Westmoreland Desires: Riding the Storm / Jared's Counterfeit Fiancée / The Chase Is On. Brenda Jackson

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      Every bone in her body felt as if it had melted, so she chuckled huskily. “That you’re perfect in bed. Did you know some women call you, The Perfect Storm?”

      Storm frowned. For some reason he didn’t want her to think about the other women he’d been with. And he didn’t want to think about them, either. The only woman he wanted to think about was her. Instead of answering her question, he leaned over and kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and moments later, when he pulled back, he reached down and touched her intimately. “I didn’t mean to be rough.”

      A huge smile touched the corners of her lips. “You weren’t. I got everything I asked for and then some.”

      “Yeah, but you’re new at this.”

      “And enjoying every minute.” She studied him for a moment, then said. “I was curious about you when I was sixteen. You were the first guy I was really interested in.”

      “Was I?’’

      “Yes.”

      Storm held her gaze. He could vividly recall how, whenever he dropped by to visit Adam, her whiskey-colored eyes would seek him out and convey her every youthful emotion. She’d had a crush on him. He had been aware of it and he had a feeling that Adam had been aware of it as well. Storm had known that around her he would have to tread lightly, because she was the boss’s daughter who was noticing boys for the first time; but unfortunately, instead of a boy, she had set her sights and budding desires on a man. To make matters worse, she fully intended for him to notice her and he had tried like hell not to.

      “Do we stay in bed for the rest of the day or do we get up and do something else?” she asked, interrupting his stroll down memory lane. “Just to let you know, the thought of staying in bed all day doesn’t bother me.”

      Storm couldn’t help but laugh. “What have I created here, a monster?”

      She lifted a brow. “Like you can talk. I’d say you’re up for it,” she said, pointing out his aroused state.

      “Well, yeah, but some things can’t be rushed. Just give me some time, will you.”

      “Sure, if you think you need it, but from what I understand most men need time to get it up, not down.”

      One corner of Storm’s mouth lifted. He was enjoying this turn in their conversation, but he knew if they didn’t get out of bed really soon, their conversation might turn into something else. Forcing himself to move, he slowly sat up. “I guess I need to go back to my room and take a shower.” He glanced over at the clock. “Do you want to meet me downstairs for breakfast?”

      “Yeah, I’m starving.”

      He nodded knowingly. “And after breakfast, how about if we do some more sightseeing today?” Anything to keep them out of their hotel rooms. “When does your flight leave tomorrow?” he asked. Suddenly, reality of how short their time together would be began to seep in. From the expression on her face he could tell that she felt it, too.

      “In the morning, around eight. What about yours?”

      “Tomorrow evening, around three.”

      She nodded. “Too bad we aren’t on the same flight,” she said quietly.

      He’d been thinking the same thing. “Yeah, it’s too bad.” But then, maybe it was for the best. Too much more of Jayla Cole would go to his head and right to a place he wasn’t quite ready for.

      He sighed deeply. So much had happened between them in the last forty-eight hours. “Nothing has changed, right Jayla? Neither of us is looking for a serious relationship.”

      Jayla glanced at him, understanding his need to reestablish ground rules. “Yeah, right, nothing has changed. Trust me, a serious relationship with anyone is the last thing I want or need right now. I’m going to be so busy over the next few months that an involvement of any kind will be the furthest thing from my mind.”

      He lifted a brow as he slid out of bed. “Oh? What will you be doing?”

      Jayla nervously licked her lips. There was no way she could tell him that she would be preparing for motherhood. “There’s this project that I’m going to start working on.”

      “Oh, and what kind of project is it?”

      She sighed deeply; he would ask. She decided to brush off his question and forced out a chuckle, saying, “Nothing you’d be interested in, trust me.”

      He smiled as he studied her for a long moment, then said. “I might surprise you. If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to call.”

      She smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but I have everything under control.”

      “All right. I’ll be back in a second.”

      She watched as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She rolled over on her stomach and buried her face in his pillow, enjoying his lingering scent. Had she been dreaming or had Storm just offered to help with her project? She felt it was pretty safe to assume that the last thing Storm Westmoreland would want was to be a daddy. Besides, she had no regrets in going solo. A man like him as the father of her child would definitely cramp her style. He’d already stated his belief that a woman couldn’t work outside the home and raise a family. She didn’t envy the woman he would end up marrying, since it was evident that he would be a controlling husband.

      She got out of bed, slipped into her robe, walked over to the window and glanced out to watch the impending sunrise. Tomorrow, she and Storm would bring an end to their short affair and she hoped when they returned to Atlanta that they didn’t run into each other anytime soon. It would be difficult to see him and not think about the intimacy they had shared here in The Big Easy. There definitely wouldn’t be anything easy about that.

      Storm slid his hands around Jayla’s waist and pulled her snugly against him. “An hour?” he asked with a puzzled lift of his brow. “Are you saying it will take you an entire hour to pick out an outfit for tonight?”

      She smiled up at him. “Yes. Already I see a number of things in this dress shop that I want to try on. It has to be just perfect.”

      “Jayla,” he began, but she cut him off.

      “Please, Storm. I want a new outfit for tonight.”

      He studied the excitement in Jayla’s face, thinking she was even more beautiful than before, if that were possible. When he had met her for breakfast, he’d told her of the phone call he had received from his cousin Ian. Ian, a good friend of New Orleans’s mayor, had been invited to a huge gala being given in the man’s honor. Ian had invited Storm as his guest and Storm had gotten the okay to bring Jayla as his date. Instead of going sightseeing as they had originally planned, Jayla had insisted that the first thing she needed to do was go shopping for something to wear that night.

      “All right, I guess I can find something to kill time while you shop,” he said releasing her. “But I’ll be back in a hour, Jayla.”

      She grinned, nodding. “And I’ll have everything I need by then.”

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