touch my clit. Just kept…” Her voice hitched as she felt the blood rushing to her most sensitive skin.
“Just kept what, Jess?”
“Stroking and teasing me. You wouldn’t let me come. Didn’t give me what I needed.”
“And how did you feel then?”
“Frustrated. And annoyed.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“Oh, about the same.”
“You were so soft when I touched you. So fucking tight when I slipped a finger inside you. The way you slid your legs up and down the backs of my thighs—I thought you'd squeeze the life right out of me.”
She squirmed uncomfortably on the desk. She needed him. And worse yet, he knew it. “I still didn't get you to make love to me right there. I don’t know why you made me wait.”
“You think if I’d made love to you there, you would be talking to me now?”
Point taken. “So you deliberately picked me up.”
“I made sure you wanted me bad enough to actually talk to me later. Everything about you said man eater, and I wanted to protect my delicate heart.”
“I'm no man eater.”
“Not exactly, but you do have a way of getting under a guy's skin.” He moaned low and tight. “Jessica?”
“Yeah, Eli?”
“Am I forgiven?”
“I-I’m still thinking about it.”
“Fair enough. Destiny’s benefit is tomorrow night.”
Jessica’s heart seized. Destiny had called and offered an invite for Eli and begrudgingly invited her as well. Then why did it still hurt that he was going? “Yeah. I hear it’ll be a fun party.”
“You still want to go with me?”
She stalled for time. “Oh, Eli, did you hear back from your friend looking into Michael?” Since her PI hadn’t come back with anything, she’d been hoping for a miracle from Eli.
“No, but he’ll be there tomorrow.” He hesitated then added, “I was thinking if you could bring your mother’s bracelet to me, I could have my friend look into it.”
Jessica shook her head. “I feel like I’m on a wild goose chase. But if you think it’ll help.”
“It might.”
“Then I’ll get it. Tell her I’m wearing it to the benefit or something.”
“Does that mean you’re coming?”
“Looks that way.”
What was the worst that could happen?
Chapter 16
Bad news didn’t sit well with Eli. Vince had called on his way home from the office. They’d found a sympathetic judge. I’m working to have those records unsealed. Vince's words formed a constant running loop in his head over and over and over again.
He tossed his keys on to his kitchen counter. How the hell had shit gotten so out of control? That stupid signature. And now Samson’s life was gone just like that. And there wasn’t anything Eli could do about it. Except wait to see if the precautions he'd put in place would hold.
He eyed the closed