Table of Contents
Other books by Nicola Marsh
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Nicola Marsh. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any
means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 109
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Visit our website at
Brazen is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. For more information on our titles, visit
Edited by Libby Murphy
Cover design by Heather Howland
ISBN 978-1-62266-292-0
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition September 2013
The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this
work of fiction: Victoria’s Secret, Google, Skype, Ben & Jerry’s, Post-it, iPad, YouTube, Magic Mike, Superman, Vegemite, Oscars, Girl
Scouts of America, Fortune, GQ.
For Martin, who always keeps me smiling through the rollercoaster ride that is publishing. One
word sums it up: buoyancy. You know what it means, babe.
Chapter One
Jett Halcott knew lingerie.
Which meant the tall blonde striding through LAX like she had a bug up her ass, leaving a trail of
skimpy, provocative satin and lace spilling from her suitcase, was either a hooker or a Victoria’s
Secret model.
Either would be fine with him.
He could call out to her and put an end to the sniggers from passengers streaming through the
chaotic airport.
But where was the fun in that?
Instead, he scooped up every frivolous scrap that tumbled out of her wheeled luggage, like crumbs
for a deviant Hansel ready to gobble the gingerbread all in one go.
He wished.
From what he could see, the blonde looked tempting from behind. Long legs. Sexy ass. Shiny,
straight hair halfway down her back that swung with every step she took. Fast strides that lengthened
the gap between them.
The lingerie shedder was a go-getter or she was about to miss her plane.
He snagged crotchless ivory lace panties, a black bustier, a red corset, and a tempting assortment of
satin thongs and sheer bras from the trail she left behind her, mentally dressing her in each and every
one.
Hot damn.
He picked up the pace, dodging weary travelers pushing trolleys laden with luggage, eventually
catching up with her after they cleared security.
“Excuse me…” He’d planned on making some smart-ass remark when she turned. Instead, he found
himself surprisingly speechless as her eyes connected with his.
Pale, light blue, the color of a glacier he’d seen in New Zealand on a school trip once. Pity her
haughty expression matched the unusually striking color.
“Is there a problem?” She glanced at his arms, laden with sexy underthings, and her eyes widened.
“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“Pity. I think you’d look great in this.” He snagged a sheer crimson lace thong and held it out on the
tip of his forefinger. “Red’s definitely your color.”
To his surprise she blushed, before directing a death glare at him, the kind of stare that could freeze
a guy into hypothermia.
“Do I need to call security?”
“I don’t know. Do you?” He returned the thong to the pile in his arms. “Though I’d prefer a one-on-
one fashion parade rather than having an audience.”
Her lips thinned into an unimpressed line. “I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Me, too. Which is why I’m done with my good deed for the day and am returning your
belongings.” Before she could reply he thrust the lingerie at her and she reacted quickly, managing to
catch the lot before they tumbled to the floor.
“These aren’t mine—”
“That’s what they all say.” He pointed at the small suitcase propped at her feet. “Your zipper’s
busted. You’ve been leaving lingerie all through LAX.”
She glanced down at her suitcase and groaned. “I’ll kill Zoe.”
Just his frigging luck, she had a girlfriend.
She studied the mass of purple, pink, ruby, and black underwear in her arms and wrinkled her nose.
“My friend’s idea of a joke, packing this stuff for my honeymoon.”
Worse luck, she was married.
Her gaze swung back to him. “Do you think you could give me a hand?”
He waited until a booming boarding call over the loudspeaker finished before responding.
“Helping you try them on? Absolutely.” He grinned, and for a moment the corners of her mouth curved
upward in response.
“I meant could you take a look at that zipper and see if it’s fixable.” She juggled the lingerie in her
arms. “Kinda got my hands full.”
“It’ll cost you,” he said, squatting to take a look at her case. Designer. With a very handy name tag
hanging off the handle.
Pity Allegra Wilks was married. She was just how he liked his women. Tall. Cool. Blond. With a
kick-ass Californian accent he found incredibly sexy.
“Cost me what?”
He fiddled with the zipper, unsnagged the silk lining caught in its steel teeth, and stood. “A
celebratory drink before we catch our respective planes.”
“What are we celebrating?”
He smirked. “Your wedding.”
And the fact that he’d managed not to kill Reeve, his business partner and former best friend, for
costing him the one thing that mattered most.
Maybe he’d reserve that pleasure for the prick if he ever surfaced from his hidey-hole in the
Caribbean. For now, he had the distinct urge to see how far he could push the delightfully aloof
Allegra.
“Wedding?” she parroted, staring at him like he’d lost his mind. “I’m not married.”
She looked away as she said it, and he wasn’t sure if he’d glimpsed regret, sadness, or
embarrassment before she did.
Maybe this was his lucky day after all.
“You said your friend packed for your honeymoon?” He gestured to her overflowing arms, his
mood taking a turn for the better.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t have time to repack.” She squared her shoulders and
looked down her snooty nose. “I’m heading to Palm Bay without the groom. No wedding. No
honeymoon. No frigging happy ever after.” She gave him a thumbs-up. “South Pacific, here I come,
woo-hoo.”
He bit back a smile at her sarcasm.
Palm Bay? No way.
He should feel sorry for her. Or the poor schmuck she’d probably ditched before being shackled to
a proverbial ball and chain. Instead, his blood fizzed as he tried to contain his elation.
He’d have a good eight hours on the flight to charm her into modeling some of that lingerie when
they arrived.
A guy could live in hope.
“You left him at the altar?”
“He left me,” she said, sounding surprisingly calm for a woman who’d been ditched.
“Dumb bastard,” he said, earning another lip quirk for his bluntness.
“Thanks. I think.” She tossed the lingerie into the open suitcase at her feet, zipped it, and
straightened to her impressive five nine. “And for fixing that.”
“Aren’t you going to thank me for saving your lingerie?”
She shrugged. “Considering I won’t be wearing any of it, I don’t care one way or the other.”
He tsk-tsked. “Shame.”
She didn’t want to ask. He could see the silent battle she waged, curiosity with the urge to tell him
to piss off.
Thankfully, her curiosity won out. “Shame about what?”
“A gorgeous woman like you should wear sexy stuff all the time.” His gaze started at her feet and
swept slowly upward, noting her pearly pink nail polish, white capris, turquoise peasant top, and
matching pendant hanging from a white-gold choker.
He didn’t linger on the parts he wanted to, like the curve of her hip, her trim waist, her C-cup
cleavage. Plenty of time for that. When she was wearing nothing but the sexy stuff.
Yeah, he was that confident. He had to be; otherwise he’d go frigging insane, thinking about what
he’d lost and what he faced when he returned home.
“And a bullshit artist like you should quit while he’s ahead,” she said, her expression telling him
she’d liked his compliment regardless.
A feisty one. Would be just the distraction he needed. “How about that drink?”
Her eyes narrowed to slits of ice. “I didn’t agree to it.”
“Hmm.” He tapped his temple, pretending to think. “Yet I fixed your zipper regardless.”
“Thanks,” she said, grabbing the suitcase handle so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if the thing
busted again. But he spied a fleeting glimmer in her eyes, a glimpse of regret, almost sadness. And he
could identify with that. The mess he’d left in Sydney haunted him, probably as much as her being
dumped before her wedding. Which meant they shared an unexpected connection. Wouldn’t hurt to
commiserate together. He could do with a little up-close-and-personal consoling from someone like
her.
He touched her arm. “Where I come from, it’s not polite to blow someone off after they’ve done
you a favor.”
It had been a flyaway comment but something unimaginable sparked in her eyes, something akin to
excitement when he’d said the word blow.
So the bust-up babe wasn’t as cool as she liked to pretend. He could work with that. His cock
twitched in agreement.
She rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. You use that Aussie accent to woo women along with spin
bull.”
“You don’t like my accent?”
A faint pink stained her cheeks as she glanced away. “I never said that.”
“Is it working?” He took a step closer, invading her personal space. “Are you wooed yet?”
She snorted, but her mouth softened into a semi-smile. “It’d take a lot more than a great accent and
blatant charm to woo me into doing anything with you.”
“Anything?” He lowered his voice, sotto voce. “And here I was just hoping for a drink.”
He deliberately brushed his arm against hers, enjoying her slight flinch. Which meant she felt the
spark underlying their exchange as much as he did. “But I’m definitely up for anything.”
He expected her to bristle. To shut off. To shoot him down with a cutting quip and an aloof glare.
What he didn’t expect was the flare of heat in her steady gaze as she eyeballed him, and the tip of
her tongue to dart out and moisten her bottom lip, an innocuous action that shot straight to his hard-on.
“I really do have a plane to catch—”
“You wouldn’t want to leave a guy alone when he’s down on his luck, would you?” He sniffed and
faked knuckling his eyes. “I could do with a shoulder to cry on and maybe you could, too?”
He threw it out there, taking a chance by appealing to her bruised side. She had to be a tad fragile
after being dumped by a dickhead. And considering his flirting was getting him nowhere, it wouldn’t
hurt to change tack.
Besides, he could do with a little lighthearted repartee and sexy distraction before landing in Palm
Bay. The place where his future would be decided.
“What do you say?” He flashed his best smile as a sweetener, encouraged when he glimpsed the
corners of her mouth turning up slightly in response.
“Let’s start with that drink and see what else you can charm me into,” she said, giving the suitcase
handle an impatient jiggle as if she couldn’t wait.
“Lady, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
They were in for a long flight to Palm Bay and he had more than charming her on his mind.
…
While her lingerie savior followed up on a problem with his boarding pass, Allegra entered the bar.
She’d kill Zoe for packing that lingerie. She knew it was her best friend’s idea of a joke, wanting to
spice up Allegra’s honeymoon on Palm Bay. Ironic, in twenty-four hours her wedding had been
canceled, the honeymoon ditched, but a more compelling reason for heading to Palm Bay had
presented itself.
A reason that could make or break her business.
She’d had no intention of heading to Palm Bay, despite Flint’s insistence that she should enjoy the
trip. Her ex-fiancé had good intentions, but the last thing she felt like doing after her aborted wedding
was take a week in the sun. Until an hour after they’d broken up, when a giant mother-effing cloud
dumped on her and AW Advertising had lost its biggest account.
She’d done everything for one of the largest farms in California, from a national OJ campaign to a
statewide billboard spread for its avocados along every highway. Her entire company operated on
the profits from the farm mob.
And now it was gone. In less than thirty seconds she’d gone from having a successful yet modest
advertising agency to being on the skids.
Which meant she needed to secure a new mega-client. A client like Kaluna Resorts, currently
seeking a new ad campaign, and her sole reason for heading to Palm Bay.
Kai Kaluna was legendary in the hotelier business. He bought small, secluded islands and turned
them into six-star luxury resorts for those lucky enough to afford it. Lush hotels and villas frequented
by rock stars, movie stars, and supermodels who wanted to be pampered in complete privacy. She’d
seen full-page ads for his resorts in glossy travel magazines, had admired his concepts, and envied
the ad agency responsible for boosting his profile.
AW Advertising had to be that agency. He’d won awards across the globe for his stunning, eco-
friendly resorts, and running an advertising campaign for him would be worth millions. Millions she
now needed for her business to survive.
If she landed Kaluna, along with several new clients she’d pitched for two weeks ago, her agency
would be okay. The smaller clients would provide a much-needed cash injection but it was Kaluna
she had to land.
Allegra perched on a barstool, ordered a gin and tonic for her, a beer for the hottie, and wondered
what the hell she was doing.
Bad enough her reluctant groom had ditched her and business had taken a massive turn for the
worse. But now she’d agreed to have a drink with a stranger, something she never did.
Allegra didn’t trust many people. She especially didn’t trust a slick charmer with bad boy tattooed
all over his broad chest. He even wore the requisite bad-boy outfit: thigh-hugging black denim, chest-
skimming ebony T-shirt, and cowboy boots.
Though in all fairness it wasn’t his fault she had a thing for Alex O’Loughlin and the hottie
happened to bear a striking resemblance to the über-sexy Australian actor.
That mussed brown hair, unusual green eyes, and day-old stubble did it for her in a big way. Along
with the lean, hard bod, the ripped abs, the firm ass…she squirmed. Throw in the easy-on-the-ears
Aussie drawl, and how could she say no?
Besides, this was only one drink before she boarded a plane for a week of stress-filled strategizing
to nail the pitch of her life.
Plan A, where she married Hollywood producer Flint Dunbar, gained notoriety for her advertising
agency, and marketed some of the biggest films in Tinseltown? Gone.
While she lamented the loss of a professional boost, she was secretly relieved that Flint had called
off their wedding. Theirs had been a business merger rather than a great love affair. Hell, she’d
known Flint for most of her life, given that her socialite parents moved in influential LA circles and
Flint was her dad’s best friend. When Flint hinted at needing a wife to boost his profile and cement
his position in Hollywood, Allegra had done what she did best. Help.
She’d been a helper her whole life, from tutoring fellow students lagging behind in class to tending
wounded birds. From saving tables for the nerds in the cafeteria at high school to filling in at the
college newspaper despite hating it. No great surprise why she did it, having no support from her
parents whatsoever growing up and having to fend for herself. She valued her independence but
seemed determined not to see others feel the same abandonment she had.
In the end, it looked like Flint hadn’t wanted her help. And she’d been glad. She’d loved him in her
own way, the kind of love for a good, reliable friend who would never let her down. They’d had a
nice relationship, comfortable.
Which is why she’d agreed to a drink with the cocky, pushy Aussie.
She liked how he’d flirted: confident and teasing, with a killer sense of humor. She admired his
boldness. It made her wish she could be more like him, and for the first time in a long time she’d felt
something…a spark of attraction, a buzz in her belly, a twinge lower. Damn, it felt good.
She rarely dated before Flint, had spent all her time building up AW Advertising from scratch
before their three-year relationship began. Which meant she was thirty and hadn’t mastered the art of
flirting, let alone felt that buzz too often.
The Aussie made her want to experience both.
The waiter deposited their drinks in front of her and she paid, wondering if she should drink fast
and make a run for it. All these thoughts of flirting and buzzing were a frivolous waste of time,
considering she wouldn’t see the hottie again after they had a drink together.
The sound of soft female laughter farther along the bar drew her attention, as she watched a sultry
brunette place her hand on a guy’s thigh, lean in closer, and whisper something in his ear. Not
surprisingly, the guy slid an arm around her waist, hugged her close, and planted a hot, openmouthed
kiss on her crimson-glossed lips.
A stab of jealousy speared Allegra as she turned away. She’d love to be that confident in her
sexuality, that empowered to make a move and not analyze it to death.
“I’m officially nuts,” she muttered under her breath, absentmindedly stirring her G&T with a straw.
Where did she think this could go? Fifteen minutes of flirtation before they went their separate ways?
Yep, definitely nuts.
“Hope you’re practicing to whisper sweet nothings in my ear,” he said, his warm breath fanning the
tender skin beneath her earlobe and sending an unexpected shiver of longing through her.
Disconcerted by her physical reaction to him, especially since didn’t know his name yet, she tilted
her chin. “I don’t whisper in the ears of strangers,” she said, her abruptness making him chuckle.
“Is that your subtle way of asking my name?” He held out his hand. “Jett Halcott. Sydney-sider and
proud of it.”
“Allegra Wilks.” She placed her hand in his and as his warm fingers curled over hers, another zing
of electricity zapped her in places that were in serious need of zapping.
“I know.” He held her hand a fraction too long—not that she was complaining.
“Know what?”
“Your name.” He released her hand. “Saw it on your case.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t use it to your advantage.”
“Didn’t need to.” He picked up his beer off the bar and raised it in her direction. “You’re here,
aren’t you?”
She chuckled, unable to resist his teasing. There was something infinitely attractive about sharing a
drink with a transient stranger, something exciting with a hint of daring. Far removed from her usual
life.
“You should do that more often,” he said, reaching out to trace her bottom lip with his fingertip.
“You’re beautiful, but when you smile? Wow.”
Uncomfortable with his overt compliments, Allegra sat there and let a guy she’d just met touch her
lips with a slow, sensual caress. His fingertip traced her bottom lip in a butterfly-soft sweep that left
her breathless.
Their eyes locked as he lowered his hand, and what she saw made her wish she could ditch Palm
Bay and travel to Australia.
Blatant lust. Strong. Sexy. Seductive. His eyes deepened to an incredible green that matched a
favorite jade pendant she wore often. He wanted her, and in this crazy moment, the feeling was
entirely mutual.
He raised his beer to his lips and took a long swig, his heat-filled stare never leaving hers.
Damn, she had no idea what to do in this situation. Make a joke to diffuse the tension?
Acknowledge it? Flirt?
She hated feeling out of control, had instigated steps her entire life to avoid it. Yet in a loaded thirty
seconds, Jett had made her damp with just one look and made her flounder.
“Is the blatant charm an Aussie thing or is it just you?”
Thankfully, he blinked, and broke the scorching stare that made her want to grab a napkin off the
bar and fan herself. “It’s me.” He leaned in close. “Time you fessed up.”
Yikes. Was her reaction to him that easy to read?
“To what?”
His lips almost brushed her ear. “You’re battling an incredible urge to drag me into the nearest
janitor’s closet and ravish me.”
She laughed at his outrageousness. “Sorry. I don’t do sex in cleaning closets. Too many hazardous
chemicals.”
“Yeah, those pheromones can be killer.”
She loved his quick wit and for the second time in as many minutes, wished she’d met him at a
different place, different time.
“Pity.” He reverted to a smoldering stare that had her wishing she’d ordered a vodka shot chaser.
“Sex in confined spaces can be fun.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Heat crept into her cheeks and she signaled the waiter for a glass of
water. To douse herself with.
“Not the answer I was hoping for,” he said, shifting his barstool closer so their thighs brushed.
“Would’ve been better if you’d said, ‘Sounds good, Jett, let’s go try.’”
She cleared her throat and gratefully accepted the water from the waiter, drinking it all and wishing
she could run the cool beaded exterior across her forehead. “How did we get onto this crazy topic?”
“Started with you wanting to ravish me.” He clinked his beer bottle to her empty glass. “Seriously.
There’s no need to hold back. I can take whatever you want to dish out.”
Oh, boy.
She could blame her lightheadedness on the alcohol, but she’d be lying.
Thankfully, he reined in his overpowering masculinity to drain his beer, giving her an unimpeded
view of his throat and the tanned skin there. Her fingers itched with the urge to touch…
“Hate to cut this short but…” He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “I have a plane to catch.”
Ridiculous regret tempered her uncharacteristic yearning to spend five more minutes in his
company. “Me, too.”
“Shame, really.” He held out his hand to help her off the barstool, and while she didn’t need it, she
took it anyway. “We could’ve had some fun together.”
For the first time in her life, Allegra couldn’t agree more.
Maybe it was the shock of having her groom dump her hours before the wedding, maybe it was
years of rigid self-control, maybe it was the simple fact that she’d never experienced the gut-twisting
attraction buzzing between her and Jett, but what she was feeling now?
Reckless and impulsive and crazy. Crazy enough to kiss a stranger good-bye.
She stared at his mouth, imagined what it would feel like on hers.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I like it,” he said, tugging on her hand and pulling her in close.
“This is insane,” she said, a second before she kissed him, snatching her hand out of his so she
could slide her arms around his waist and grope his butt.
Oh wow…firm…sexy…ass… were the only things that registered as he deepened the kiss, angling
her head, his tongue sweeping into her mouth with commanding precision.
She made an embarrassing needy sound in her throat, partway between a gasp and a moan, and he
drew her to him, the heat from his body making her meld to him.
The dampness he’d elicited earlier with a look turned into so much more when his hard-on pressed
against her. To her utter shock, she was on the verge of coming.
With Flint it had taken a good ten minutes of foreplay for her to feel remotely turned on, and even
then it wasn’t a guarantee of an orgasm.
How could this stranger have her desperate to rub against him in the hope of getting off?
Hoots and a wolf whistle filtered through her lust-filled haze and brought her back to reality. She
wrenched her mouth from his, pressed her palms against his chest—whoa, nice pecs—and pushed.
He didn’t budge.
“Ignore them, they’re just jealous,” he said, his voice husky as he stared at her lips. “You pack a
helluva bon voyage kiss.”
Heat surged to her cheeks, and this time when she pushed against his chest he released her.
She didn’t want to discuss the kiss or acknowledge how she yearned to ditch Palm Bay and follow
him Down Under.
Damn. Bad analogy, considering she still buzzed down there in a big way.
His lips quirked into a wicked smile that made her think of long, hot, sultry nights spent naked and
sweaty and entwined. “I’m guessing you don’t do long-distance?”
She stared at him in disbelief. “One kiss and you want a relationship?”
“Babe, you misunderstood.” He trailed a fingertip along her jaw, lingering just below her mouth,
where her lips still tingled. “Long-distance means phone sex.”
This time, the heat from her cheeks seeped southward. She’d never done phone sex, yet there was
something about Jett that made her want to try.
She could imagine listening to that lazy Aussie drawl murmuring dirty words, telling her how to
touch herself while he jerked off…
Damn. Not helping.
“How about it?” He leaned in close to murmur in her ear. “Wouldn’t you like to get hot and
bothered without an audience next time?”
What she’d like is to get extremely hot and bothered, but with him present, not on the end of some
stupid phone. Considering they’d never see each other again, she summoned the bravado to tell him.
“What I’d really like…” She slid her hand around the back of his neck and lowered his head so her
lips grazed his ear. “You and me. Naked. Having hot and sweaty, unforgettable, wild, climb-the-
walls sex.”
“Fuck,” he said, turning his head a fraction to claim her lips again.
With her body straining toward him and her panties so damp she’d have to change into one of those
mortifyingly skimpy things Zoe had packed, she put every ounce of yearning into the kiss. Not
surprised at her sigh of disappointment when they eased apart.
“I have to go,” she said, grabbing her suitcase handle and making a run for it before she changed
her mind.
As she strode away on wobbly legs without looking back, she wanted him to come after her. She
wanted him to take her up on the brazen offer she’d thrown out, knowing full well he couldn’t.
She wanted him. Period.
But he didn’t come after her and she didn’t look back. And for one, insane moment she thought her
wishful imagination had conjured up a murmured “see you soon” from the guy who’d made her lose
control for the first time in forever.
…
Jett hadn’t played fair. Screw it.
Life wasn’t fair. He’d learned that the hard way.
Allegra would learn the truth soon enough. Besides, he wanted to see her priceless expression
when he sauntered into that first-class cabin and sat next to her.
It had taken some quick finagling and a hefty sum to upgrade from business to first, but if Allegra’s
departing comment was anything to go by, it’d be worth it.
He’d never met anyone like her. Fire and ice. Passion and aloofness. Hot and cold.
He planned on unleashing that heat. Soon.
For a guy who’d done the rounds and dated his fair share of women, he’d never had mile-high
action. Guys in the surf crowd had boasted about it back in Bondi but he often wondered how much of
their big talk was fact or fiction.
Guys spun shit the way girls liked to shop. Natural as breathing.
But the thought of having sex with Allegra on a plane had him harder than a horny teen, if that were
possible. As for the unexpected bonus of having her travel to his all-important destination… While
nailing the business deal on Palm Bay was imperative, he could definitely do with a little R & R of
the sizzling variety.
Her spontaneous kiss had been unexpected and her bold declaration had cemented what he’d
suspected. The chemistry they had going on would equate to sensational sex.
Which they would definitely have. If she didn’t throw him out the emergency door without a
parachute when she learned he’d withheld the pertinent information of his destination.
He knew how this would go: she’d be angry and would freeze him out for a while. But he’d faced
bigger challenges, and after the way she’d almost combusted in his arms…
Oh yeah, this flight to Palm Bay would far exceed expectations and take the edge off the relentless
disappointment that had dogged him since he’d learned the truth about his best mate and business
partner.
If Jett hadn’t made a few wise investments away from their business, he’d now be broke. Without a
cent to claw his way back. And clawing his way back was exactly what he intended on doing, starting
with landing the lucrative Kaluna Resorts campaign.
He’d almost lost everything when Reeve had fleeced their company. Lost his dignity, his cash, and
his reputation in an industry where he’d been on top for years. Landing Kai Kaluna would go a long
way to restoring his professional name. And prove to everyone, including his dad, that no one or
nothing could stop him.
He shouldn’t have splurged on upgrading his airline ticket—who knew how much of his personal
cash stash he’d need to use to fund his new advertising company?—but he’d had enough shitty luck
lately to last a lifetime, and the prospect of a little recreation of the horizontal kind with Allegra
called for drastic measures.
Worth every cent to be holed up with her in a private first-class compartment with the airline’s
specialty romance package thrown in. It was also guaranteed to change his luck.
He gave Allegra a good five minutes’ head start, and waited until she’d boarded before following
at a sedate pace. As he handed over his boarding pass, walked along the air-bridge, and smiled at the
flight attendant welcoming him aboard, he wished he’d had time to make a stop at the pharmacy.
That one condom in his wallet wouldn’t be nearly enough for an eight-hour flight and what he
wanted to do with Allegra.
…
Allegra relaxed into the butter-soft cream leather of her first-class seat and sighed. She often traveled
business class for work, but the compartment Flint had booked on this commercial flight made that
look like coach on a budget airline.
She loved the wide armchair, with enough legroom to stretch, wiggle her toes, and hit nothing. And
a flat-screen TV promised a host of nonstop, top-notch entertainment for the flight. But the best feature
was a sliding door, ensuring privacy from the rest of the privileged passengers.
The only thing she didn’t like was the matching empty seat beside her.
She’d heard about these first-class compartments on the latest whiz-bang planes. Privacy assured,
with seats that converted into a queen-size bed. No surprise that Flint had booked it for their
honeymoon. It fit with his high profile: everything done with practiced extravagance.
A sliver of sorrow pierced her pragmatism as she wondered what it would be like to share this
intimate space with someone important. She’d thought that person would be Flint, but it wasn’t to be.
Guess she should be grateful he hadn’t canceled the seat before the devastating call from her farm
client had come through and she’d had to utilize it anyway.
“Champagne, madam?”
Allegra smiled her thanks at the flight attendant as she accepted a flute. “Yes, please.”
She needed a drink. Fast. Needed something to take the edge off. Sadly, as she sipped the expensive
champagne and the bubbles tickled her throat, she knew an alcohol injection wouldn’t ease what was
bugging her.
Damn that cocky Aussie.
Even now, fifteen minutes since she’d walked away from him and boarded the plane, she couldn’t
forget the buzz. The way he’d teased her. Held her. Kissed her. Damn, she wanted more. With a
ferocity that defied logic.
Sex with Flint had been nice. Yet in less than five minutes at that bar, Jett had made her want to rip
her clothes off, shove him against the nearest wall, and clamber all over him.
Which made her wonder. Had she sold herself short in accepting a lackluster sex life in exchange
for a stable relationship with infinite business possibilities? At the time she’d thought it had been
sensible to marry for friendship and work. Had pretended Flint’s staid, bordering-on-repressed antics
in the bedroom didn’t bother her. Lights out, missionary position, once a week like clockwork, had
seemed a small price to pay for a Hollywood marriage made in heaven.
But that kiss with Jett had proved she’d been delusional, her tingling skin from rubbing against
Jett’s deliciously hard body taunting her to admit the truth: that putting her business first may be
financially and professionally rewarding, but it made for a lousy bedfellow.
What she wouldn’t have given to have half an hour in bed with Jett…
Maybe she should’ve given him her number for a little of that phone sex action he’d mentioned after
all?
She downed the rest of her champagne in three gulps at the thought.
This crazy, out-of-control feeling had to be a result of stress, and as she glanced at the empty first-
class seat in the exclusive cabin Flint had booked, guilt pierced her faint alcohol buzz.
She should be more upset their wedding had been called off. She shouldn’t be lusting after a
stranger she’d had a chance encounter with. Yet here she was, not particularly heartbroken that her
ex-fiancé wasn’t accompanying her to the luxurious Palm Bay, and still unable to get Jett out of her
head.
Had her priorities been so screwed up that even at this point, she was more concerned about
scoring an opportunity to present her pitch to Kai Kaluna than what her friends and family would think
about her aborted wedding?
Flint had said he’d take care of everything. And he had, issuing a press release to all the major
Hollywood gossip mags this morning, accompanied by a trumped-up photo of him and a voluptuous
brunette cozying up at a recent film premiere. Along with a brief statement that his engagement to
prominent, successful advertising guru Allegra Wilks was over.
The paparazzi had gone wild.
“Hollywood Heartbreak” and “Producer on the Prowl” had been some of the tamer headlines. Flint
had laughed over the wildly inaccurate speculation in the press when they’d chatted on the phone and
she’d berated him for deliberately taking the fall.
It shouldn’t have surprised her. Flint was old-school Hollywood, a gentleman through and through.
The only people who knew the truth were her parents. No way would she be responsible for their
long-standing friendship suffering, so she’d sat down with them and Flint an hour after he’d called off
the wedding and explained.
Daphne and Ross Wilks, Beverly Hills royalty, hadn’t been impressed. Yet they’d cheered up
pretty damn quick when they heard Flint would foot the exorbitant cancellation fees and take care of
everything else.
Not once did her parents ask how she was feeling. Not once did her mom commiserate or offer
chocolate or a hug. Not once did they ask if she needed anything.
When was the last time they acknowledged her anyway? At birth? When she was a five-year-old
being shipped off to boarding school? When they air-kissed her at graduation before leaving
immediately after the ceremony to attend some gallery opening? Not surprising she overcompensated
by offering assistance to everyone, whether they needed it or not.
She’d accepted their narcissistic parenting a long time ago, had learned to don a nonchalant mask
as if nothing they did or said bothered her. But it did, and her blasé attitude soon spilled into all areas
of her life. She’d heard what employees said about her behind her back: detached, cool, Ice Queen.
She didn’t care. Being a boss—and a damn generous one at that—demanded that she maintain a
distance from her workers. Made for better production, rather than being buddy-buddy, knowing their
firstborn’s name or which basketball team they supported.
Oddly enough, it was the descriptions of her in the media during her engagement that bothered her
most: indifferent, dispassionate, apathetic.
They’d made her sound cold and heartless, criticizing everything from her clothes to her hair, when
all she’d ever done was try to appear elegant and cool in public because of Flint’s high profile. Flint
had insisted it was par for the course, that everyone in the Hollywood limelight copped it. She’d
accepted it, but she hadn’t liked it. Liked less the fact that there was an element of truth in the crap
they printed.
She did feel cold inside. Untouchable. Like no one could broach the brittle veneer she’d
constructed to protect herself a long time ago.
Yet in fifteen minutes, Jett Halcott, with a wicked twinkle in his eyes and a decadent smile, had
warmed her in a way she’d never thought possible.
“Is this seat available?”
The champagne flute slipped from her fingers and fell to the carpet as she stared in disbelief at the
guy she’d been fantasizing about.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He sat and grinned at her like it was the most natural thing in the world for
him to be here. “Miss me?”
Wishing she hadn’t had the champagne to cloud her brain, she shook her head and immediately
regretted it when everything in her orbit spun. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“And you didn’t answer mine.” His forearm brushed hers on the armrest and she jumped. “I guess
you just did.”
“I’d have to care to miss you,” she said, tilting her nose a fraction in the air, spoiling her act when
his fingers deliberately grazed her wrist and she sighed.
“You care,” he said, tracing a circle over her pulse point and sending a shudder of longing through
her. “I intend to prove how much by the end of this flight.”
She snatched her hand away and tried to drag up some righteous indignation. “You knew you were
on this flight and you didn’t tell me?”
He shrugged, infuriatingly smug. “What’s there to tell? We shared a drink at the bar, now we’ll
share…a few more here.”
His deliberate pause led her to believe he wanted to share a lot more besides drinks. Oh no…that’s
the moment she remembered the very last thing she’d said to him. A feisty challenge thrown out in the
heat of the moment to a stranger she’d never see again.
You and me. Naked. Having hot and sweaty, unforgettable, wild, climb-the-walls sex.
By the lascivious gleam in his green-eyed gaze, she wasn’t the only one who remembered.
She was so busted.
“We’ll be taking off soon.” She gestured at the other first-class compartments. “Shouldn’t you get
back to your seat?”
She knew his response before he spoke, as his lips curved into a taunting smirk.
“This is my seat.”
Eight hours in a private compartment with him?
Allegra didn’t know whether to punch him for orchestrating this, or jump him.
“Your seat shouldn’t have been available.” She glared at him through narrowed eyes, reverting to
type, not wanting him to see how seriously rattled she was by his appearance. And the fact that these
seats could convert to a big bed when the lights turned down. “How did you do it?”
He smirked. “You know that thing you have for my accent? Maybe the check-in girls weren’t so
immune to it, either.”
She snorted. “Insufferable and cocky. Could there be a worse combination?”
“Vegemite and pavlova.”
She bit back the urge to laugh at his humor. “What?”
“You have heard of Vegemite and pav, right? Aussie icon foods?”
She had, but he was having so much fun in his righteous smugness she’d let him run with it. “Why
don’t you enlighten me?”
“Heathen,” he said, his teasing smile doing weird things to her pulse. “Imagine a black, salty yeast
paste. That’s Vegemite.”
She screwed up her nose, when in fact she’d tried it at a post-Oscars party once and loved it.
“And pavlova is a meringue-based, cream-filled dessert topped with fresh fruit or chocolate
crumbs.”
Yum. “Your point?”
“You asked about bad combinations, I just gave you one.” He winked. “Pity. I thought you were
more than just a pretty face.”
She would’ve puffed up in outrage, considering that he’d implied she was stupid, if she hadn’t seen
the amusement deepening his eyes to moss, and a hint of something more. Uncertainty.
For all his bluster, the Aussie hadn’t been sure of his reception. Had maybe expected her to be
pissed off he hadn’t told her his destination when they’d had a drink earlier.
And damn, if that glimmer of doubt didn’t make her like him all the more.
“Don’t be obtuse,” she said, with a toss of her hair, enjoying the instant flare of heat in his eyes as a
few strands brushed his arm.
“Don’t use big words,” he said, snagging the strands, rubbing them between his fingers, before
winding them around his index finger and tugging gently.
Her scalp prickled at the delicious sensation as she clamped down on the urge to grab his hand and
shove a whole fistful of her hair into it.
“Must add deprecating to your many talents,” she said, her dry response garnering another gentle
tug as he wound her hair tighter.
“You have no idea how talented I really am.” With one more wind his hand reached her head, his
fingertips gliding along her scalp in a slow caress that made her melt in a puddle of longing.
She should rebuke him, should set the record straight about that flyaway sex remark before she’d
boarded. But she couldn’t think, not with his fingers delving through her hair. How could a simple
scalp massage be so damn erotic?
Her eyelids fluttered shut and her head lolled back as she savored the incredible sensation of
having a guy who wasn’t her hairdresser play with her hair.
“Excuse me, we’re taking off shortly.” The flight attendant cleared her throat. “Can I have your
empty glass, please?”
Allegra’s eyelids snapped open to find the flight attendant regarding her with open envy as Jett
brushed his knuckles against her cheek before straightening.
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Allegra handed over the glass, not surprised her hand trembled. “Thanks.”
“I’m sure you’ll both have a pleasant flight,” the flight attendant said, beaming before she moved on
to the next compartment.
“I’m sure we will, too.” Jett’s heated gaze locked on hers, daring her to disagree.
Allegra couldn’t. Not when her scalp still tingled and her body was burning up from the inside out.
Eight hours on a plane, in a private compartment, with a sexy Aussie.
Nope, she wouldn’t dare disagree.
Chapter Two
Jett paced the first-class bar area, wondering what was it about Allegra that brought out his inner
smart-ass in a big way. Whenever he opened his mouth around her, he let fly with a quip or a barb
designed to make her react.
If he analyzed it fully, it probably had something to do with that ice-cool gaze of hers turning to
blue fire before she lobbed a return zinger his way.
Major turn-on.
Which is why he’d spent the first fifteen minutes of this flight downing a whiskey at the bar and
walking around, trying to tamp down the urge to make that mile-high fantasy come true.
No way would he have his first encounter with a woman like Allegra in a plane’s restroom. Uh-uh.
If he had one frigging condom he was going to make it count, and that meant waiting another ninety
minutes until they served supper and then made up the beds for the rest of the night flight.
He’d made an educated guess that her ex would’ve booked a private compartment for their
honeymoon and it had paid off. Once he’d appealed to the airline’s booking staff’s softer side, not
only had he secured the seat next to Allegra but had organized a romantic package, too. A package
designed to seduce and ensure they joined the mile-high club in style.
Rose petals and chilled champagne weren’t his usual style, but Allegra deserved it. The way she
strutted ensured she had an invisible C for classy tattooed on her forehead, and he wanted to do this
right. Especially considering that she should’ve been on this flight with her husband.
What kind of a schmuck ditched a woman like Allegra? Sure, he could surmise she may be wound a
little tight, but she was stunning, intelligent, and witty.
Unless that coolness extended to the bedroom—he dismissed the thought in a second. The way
she’d kissed him. The sounds she’d made. What she’d said to him. Nah, a woman that confident in her
sexuality, who blurted out that she wanted hot sex with a stranger, would be a firecracker between the
sheets.
Something he had every intention of seeing for himself.
“We have to stop meeting in bars like this.” Allegra’s hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment
before she stepped around him and ordered a sparkling water with lemon. “I’m beginning to think you
have a drinking problem.”
“Don’t believe every Aussie stereotype you hear.” He raised his glass in her direction and downed
the remainder of his whiskey. “Bottoms up.”
She blushed and it made him want to ravish her on the spot.
Leaning in close to place his glass on the bar, he said, “Did anyone ever tell you you have a filthy
mind?”
She stiffened before deliberately stepping away. “You’re the one twisting things, not me.”
He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I wasn’t the one who wanted to have hot, climb-
the-walls sex.”
“Shh, someone might hear you,” she hissed, the pink on her cheeks deepening to crimson.
“Actually, I stand corrected.” He snapped his fingers. “I do want to have hot sex with you, but I
wasn’t the one who said it first.”
“Forget I ever said that.” She picked up her drink, avoided his gaze by staring into it, and jabbed at
the floating lemon wedge with a straw. “Surely you’ve said something in the spur of the moment and
regretted it later?”
“You regret wanting to have sex with me?” He shook his head, mustering a hangdog wounded
expression. “Because I could give you a plethora of glowing recommendations.”
Her lips curved into a devastating smile that illuminated her eyes. “You’ve got a smart mouth.”
“Matches the rest of me.” He lowered his voice and crooked his finger. “You can call me
Einstein.”
She swatted him away as laughter spilled from the mouth he’d like to ravage.
“Look, I’m not usually that forward. The kiss, what I said…” She waved her hand around. Yeah,
like that would erase the scintillating encounter. “It’s not me.”
“Then why did you do it?”
He wanted her to say because she couldn’t help it, because she got caught up in the moment,
because she couldn’t fight the sexual attraction simmering between them.
She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment before straightening, as if coming to a momentous
decision. “Honestly?”
“Works for me.” He preferred honesty any day of the week over subterfuge and cunning and lies,
three things Reeve had been a master at, considering what the scheming bastard had done to their
agency.
She sighed. “There’s something about you that made me ignore the rules of a lifetime.”
Impressed by her candor, he said, “What rules?”
Her gaze met his reluctantly, the depth of her uncertainty surprising him. For a woman who strode
rather than walked, and held her head high, she appeared vulnerable.
“I never, ever lose control.” She sucked in a breath, as if she expected him to laugh. “And that’s
what being around you makes me feel.” She exhaled on a long sigh. “Like I could lose control and
enjoy it.”
In his world, not many people were that blunt, and her honesty made him want her all the more. He
had two options: resort to his usual teasing banter or accept her admission for what it was—a truth
that could make them both go a little crazy.
“Losing control isn’t so bad,” he said, touching her hand, knowing from her sharp intake of breath
that she acknowledged that this attraction between them was potent. “In fact, it can be pretty damn
amazing.”
“Spoken like the voice of experience.” Her response held bite but she didn’t move her hand away.
“So how many women have you picked up at airports and lost control with?”
He screwed up his eyes, pretending to think. “Including today? One.”
Taking a chance, he entwined his fingers with hers. She didn’t disengage. “And from a dumbass
guy’s point of view? It’s pretty damn incredible when a woman voices exactly what she wants.”
He tugged on her hand and pulled her close to murmur in her ear. “Major turn-on to know you want
to fuck me as badly as I want to fuck you.”
An odd little strangled sound escaped her throat and she eased away to look at him.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, the faintest quiver in her voice alerting him to just how out of
her depth she was.
“Say yes.”
Her eyes widened until he could see minute indigo flecks in a sea of pale blue. “Proposing an
island fling is very cliché.”
“Who said anything about waiting ’til we get to the island?”
…
Allegra went through the motions of eating supper but she hadn’t tasted a thing. The grilled Atlantic
salmon salad with garlic-infused lime dressing could’ve been cardboard for how much attention
she’d paid to her meal. And when she barely spooned tiramisu, her favorite dessert, into her mouth,
she knew she was in trouble. Trouble of the irresistible kind.
That’s what Jett was. Irresistible trouble.
“How’s your dessert?” He scooped a huge spoon of double-fudge chocolate mousse, his selection
from the amazing menu, and popped it into his mouth.
That mouth… When it wasn’t zapping speedy one-liners her way, it resurrected memories of how
it had kissed. And reinforced how much she’d like to do it again.
On this plane, if he had any say in it.
She’d been saved from responding to his bold declaration to join the mile-high club by the timely
arrival of the flight attendant ushering them to their seats to serve supper.
He hadn’t said anything further, but his proposal hung in the air between them, outrageous and bold
and tempting. Oh so tempting…
Sex was as controlled as the rest of her life: something pleasant she’d enjoyed but not particularly
earth-shattering. She’d lost her virginity in college—late bloomer—and had two or three short-term
relationships with guys as forgettable as their prowess. Before Flint and their perfunctory bedroom
antics.
So what was it about Jett Halcott that had her so turned on she could barely eat?
“You’re staring at my mouth like you want it for dessert.” He scooped up another spoon of mousse,
turned it upside down, and licked it off with a slow sweep of his tongue.
She almost came.
All too aware of her reaction, he repeated the action, swirling his tongue through the rich chocolate
in a decidedly obscene way that had her thighs clenching together.
“Sooo good,” he said, placing his spoon on the tray, snagging a napkin and dabbing at his mouth.
“You should try it.”
They both knew he wasn’t talking about the mousse.
“Maybe I will,” she choked out, taking giant gulps of water to ease the dryness in her throat.
“Is that a promise?” He winked, his roguish charm as compelling as his sexual magnetism.
“Because I guarantee one hundred percent satisfaction.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said, unable to erase the erotic visual of him licking mousse off the
spoon out of her mind. And imagining him licking her in the same way, like he couldn’t get enough.
“But you want me anyway.”
He laughed when she poked out her tongue at him.
“You’re insufferably overconfident. Cocky. And too full of yourself.” She jabbed a finger in his
direction. “And no more talk of sex.”
He shrugged, the teasing quirk of his lips indicating an incoming zinger. “Agreed. Less talk, more
action.”
She rolled her eyes. “Can’t believe I’m even considering sleeping with you,” she said, picking up
her fork and stabbing at a grape on the mini fruit platter.
“Pardon?” He cupped his ear and leaned toward her. “For a minute there I thought you said you
were considering sleeping with me? Once I romance you in style, you won’t stand a chance.”
She found his smug grin endearing and cute rather than annoyingly condescending. Yep, she was in
trouble. In way over her head with this one.
She made a zipping motion over her mouth. “Shut it.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Okay then, no sex talk. Which leaves the weather or work.”
Neither appealed to her, but anything had to be better than his sexy quips whipping her into a
frenzy.
“Is that why you’re heading to Palm Bay? Work?”
For the first moment since she’d met him, darkness clouded his eyes. “Yeah. Meeting with a resort
owner.”
“You’re in the hotelier business?”
“Something like that.” His sudden interest in the cheese platter next to the fruit spoke volumes. “I
had to sort out a few things in LA for work, and had planned on heading home to Sydney when this
opportunity at Palm Bay came up.”
Wondering what it was about his work that had him so recalcitrant, she continued. “You’re based
in Sydney?”
He nodded. “Born and bred Bondi boy.”
“You surf?”
“Absolutely.” He made a hang-ten sign with his thumb and pinkie extended, the rest of his fingers
curled into his palm. “Best way to blow off steam.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Besides sex—”
His hand flew to his mouth. “Silly me. Not supposed to use the S-word, right?”
“Right.” Though a small part of her kinda liked how he had one thing on the brain. Matched her
thoughts at the moment. “Tell me more about your work.”
Once again, the spark dimmed in his eyes. “I went into business with my best mate from school.
Took Sydney by storm. Built a stellar reputation. Business boomed.”
He still hadn’t told her what he did for work, had danced around her question, and for someone
who had been surprisingly straight shooting since they met, it intrigued her.
“And?”
“And I’m sick of talking about my boring job.” He folded his arms and fixed her with a probing
stare. “Tell me this. Why were you about to marry a guy you’re obviously not heartbroken over
losing?”
Allegra hated discussing her private life with anyone, but she’d put Jett on the spot about his
business; the least she could do was give him a trite answer or two.
“Flint was an old family friend. We had an easygoing relationship.” She shrugged. “Marriage
seemed like a natural step.”
His eyebrows shot heavenward. “Sounds like you’re discussing folding laundry.”
Sadly, “boring” summed up her engagement to Flint, not that she’d tell Jett.
“Was he a dud root?”
Confused, her nose crinkled. “What’s Flint got to do with trees?”
He laughed out loud. “Root is Aussie speak for the S-word. Dud means bad.”
She tried to muster sufficient indignation. “Flint wasn’t bad in bed.”
“Not too good, either, by that bored expression on your face.” He screwed up his face in imitation
and she bit back a grin. “Explains a lot.”
“What does?”
He hesitated, as if weighing his words carefully. That’d be a first.
“Women who’ve been dumped before the big day don’t act like you are.” He tilted his head to one
side, studying her. “They’re not cool and calm and ready for a rebound fling.”
“I’m not—”
“Sure you are, Rebound Girl.”
She wanted to tell him to shut the hell up, but she wasn’t angry at Jett. Not really. Not when he’d
articulated the truth.
She should’ve been more upset when Flint called off the wedding, and the fact that she wasn’t
merely reinforced what she’d known all along. That she was incapable of love.
Simply, she’d never learned how. Certainly not from her parents, who couldn’t wait to shunt her off
to boarding school while continuing the social dervish that was their life in Beverly Hills. And not
from her brief relationships that never lasted.
Thirty years old and she’d never been in love. Allegra didn’t know whether to laugh or wallow in
self-pity.
Love didn’t fit into her life plans. Love made people do crazy things, like get overly emotional and
lose control. Two things she never did and had no intention of ever doing.
“Rebound Girl? Seriously?”
“That’s what you are, isn’t it?” He nudged her with his elbow. “Only interested in me for one
thing.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Go on, admit it. You only want to use me for S-E-X.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “No saying the S-word, remember?”
“Spelling it doesn’t count.”
“You always have an answer for everything, huh?”
Some of his amusement faded as he looked away. “Not always.”
Allegra didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when the flight attendant appeared to
clear their supper. Beneath Jett’s easygoing facade lay a guy with depth, a guy she enjoyed talking to
as much as sparring with.
His insightful assessment of her engagement impressed. Not many guys would read between the
lines and pick up what she hadn’t said.
As for his rebound comment? Maybe she was on the rebound. Not from a broken heart, but from a
lifetime of playing it safe and keeping up appearances.
Rebound Girl. Kinda had a nice ring to it. If only she had the guts to do something about the
rebound part. Back in LA, having a fling to erase her rather dull engagement would’ve been the last
thing on her mind. But here, on a jet thirty thousand feet in the air, in a cozy first-class compartment
with a hot, bronzed Aussie who elicited raunchy thoughts every time he opened his mouth, quickie sex
to clear the slate didn’t seem so ludicrous.
Especially considering the stress she’d be under when the plane landed and she had to score an
appointment to present to Kai Kaluna. She’d come up with a foolproof pitch pronto last night. Rather
than wallowing over her broken engagement, she’d been up all night brainstorming and collating,
determined to win the pitch of a lifetime.
Maybe a little stress relief on the plane would be good for her? Clear her mind so she touched
down focused and determined.
Yeah, like she needed any further justification.
He touched her arm. “We need to vacate our seats while they do a turndown service.”
Crap, she was in so much trouble. If she could barely resist Jett at his teasing, sexy best with the
lights turned on, how would she resist him in their private cabin, in bed, in the dark?
…
Allegra’s parents always insisted on the best, so she’d flown in a fair share of business-class
compartments around the world. But she’d never had a shower on board a plane before, and as she
stepped from the first-class private bathroom, refreshed and comfortable in a PJ combo of cotton
shorts and T-shirt, she wondered how she’d ever go back to business class again.
Thankfully, Zoe had had the foresight to pack sensible changes of clothes along with the frippery.
No way could Allegra have slept alongside Jett wearing a sheer lace teddy. Even in her pale-pink
cotton printed with tiny ice cream cones, she felt underdressed. And decidedly at risk of removing the
few items of clothing she wore should Jett charm her into it.
As if his deep, gravelly voice wasn’t enough, he had the just-out-of-bed tousled hair, the ripped
bod, and those penetrating green eyes that made a girl like her wish she could wear the frivolous
nonsense Zoe had packed and be confident enough to pull it off.
She’d examined some of the items in the bathroom, and had been tempted by a designer white satin
teddy with matching panties… Before stuffing them back in her hand luggage with an exaggerated
huff.
All that sexy stuff wasn’t her. She’d tried spicing up her sex life with lingerie but Flint had seemed
oblivious. They’d almost been rote in the bedroom and she’d often wondered if there was more she
could do. A stupid thought that undermined her confidence, but her thoughts kept drifting to how
lackluster they’d been in bed in comparison with how Jett made her feel within a few hours.
She’d heard the stories at work, women who went to bars with the sole intent of hooking up with a
guy for the night. Women who dated a guy once or twice, slept with him, then moved on to the next.
She’d never understood it, never understood the mentality of women on the prowl.
Until she’d met Jett.
He exuded a raw sexuality so potent she could forget she wasn’t “that kind of girl” and happily
clamber on top of him and ride him all the way to Palm Bay to become that kind of girl.
Thirty years old and she’d never had a one-night stand. Maybe it was time to rectify that?
Dragging in several deep breaths, she grabbed her toiletries and headed back to their cabin.
She could do this. Could sleep next to a devastatingly sexy guy who turned her on with one glance
and not jump him.
Yep, definitely doable.
Until she slid open the door.
What the…
It wasn’t the fact that their beds had been converted into a queen-size bed and covered with fine
linen that shocked her, as much as the rose petals scattered across the sheets and an ice bucket with
chilled champagne, with strawberries and chocolate truffles perched within easy reach.
Damn Jett. Looked like the guy was hell-bent on seducing her and was doing a fine job of it.
“You like?” He appeared behind her, his hand resting lightly on her waist. “I wanted to surprise
you.”
Her initial reaction, to chastise him for being presumptuous, faded in the face of his audible
uncertainty.
“Consider your objective achieved,” she said, stepping into the shrunken cabin now that the seats
had been converted to beds. “Surprised doesn’t come close to how I feel.”
“How do you feel?” He pressed against her from behind, leaving her in little doubt how he felt.
Ready for action.
“Like I’ve stepped into some other girl’s fantasy.” The truth spilled from her lips before she could
censure it and she instantly regretted it when he eased away.
“Discounting your ex, who we’ve already established was a dickhead for letting you go, I can
safely say all your exes must’ve been putzes for not romancing a woman like you in the style which
she deserves.” He slid the door shut, engulfing them in intimacy. “I know this looks like a ploy to
coerce you into sex, but that wasn’t completely my intention.”
She guffawed and he held up his hands in surrender. “What I meant was, when I wrangled this seat
after your blatant declaration at the airport, I wanted to make this special on the off-chance you
wanted to follow through.” He held his arm overhead. “Considering we’re both this tall, I didn’t want
our first mile-high experience to be in a poky restroom.”
Our first…did that mean their first time together, or he hadn’t had sex on a plane before, either?
“Joining the mile-high club has always been a fantasy of mine.” He popped the champagne cork,
filled two crystal flutes, and handed her one. “Must admit, I’ve never met a woman that I’d go to such
lengths as taking her ex-groom’s seat.”
A small fact that endeared him to her further. “Let me guess. You charmed some poor woman into
doing your bidding.”
“The only woman I’m interested in charming to do my bidding right now is you.” He raised his
glass to hers and clinked. “Is it working?”
She sipped at her champagne, smiling behind the flute. “Considering I love champagne, roses,
strawberries, and handmade chocolates, you’re doing okay so far.”
“Just okay?” He drained his champagne and replaced the glass on the tray. “Looks like I’ll have to
lift my game.”
To prove it, he gripped the hem of his T-shirt and peeled it upward, revealing abs that made her
mouth go dry.
She stared in captivated disbelief as the T-shirt rode higher, revealing a broad chest covered in a
smattering of dark hair, every muscle on his torso delineated with mouthwatering precision.
Maybe she should spend more time hanging around Malibu checking out surfers?
After pulling it overhead, he tossed it on the floor. “Enjoying the show?”
“Very much,” she said, unable to control her mouth. With words and otherwise.
Heat flooded her body from head to foot, lingering in several choice places in between, as he
unsnapped the button on his jeans and lowered the zipper.
Slowly.
She held her breath as he pushed the denim down over his hips, revealing…navy cotton boxers.
The fact that she was disappointed he wore underwear pretty much confirmed what would happen
once they hit the bed.
“Tell the truth.” He stood before her in his bare-chested glory, bronze and buff and beautiful
beyond belief. “You wish I was commando.”
“Maybe a little?” She held up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
He winced. “Uh, could you not do that when we’re discussing underwear in the vicinity of my
manhood?”
She laughed, loving how funny he was. Along with gorgeous, intelligent, built, and the rest. “From
the way you’re filling out those boxers, you have nothing to worry about.”
He straightened, hands on hips, a typical macho guy and proud of it. “You noticed, huh?”
“Kinda hard not to.” Her greedy gaze zeroed in on his erection. “Impressive.”
“Sweet-talker.” He edged around the foot of the bed toward her, managing to wedge them both into
the corner of the tiny cabin. “Now that I’ve shown you mine, maybe you can show me yours?”
Oh boy.
The point of no return.
Allegra drank the rest of her champagne and Jett plucked the empty flute out of her hands. Leaving
her free to rest her palms against his chest and savor the hard muscle beneath.
Her gaze rose to meet his as her palms skated across his chest, skimming his pecs, his delts, his
biceps, the fine sheen of perspiration on his skin matching hers.
“You feel so good,” she said, wondering why she’d never taken the time to explore a guy’s body
before.
Maybe because she’d never been interested flashed through her subconscious before she blotted
out her voice of reason. She didn’t want to rationalize or reason tonight. Tonight, she wanted just
what she’d asked for.
Hot, wild, climb-the-walls sex.
“Before we get started, there’s something you should know.” He stilled her hands as she wondered
what he would reveal that would prevent her from getting him naked and into her.
“From what I can see you’re not impotent, so what’s the problem?”
“I only have one condom.” He grimaced as his fingers splayed over her waist. “Which kinda puts a
dent in my grand plans to fuck you senseless.”
Relief filtered through her lust as she gaped at him for his blunt assessment of the situation.
“What? Does me saying ‘fuck’ offend your sensibilities?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond,
sliding his hands around to grasp her butt and haul her flush against him. “Because I’m going to be
saying it a lot.” He ground against her and she moaned. “Fuck, I want to be inside you.”
He slid his fingers beneath her cotton shorts and toyed with the satin thong, tugging it so it rubbed
her clit. “Fuck, I’m going to deliver exactly what you want.”
He cupped her butt and hoisted her up so she had to wrap her legs around him. “Fuck, I want to
make you come so badly I’m aching for it.”
His dirty talk ratcheted up her excitement and she slammed her mouth against his in an unwieldy
clash of teeth and lips. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything but getting naked with Jett and
having him deep inside her.
He lowered her to the bed, his tongue doing wicked things with hers, mimicking what she hoped
he’d be doing inside her shortly.
She writhed beneath him, needing the few remaining clothing barriers between them gone. He read
her mind, tearing his lips from hers and propping himself up over her long enough to grab her T-shirt
and yank it off.
“Fuck,” he said, staring at her breasts with reverence, before ducking his head to capture a nipple
in his mouth.
Her breasts had never been particularly erogenous, but whatever Jett was doing—flicking her
nipple with his tongue, nipping it, sucking it so hard she arched off the bed—he was damn good at it.
When his talented mouth moved across to her other nipple, he palmed the other, tweaking it
between his thumb and forefinger until her head thrashed.
He raised his head to look at her. “You’re so responsive.”
His tone held awe. She knew the feeling.
She didn’t want to tell him it had been a while for her because Flint had been busy with a
blockbuster movie premiere, and she’d been working manic hours to secure an A-list client who
would cement her business in the big league.
In fact, even without the rigors of their respective careers, they’d never had a lot of sex anyway.
The few times her irrepressible desire to help improve any situation had reared and she’d tried to
spice things up it hadn’t worked, so she’d settled for staid. Allegra was a realist and knew there was
a lot more to a relationship than sex. She was hoping that after one night with Jett she wouldn’t have
to reevaluate her opinion.
“That’s because you’re so good at what you do,” she said, cupping his cheek, savoring the rasp of
stubble against her palm.
“I’m guessing you picked up that flattery trick from me.” His adorably bashful lopsided smile made
her want to hug him. “And we haven’t got to the good part yet.”
“We will.” She guided his hands down to her cotton PJ shorts.
He needed little encouragement, sliding them down her legs, leaving his face tantalizingly close to
her mound.
He stared so intently at the scrap of pink satin covering her she half expected it to burn right off.
His fingers skirted her hips, toyed with the thong’s elastic, building the tension to unbearable.
When he continued to stare at her pubic region and tease the skin around it, she wriggled. “Jett?”
“I’m one of those annoying guys who hates ripping the gift wrap off too fast,” he said, then hooked
his fingers into the thong and tore it off with one swift move.
“Oh—” The rest of what she was going to say faded into oblivion as his tongue delved between her
folds and licked, a long, slow sweep that ended at her clit.
She gritted her teeth to prevent an inappropriately loud groan from alerting the entire first-class
compartment that she was on the verge of an earth-shattering orgasm. Jett flicked her clit repeatedly,
alternating between gentle nips and hard, deliberate licks. She grabbed his head and hung on for dear
life.
“Jett…please…,” she said, her muscles tensing with exquisite pleasure bordering on pain. Every
inch of her skin prickled, and with every lick, the sensation intensified.
He glanced up at her and their gazes locked for a prolonged moment before his tongue centered on
her clit and went crazy, licking until her orgasm slammed into her with the force of a meteor.
She saw stars, pinpricks of white in the darkness behind her closed eyelids, as wave after wave of
sheer pleasure crashed over her.
Allegra had no idea when Jett sheathed himself or when he crawled up beside her, the aftershocks
rocking her body all she could focus on. She felt loose and languid and freaking sensational, unable to
move even if she tried.
“Babe?”
“Hmm?” She mumbled, reluctantly prying her eyelids open and rolling onto her side to face him.
“We need to buckle in.” He held up a giant seat belt encompassing the bed, one for each. “Safety
precaution.”
“Like that?” She pointed at his condom-covered erection, studying it for the first time and suitably
impressed. They bred big boys Down Under.
“Minx.” He buckled them into one belt, a very snug fit. Not that she was complaining, when he
hooked her top leg over his hip and nudged her entrance.
“Consider this a prelude to that wild sex you requested at the airport.”
“But—” Her protest, along the lines of “this should be a onetime thing/you need to work on the
island/we’ve both fulfilled a fantasy let’s leave it at that,” died on her lips as he entered her in one
smooth thrust.
He filled her so completely, so fully, that she stared at him in wonder as he moved in and out, the
pleasure starting to build all over again.
“You’re so wet,” he said, watching where their bodies joined. She followed his line of sight and
gasped, the sight of him pumping into her where her legs spread beyond erotic.
“You like to watch too, huh?” He slid his hand down and fingered her clit, the zap of pleasure so
intense she almost came apart.
There was something infinitely hedonistic about watching, and she found it an incredible turn-on.
But Jett wasn’t done with her so easily and with a deft move, he shifted his hips so he thrust higher
and deeper, hitting a sweet spot inside while circling her clit with his finger.
This time, the tension built quicker, spiraling out of control so fast she felt light-headed. Mindless
with the escalating pleasure, she met him thrust for thrust, her hips slapping against his as his finger
picked up tempo along with his thrusts.
“Jett, I’m coming…”
He pumped so hard the buckle on the seat belt popped.
“Fuck—” His mouth crashed onto hers, swallowing her scream of ecstasy and his deep-throated
growl as they came together, his final thrust so high Allegra belatedly wondered if she’d ever walk
again.
Not that she cared. Right now, she didn’t care about much, beyond how she could abduct Jett on the
island and keep him as her sex slave for the week ahead.
Chapter Three
“Thanks for flying with us. We hope you had a pleasant flight.”
Jett grinned at the flight attendant bidding farewell to passengers as they exited the plane eight
hours later. Pleasant wasn’t a word he’d use to describe the flight from LA to Palm Bay. More like
frigging awesome.
“She knows,” Allegra hissed, squeezing his hand a tad tight.
“Knows what?” He ducked down to nibble her earlobe. “Knows that our initiation into the mile-
high club was the best fuck I’ve had in ages, or the fact I went down on you another three times after
that?”
A crimson blush stained her cheeks and he laughed. “Relax. Why do you think the airline offers
those romance packages? They probably see smug, satisfied passengers leaving their flights all the
time.”
Allegra ducked her head, using her hair to shield her face, but not before he’d seen the smug
satisfaction he’d predicted for those lucky first-class passengers in the private cabins.
Pity Reeve had blown all their company money. He could get used to traveling in style. If he didn’t
land the lucrative advertising gig for the island’s luxury resort chain around the world and had to use
his savings to start a new company from scratch without a business partner…well, he’d barely be
able afford coach class.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he said, stopping where the tarmac met the terminus to allow a stunning
local girl to place frangipani leis around their necks.
He smiled his gratitude as Allegra said, “Thanks,” waiting until they entered the terminal to
respond.
She stopped and slid her hand out of his, using it to tuck windblown strands behind her ear. “I’m a
little nervous.”
“Why?”
Her nose crinkled adorably. “Aren’t you feeling the teensiest bit awkward?
“Because we had sensational sex on a plane?” He shook his head. “Sorry, babe. No awkwardness
here. Simply a giant hard-on from talking about it and wanting a repeat the moment we get to the
hotel.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Don’t expect me to sugar-coat anything.” He placed a finger under her chin and gently closed her
mouth. “Not after what we shared up there.”
She shifted her weight from side to side, fiddled with the strap on her handbag, and repeated the
hair-behind-the-ear thing.
Why was she nervous? He’d pegged her to be late twenties, so it wasn’t like she was a virgin or
anything. Why the sudden recalcitrance now?
He held his hands out, palm up, and wiggled his fingers. “Come on, give it to me straight. I’m a big
boy, I can take it.”
Her top teeth snagged her bottom lip—exactly what he’d like to do—before she blurted, “I don’t
know what to do from here.”
“How so?”
“I’ve never had sex on a plane with a virtual stranger before.” She ticked off points on one hand. “I
don’t have much sex, period, so am a tad clueless here.” Another finger bent down. “I have no idea of
morning-after etiquette.” Her pinkie joined the rest. “And lastly, I assumed what happened up there
was a one-night thing, and have no clue whether you want to have a fling while we’re here or just
walk away now or—”
He kissed her, more than a little surprised that every time he did it was like the first: similar to the
time he’d been playing around with an electrical outlet and a hairpin as a kid and received a jolt of
electricity for his troubles.
Now, like the first time at LAX and many times on the plane, a thousand volts of pure lust short-
circuited his brain and headed south.
A few breathless moments later she tore her mouth from his and glared.
He grinned. “Does that answer your questions?”
“No.” She pouted and he wanted to kiss her all over again.
“Fine, you need it spelled out?” He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Yeah, I’m
here for a few days, for work, and it’s pretty damn important. But if you need a sexathon partner, I’m
your guy.”
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she said, which only served to make her laugh harder.
“If you’re insulting my manhood again, it may get performance anxiety.”
“That thing?” Her sultry gaze zeroed in on his cock. “I bow down to it.”
Which of course brought an instant image of her doing exactly that to mind, with her mouth wrapped
around him…
“We’re in public,” he said, his tone barely above a low growl. “And you’re making walking
extremely difficult for me.”
This seemed to set her off again and she practically howled with laughter.
“If you don’t tell me what’s so damn funny right this minute, I promise to spank you so hard I won’t
be the only one unable to walk.”
A flicker of heat darkened her eyes to reflect the perfect robin’s-egg blue sky. He groaned. “Don’t
tell me you’re into that kinky shit.”
She shot him a coy glance from beneath lowered lashes. “You’re not?”
He shook his head. “I prefer pleasure in the bedroom, not pain.”
“Me, too.” She elbowed him. “I was kidding.”
“Phew.” He wiped his brow. “Now are you going to tell me what’s so funny?”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “You mentioned sexathon and that got me thinking about our
rationed condom situation on the plane.”
“What about it?”
She smirked and pointed at her hand luggage. “When I had another shower after our…ah…interlude
in the sky, I noticed Zoe hadn’t just packed lingerie.”
Jett groaned and smacked his head. “Don’t tell me, we could’ve been fucking our way across the
Pacific.”
“Okay then, I won’t tell you.” Her lips curved in a saucy smile that made him ache with wanting
her. “But look on the bright side, we have a whole box to get through now that we’re here.”
“So you’re saying—”
“You and me. Hot island fling. For however long we’ve got.” She held out her hand to shake on it.
“You in?”
“Babe, I’m in all the way.”
He pulled her flush against him to prove it.
…
Allegra had staked a claim poolside and laid her towel and iPad on a banana lounge when her cell
beeped and Zoe’s face appeared on the screen via Skype.
She popped the beach umbrella over the lounger, spread the towel, and sat before answering.
“Hope you’ve got more background info on Kaluna, Zo-Zo. I’m about to do some finessing on my
pitch in the sun.”
Zoe’s wide brown eyes sparkled with mischief. “Working in the sun is good. You’ll get a tan. And
that means you can strip off for some hot, young stud while you’re on the island so it’s not all work
and no play.”
Allegra couldn’t stop the grin spreading across her face.
Zoe yelped. “Oh my God. What’s that look for? You only just arrived. Have you already hooked up
with someone? Good for you—”
“Slow down, you’re giving me a headache.”
“Jet lag or no sleep?” Zoe smirked. “Despite your lack of a groom, tell me the lingerie came in
handy.”
Very handy, considering her inadvertent lingerie trail had led Jett straight to her.
“It served a purpose,” she said, trying to keep a straight face and failing.
“You did get some!” Zoe jabbed a finger at her. “I want to know every last filthy detail.”
“How come you weren’t this interested when I was engaged?”
“Puh-lease.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “Flint-baby might’ve been a nice guy and knew all the right
people but he was a decrepit old fart who probably couldn’t get it up for longer than a minute.”
Shocked into silence, Allegra stared at the screen.
Zoe winced. “Sorry? Did I go too far?” She shrugged. “You know me. Blunt as ever. Anyway,
forget”—she held up her pinkie and let it droop—“and back to the hot stud.”
Allegra couldn’t help it. She laughed, her loud guffaw drawing curious glances from fellow
poolside patrons.
She’d bonded with Zoe the moment the outrageous Texan had strutted into her dorm the final year at
boarding school, toting a cowboy hat, a bottle of tequila, and a porn mag filled with well-hung naked
guys.
Allegra had been bored out of her brain for too long, and rooming with Zoe had injected a much-
needed shot of color into her dull life.
They couldn’t have been more opposite: brash, loud-talking Zoe came from new money when her
Texan daddy struck oil, and quiet, refined Allegra came from old money, Beverly Hills socialites as
far back as her great-grandfather, who’d founded some art deco movie studio.
But Allegra respected Zoe’s brand of blunt honesty, something she rarely came across in the snobby
princesses at boarding school or among her parents’ fake friends.
And Zoe loved teasing her in return. A constant barrage that sometimes resulted in a headache, but
more often than not ended up in them calling out for pizza and sharing the last tub of Ben & Jerry’s.
Having her best friend get the same marketing degree in college had been a bonus, and when
Allegra offered Zoe a partnership to launch an advertising firm in LA, the deal had been sealed.
But not as she’d anticipated. Zoe admired her daddy’s tenacity and how he made his money the
hard way and that’s what she wanted to do, too. She wouldn’t accept equal partnership in the firm but
demanded a job instead—as Allegra’s PA.
After much heated debate, Allegra had finally succumbed, her admiration knowing no bounds for
her friend who could buy the entire 90210 suburb twice over with her family money if she wanted to,
but preferred to do it the hard way.
Allegra had no such compunction. She happily used her trust fund set up by the grandparents, who’d
died when she was a baby, to launch her company. Though she did have something in common with
Zoe’s DIY vision. Allegra’s parents had never been there for her in any capacity, and making AW
Advertising a roaring success was as much about proving she could do anything without them as
earning respect in the industry.
Which meant she had to get her business back on track. No way would she lose it and have her
supercilious parents look down their snooty noses to say “We told you so.”
“You’ve zoned out. Which means you have hooked up with a hottie.” Zoe snapped her fingers. “Let
me guess. You met someone on the plane? Some rich dude in first class who impressed you with his
portfolio.”
“Not even close.” Allegra made a zipping motion over her lips. “Besides, I don’t kiss and tell.”
Zoe squealed. “Gotta admit, girlfriend, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
That made two of them.
What Allegra had done with Jett on that plane defied explanation. She’d had oral sex before but
having Jett go down on her…there were no words to describe it. “Sublime” came close, but even that
was inadequate for how he’d made her feel. Over and over again.
And the sex itself…she’d never been a fan of swearing but hearing his dirty talk had heightened the
experience.
The fact that he’d been well endowed? Big bonus. Huge. Her bikini bottoms dampened at the
thought.
“Deets, please.”
Allegra shook her head. “No details.”
Zoe pouted. “Fine, be like that. Means I won’t tell you what my research on Kaluna dug up.”
“Work is different.”
Zoe clamped her lips shut.
“I’ll fire you.”
Zoe let out a hoot, exactly as Allegra expected. Her BFF couldn’t stay silent for more than two
seconds, and that was being generous.
“You fire me? Yeah, right.” Zoe tapped her bottom lip, pretending to ponder. “Let’s see. That
makes the eight hundred and fifty-seventh time you’ve threatened to fire me, which we both know is
bull on your part, because you couldn’t survive without me.”
“Ego much?”
Zoe smirked. “I can afford to have an ego when I’m good at what I do.”
“Okay, genius, tell me what you discovered.”
“Well, seeing as you asked so nicely…” Zoe crooked her finger at the screen. “It’s not just the
Palm Bay resort we can land if we’re lucky. Kaluna’s entire hotel chain’s advertising is up for
grabs.”
“Wow.” Allegra sat a little straighter. “How many resorts are we talking?”
“Whitsundays in Australia, Greek islands in the Mediterranean, a tiny Italian island off the coast of
Capri, the Caribbean, and Palm Bay.” Zoe counted them off on her fingers, then rubbed her forefinger
and thumb together to indicate big bucks.
“That’s mega.”
If AW Advertising landed Kaluna Resorts, she’d be set for life. She could expand, hire extra staff,
give Zoe a massive bonus and promote her—to partner, and this time she wouldn’t take no for an
answer.
“I know you’re working this week, and it’s vital we score a chance to pitch, but hun?” Zoe waggled
her finger. “Try to squeeze in a little R & R. Or S & R in your case.”
“Dare I ask what the S stands for?”
“Sex, of course. Or stud-muffin. Or—”
“I get the picture, thanks.”
Zoe giggled. “By that smug glow you’ve got going on, you’ve already had sex with a stud-muffin,
even if you won’t tell me about it.” Zoe paused and tilted her head to one side. “You owe me, for
giving up a date with a dildo model to do your research.”
“Dildo model? Seriously?”
“Just doing my duty for all womanhood and checking if the size of the product being sold is
proportional.”
Allegra laughed. “I’m going over my preliminary pitch now, then figuring out how to set up a
meeting with Kai Kaluna. So be a doll and see if you can find out if he already has a short list and
who’s on it.”
The spark in Zoe’s eyes faded. “There’s something else you should know but you’ve been through a
shitty time lately and I’d rather wait ’til you got back—”
“Just tell me already.”
Zoe sucked in a breath, puffed out her cheeks, before blowing it out. “Those other new accounts
you pitched for that we were counting on? We didn’t get them.”
Allegra’s blood ran cold as she clutched the phone so hard her fingers cramped. “What happened?”
“Both companies had asshat advisers who suggested they go with longer-established companies.”
Asshats indeed. After losing her biggest client, she’d been counting on new accounts coming on
board. Without them, AW Advertising wouldn’t just be struggling to stay in business. It’d be on the
verge of bankruptcy.
Shit.
“Which ones?”
Zoe continued. “Does it matter? The fools went with boring establishment rather than new and
innovative. Stupid old boys’ club.”
Allegra knew the type. Stuffy, pompous pricks. Fake, backslapping air-kissers, all of them—the
kind of people her parents hung out with.
“So set up that meeting with Kaluna pronto.” Zoe shifted the phone so Allegra could see the
spreadsheets on the PC in the background. “Because by my calculations, if you don’t land that
campaign, we’re in deep doggy doo.”
That’s when the enormity of the situation detonated.
AW Advertising had been in trouble when she’d made this trip to score an appointment with Kai
Kaluna. Now, her company was beyond trouble. She had to land this deal. It was imperative.
In the next few days, she’d be making the pitch of her life. And losing wasn’t an option.
Damn.
Taking her silence for agreement, Zoe continued. “I’ve spent the last sixty minutes preparing a
portfolio on Kaluna. I could e-mail you the main stuff but it’s probably too short a time frame to
courier the rest.”
In a second, Allegra made the kind of lightning-fast decision that had won her pitches in the past.
“Jump on the next flight out here. Bring everything. Pack my power suit. And yours. Because we’re
doing this as a team.”
Zoe gaped. “But you’re the marketing whiz. You do the presentations—”
“Not anymore.” Allegra brought the phone closer to her face and spoke extra clearly. “You’re just
as much the brains behind this company as I am. You refused a partnership initially. I’m not taking no
for an answer this time.”
“But I don’t want—”
“Irrelevant what you want. AW will go under if we don’t land this account, and you’ve done more
research on it than I have.” Allegra waved her hand high. “My head’s up here at the moment after all
the wedding crap and I need you.”
“This is crazy—”
“No, it’s not. You scored equal top grades with me in that marketing degree at college. Time you
stopped hiding behind whatever is making you refuse to step up to save AW for us both to continue as
CEOs. Got it?”
Allegra had never seen Zoe anything but über-confident, so to see a wobbly smile made her feel a
tad guilty for being tyrannical.
“Do I get a raise?”
Allegra snorted. “Babe, unless we score this account, you’ll be lucky to get enough of a severance
package to buy Thai takeout to commiserate.”
“Okay, I’ll get on it and see you first thing in the morning.”
“And I’ll get up to speed once you e-mail me what you’ve got so far.”
Zoe saluted. “See you then.”
Unable to stave off a nasty foreboding, Allegra wrapped her towel tighter and fired up her iPad,
ready to do some serious work.
Not only did she have to organize a meeting with Kai Kaluna on short notice, she had to fine-tune
her concept. The ideas she’d brainstormed during what should’ve been her wedding night had been
simple: focus on the island’s strengths. Sun, surf, sand. Glamorous models. Perfect families. High-end
clientele.
It had been the best she could come up with on short notice, but with a little fleshing out and
embellishing, she knew she had the flair to land the lucrative campaign.
Winning this campaign wouldn’t be easy; she had no illusions about that. Kai Kaluna would’ve
handpicked a select few agencies to hear pitches from. Which made her quest to land a meeting first,
then a chance to pitch, and win, all the harder.
She’d do it, though. After the latest batch of bad news, she had no choice.
Losing AW Advertising wasn’t an option.
…
Jett had called in a lot of favors to get a meeting with Kai Kaluna.
It was the reason he’d visited LA, to personally call on guys in the hotel business he’d done work
for in the past. Guys only too happy to help him out once they’d learned the extent of Reeve’s deceit
and what that meant for Jett’s business.
In the advertising world, loyalty and dollars were king. If he produced stellar marketing ideas and
the client raked in the big bucks, those clients kept knocking on his door.
Sadly, no one would be knocking on the door of his hip Bondi office any longer. Thanks to Reeve,
the conniving bastard.
There weren’t too many people in this world Jett could rely on. He’d thought Reeve Lingford was
one of them. They’d been best mates at the posh private school they’d attended in Sydney’s inner
suburbs, and had bonded over a love of Aussie-rules football, cricket, pranks, and a mutual disregard
for their overbearing fathers.
Jett’s mom had died when he was a toddler; Reeve’s had divorced his dad and moved to South
America. Resulting in both of them being raised by wealthy, iron-fisted fathers who expected their
sons to be model, upstanding citizens who carried on the family name with honor and decency.
Yeah, his dad actually said that. Not that Jett took much notice of what top Sydney barrister Clive
Halcott said once he’d learned the truth: that as long as Jett did things Clive’s way, he was in the
good books. Otherwise, forget it.
He couldn’t wait to hear what dear old dad had to say about his company’s failure. Or more
precisely, his failure in completely missing the signs of Reeve’s betrayal. His lack of character
judgment would be one of the many faults Clive would undoubtedly highlight.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Halcott.” Kai Kaluna strode into his office, a second-story suite
overlooking the expansive lagoon pool wending its way through the palms. “Conference call went
overtime.”
“No need to apologize.” Jett held out his hand and Kai shook it firmly. “You’re a busy man.”
“Who’s about to get busier if the number of advertising firms battering down my door for a chance
to pitch for the resorts’ campaign increases.” Kai sat behind his glass-topped desk and waved to an
empty seat opposite. “But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Jett nodded. “Your former Palm Bay manager, Duke Abernathy, referred me.” He tapped on his
iPad screen and brought up a presentation. “This is the layout I did for Duke’s Malibu apartment
project and when he heard you were after a new advertising campaign for the resorts, he thought I
should give you a call.”
Jett held his breath as Kai tilted his head, studying the iPad. Duke had come through for him big-
time. Campaigns like this didn’t become available every day, and the fact Kai was ditching his old-
school New York advertising firm in favor of someone new was a massive business opportunity too
big to pass up.
He’d pondered the wisdom of leaving Sydney for LA a week ago, wondering if friends and
colleagues would see it as running away. But he’d had no choice. Jett needed new blood to start
afresh.
Hopefully, he was looking at it, as Kai Kaluna scrutinized the quick mock-ups he’d done.
After what seemed an eternity, but in reality could’ve only been a few minutes, Kai nodded,
pensive. “I value Duke’s opinion, and by the quality of your work, Mr. Halcott, I’m indebted to him
for referring you.”
“Thanks.” Jett mentally punched the air. “Call me Jett.”
Kai stabbed a finger at the electronic diary on his desk. “Jett, I’ll be honest with you. I have two
other advertising agencies flying in tomorrow to pitch. If you can come up with something for me by
Friday, I’ll hear your pitch then and make a final decision by Saturday.”
Some of Jett’s elation at being given a shot deflated. He had three days to come up with the pitch of
a lifetime. Or bust.
If he screwed this up, he could say good-bye to resurrecting his career in this business any time
soon. Kai Kaluna was the big time. Landing him as a client would ensure other clients would follow,
and maybe some of those from the past would consider re-signing, too.
“Not a problem. Friday’s fine for me.”
“Good.” Kai tapped at the keyboard in front of a giant PC screen before turning it to face Jett.
“Let’s stick to an ad campaign for the Palm Bay resort for now, but ultimately, if you’re the man for
the job, you’ll be coordinating advertising for all my resorts across the globe.”
Jett stared at the snapshots of Kai’s various resorts around the world and tried not to salivate. He’d
nail this campaign if it killed him.
“Thanks for the opportunity, sir, I appreciate it.” He stood and shook Kai’s hand again.
“I’m Kai around here.” The older guy, who Jett pegged to be in his midfifties, winced. “‘Sir’
reminds me of my dad, and that’s one memory I’d rather not have.”
Jett resisted the urge to blurt, “Know the feeling.”
“And just so you know, there’ll be an unlimited budget for this ad campaign. High six figures for a
start, but whatever it takes to get Kaluna Resorts on the map, I’m happy to do it.”
Jett nodded and hoped the dollar signs didn’t show in his eyes like those crazy cartoons he watched
as a kid. “I’ll keep that in mind when I come up with a concept.”
Unlimited budget…high six figures… As Jett exited Kai’s office and headed for his room, those
words pinged around his brain.
He had to secure this deal. He had to. Failure wasn’t an option.
First task on the agenda was to check his Google bookmarks, stuff he’d already researched on the
resorts before coming here. Then brainstorm. That free-for-all with pen and paper that had served him
well, when he’d devised major campaigns for a rugby club, a tennis tournament, and a department
store chain.
He’d dealt with big clients before and hadn’t blinked. But as he rounded the eastern corner of the
resort and spied Allegra stretched out on a sun lounge, wearing a tiny crimson string bikini and a dog-
ugly straw hat while studying her iPad, he knew this campaign would be different.
Because he’d never had this kind of distraction before.
She lay down her iPad, wriggled on her towel, adjusted her hat, and rolled over, the slivers of sun
peeping through the palms caressing her pert ass.
His cock immediately hardened.
Yep, Allegra was one serious distraction he couldn’t afford.
Like that would stop him.
Chapter Four
A shadow blocked the sun momentarily and raised a slight chill on Allegra’s skin.
“I hope you’ve applied sunscreen.”
The chill turned into a shiver of delight at the sound of Jett’s deep voice, and she turned onto her
side, propping on an elbow.
“Why? You volunteering?”
“Babe, if it means getting my hands all over you, abso-friggin-lutely.” He squatted next to her sun
lounge and ran his hand over the curve of her butt. “Though I won’t be held responsible if my fingers
accidentally snag the strings holding this thing together and it comes undone.”
Heat zinged her bits at the thought. “Maybe you should offer your services in the privacy of the
honeymoon suite?” She lowered her voice. “It has a private plunge pool.”
His delicious mouth eased into a wicked smile that snatched her breath. “We’re talking about my
sunscreen application services, right?” His palm slid off her butt and onto her thigh, skimming her leg
all the way down to her toes. “Because I’m also available to service you in other ways, plunge or
otherwise…”
She gasped as he leaned down to place a hot, openmouthed kiss in the small of her back.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“Don’t remind me.” He sat on the lounger and rested his hand on her hip like it was the most natural
thing in the world, oblivious to her haywire hormones from his simple touch. “Apparently I have a
few days to come up with a whiz-bang campaign to score the biggest client I’ve ever had, or my
career is down the crapper.”
An uneasy feeling insinuated its way into her hormone haze. “Tell me more about your work.”
“You want to be bored?”
“It interests me.” She wriggled into a sitting position and hugged her knees to her chest, hoping her
intuition was way off. Because the moment he’d said campaign and biggest client ever, Allegra had
an awful sinking feeling she knew who Jett was referring to. And that would make him the enemy.
“Considering we skipped the getting-to-know-each-other thing and jumped straight into bed, I’d like
to hear a bit more about you.”
“You sure?” He dropped a kiss onto her knee and damn if the skin there wasn’t as responsive to his
touch as the rest of her body. “Because I’m going to have limited downtime the next few days and I’d
rather spend it doing more of that jumping into bed than talking business.”
She would, too, but if his big client happened to be Kai Kaluna…damn, they were one major
conflict of interest waiting to happen.
“Trade you.” She held up her hand, fingers spread. “Five minutes of talk for thirty minutes in bed.”
“Who needs a bed?” He nuzzled the tender skin beneath her ear and her head fell back as she
reveled in his constant urge to touch her.
She wanted his hands and mouth all over her, but that wouldn’t foster the information she needed
before they took this thing between them further.
She gently swatted him away. “Start talking, mister.”
He slipped an arm around her waist and held her close. “At the risk of boring you to tears, here’s
the abbreviated version. I’m in advertising. Had a great business in Sydney co-run by my oldest
buddy from high school. He scammed cash, made some foolish investments, lost the lot, and
absconded to some Caribbean hideaway to avoid criminal prosecution and me busting his ass. So in
order to regain respect of clients, not have my career ruined completely, and start a new company
from scratch, I need to win the ad campaign for this island’s resort. It’s the only thing that will save
me.”
Allegra’s earlier unease blossomed into full-blown dread.
Jett was pitching to Kai Kaluna, the same client she had to land to save AW Advertising. The same
client he needed to save his career.
Shit.
“That’s awful, what your best friend did.”
“Tell me about it.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe he screwed me over. Reeve was the
math brain at school so it seemed natural for him to deal with our financials. I checked the
spreadsheets at regular intervals, kept abreast of our business.”
His audible devastation made her want to hug him tight.
“Want to know the pathetic part? I constantly wonder if I was too pumped up on success, that I
missed any inconsistencies.”
Allegra rubbed his back in small circles, comforting. “He sounds like a conniving con man who
thought nothing of robbing his best friend blind. Nothing you could’ve done would stop scum like
that.”
His rueful smile warmed her heart. “The cops said the same. Reeve had spent years siphoning off
funds, doctoring the books, and ensuring he covered his tracks so not even our accountant had a clue.”
He swore. “What pisses me off the most is how we celebrated every new client, toasting our success,
when Reeve must’ve been laughing at my gullibility.”
“He sounds like a real piece of work. And an asshole.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, though in Oz we say arsehole.”
“Sounds cruder somehow.”
“Exactly. Fitting for an arsehole like Reeve.” His smile faded. “So now you know why I have to
win this campaign. My entire career depends on it.”
Fuckity-fuck.
Allegra had no choice but to go all out to win the pitch campaign for Kaluna Resorts. And that
meant beating Jett.
If she won, he lost his career.
If he won, she lost hers.
Talk about a lose-lose situation.
Not to the mention the tiny salient fact that she hadn’t told him what she did for a living, and if she
blurted it now it would look like she’d withheld the truth because she’d been up to no good. He’d
think she’d been spying on him or trying to get inside info or some such thing.
“You have no other options?”
He shook his head. “That’s why I was in LA, putting out feelers among old contacts. One of them
came through for me with an early tip-off about the Kaluna project so here I am. ” He tapped his
temple. “Have a killer concept right here, ready to go. Going for the glamour angle. Hot babes. Cute
kids. Happy families. Aimed at all spectrums of the wealthy market.”
Allegra’s stomach somersaulted and landed with a sickening thud.
Jett had just verbalized her concept in a nutshell.
No freaking way.
Not only were they pitching for the same campaign, they were using the same idea. Disastrous.
Unless…
The guilt at not telling him the truth about why she was on the island niggled at her. What if she
could help him? Not to ease her guilt as much as do something for a guy who’d been nothing but
lovely to her. Something to give him a fighting chance at resurrecting his career.
She could change her pitch.
Come at it from a different angle. Scrap her initial ideas and come up with something completely
new. Leaving Jett with a clear shot at winning the campaign squarely and fairly, without Kai Kaluna
having to make comparisons between two similar campaigns.
She wouldn’t take it easy on him—that wasn’t what this was about. She’d be fighting just as hard to
win but this way, if he ever found out the truth, God forbid, he couldn’t accuse her of stealing his idea
or committing professional sabotage.
Just the thought of him thinking of her that way made her break into a cold sweat.
She wanted to tell him. Had to tell him they were competitors for this campaign. But the expression
on Jett’s face stopped her.
She’d seen him cocky and confident and charming. She’d seen his eyes glazed in passion and fiery
in foreplay. But she hadn’t seen him look so…vulnerable. And that one glimpse of defenselessness
made her reevaluate the wisdom of telling him anything.
Guys didn’t take too kindly to being helped. They saw it as interfering at best, emasculating at
worst. She’d seen it firsthand in the corporate world too many times, her good intentions misread by
guys with massive egos and pea-sized brains.
While Jett seemed more evolved than some of the Neanderthals she’d worked with, how well did
she really know him? She didn’t. She should be thinking professionally now, should be doing her
usual self-talk along the lines of “you owe him nothing, he’ll be out of your life in a few days, this is
business and has nothing to do with your fling.”
Sadly, her voice of reason sounded callous and cold. Because Jett wasn’t a stranger, no matter how
many times she tried to couch it in those terms. She knew his body intimately, from the jagged scar
high on his right thigh from a surfing accident, to the line of freckles shaped like a crooked arrow to
his heart underneath his left armpit.
She could’ve dismissed theirs as a physical bond, if only he hadn’t told her about his partner
fleecing him, his self-doubts, his background…
Yeah, she could lend a helping hand without him knowing and he’d be none the wiser.
If she lost the pitch to him or someone else, he wouldn’t know they’d been rivals and they could
part on friendly terms, maybe even keep in touch. If she won the pitch…well, she’d tell him then,
before they returned to their respective countries. It would be easier having him mad at her with an
ocean between them than on the same island. On the island where they could use each other for
decompressing and de-stressing.
“So basically you need to land this deal or…?”
“I’m finished.” He frowned. “Landing Kaluna will reinstate my reputation in a cutthroat industry
and be a huge incentive for other clients to take a chance on my new company.” He swiped a hand
over his face but it did little to erase the tension. “With the added bonus of proving to my dad I’m not
a lousy waste of space.”
Wow, and she thought she had it bad with her folks.
“Does it help if I say at least he acknowledges you exist?”
He studied her with interest. “So your folks wouldn’t win any Parents of the Year awards either,
huh?”
“My folks are the most narcissistic people on the planet.” Allegra clasped his hand, hoping to
convey how much she understood of his situation. “Beverly Hills socialites who assumed their
positions rather than earning them. Dad serves on the boards of various companies, Mom does the
charity circle. I was a mistake they shipped off to boarding school as soon as I could walk.”
“Ouch.” He squeezed her hand in return. “In my case, boarding school was to teach me discipline,
manners, and a well-rounded education leading into law.”
“Ah…so that’s why your dad’s not keen on advertising.”
He nodded. “That waste-of-space comment was his response the day I opened the agency.”
“Harsh.”
“Yep.”
She glimpsed the depth of his pain before he deliberately blinked, eradicating it, as she wished she
could hold him tight. “What do your folks think of your aborted wedding?”
“They think I’m nuts for not marrying some pompous ass the Third and spending my days shopping
on Rodeo and my nights at movie premieres.”
He searched her face, before continuing. “You almost did have that life. Is that why you were
getting hitched to that old fart?”
“How do you know about Flint—”
“Google.” He managed to look sheepish, apologetic and cute at the same time. “I wanted to see
what kind of an idiot would let a woman like you slip away.”
Secretly thrilled by his comment, she pretended to preen. “And what kind of woman is that?”
“Intelligent. Witty. Beautiful.” His fingertip traced the curve of her cheek. “If I can see that in the
space of twenty-four hours, the guy must be a total dickhead to dump you.”
“It’s not his fault.”
Jett stiffened at her instant defense of Flint.
“Sometimes you tumble into a situation without having the guts to stop it. Momentum keeps it going
and it builds into something monumental and then it’s too late to avoid it.” She scanned his face for
any clue he understood her convoluted explanation, relieved to see a spark of acknowledgement in his
jade eyes. “I actually admire Flint for pulling the pin on our wedding before it was too late, for
acknowledging we were making a mistake.”
“The bastard cheated on you,” he blurted, immediately clamping his lips into a thin, unimpressed
line.
Not many people knew the truth about her breakup with Flint—her folks and Zoe being the
exceptions—yet she found herself wanting to tell Jett. Out of loyalty to Flint for taking the fall?
Maybe. Or perhaps there was something about the way Jet had opened up to her about his dad, his
upbringing, that strengthened their connection.
“Flint didn’t cheat on me.” She shook her head. “Press he orchestrated to take the fall.” Her
fingertips skated across his chest. “And I can’t believe we’re wasting time talking about your job and
my ex when we could be…you know.”
“I don’t know.” His lips eased into a wicked smile. “You’ll have to tell me.”
“Fine.” She cupped her hand to his ear and pressed her lips close, whispering exactly what she’d
like them to be doing right now rather than talking.
Jett managed a terse, “Let’s go,” and she didn’t have to be asked twice.
Time to see if the oxygen deprivation at thirty thousand feet had contributed to her mind-blowing
orgasms with Jett, or if the guy was just as talented with both feet on the ground.
As for the persistent guilt dogging her, she’d need to suck it up. Keeping the truth from Jett
shouldn’t affect what they had. They were consenting adults indulging in a passionate fling. She
desperately wanted to explore the sexual side he’d awakened. It would do her good, having
something pleasurable to focus on while she slaved her ass off devising a killer pitch.
Did she feel a tad heartless? Hell yeah. But Jett was a hot guy she’d known for a few days and AW
Advertising was her life. She’d do anything to save her business. Hell, she’d almost married Flint
because of what that would’ve brought to the table.
She had no choice. Keep her pitch a secret. Win the campaign. And hope she didn’t lose the guy in
the process.
…
“The honeymoon suite?” Jett propped in the doorway and glanced around with a wry twist to the
mouth Allegra wanted on her, all over her, now. “Seriously?”
“It was booked, and Zoe didn’t cancel like I asked her.” Allegra gave him a bump with her hip and
closed the door behind them. “The space will come in handy once we start swinging from the
chandeliers.”
He laughed and tugged her close. “Is that after I go down on you like you asked out by the pool?”
“Yeah, the chandelier-swinging can wait.” She slid a hand around his neck, reveling in her
newfound confidence in her femininity.
She’d been missing out all these years, thinking sex was nice. Sex with Jett wasn’t anything as
bland as nice. Sex with Jett was freaking indescribable.
“So what’s it to be, lovely?” He nibbled along her jawline. “Going down on you first, or taking you
hard and fast up against the wall as you stated so emphatically?”
“I want it all,” she said, swiveling her hips against his to prove it. “I want honeymoon sex without
the ceremony drag.”
He screwed up his nose. “Don’t mention the C-word. I’ll lose my hard-on.”
Her hand insinuated its way between their bodies to cup his erection. “Nope, still hard. You afraid
of commitment?”
“Ceremonies, commitments…definitely hard-on-deflating material.”
She gave him a gentle squeeze and he jumped. “Lucky for you, I’m only interested in F-words this
trip.”
His eyes sparked with mischief. “Like fuck?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of fling and fun, but foreplay and fuck work for me, too.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.” His hands splayed on her butt as he ground against her. “Say fuck
again.”
“Only when you’re doing it,” she said, her breath whooshing out when he backed her up against the
nearest wall.
“This better?” He hoisted her up, slipping a thumb under the elastic of her bikini bottoms and
zeroing in on where she needed him most.
“Uh-hmm…” was all she could manage as he thumbed her clit with finesse, grazing it with the
barest of flicks before increasing the pressure for concentrated pleasure.
Allegra clutched at Jett’s shoulders, her muscles involuntarily tightening, the tremors racking her
body building quickly.
So the altitude had nothing to do with her orgasms, as she peaked so fast her head spun, leaving her
light-headed and hanging on to Jett for dear life as her knees buckled.
“That was the fast bit—now for the hard.” He unzipped, sheathed, and tugged the strings holding
her bikini bottoms together in three deft moves that had her admiring his dexterity. “How’s this?”
He drove into her with a thrust that made her gasp.
“Perfect,” she said, ending on a little moan as he withdrew before plunging into her again.
“Say it.” He stopped moving, his lips teasing her as much as his words as he kissed his way from
her ear to her mouth.
“Fuck, that’s perfect,” she said, a moment before he murmured, “That’s what I like to hear,” before
claiming her mouth in a searing kiss that left her breathless.
He thrust into her again, picking up the pace until his pounding into her body and his lips devouring
hers were all she could feel, all she could concentrate on, as sensations assaulted her from all angles.
Her lips tingled, her uterus convulsed, and her skin burned from the inside out as Jett thrust into her
until she thought she’d break. And she did, shattering on a scream that he swallowed.
Wrenching his mouth from hers, he thrust once more before coming, and muttered “fuck” through
gritted teeth before ending on a guttural groan as his head fell forward to rest on the wall behind her.
Allegra didn’t know how long they stood there like that, her legs clamped around his waist, his
hands supporting her butt, her arms around his neck.
And she didn’t care.
Not only had Jett just proven they were sensational together regardless of location or altitude, he’d
also reinforced what she already knew.
It would be incredibly tough pitching against him when he’d just articulated how damn important
landing the Kaluna campaign was on many levels. She liked this gorgeous, cocky Aussie, genuinely
liked him. She wouldn’t have had sex otherwise. And Allegra didn’t screw people she cared about…
emotionally, that is.
Physically? She had every intention of screwing Jett at every possible convenience.
…
Jett was on a roll.
Maybe he should have mind-blowing sex before a brainstorming session all the time.
Once he’d returned to his room after an unforgettable two hours with Allegra, he’d had a quick
shower, grabbed a pen and notebook, and let the ideas flow.
And flow they did. He linked his fingers and stretched overhead, surveying the results in front of
him. Page after page covered in ideas to convince Kai Kaluna he was the man for the resorts’
advertising gig.
He’d never been so stimulated, the concepts translating from his head to the pen to the paper with
an ease he wished he could replicate all the time.
He could attribute it to the sex being a great tension release before work. But he suspected it had
more to do with whom he was having sex with than the act itself.
For a woman he barely knew, Allegra had managed to get under his skin pretty damn fast. She had a
way of looking at him when he talked, as if she were really interested in what he had to say, that made
a guy feel ten feet tall.
He’d mentally chastised himself the whole time he was blurting the truth to her, wondering if she’d
think he was a lesser man for being gullible with Reeve and not seeing the truth earlier. Not very
masculine. Yet she hadn’t blinked, and had supported his bid to work on the island. Better, she hadn’t
offered trite condolences like many of his old colleagues in LA had.
“We’re real sorry, but there’s nothing we can do to help.”
Interesting, how adversity showed who his true mates were. He’d learned the hard way it was
better not to rely on people because even friends, good friends like Reeve, ultimately let you down.
Jett wouldn’t have thought he had much in common with the Beverly Hills princess, but the fact that
they both had narcissistic parents who’d shipped them off to boarding school went a long way to
explaining their uncharacteristic bond.
Jett had never bonded with any of the flings he’d had in the past. He didn’t feel anything beyond
sexual attraction. Yet he felt closer to Allegra in two days than any other woman he’d ever been with.
So what was it about Allegra, apart from their similar upbringings with shoddy parents, that had
them so in sync?
Whatever it was, he couldn’t afford to waste time getting distracted by mulling. The sooner he
collated these early ideas into some semblance of a kick-ass presentation, the better.
Chapter Five
A weary eight hours later, Jett knocked on Allegra’s door around 11:00 p.m.
She’d said to come by any time tonight when he’d finished, and he’d taken her at her word. With his
head pounding following the amount of work he’d done since leaving her that afternoon, he’d been
tempted to collapse into bed so he could get an early start tomorrow morning.
But the moment he’d thought of bed, he’d thought of Allegra. Sprawled and sated in hers earlier,
hair tousled, lips swollen, flushed from head to foot in an afterglow.
He’d been halfway out the door before he’d remembered to grab a handful of condoms and stuff
them in his pocket.
Not a bad way to end a full-on day, having a luscious woman begging for more. And that’s what he
intended on doing tonight, making Allegra so mad for him they could lose themselves in sex again.
And make him forget the ax grazing the back of his neck if he didn’t land the Kaluna deal.
Allegra opened the door, wearing a mid-thigh, peacock-blue silk kimono and a tremulous smile. It
caught him off guard, her uncertainty.
After what they’d done on the plane then earlier today, along with their disclosures about their
pasts, he’d thought she’d know he wasn’t jerking her around. He’d assumed by opening up to her a tad
she’d know he wasn’t some philandering, sleazy pickup artist who had sex with whichever female
was handy.
So why was she barely able to look him in the eye?
“Come in.” She held the door open and he stepped in, pausing to brush a kiss across her lips.
“Miss me?”
He reverted to type, to the kind of guy he’d been when she met him. Slick and smooth, without a
doubt he could capture the attention of a woman like her.
She’d liked that guy. Looked like she wasn’t so keen on the guy who blurted what a loser he was
for not recognizing the truth before it was too late and having his business and career stuffed because
of it.
“You have no idea how much.” She snuggled into him and he draped an arm across her shoulder.
“Well, some of us have to work,” he joked, confused when she slipped out from under his arm to
fling open the bedroom door so fast it almost slammed the wall. “And looks like some of us are in a
giant hurry to play.”
Her nervous titter confused him further. “I know how busy you are so I guess I don’t want to take up
too much of your time and—”
He silenced her nervous babbling with another kiss, waiting until her surprisingly stiff lips relaxed
under his before his tongue swept into her mouth, staking a claim.
She tasted of chocolate and mint and he smiled against her mouth at the thought of her scoffing the
divine homemade brownie squares left on the pillow as part of turndown service.
“What’s so funny?” She eased away to regard him with suspicion.
“Someone’s been enjoying the brownies.”
“How did you know—” Her hand flew to her lips. “But I brushed my teeth.”
“You taste delicious.” He snagged her hand and kissed each individual knuckle. “I was just teasing.
And imagining you sitting here pining for me, drowning your sorrows in copious amounts of
chocolate, listening to soppy songs or watching some lame chick flick—”
“Someone’s got a very high opinion of himself.” She whacked him playfully on the arm. “No pining
here.”
He slid his hand underneath her robe and touched her. One stroke and she whimpered.
“Sure?” He wet his finger between her folds and dragged it across her clit.
“Maybe just a little…ooh…” She bit down on her bottom lip as he rubbed her clit, teasing her with
the light strokes he knew she liked.
He loved her responsiveness and how ready she was for him. It made the blood pound through his
head, drowning out every single coherent thought, bar being inside her. “Telling the truth wasn’t so
hard now, was it?”
Her fingers dug into his arm, whether to increase the speed or ease off, he had no idea. The tip of
her tongue moistened her bottom lip, drawing his attention to its lush fullness. He imagined her mouth
wrapped around him…and his cock jerked.
He slowed, skirting her clit, occasionally stroking, savoring the luxury of having this sexy woman
so turned on by him. “God, I love how you feel.”
She cupped him in response, her bold move surprising and titillating. “I wanted to pleasure you
first this time,” she said, her eyes wide and shadowed.
“How about we do it together?” He removed his hand from under her robe and heard her soft sigh
of disappointment.
Her shy nod made him wonder exactly how much experience she’d had. Allegra seemed so
worldly, a poised, elegant woman who lived in one of the most exciting cities in the world.
Yet when it came to sex, it seemed like every time he touched her or made a suggestion she blushed
like a virgin.
Strangely, it turned him on even more if that were possible.
She took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom. They passed an open wardrobe and
something bright caught his attention. A vivid crimson box, long and flat, about twice the size of a
pizza delivery, resided on the top shelf with K
INK
K
IT
etched in fancy black scroll along the side.
“What the hell’s that?” He pointed to the box and not surprisingly, Allegra blushed.
“That’s Zoe’s idea of a joke.” She tried to close the wardrobe door but he stopped her by hooking a
finger into her robe’s sash. “She obviously thought if the lingerie didn’t do the trick, the kinky stuff
would.”
Fascinated by how she kept darting subtle glances at the box, he said, “Have you seen what’s
inside?”
She shook her head. “I’ve read enough popular fiction lately to know it probably contains anal
beads, a mini vibrator, handcuffs, blindfold, whip or paddle, stuff like that.”
Jett stared at Allegra in disbelief as she calmly recited a list of stuff he’d doubted a few moments
ago she would’ve heard of.
She shrugged. “Besides, I thought we could save some surprises for later.”
This time his mouth dropped open. “Are you saying if I was open to doing a test run with any of that
stuff you’d be up for it?”
“Honestly?” She stared at the box, as fascinated with it as he was with her. “I think I’m a straight-
up vanilla kind of girl.” She winked. “But never say never.”
“Vanilla’s good.” For now. But the second she’d mentioned the kinky stuff, a vivid image of her
tied up and spread-eagled before him raced into his head. Fuck. All in good time. He ducked his head
to lick the dip between her collarbones. “Vanilla’s tempting and sweet and a little bit naughty.”
Her head fell back, giving him full access to her neck, and he obliged, trailing kisses upward until
he captured her mouth in a long, hot, openmouthed kiss that left them both gasping for air.
“Vanilla has a certain ring to it,” she said, reaching for his zip.
“You bet” was all he could manage in return when she unzipped his shorts and slipped her hand
inside.
He gritted his teeth when she touched his cock, wrapping her fingers around the shaft and sliding
toward the head with a firm stroke.
“Commando, huh?” Her smile was pure devilry as she snapped the button on his shorts, pushed
them over his hips, and watched them fall to the floor.
Not that she was looking at the shorts for long, as her hungry gaze zeroed in on his cock jutting
toward her.
“Didn’t think it was worth getting overdressed.” He tugged on the sash holding her robe together
and it fell open, revealing tempting expanses of skin. “Our duds don’t seem to stay on long when
we’re around each other.”
He pushed the robe off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a puddle of blue silk, leaving her
gloriously naked. “You should never wear clothes. Ever.”
“You’re good for my ego.” She grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and tugged it over his head. “And
you should definitely strut around like this more often.”
“That can be arranged.” He stepped out of his shorts and kicked them aside. “We should make a
rule. While we’re inside, we go naked.”
She screwed up her nose. “I don’t think you want to see all my bits.”
He laughed and slid his arm around her waist, tugging her close. “Babe, I want to see all of you, all
of the time.”
He meant it as a lighthearted joke, but their gazes collided in a surprising moment of seriousness
that scared the shit out of him. Seeing a woman all the time meant a commitment he had no intention of
making in the near future. He had more important things to focus his energies on, like building a new
company. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge in a sultry island fling to take the pressure off…
“Here I am.” She flung her arms wide, the action pushing her tits toward him. “Go for it.”
Jett didn’t have to be asked twice, ducking his head to feast on a nipple, sucking and twirling his
tongue around it until her fingers anchored in his hair bordered on pain.
He fingered her clit again, circling it as she made soft mewling sounds that fired his libido further.
Yeah, like he needed that.
When her panting increased, he stopped, raised his head, and caught sight of something that could
push her vanilla boundaries a tad.
“Turn around and face the mirror.”
Eyes wide and filled with curiosity, she obeyed. Their gazes collided in the mirror, hers
questioning.
He stepped in close behind and took hold of her hand, slowly guiding it around the front. “Touch
yourself,” he said, hearing her gasp of shock as he pressed her hand against her clit before releasing
it.
She hesitated but didn’t lower her hand. “We can see everything.”
“That’s the point, sweetheart.” His tongue darted out to lick her neck before he blew on it.
“Watching is a huge turn-on.”
She shivered, her hand involuntarily jerking and brushing her slickness.
“Oooh…” Her hand moved again, her middle finger circling her clit as she gawked, her intense
expression that of someone who’d never done this before.
It empowered him, knowing he could initiate her into new pleasurable ways.
“That’s so frigging hot,” he said, touching her arm to still her hand. “Now kneel down.” He did the
same, his cock brushing her ass and making her stiffen.
“I’ve got you.” His hands spanned her waist, supporting her. “Spread your legs.”
Jett didn’t know whether it was the heightened awareness of seeing them naked in the mirror, or the
way he was ordering her around, but Allegra squared her shoulders, tilted her chin up, and stared at
him, her reflected expression bold and daring.
When her knees widened, he slid closer and he saw the moment understanding registered on her
expressive face.
“I’m rather exposed here,” she said, as he sheathed himself and nudged between her legs, her
hungry stare focused on his cock.
He held it and slid the head toward her wet entrance, gritting his teeth against the urge to bury deep.
But she was watching, and her wide-eyed wonder spurred him on to show her how good it was with a
little teasing before gratification.
He nudged her, slipping in an inch before withdrawing.
“Exposure is the whole point.” He pressed closer to her from behind as his arm snaked around her
waist. Sat back on his ankles as he zeroed in on her clit again. “This way we both get to see exactly
how exciting vanilla can be.”
Her gaze focused on his finger teasing her clit so he parted her wet folds, enjoying her harsh intake
of breath.
He sank back onto his heels. “Sit on me,” he said, guiding his cock to her with his free hand,
bracing for the incredible feel of slick, tight velvet enclosing him.
She eased down onto his cock and he groaned, the pleasure multiplied by having a prime viewing
spot as he watched her every move in the mirror.
“You feel so good,” he said, nuzzling the back of her neck while he continued to finger her, loving
how fast she caught on as she raised up on her knees slightly before sinking down again.
Nothing better than full-skin contact, and with her back plastered to his front and with his cock
buried deep, he felt surrounded by her, immersed in her, consumed by her.
“I’m so close,” she said, rising and sinking faster, and he obliged by grazing her clit repeatedly and
thrusting harder.
The pressure built in his balls and his body tightened as he nudged her forward a fraction, still
giving them an unimpeded view of contact but increasing his penetration.
“That feels…oh my God…yeah…” She tightened around him as he thrust so hard and so deep she
screamed, the force of his orgasm echoing hers as he plunged one last time and almost blacked out.
“Fuck,” he said, as they sank to the floor, his arms snug around her.
With his head still spinning from the rush of blood lower, he held Allegra tight, wondering what it
was about her that made every sexual experience that much more exciting, that much more potent.
And wondering what the hell he’d do when they parted ways.
…
“You’ve had sex.” Zoe pointed an accusing finger at Allegra as she bounced into the honeymoon suite
and dumped an armload of files on the table. “And good sex, judging by that annoyingly smug look on
your face.”
Allegra pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I don’t have a look.”
Zoe raised a WTF eyebrow. “You’re lit up like a firecracker.” She tilted her head to study Allegra.
“And what’s more, I’ve never seen you look so goddamn satisfied, so this mystery guy must be one
helluva good lay.”
Allegra couldn’t keep the grin off her face. Labeling Jett “a good lay” was like standing in front of
a Da Vinci masterpiece and saying it was “just okay.”
Jett was a sex god.
The things he could do…how he could make her feel…damn, she was going to miss him.
Zoe plopped onto a divan and folded her arms. “I refuse to do one iota of work ’til you fill me in.”
“Unless we get this work done, you may not have a job.”
Zoe waved away her concern. “Minor detail. Now start talking.”
Allegra didn’t have many friends, and she thanked the Lord every day for Zoe. She could always
count on her bubbly, extroverted BFF to make her feel like her life wasn’t incredibly boring. Usually,
Allegra was the one listening in rapt attention to Zoe’s exploits. It was a rare day indeed when their
roles reversed.
“I met someone at LAX.” Allegra popped the top off two mineral waters and handed one to Zoe.
“Nice guy.”
“Nice guys don’t put that kind of look on your face.” Zoe’s eyes narrowed a second before she
squealed. “Oh my God. You hooked up on the plane?”
Allegra couldn’t hide her smirk behind the bottle as she took a swig.
“This is unbe-freaking-lievable!” Zoe bounced up and down on the sofa like she had ants in her
pants. “How hot must this guy be to get you to join the mile-high club?” Zoe rubbed the icy bottle
across her brow. “And when do I get to meet him?”
“You don’t. You’re here to work, remember?”
“So are you, considering the company is down the wazoo, but that hasn’t stopped you.” Zoe raised
the bottle in her direction. “I’m proud of you, sweetie.”
Allegra enjoyed Zoe’s lighthearted teasing, but the moment she’d mentioned the company, her
amusement faded. No way, no how would she lose AW. And that meant scoring a pitch with Kai
Kaluna and nailing it.
“I’ll tell you more later if you bring me up to date with the Kaluna file.”
The twinkle in Zoe’s eyes faded as she set down her mineral water and unzipped the portfolio bag
beside her. “It’s all in here. I’ve compiled a breakdown of each resort’s strengths and weaknesses,
past advertising campaigns, and the direction other similar resorts are taking.”
“That’s impressive, Zo-Zo, thanks.” Allegra accepted the stack of documentation Zoe dumped in
her arms. “I read through the stuff you e-mailed me, too. Great work.”
“Would be better work if we secured this pitch.” Zoe fired up her iPad, swiped her finger across
the screen, and brought up a few websites. “These are the advertising firms we’re probably going up
against. A compilation of the best of the best that a tycoon like Kai would go for. Pretty impressive
competition.”
“We can beat them,” Allegra said, not surprised to see Jett missing from the list. From what he’d
said, he’d had a buddy pull strings and was pitching solo, not representing his company—considering
it didn’t exist anymore.
Guilt insinuated its way into her conscience again. What this would do to him if AW won the
campaign… She wished there were some way they could both get what they wanted… The moment
the thought popped into her head she wanted to kick herself.
This wasn’t one of her easily fixable scenarios, when she could look after her neighbor’s cat for a
week or buy several boxes of Girl Scout cookies so the kid down the road could go to camp.
She couldn’t help Jett secure this campaign, and even if she did come up with some brilliant way to
offer assistance beyond changing her pitch, she couldn’t risk sabotaging her own chance at winning.
No, she couldn’t afford to lose sight of the bigger picture: if she didn’t land the Kaluna campaign,
her business was finished and the faith Zoe had placed in her by investing in the company from the
start would be shattered.
It would irk her, losing her own money, but losing Zoe’s? Uh-uh, she’d do anything to ensure that
didn’t happen, including beating the guy who physically rocked her world.
“Did you manage to arrange a meeting with Kai?”
Allegra nodded. “We need to get suited up and ready to go in ninety minutes.”
Zoe’s mouth dropped open. “Do you have anything to show him besides our dazzling smiles?”
“I ditched my earlier ideas and came up with a new concept.” She hadn’t been able to sleep last
night, what with having to come up with a new pitch out of necessity, and with the secret of not telling
Jett weighing heavily. She’d almost blurted out that her company was going up against him several
times.
But he’d physically distracted her and the moment had been lost. A good thing, too, because no way
would she have had the night she had if she’d blabbed. Which only served to increase her guilt.
Having sensational sex had temporarily clouded her brain but once the post-orgasmic haze wore off,
she was back to feeling crappy for keeping the truth from him.
They would be rivals, pitching for their respective livelihoods. Not exactly what she’d envisioned
for a no-holds-barred, weeklong fling. Pillow talk should consist of sexy banter, not heavy business
declarations. If she wanted to maintain a clear focus and not overly complicate matters, she needed to
keep the two separate for the length of her stay.
“Can I see?”
“Sure.” Allegra pulled a few files up on her iPad and handed it to Zoe. “These resorts are high-end
luxury all the way. Couple-focused. Intimate. So we’re going with the sexy angle.”
“I like it.” Zoe’s eyes lit up. “They already offer romance packages and cool stuff like the Kink Kit.
This takes it a step further.”
“Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Did you use it?” Zoe’s sly grin turned positively evil. “Is your mystery stud-muffin into a little
bondage? Maybe a spanking or two?”
“We’re more vanilla than whipped cream,” Allegra said, quite liking the idea of tying Jett up and
having him at her mercy. In fact, she had every intention of peeking into that kit and seeing what she
could use to push the boundaries. Being lucky enough to have a chance to explore her long-suppressed
sexuality, she wanted to make it count.
Zoe screwed up her nose. “Bor-ing.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing remotely boring about Jett.”
“Aha. The stud-muffin has a name.”
Damn. Allegra hadn’t meant that to slip out.
“So does Jett live up to his name and fire on all cylinders like a jet engine?”
Allegra groaned. “That’s a woeful pun.”
“Whatever.” Zoe shrugged. “But if you’re not using that kit, once we’ve secured this campaign,
maybe I can put it to good use.”
“What happened to the dildo model? And Jose, the flutist?”
Zoe made a gagging sound. “Jose was obsessed with the flute in his pants but had no idea how to
play it. Same with Dildo Dick.”
Allegra laughed. She could never keep track of Zoe’s guys but enjoyed hearing her friend’s acerbic
take on their shortcomings.
“So you’re single again and loving it?”
“Yep.” Zoe rubbed her hands together. “Ready to find me a real man this time, one who’s up for
some hot island nights.”
Allegra was in favor of a little hot-island-night action, too.
But first, she had a presentation to nail.
…
Two hours later, Allegra and Zoe had traded their power suits for swimsuits and were lounging at the
poolside bar, sipping celebratory mai tais.
Not that Allegra was jumping ahead of herself, but securing an opportunity to pitch to Kai Kaluna
for the resorts’ advertising was a major get.
“Did you see the way he sat forward when we mentioned using the sex angle to sell the resorts?”
Zoe stabbed at a floating strawberry with a cocktail stick. “We had him eating out of our hands.”
Allegra nodded, more circumspect in her assessment of the situation. “Yeah, but he wasn’t overly
enthusiastic about the prelims.”
“That’s because we haven’t sexed them up enough.” Zoe sipped at her cocktail, her beguiling mix
of innocent pixie—wide brown eyes, spiked caramel-tipped brown hair, and elfin features—and
badass attitude evidenced in her skimpy gold bikini, squared shoulders, and lush, glossed mouth,
drawing interested gazes from groups of guys clustered around the bar. “Men like sex. Kai Kaluna’s
no different.”
Now that Allegra had met the man, she wasn’t so sure. “For a Fortune 500 billionaire with resorts
in the hot spots around the world, he seemed pretty reserved.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Trust me. All guys have sex on the brain. If we make Kai’s resorts look like
the place to be to indulge in a little afternoon delight, he’ll lap it up and people will flock.”
“Hope you’re right.” Allegra raised her glass. “We have two days to make the pitch of our lives.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Zoe clinked glasses with Allegra’s a moment before she felt the heat of someone
standing too close behind her.
“Celebrating?” Jett ducked down to place a kiss on her neck and a shiver of pleasure rippled
through her. Pleasure soon tempered by a frisson of fear with the dawning realization that she hadn’t
warned Zoe not to say anything about their pitch in case they ran into Jett.
“Something like that,” Allegra said, shooting Zoe a warning glare as her friend held out her hand.
“You must be Jett.”
He shook Zoe’s hand and nodded. “Pleased to meet you…?”
“Zoe Keaton.” Zoe held Jett’s hand a fraction too long. “And I’m very pleased to meet you.”
Jett laughed as he extracted his hand. “So you’re the lady I need to thank for that lingerie?”
Zoe winked. “And don’t forget the Kink Kit.”
Allegra groaned while Jett slid an arm around her waist from behind and chuckled in her ear. “I
like her.”
“Most men do,” Allegra said, her dry response garnering a blown kiss from Zoe.
“My friend here’s jealous because she’s such a control freak wrapped up in her work she rarely
has time for fun. Whereas, me?” Zoe crooked her finger and leaned forward, like she was about to
impart some grand secret. “Fun is my middle name.”
While Allegra couldn’t see Jett’s expression, she could imagine his puzzlement as he glanced
between the two of them, assessing how different they were.
Allegra had always felt like the staid, boring counterpart to Zoe’s outgoing vivaciousness when
they’d socialized in college. She’d watch the guys dote on Zoe while she faded into the background,
maintaining the cool, aloof exterior she’d honed to a fine art since childhood.
Not that she was deliberately rude or cold; she just never put herself out there like Zoe did. The
few guys who approached would trade small talk and flirt a little, but she’d been so useless at flirting
back they soon left her alone.
Which was how she’d been for most of her life. Alone. Independent. In control. Just the way she
liked it.
The only time she’d remotely felt like losing control was the few times she’d dropped her guard
around the guy currently snuggling into her from behind.
“How do you two know each other?” Jett asked, and Allegra tried not to stiffen.
Before Zoe could blab the sorry truth, Allegra rushed in. “Zoe’s my best friend and work colleague.
She came out here to see if I was doing okay after the wedding fiasco.”
Jett whistled. “Wish I had a mate watching my back. Good for you, Zoe.”
Confusion creased Zoe’s brow and Allegra gave a slight shake of her head, trying to convey a lot
with one direct stare.
Thankfully, Zoe seemed to cotton on to the need for secrecy and nodded in return. “Yep, that’s me,
the numero uno BFF.”
Zoe downed the rest of her cocktail. “Who at this very minute has a date at the day spa.” She
slipped off the barstool. “See you later, kiddos. Behave.”
With a wink and wave, Zoe sauntered away, drawing the appreciative stares of every guy in the
place.
Allegra elbowed Jett in the gut, grinning at his oomph.
He released her to rub at his stomach. “What was that for?”
“For staring at Zoe’s ass.”
He was too smart to refute it. “You already know I’m a red-blooded male. No harm in looking.”
She stood, turned, and laid a hand on his shoulder. “If you want to look at something, I’ve got
something to show you.”
“Have you now?” His arm slid around her waist and tugged her close. “Because you know I’m up
for checking out whatever you have to show me, but it’ll have to be later.”
It was then that she noticed his chinos and long-sleeved button-down white shirt. Casual work
attire, not island play attire.
“You’ve got a meeting?
“Uh-huh. Kai Kahuna rang me, and wants to get together for a quick chat.”
Allegra’s heart stopped. At least, that’s what it felt like, before it kick-started with a ka-thump and
started racing at a million beats a minute.
Surely Kai wouldn’t divulge the competition to Jett. Not possible, considering that’s not how
business worked in the advertising world, but for the agonizing moment she’d contemplated it,
Allegra couldn’t breathe.
This would be so much easier if she could tell him the truth. All of it. How she’d changed her pitch
to not compete directly with his. How she wished they could both get what they wanted. How for the
first time in her life she was enjoying relinquishing control a little—albeit in the bedroom—and
relishing an intimacy she’d never had.
But she couldn’t say any of it so she patted his chest. “No worries. You go work, and we’ll catch
up later.”
“You sure?” A shadow darkened his eyes. “Feels like you’re sitting around at my beck and call,
waiting for whatever scraps I can dish out when I have the time.”
Blown away by his thoughtfulness, Allegra cupped his cheek. “I’m under no illusions as to what
this is. A fling that’s mutually beneficial for us both while it lasts.” Her palm shifted and she savored
the rasp of stubble against it. “So don’t feel guilty about working. Do what you have to do.”
She stood on tiptoe to brush a kiss across his lips. “And when you’re done, I’ll be waiting.”
His gaze locked on hers and what she saw snatched her breath: admiration tinged with something
more she dare not identify for fear of reading too much into it.
Jett was transient, a rare moment of unadulterated pleasure in her otherwise ordered world, but
seeing the depth of emotion in that one revealing stare had her questioning her own belief system in a
way that terrified her.
He cleared his throat and stepped back, the intimacy of the moment broken. “Okay, I’ll see you
later.”
As she watched Jett stride away like he had a demon on his tail, Allegra knew she hadn’t imagined
their connection, and it obviously scared him as much as it did her.
They couldn’t get emotionally involved. It wouldn’t end well.
With an aborted marriage tainting her personally and her business on the skids affecting her
professionally, no way in hell would Allegra complicate her life with an emotional entanglement she
didn’t want or need.
But what if it was too late?
Chapter Six
After a particularly tough day at the office, Jett would head down to Bondi Beach with Reeve and
grab a few beers or hit the surf. It had become a ritual, a way of celebrating after they scored a new
client, and then became their usual Friday afternoon wind-down. Jett would look forward to it, when
the two of them would don wetsuits, grab their boards, and surf the tensions of the week away.
And there had been tensions. Came with the advertising territory. Clients who approved layouts
then changed their minds at the last minute. Clients who demanded their portfolio come first, ahead of
the rest. Clients who blamed them when their product didn’t sell.
Yet somehow, despite the constant job stresses, working with Reeve had been fun. Their friendship
made working alongside each other easy. Not that they never disagreed, but they always managed to
shelve their differences by the end of the day and move on the next.
Business-wise, they’d created some serious magic, boosting the profile of hundreds of Aussie
companies and products. It was the reason their agency became sought after in a glutted market, and
how they’d built their profile so quickly.
Their first client, a lucrative Aussie food brand, had launched their name and soon businesses had
been beating down their door. And not once in the ensuing years had Jett suspected his partner and
best friend was screwing him over.
When Reeve’s duplicity had first come to light, he’d refused to believe it. But Jett had always been
nothing if not a realist and once he’d accepted he’d lost almost everything, he set about rebuilding his
business. He’d also surfed for a week straight, but all the waves in Bondi hadn’t cleared his head.
He hoped he’d have better luck today, as he waded into the ocean and eased onto his board.
Catching a wave or two might soothe the yips. And he had the yips, big time. Since that run-in with
Allegra at the bar a few hours ago, he’d been a mess.
Thankfully, he’d managed to hold it together for his meeting with Kai, who’d wanted to give him
some updated info he’d given the other candidates, and had appeared professionally logical. But the
moment he’d walked out of that meeting and headed to his room, Jett had lost it.
Stalking from one end to another like a caged feral beast, alternating between swearing and shaking
his head, edgy and uptight and more than a little scared.
Hearing Allegra articulate what their relationship entailed—casual, fleeting, no strings—should’ve
made him feel good. Guilt-free sex with a classy woman who didn’t seem to mind being at his beck
and call. But hearing her say the words and seeing the yearning expression on her face had been a
startling contrast that he was sure mirrored his own confusion.
Hearing her calmly state the obvious terms of their fling hadn’t sat well with him, not at all, and it
had been bugging the shit out of him ever since.
He didn’t want a relationship. Was no good at them. Yet having the option removed from the
equation somehow made it seem more appealing. And that’s what scared him. He didn’t do emotions.
He didn’t do complications. Starting up anything with Allegra: one giant frigging complication.
Not that he’d ever done it, but long distance would suck. Pointless. A fruitless exercise in restraint
and cold showers and jerking off. Especially when he’d have the memory of being buried deep in
Allegra to taunt him.
Fuck, now he had a hard-on of monumental proportions while lying facedown on his surfboard
waiting to catch a wave. On the upside, he had this stretch of coast to himself, and as he paddled
toward shore, waiting for the perfect moment to leap to his knees and guide the board with his feet,
some of his angst faded and he lost himself in the moment.
Surfing soothed him. He’d done it as a kid, eager to escape the watchful eye of his dad who never
let up. “Have you finished your homework? Practiced your violin? Shot hoops? Cleaned your room?
Done your chores?”
Man, he’d hated it. Had resented his father because of it. Not that Clive had cared. The minute he’d
finished primary school he’d been shipped off to an exclusive boys’ boarding school and had rarely
seen dear old dad.
Any other kid would’ve rebelled, but obedience had been so ingrained in him he’d worked like a
dog, getting good grades so he could prove to his father he didn’t need a stand-over man to achieve.
But he’d known the ultimate outcome of their warped father-son relationship when he’d stated at
the end of his final year at school that he’d be doing a marketing and economics degree.
Clive hadn’t spoken to him for three months, had taken six to come round to the idea enough to
attend a father-son football game at university.
Theirs had been a coolly polite relationship ever since, yet Jett knew Clive would delight in saying
“I told you so” when he learned of his agency’s demise.
Jett hadn’t told him. He hadn’t told anyone when he’d packed up the office, canceled the lease, and
headed to LA to rebuild contacts in the industry.
He’d sent Clive a brief e-mail, stating the basic facts. His dad, one of Sydney’s top barristers now
retired, had responded with few words: “See you when you get back.”
No commiserations, no “how are you?” just a terse answer that could mean anything. Though Jett
knew what it meant: recriminations and gloating. Maybe even “I told you, you should’ve gone into
law, then you wouldn’t have been duped and ended up a loser.”
Not that Clive would use those exact words, but he’d dress it up in his fancy-schmancy jargon that
delivered the same message.
Made it even more imperative that he land the Kaluna deal. Not that his dad’s opinion mattered
much these days, but he’d love to be able to prove that when he was down, Jett had what it took to
come out on top.
It took another seven waves and two wipeouts for Jett to finally relax, his head clear of topics he’d
rather avoid like his father’s approval and Allegra’s casual acceptance of their sex-only relationship.
But when he paddled back to shore and caught sight of a lone figure standing on the water’s edge,
her blond hair whipping around her cheeks, her lithe body showcased in a purple bikini, he was
catapulted right back to the place he’d been an hour ago.
Befuddled, confused, and wanting Allegra more than ever.
…
Allegra liked to stroll along the beach at dusk every evening. A long-established habit to clear her
head at the end of a hard day’s work. While she loved her stretch of Malibu, this secluded alcove on
Palm Bay surpassed it for sheer beauty and serenity.
The last two evenings she’d come here, mentally refining her pitch, she hadn’t seen a single soul.
Except today. A lone surfer riding the waves like he was at one with the ocean.
She was a lousy swimmer so she admired anyone who would willingly battle monstrous waves.
And this guy seemed to have a death wish. He waited for the biggest waves and rode them like a man
possessed, seeming to deliberately flout the danger.
Crazy.
On the verge of heading back to the resort, she watched him coast closer to shore and her heart
gave a betraying leap.
She knew that silhouette. Knew the shape of those broad shoulders, the narrow waist, the long, lean
legs. Knew that profile with a certainty that came from studying the guy in his sleep.
Jett.
Before she could second-guess the wisdom of encroaching on what was obviously his me-time, she
waded into the water and waited, waist-deep.
The waves, calmer now, lapped her shoulders as he closed the gap between them. From what she
could see of his expression, he didn’t look happy to see her.
Damn. Was this too needy? Would he think she’d followed him out here?
Dumb move. Standing here in the water, racked by uncertainty. It sucked not having a lot of
experience with guys, especially worldly guys like Jett, because she had no idea of protocol. She’d
never had a fling before and it showed.
Ducking down to neck-deep to stave off a sudden chill pebbling her skin, she treaded water,
wishing she could dive under and hide until he’d passed by.
“Give me a second,” he said, as he coasted straight past, leaving her with a sensational view of his
back and the way the muscles rippled under the skin as he stood, unclipped the rope from his ankle,
and stuck the board in the sand before diving over a wave and heading toward her.
She couldn’t read his expression, had no idea if he’d welcome her or not. “I was out walking when
I saw you, so thought it’d be impolite not to say hi—”
He crushed her mouth with his, silencing her babble. Good move. She’d much rather be devoured
than waste time justifying her needy behavior.
And she needed him, there was no doubt. One glance, one touch, one kiss, and she was mindless
with wanting him, ready to do anything to prolong the pleasure that being with him elicited.
Correction, that being with him sexually elicited, but the very fact she had to clarify meant this
thing between them had moved into dangerous territory.
His tongue parted her lips and took control as his arms slid around her waist to anchor her. She
clung to him, angling her head for better access to his mouth, giving as much as she got in a searing
kiss that was pure, blinding compulsion.
A wave crashed over them and they spluttered, laughing as they took a few steps toward the beach.
“I’m not stalking you, you know.” She swiped wet strands of hair out of her eyes. “I really was out
for a stroll when I saw you.”
“I’m not adverse to a bit of stalking, as long as it’s you doing it.” He hugged her closer, the strength
behind his grip surprising her, like he needed her to anchor him. “I know I said I’d come by when I
finished work but I needed to blow off some steam.”
Uh-oh. Was his pitch going badly? She wanted to ask for purely supportive reasons but didn’t want
to broach anything remotely to do with their rival pitches.
“Everything okay?”
He nodded, but the worry darkening his eyes to emerald was unmistakable. “Yeah, nothing a good
surf won’t fix.”
“You’re a madman going out there with a teensy bit of fiberglass.” She waved out at the deeper
water and shivered. “I prefer you on land, not as shark bait.”
“I don’t know.” The corners of his mouth curved into wickedness. “There’s something to be said
for being in the water.”
His fingers delved beneath the elastic of her bikini bottoms to prove it.
Her breath caught and her fingers dug into his shoulders. “We’re in public and this water is crystal
clear—”
“No one’s around and what the fish see won’t hurt them,” he said, thrusting two fingers inside her at
the same time his thumb grazed her clit.
She groaned, her prudish protests drowned out by the sound of the waves and the breeze that cooled
her skin above the water.
“I love how turned on you are,” he said, watching her with an intensity that made her self-
conscious.
“It’s how you make me feel.” Like she could never get enough of this, of him.
“How’s that?” He slid another finger in, stretching her, filling her, but not nearly enough.
“Like I’m the sexiest woman in the world.” She arched against him as his thumb picked up speed
along with his fingers.
“You are, babe.” He held her firmly around the waist as his fingers pumped into her, his thumb
repeatedly grazing her clit until she spasmed around his fingers.
Wave after wave of blissful contractions washed over her, leaving her clinging to him or risk
floating away. Not that he’d let that happen. And that was another anomaly she couldn’t get her head
around. For a guy she hardly knew, she trusted him. Trusted the way he was with her. And she
couldn’t say that about many people.
No expectations, no judgment, a freedom to be with him on her terms that made her feel cherished.
He stared at her for so long, so intently, that she almost squirmed in his arms. “God, you’re
beautiful.”
She expected him to kiss her, to make some wickedly sexy remark to lighten the moment. So when
he hugged her close and buried his face in the crook of her neck, she was left floundering, unable to
do anything but return the hug.
Their quickly developed closeness terrified her. It was one thing to feel safe with a guy, another to
become so used to the feeling that she’d miss it when he left.
They had an intimacy she’d never had with another guy, a bond that made her crave more though it
was futile.
Allegra had always been a pragmatist, but this jumble of emotion Jett stirred up made the hidden
romantic in her start dreaming crazy dreams.
Yep, this thing between them was getting more complicated by the minute, and Allegra had no idea
what to do about it.
…
They barely made it inside Jett’s room before he had her up against the wall. Ravishing her mouth.
Laving her skin. Touching her everywhere.
That foreplay in the ocean? Tame compared to the sensation drenching her body now. Her scalp
tingled as his fingers delved in her hair, tugging wildly. Her nipples ached, desperate for his mouth.
Her knees wobbled as he deliberately ground his erection against her, increasing the pulsating need
between her legs until it was all she could focus on.
She needed him. Now.
Exploring her sexuality with Jett had been amazing so far, but he’d been the one calling the shots.
Time for her to demand and dominate.
“I don’t need the seduction right now.”
His hands paused in their leisurely exploration of her ass. “Then what do you need?”
“You. Inside me.” She placed a hand on his chest and shoved, laughing at his shocked expression.
“What’s the matter? Surprised?”
His eyes glowed with admiration. “I like your bossy side in the bedroom.” He held his arms wide.
“Go ahead, sweetheart, do your worst.”
She fiddled with the knotted towel at his waist and whipped it off in response. “Where are your
condoms?”
He pointed to a pair of cargo shorts lying on the floor nearby and she’d never been so grateful for a
guy’s untidiness before. Close and easy access. Perfect.
“Get one,” she ordered, wondering if a dominatrix felt this empowered when she ordered subs
around.
Thankfully Jett sensed her urgency and worked fast, whipping a condom out of the wallet in his
shorts.
She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
“You’re talking about the condom, right?”
She smiled. “And the rest. But let’s start with that.”
When he handed it over, she tucked the foil packet in her bikini bra strap and knelt.
His breathing grew ragged as she slid her hands into the waistband of his board shorts and tugged,
having to wiggle the wet material a little before they eased over his hips and landed where she
wanted them. On the floor.
“Hey, what are you…ah, fuck,” he said, as she took him into her mouth, wrapping a hand around the
base of his shaft and tugging gently on his balls with the other.
He laid a hand on her head and tried to ease her back, which only made her suck harder. She
swirled her tongue around the tip, savoring his strangled cursing as she slid her lips along the length
of him.
He leaned against the wall, one hand gripping her hair, the other resting on a nearby table, and the
knowledge that she could make this sexy man weak-kneed made her feel like a goddess.
“Enough,” he growled, when she took him in so far he almost hit the back of her throat.
She could’ve pushed the issue, but who would’ve thought giving head would ratchet up her desire
to unbearable?
He pulled out, but not before her tongue darted out to give the tip one last lick.
He groaned. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
“Yeah?” She stood, toe to toe with him. “And how are you going to do that?”
He moved so fast her head spun. One second she was standing in front of him, the next he had her
pinned against the wall. He plucked the foil packet from her bikini strap and sheathed himself before
she could draw a breath.
And then he was back. Pressing her against the wall. Hoisting her up. Ripping aside her bikini to
thrust inside.
She clenched around him, her legs quivering as they wrapped around his waist. He held her as if
she weighed nothing, driving into her with hard precision. Just the way she wanted it tonight. Nothing
remotely soft or sensual. Fast and furious.
She wanted to experience everything she could with this guy. Maybe it was the fleeting nature of
their fling, maybe because each encounter was tinted with a wildness she’d never experienced, but
she reveled in the abandon and uttered a phrase she’d never thought she’d say during sex.
“Fuck me good,” she demanded, scouring Jett’s back as his relentless pounding picked up tempo
until she almost passed out from the pleasure.
She gripped his ass. Bit his shoulder. Gained purchase wherever she could as he drove into her.
Her sweat-slicked skin molded to his, the heat generated between them making her body burn.
She was so close, the pleasure bordered on pain. That’s when he changed the angle of his hips
slightly and she fell apart, keening out her orgasm as he came a second later.
She clung to him, spent yet electrified. Finally knowing why some people made such a big deal
about sex.
“Are you okay?” He guided her gently to the floor, held the condom, and slid out of her.
“Yeah,” she said, wishing she didn’t feel so goddamn bereft every time they finished. “Pretty
unbelievable how you keep topping your previous efforts.”
His mouth quirked into a crooked half smile she had no hope of interpreting. “Keep boosting my
ego like that and I’ll be ready to go in another five minutes.”
She held up three fingers. “Make it three and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Bossy woman,” he said, padding into the bathroom to take care of business before returning to
scoop her into his arms and head for the bed. “Maybe I can spank you into submission?”
“Back to the kinky stuff, huh?” She cocked her head to one side, pretended to study him. “I think
you’re all talk, Vanilla Man. I bet you like it rough.”
He laughed, a deep, husky sound that made her want to lie in his bed forever. “Vanilla Man? Does
that mean I have the same powers as Superman?”
“Nothing wrong with your power.” Her gaze drifted lower. “Not from what I can see, anyway.”
He groaned and flopped onto the bed beside her, draping his arm across her waist in a casual
embrace, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Stop. I’ve got a ton of work I need to finish
up before tomorrow and if you keep looking at me like that I won’t get it done.”
Uh-oh. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him when he mentioned work. The guilt of not telling
him the truth was a constant burr she couldn’t ignore. Though he did a pretty fine job of erasing her
memory banks with sensational sex.
Sex. She needed to focus on that. Needed to drown out the tiny voice in her head, her conscience
insisting she should tell him the truth before they got in any deeper.
“Could you spare me another hour?” She trailed a fingertip down his chest, deliberately
provocative as she circled his groin. “Because I really am curious about that Kink Kit, and thought we
could take a look together?”
His eyebrows rose. “Really?”
She nodded. “I kinda like the idea of having you at my mercy.”
“Dream on.” He rolled on top of her so fast all the air whooshed out of her lungs. “I think it’s time
you relinquished control and let me be your master.”
She tilted her chin in defiance, secretly thrilled by his teasing. “I’m no guy’s sub.”
“Losing control can be fun.” His pelvis pressed down and she whimpered, making a mockery of her
declaration asserting her dominance. “I promise not to whip you too hard.”
He winked and she shoved him off, laughing as their limbs tangled. “Come on. Let’s think kink for a
while.”
He groaned. “Think kink? Pretty woeful.” As he tugged on his shorts and pulled a navy polo over
his head, he added, “A spanking is definitely in order.”
“Only if you bend over and ask nicely.” She smirked, enjoying their banter almost as much as the
sex.
God, they were good together. She’d really miss him when they went their separate ways. Dressing
this up as an exploration of her sexuality was one thing. But this easygoing repartee and constant
laughs? Something she’d never had with any of the guys she’d dated.
His palm splayed across her chest, directly over her heart, which skipped a beat in response. “I
really do have to finish some work. Why don’t you give me an hour or two, then I’ll take you out for
dinner and let you tie me up later?”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, I’m starving so dinner is a given.”
She cupped his cheek, wondering if he could feel the way her heart bucked beneath his palm. “I
was talking about the tied-up part.”
“That, too.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and whacked her playfully on the butt. “Better take care
of this because after I’ve finished with you, you won’t be walking for a week.”
This time, when Allegra’s heart skipped a beat, she didn’t know if it was anticipation or fear.
“You’re kidding, right?”
He smacked her ass again, this time a little harder. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
She scooted out of bed and scooped up her clothes. “Go do some work and I’ll see you later.”
“That’s a promise.” He hauled her into his arms for one last sizzling kiss before releasing her, and
as she watched him pad into the bathroom, she hoped she wasn’t in way over her head with this one.
Chapter Seven
Allegra changed outfits three times. Swapped a leopard-print jumpsuit for a LBD. Tried on boot-cut
satin pants only to ditch them in favor of a handkerchief chiffon skirt. Put her hair up. Took it down.
Slicked gloss on her lips. Swiped it off.
She was a wreck.
Somewhere between Jett making her laugh and making love to her, she’d fallen for him. Way
deeper than expected. She’d known it the moment she’d proposed that they try out the Kink Kit,
because relinquishing control—inside or outside of the bedroom—wasn’t something she did well.
To trust him enough to explore outside her normal sexual boundaries…yeah, she had feelings for
him and it terrified her. She couldn’t keep her secret any longer. It wouldn’t be fair. Tonight, she’d
tell him and hope to God he understood.
Zoe glanced up from a spreadsheet she was working on. “Tell me again why you’re going to all this
trouble when you’ll be naked in five seconds flat?”
Allegra flipped her the bird.
Zoe hooted. “I love it when you get feisty. You should do it more often.”
“Feisty is what got me into this mess in the first place,” Allegra said, glancing in the mirror one last
time to see if her zebra-striped maxi-dress looked okay.
“Mess?” Zoe pushed her laptop away, giving Allegra her undivided attention. “Sweetie, get a clue.
You being involved with the stud-muffin has been nothing but good for you.”
“How do you figure that?” Allegra whirled on her best friend. “Look at me. I’m dithering. I never
dither. I’m one hundred percent in control all the time and it works for me.”
“Really? Because from what I’ve seen over the years…” Zoe’s hand wavered. “The control freak
thing? Not working out so great.”
Unsure whether she should be having this conversation five minutes before Jett was due to arrive—
like she wasn’t rattled enough now that she’d decided to tell him the truth—she folded her arms.
“What do you mean?”
Zoe gnawed on her bottom lip, as if contemplating the wisdom of delivering her own brand of
bluntness.
“Come on, Zo-Zo. You’ve never held back before. Give it to me straight.”
“Okay, here’s the thing.” Zoe absentmindedly ruffled her spikes. “You give off this vibe to people
all the time. Like you’re untouchable. You don’t let people get close. Yet with this guy you dropped
your guard after knowing him for ten seconds. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“That I’m a moron?”
Zoe made a buzzer sound. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
Allegra inhaled, puffed out her cheeks, and exhaled. “We have chemistry. Big deal.”
“You’re doing it again.” Zoe shook her head. “Hiding behind that levelheaded facade you present
to everyone.” She made a strangling action with her hands. “Sometimes I want to throttle you. Or
shake some sense into you.”
“Tell me how you really feel.” Allegra stopped fiddling with her outfit and plopped into the chair
opposite. “What do you want me to say? That I really like Jett?” She threw her hands up. “Fine. I’ll
say it. I like him. Really like him. But where can this go? We live on different continents.”
Plus she’d lied to him. No way would he trust her once he heard the truth.
Zoe dismissed her with a flick of her wrist. “What you two have is more than a case of raging
hormones.”
Zoe was right, damn her.
Deep down, in a place Allegra never acknowledged let alone adhered to, she knew why she was so
damn nervous about telling Jett the truth tonight. Because she cared for him, she wanted to ensure that
she did this right.
After tonight, she’d probably never see Jett Halcott again. A thought that made her breathless and
light-headed and sick to her stomach.
“Your expression says it all.” Zoe smiled as she shut down her laptop and slid it into her carryall.
“You’re in love with the guy.”
“No way—”
“Might be a good idea to tell him at some point during your sexathon.” Zoe blew her a kiss. “Have
fun, sweetie.”
Allegra glared at Zoe’s retreating back as her friend breezed out the door and closed it behind her.
She wasn’t in love with Jett.
She couldn’t be.
But then her heart twisted, and a small part of her had to admit that maybe, just maybe, she was.
…
Allegra went through the motions at dinner. She praised the delicious salmon and scallop terrine, the
sweetened Swiss chard in a thyme sauce, the pappardelle pasta tossed with calamari, and the coconut
cherry cake.
She drank the smooth Shiraz and sweet dessert wine, made small talk, and laughed in all the
appropriate places at Jett’s inappropriate jokes, all the while feeling like she was having an out-of-
body experience, floating somewhere above the table on the ocean’s edge, watching a play between
two exceptional actors.
If Jett felt the tension, he didn’t show it. He flirted and charmed, reminding her of their first meeting
at LAX. Had it only been last week? It seemed like she’d known him a lifetime, and that more than
anything reinforced how much she cared.
Zoe was right. She was half in love with the guy. Which made telling him the truth all the harder.
“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.” Jett placed his cutlery together on his plate, rested his
forearms on the table, and leaned forward.
“Sure I have.”
“Really?” A devilish smile curved his lips. “So you don’t mind filming how we test out the Kink
Kit later and posting it to YouTube?”
“You didn’t say that.”
“How would you know if you weren’t listening?” He tapped his ear and she slumped in
resignation.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Like?”
“Work.” A semi-truth that would have to do, because no way would she be telling him the real
reason behind her somber mood. Not until later, in the privacy of her suite. She owed him that much,
to be away from prying eyes when she dropped her bombshell.
“You’re on a gorgeous island. You should switch off.”
As if. Her business was on a slippery slope to bankruptcy and she had to score the campaign of a
lifetime or go under. A campaign that would lose her the guy she’d grown to care for.
She pushed around a cherry on her dessert plate before laying the fork down. “Occupational hazard,
I guess.”
He studied her with an intensity she found unnerving. “You’ve never mentioned your work—”
“Want to get out of here?” She couldn’t discuss this, not here.
She expected him to push her for answers but thankfully, his mouth eased into the teasing smile
she’d grown to love. “You’re that eager to get spanked?”
“Maybe.” She kept her tone flippant, happy to resort to flirting to hide her tumultuous nerves. “Let’s
go.”
“You’re calling the shots,” he said, slipping his hand into hers as they headed to her suite.
“I soon will be, once you’re buck naked.” She forced a smile, feeling increasingly guilty with every
step.
The closer they got to her suite, Allegra mentally rehearsed how she’d tell Jett the truth. Starting
with the real reason she was here on the island, incorporating how she’d tried to do the right thing by
him in changing her pitch, ending with how much she’d grown to care for him and she’d never meant
to deliberately deceive him.
Yeah, like he’d believe that. Maybe she should wait until after they’d indulged in the hour or so of
passion she’d been fantasizing about since she’d first glimpsed that Kink Kit.
It was wrong of her. Incredibly wrong. Selfish, too. But she knew without a doubt Jett would walk
once she told him the truth and she wanted to have one, last, special memory to tide her over in the
lonely months ahead when she focused on salvaging what she could from her failed company if she
didn’t land the Kaluna deal.
“Are you nervous?” He squeezed her hand as they paused outside her door. “Because you don’t
have to be. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
She stepped into his embrace, impressed by his thoughtfulness. “Guess I’m wondering if this
vanilla girl has what it takes to open the Kink Kit, let alone use the stuff in there.”
“Sweetheart, you’re incredibly passionate.” He ground his pelvis against her to prove it. “I want
you all the time. And not just because you’re hot. It’s because you make me feel good. And I want to
share that feeling with you in return.”
Damn, now he’d almost made her cry
“You should come inside and let me prove it,” she said, stepping out of his arms, fumbling with the
key card twice before opening the door and preceding him in.
She heard the door click and then he was on her, wrapping his arms around her from behind,
planting hot, openmouthed kisses on her neck, hugging her close.
When he touched her like this, she could almost forget what tonight was about. But the ugly truth
was there, unsaid between them, and her eyes squeezed shut to stave off the tears that threatened.
“Let’s go open the box,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t quiver as she blinked rapidly, not
surprised when he all but pushed her toward the bedroom from behind.
She’d laid it out on the bed in preparation, the deep crimson of the box a startling contrast to the
five-hundred-count ivory sheets.
“You sure about this?” He nuzzled her neck. “Because you’ve been kinda out of it all evening and I
don’t want this to stress you out. We can—”
“Shh.” She spun around in his arms and pressed a fingertip to his lips. “I want to do this.”
He nodded and led her to the bed. “So are you a take-it-slow-peek-under-the-lid, or a rip-the-
wrapping-off-fast kinda girl?”
She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his pants and tugged him closer. “Don’t know about
you, but considering how turned on I am around you? Fast sounds good.”
“Feeling’s entirely mutual, babe,” he said, jerking his head toward the box. “Though once we
choose something to play with out of there, fast won’t be an option.” He brushed a soft kiss across her
lips. “It’ll be slow all the way.” He trailed tiny kisses along her jaw to nip at the tender skin beneath
her ear. “Real slow.”
Allegra sighed and sank onto the bed, Jett right beside her. She reached for the box, ripped off the
black silk ribbon binding it, and flipped the lid. Considering what she’d been expecting, she exhaled
in relief.
“Doesn’t seem terribly kinky to me.” Jett snagged a pair of fluffy leopard-print handcuffs on the end
of his finger and picked up a blindfold with the other.
“What about this?” She held up a leather whip, with tiny embedded studs in the tail. “Or this?” She
grabbed a paddle and smacked it against her thigh.
He winced on her behalf. “Guess now’s the time I should come clean and tell you I have a very low
pain threshold.”
“So whipping and spanking are out?”
He chuckled at her fake pout. “Unless you want to be on the receiving end.”
“Hell no.” She threw the whip and paddle aside and picked up long, purple, silken scarves instead.
“This and the handcuffs are probably about as kinky as this vanilla girl wants to get.”
“Done.” His relief mirrored hers and she laughed.
“Look at us, living on the wild side,” she said, sliding the scarves through her fingers, savoring the
softness.
“Tying you up and having you at my mercy will be pretty damn wild,” he said, making a grab for
the scarves.
“I don’t think so.” She held them overhead and shook her head. “If anyone’s being hog-tied tonight,
it’s you.”
His eyes narrowed as he edged closer to her. “Sweetheart, when we first met, you told me you have
major control issues. Tonight, I want to see how far you can let go.”
Good point. But exploring her sexuality was one thing; being tied up and at Jett’s mercy was
another. It would require complete trust. One hundred percent confidence in him.
That’s the moment everything she’d been feeling for Jett clarified.
She never would’ve had sex with him on the plane if she didn’t trust him to some degree. And she
never would’ve continued their fling on the island without feeling the same. As for tonight? She may
have dated infrequently in the past but she couldn’t think of one of those guys she trusted enough to
even contemplate stepping outside her comfort zone sexually.
Jett was right. Time to relinquish control and see how far she could go.
Her hands shook slightly as she handed him the scarves. “Okay. I trust you.”
Tenderness darkened his eyes. “Good. So you’ll do as I say?”
“Within reason.”
The corners of his mouth quirked. “You can stop at any time.”
With the images of what he could potentially do to her if she were tied up flitting across her mind in
erotic detail, she seriously doubted that would be an option. “What first?”
“Strip for me.” He scooted up the bed until he reached the headboard and leaned back against the
pillows. “Now.”
“Yes, Master,” she said, earning a wry grin as she stood and walked around the bed to stand a few
feet away from him. “I hope you like what you see.”
“Never in doubt,” he said, his hungry gaze riveted to her hands as she slipped one strap off her right
shoulder, repeated the action on the left, and shimmied a little. The dress slid to the floor, leaving her
wearing a black satin thong.
He stared at her breasts, intense and focused, until her nipples hardened into peaks. “Take it all
off,” he growled, his gaze traveling lower as she snagged the satin elastic and tugged.
His eyes seemed to glow in the bedroom’s dim lighting as she kicked away the thong, leaving her
naked and wet and wanting.
“Lie down.” He swept the box off the bed, its contents spilling to the floor. “Right here.”
He pointed to the middle of the bed, his gaze unwavering as she obeyed. “On your back.”
Her initial nerves at playing any kind of out-of-the-ordinary scenario faded, replaced by something
more potent. Lust. Excitement. Anticipation. Her clammy skin stuck to the sheets a little as she
wriggled into place.
“Good.” He nodded his approval. “Now spread your legs.”
Allegra’s resolve faltered. It was one thing being naked when the two of them were going at it, but
lying before him, revealing all?
He stood and moved toward the end of the bed. His fingertips brushed her ankle and she quivered.
“Like this,” he said, cradling her heel in his hand as if she were made of glass, and sliding her leg to
the right, his gaze locked on hers.
She watched as he did the same with her left leg, never breaking eye contact. The sincerity she
glimpsed helped ease her jumpiness. Until he picked up the silk scarves.
This time he didn’t speak as he bound her ankles to the bed’s chrome frame. Her shallow breathing
was the only sound in the room as he tugged on her bindings. Apparently satisfied they’d hold, he
stood at the foot of the bed, his hungry gaze fixed shamelessly on where she throbbed.
“Beautiful,” he said, a fingertip starting at her ankle and sliding upward with excruciating
slowness. Her skin pebbled as he skimmed her knee, traced the contour of her inner thigh, before
delving in her dampness.
She arched off the bed, half sitting up, but he shook his head. “Can’t have you moving around with
what I’ve got planned.”
His wicked smile almost made her come as he placed a palm on her chest and eased her back onto
the bed.
“Place your arms overhead.” He snagged the handcuffs and dangled them overhead. “Once these
are on, you’ll be completely at my mercy. Think you can handle it?”
The thought of handing over complete control to anyone, least of all a guy she’d known less than a
week, petrified her. But Jett had never made her feel anything but special and she trusted him.
Foolish? Maybe. But Allegra had come this far. No way would she back out now.
She nodded, her hair rustling on the pillow. “Do it.”
He snapped the handcuffs in place and she tried lowering her wrists. To no avail. She was bound
tight. Spread-eagled before him. Ready, willing, and embarrassingly wet.
“God, you’re gorgeous.” His gaze started at her fingertips and worked its way down, lingering on
her breasts, her Brazilian, his increasing shortness of breath matching hers. “I’m glad these rooms are
soundproof because I’m going to tease you ’til you scream.”
A needy whimper escaped Allegra’s lips as she watched Jett strip. He didn’t make a show of it and
she appreciated the speed. The sooner he got naked and down to business—her—the better.
The bed dipped as he settled between her legs, his warm breath fanning the bundle of nerves that
needed barely a flick before sending an orgasm slamming through her. Her breathing grew choppy as
he lowered his head. Closer. So exquisitely close…
She tensed, every muscle in her body coiled in anticipation of that first, delicious sweep of his
tongue.
Then he did the unthinkable.
He bypassed the target.
“Jett…,” she warned, lifting her pelvis toward his mouth.
He grinned and swiped his tongue along her inner thigh in one, long, teasing sweep. “Patience.”
His hot tongue glided up her thigh, across her stomach, and down the other side, skirting around the
one area that would combust if he didn’t pay attention to it soon.
She writhed as he nipped the tender skin of her groin, the sharp pull of her restraints ramping up the
tension, making her body zing. As he inched closer to where she wanted him most, the maddening
throb escalated until it was all she could focus on.
That’s when the tip of his tongue flicked her clit.
Her hips jolted and surged upward, her body thrashing, but only as far as his bindings allowed. She
was at his mercy. Totally powerless. And as his lips fastened on her and his tongue swirled over her
clit, she’d never been happier to relinquish control.
He slid one finger into her, another, pumping into her slickness as he sucked her, pushing her over
the edge so damn fast she almost blacked out.
She shattered under the intensity of an orgasm that defied logic, screaming so loud her throat hurt.
Stunned, she lay there, her body burning and languid and sated, needing time to recover. But Jett
didn’t give it to her. Instead, his tongue snaked out to lick her again, sending an almost painful jolt
through her.
“Oh my God, Jett, you can’t…give me a minute…”
He didn’t, lapping at her like he’d never get enough. To her amazement the pressure built again,
coiling through her body, shocking in its intensity. She tugged at her restraints, wriggling and writhing,
mindless with wanting whatever he had to give.
His teeth bit lightly on her clit and she screamed again as wave after wave of undiluted pleasure
washed over her, leaving her boneless and spent.
“Hey, you still with me?”
Her eyelids fluttered open to find Jett lying beside her, within kissing distance, a smug grin
illuminating his face.
She grunted in response.
He chuckled. “Fuck, do you have any idea how hot that was?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, her head lolling to the side so she could see him. “Your turn?”
“Hell no.” His palm rested on her belly and stroked lower. “I like having you as my very own
plaything.”
“Just because I’m tied up doesn’t mean I can’t be the master for a little while,” she said, trying her
best demure smile. “I order you to fuck me. Now.”
“Yes, Master.” He gave a funny half salute. “Just so you know, hearing you talk dirty is almost as
big a turn-on as having you tied up, wet, on full display.”
She moaned and he swallowed it with a kiss that ravaged. Allegra was only barely aware of the rip
of a foil packet before Jett was inside her with a hard thrust, stretching and filling her until she thought
her raw nerve endings couldn’t take it any more.
If she’d thought being licked by him while restrained had been hot, having him pound into her with
fierce determination ratcheted her excitement to a whole new level.
She longed to touch him, to caress him, to grab his ass and hold on for dear life. But she couldn’t
and when he slid hid hands under her, lifted her hips, and drove deeper, she came apart again.
With another two thrusts Jett yelled her name and collapsed on top of her, his weight the one
normality in this titillating encounter.
She’d had him lie on top of her before after sex. But never had she had this kind of sex or the
stunning aftermath. Like every muscle, every inch of skin, had been hot-wired and still sizzled with
residual electricity.
“Unbe-frigging-lievable,” he said, pushing up to prop on his elbows and look down on her. “You
okay?”
She nodded, unable to find the words to express how she felt.
She’d trusted this guy to help explore her sexuality. And Jett had delivered in ways he’d never
know.
Because what they’d just done proved that all those times with Flint, when she’d secretly blamed
herself for their lackluster sex life, hadn’t been her fault.
With the right guy, a guy like Jett, she could go off. And that knowledge empowered her like nothing
else.
She lifted her hips slightly, pressed her pelvis to his. “Ready for the next round?”
“Insatiable. Impressive.” He winked. “At least give me another three minutes.”
“Actually, I think I need more like ten,” she said, wincing a little as she moved her arms.
He stood quickly, concern creasing his brow. “Okay, that’s enough kinky stuff for now. Let me untie
you.” He undid the scarves and unlocked the handcuffs, gently rubbing circulation back into her
wrists. “Better?”
“Fine,” she said, touched by his thoughtfulness.
Though now the post-orgasmic haze was fading, reality intruded. She wasn’t fine. Having to tell
Jett the truth after what they’d just shared? Her timing sucked.
She should’ve told him earlier. Shouldn’t have been so damn selfish in wanting to explore her
fantasies. Hopefully he’d understand what it took for her to trust him to bind her and he’d cut her
some slack.
“What’s wrong?” He released her wrists and sat on the bed.
“Nothing.” Everything. She laid a hand on his thigh, took a deep breath, and hoped to God he’d
understand. “I’m being selfish in wanting to keep you here when you probably need to work on your
presentation.”
He grimaced. “Don’t remind me. I reckon my work speaks for itself and Kai Kaluna’s a stand-up
guy, but a lot of advertising business is conducted behind closed doors. Mutual back-scratching.
Under-the-table deals. That kind of thing.” His fingers splayed on her stomach and the pit of it fell
away. “So no matter how well prepared I am, someone can come along and snaffle the lot from under
me.”
Shit. If she didn’t tell him now she may end up losing her dinner in the toilet.
The nausea intensified as she looked at Jett, with his hair ruffled and his eyes clear and his
expression wavering between satisfaction and tenderness.
He reached for her. “Allegra?”
She slipped out of reach, hating how her simple evasive action made his eyes narrow with
suspicion.
Unable to look him in the eye, her hands fiddled with the top sheet, twisting it until her fingers
ached. “I’m pitching for the Kaluna campaign. I lost my biggest client, two others didn’t sign up, and
my company, AW Advertising, is in dire financial trouble, so I came here with the sole intention of
scoring an opportunity to pitch.”
The truth spilled out of her in a torrent, but did little to ease the clamminess of her skin or the
roiling of her gut. “I’m sorry, it just seemed easier for you to think I was taking a week off after the
wedding fiasco rather than mess with my work and yours. I wanted to tell you, but we’ve kept work
and our private lives separate and I didn’t want to complicate things.”
“Complicate things,” he parroted, shaking his head and staring at her like she’d morphed into a
monster. “Why would a little thing like you sleeping with me, letting me talk about my work while
you’re in competition against me, complicate things?”
His lethally cold monotone scared her more than if he’d ranted and raved and shouted.
She knew damage control at this point would be useless but she had to try, had to try anything to
wipe away the devastation clouding his eyes and the disgust twisting his mouth. “Jett, this has nothing
to do with us—”
“Bullshit,” he roared, and she jumped. Maybe she preferred the cold disdain more. “I can’t believe
I frigging trusted you.”
The desolation in his appalled glare told her more than anything he could throw at her ever could.
His best mate had betrayed his trust and now he thought she’d done the same. She wanted to tell him
how she’d tried to help him, how she’d changed her pitch, but by the way he was staring at her,
anything she said now would only make things worse.
A sob bubbled up from deep within and stuck in her chest. She slid her hand across the sheet,
needing to convince him of her sincerity. Maybe if she touched him…it seemed to work for them, the
physical connection. She needed him to believe her. “Jett, listen to me—”
“Fuck this. I’m out of here,” he snarled, leaping off the bed, shrugging into his clothes, and heading
for the door.
Ludicrous, how even in a moment of intense animosity, the moment when their relationship
imploded, she noticed how great his ass looked. A stupid, irrational observation that showed exactly
how close she was to losing it.
She crumpled, wrapping her arms around her middle to stave off the gut-wrenching ache. It did
nothing and the pain spread until her body quivered with it. “I don’t want to leave things between us
like this…”
He slammed the door in response.
Chapter Eight
Jett barged into his room, stomped into the bathroom, and splashed water on his face. After toweling
off, he stared at the mirror, his shattered reflection taunting him more than Allegra’s declaration.
She’d lied to him. Big frigging deal. Wouldn’t be the first time someone had. And it wasn’t the first
time someone had taken his trust and shoved it up his ass.
But it was the first time he cared so damn much, and that told him more than the dawning horror in
his eyes.
He cared about her. On a far deeper level than what he’d signed up for. Intrinsically, he’d probably
known it all along, yet like a masochistic schmuck had gone with it regardless. Dressing it up as a
casual fling, something he could walk away from anytime he wanted.
Fuck, what a mess.
Since when had he turned into such a dickhead?
He had to be, that even now a small part of him wished he’d stayed. So they could what? Talk? Pile
a whole lot of empty words on top of the pain? Because that’s what he felt, a goddamn ache that
centered on his chest and spread outward and mimicked the time he’d scarfed three plate-size chicken
schnitzels as part of a stupid bet with Reeve.
First his best friend shits all over him, now Allegra. What was it about him that had “Gullible
Loser” etched across his forehead?
He swore and left the bathroom, pacing the room, but predictably it did little to ease the anger and
betrayal burning him up from the inside out. With every step his fury grew until he wanted to punch
something. But he’d been here before. About two months ago when he thought he’d lost everything.
But he hadn’t. Reeve hadn’t taken the one thing that would get him through anything: tenacity. No
way in hell would Jett allow this blip to derail his plans.
And it was a blip. Wasn’t like him and Allegra were in a relationship. Wouldn’t be the first time
some chick did a number on a guy and it wouldn’t be the last. Though this particular guy would sure
as hell be wary of letting anyone get too close again.
Yep, she was a blip and as his steps slowed, some sense of rationality returned. She wanted to go
up against him? Bring it on. He’d move on from this, would focus solely on nailing this pitch, while
she’d probably be a basket case from the deception she’d perpetuated. Good. She deserved to suffer.
Then he did the one thing guaranteed to make this situation remotely better.
He fired up his laptop and got to work.
If he could channel half his fury at the injustice of all this into his presentation, he’d win the gig for
sure.
First item on the agenda: suss out the competition. So he Googled AW Advertising, and discovered
it was one of the most respected agencies in LA, with an impressive list of clientele.
Good. He thrived on beating the best. The bigger they were, the harder he strived. Now, more than
ever, it was imperative that he win.
No way would he let Allegra screw up his professional life the way she had with his personal.
…
In a daze, Allegra showered, dressed in white linen pants and a thigh-skimming peach caftan top,
applied makeup, and blow-dried her hair. She had to establish normality, had to maintain a perfectly
poised front. Because if she didn’t, she’d fall to pieces and board the first plane out of here.
And she couldn’t do that. Zoe, and her other employees, were depending on her. She had to win this
pitch, no matter how much she wanted to walk.
The desolation on Jett’s face when he’d learned the truth, the frigidity in his tone that quickly turned
to abhorrence… It would haunt her forever, something she’d have to deal with along with her broken
heart.
Because she was under no illusions now. The moment Jett had bolted was the moment all the
uncertainty and hedging and posing coalesced into the devastating truth.
She had fallen in love with him.
And she’d hurt him regardless.
She’d thought she was doing the best she could for him by changing her pitch to not directly
compete. But maybe she was more like her parents than she realized. Hurting the ones they loved,
following their own path regardless of what it did to other people. She never would’ve thought it, but
as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the French doors leading to the patio, she could’ve sworn
she saw her mother.
Daphne always thought any problems could be solved by donning her most expensive designer
outfit and her chunkiest diamond choker, applying lashings of makeup, and having her hair styled.
Presenting a poised front at all costs to hide underlying problems simmering beneath.
Ironic, that’s exactly what Allegra had done, but the situation with Jett? Went far beyond a
“problem.” She’d ruined the best relationship she’d ever had and managed to kick him in the balls on
the way down.
Way to go.
A knock sounded at the door and Allegra’s heart gave a betraying kick before she realized it would
be Zoe, here for their final prep before the pitch tomorrow.
She squared her shoulders and dragged in several deep breaths. She could do this. How many times
had she hidden her disappointment at her folks’ nonappearance at an important school event? How
many times had she smiled and schmoozed their fake friends in the hope of earning praise? How many
times had she stood by Flint’s side at an A-list Hollywood function, appearing interested, when all
she felt inside was nothing?
Yes, she’d honed her poised outer shell over many years. “Unflappable” was the label she’d
earned after final exams in boarding school. Aloof, from some of her less complimentary college
coeds.
Now, like then, she’d don her mask and present a front to the world. A front that hid a world of
pain deep inside where she ranted and screamed and railed at the agony of losing the one man she’d
ever fallen in love with.
Forcing a smile, she opened the door.
And promptly burst into tears when she caught sight of Zoe.
“What’s wrong?” Zoe bustled in, closed the door, and draped an arm around her waist as she
guided her toward the sofa. “What can I do to help?”
Allegra couldn’t speak as the sobs she’d suppressed since Jett had stormed out of her room
bubbled up and spewed forth in great, unladylike heaves. Accompanied by tears and snot and an urge
to puke.
“Hey, you’ll make yourself sick,” Zoe said, dashing into the bathroom to grab a box of tissues and
handing it over before she headed for the minibar. She emptied a miniature bottle of whiskey into a
glass and handed it over. “Take some deep breaths and get this into you.”
When Allegra clamped her lips and shook her head, Zoe folded her arms, channeling her inner
dominatrix that tended to intimidate some clients. “If you don’t drink voluntarily, I’ll pour it down
your throat.”
“Bossy,” Allegra said, and promptly howled again, as she echoed what Jett had said an hour
earlier.
“For goodness’ sake.” Zoe rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the glass. “See, this is why I
don’t fall in love. It always ends in tears.”
Allegra gulped the whiskey in one go, the burn as it slid down her gullet not half as shocking as the
burn in her heart.
“Better?”
“No.” She glared at Zoe and thumped the glass on the coffee table. “And how’d you get so wise
anyway?”
Zoe perched on the sofa next to her. “Seriously? Anyone could see you two were crazy for each
other.”
Allegra opened her mouth to refute it when Zoe held up her hand. “And don’t even think about
trying to label it a fling, because you’re so way past that it’s not funny.”
Allegra slumped into the sofa, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes. “I’m the dumbass who unwittingly
fell in love, not him.”
“Are you for real?” Zoe fanned her face. “The way he looks at you? Not the look of a prick or a
player in this for a short time.”
“You’re wrong.” Allegra tossed a bundle of used tissues at a nearby trash can and missed. “And
you’re not helping.”
Zoe shrugged. “Trust me, I’m trying to get your head in a good space so we can nail this pitch
tomorrow without you freaking out like a lovesick teenager.”
The pitch…another sob made Allegra’s eyes seep and Zoe tapped her foot against the floor, a
picture of impatience. “Whatever tiff you two had, you better sort it out right now before I go drag
him here and—”
“We’re pitching against Jett and if he doesn’t land this campaign he has nothing.”
Zoe’s mouth fell open and Allegra enjoyed having her sassy, know-it-all friend off-balance for
once. “He’s pitching?” Zoe made it sound like Jett was parasailing naked in front of a beachside
audience.
Allegra bit her lower lip and nodded. “I didn’t tell him we were going up against him ’til an hour
ago when he made a joke about it.”
“Hell’s bells.” Zoe pressed her fingers to her temples. “So this is more than a tiff?”
“Yep. It’s a freaking disaster.”
Zoe pinned her with an accusatory stare. “Why didn’t you tell him? Come clean when we first
decided to pitch?”
The million-dollar question. “Because I thought I could manage the situation. Even help a little…”
Zoe groaned. “Don’t tell me you went on one of your crusades again.”
“All I did was change my pitch after Jett told me his, which was almost identical.” Allegra
managed a wan smile. “I wanted to give him a good shot at winning, so he couldn’t accuse me later of
stealing his idea.”
Zoe dragged a hand through her spikes. “For a smart businesswoman, you can be a real dumbass
when it comes to guys.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Allegra said, a hint of a smile threatening to break out, when
for the last sixty minutes she’d thought she’d never smile again.
“It’s true.” Zoe flung her arms in the air. “I give up. All these years I’ve tried to drag you out on
double dates or set you up with bad boys to have a little fun with, but noooo. You date a few dweebs
in college then get engaged to an old fart friend of your folks.”
Zoe made circles at her temple. “Then, when I finally think you’ve wised up and made a great
choice, you go crazy and screw it up by lying to the guy. Sheesh.”
Allegra managed a tremulous smile at Zoe’s assessment of the situation. “Tell me what you really
think.”
Zoe snorted. “So what are you going to do?”
“Nail the pitch. Save our business.”
Zoe’s eyes narrowed. “And Jett? You said he loses everything.”
“Shit…” Allegra shook her head, wishing there was some way they could both come out winners.
Maybe they could work together on a campaign…combine creativity…wouldn’t be out of the realm
of possibility, considering the Kaluna resorts were spread across the world and their respective
offices were based in Sydney and LA.
Yeah, like Jett would want to work with her after she’d done a number on him.
Unless she presented it to him in purely business terms. In a way he couldn’t refuse…
“Leave Jett to me.”
Allegra had the beginnings of a plan. A harebrained plan but a plan nonetheless. One that involved
turning this disastrous situation into a win-win. One that may save her company and save Jett’s, too.
One that gave them a chance in hell of resurrecting their relationship and a hope of making it work the
second time around.
But first, she had to win this campaign.
…
The next day, Allegra and Zoe strutted out of Kai Kaluna’s office, maintaining their über-confident
facade until they reached the resort lobby and collapsed onto the nearest cushion-covered wicker
sofa.
“What do you think?” Zoe crossed her legs, not caring that the hem of her black mini rode higher.
“He’s a hard one to read.”
Allegra had to agree. She’d pitched advertising ideas to many corporate power players over the
years but none had been as inscrutable as the hotelier giant. “He seemed impressed.”
“What gave it away? His deadpan expression or his emotionless ‘please continue’?”
Allegra smiled. “Guess we’ll know by tomorrow morning, unless he was so blown away by our
presentation he’ll call us back tonight.”
Zoe crossed her fingers. “Are you going to call Jett?”
“Not yet.” Allegra wanted to, boy, did she want to. She’d picked up the phone several times last
night, had even strolled halfway across the resort toward his room before turning back.
There was so much she wanted to say to him, but first she had to have a concrete offer in place, a
business plan he would understand without emotions clouding the issue. Then she could deal with the
other stuff, the important stuff like her broken heart, later.
“Don’t leave it too long,” Zoe said, tapping her watch. “If we were the last pitch and he doesn’t get
the gig, chances are he’ll be on the first plane out of here.”
Damn, she hadn’t thought of that.
As if thinking about the man in question conjured him up, the skin on the back of Allegra’s neck
prickled and she glanced over her shoulder to lock gazes with Jett.
Judging by his beige suit and open-necked white shirt, he’d pitched to Kai earlier. Which meant he
was headed toward the guy’s office for one reason: he’d landed the job.
The thought made her feel sick, because it ruined everything: her plan, her business, her life. But
oddly enough, she couldn’t summon up one iota of regret other than how badly things had ended
between them.
His disdain rippled over her and she surreptitiously rubbed her arms, hoping he could read half of
what she was feeling in her eyes. Either he couldn’t or he didn’t want to know, because he
deliberately turned his back on her and picked up the pace toward Kai’s office.
“Brrr, chilly.” Zoe mock-shivered. “You sure did a number on him.”
Allegra glared at her best friend, who held up her hands in surrender. “Just saying.”
“Don’t.” Besides, Jett wouldn’t look so grim when she made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Her cell rang at that moment and she stared at the number in surprise. “It’s Kai,” she mouthed to
Zoe, whose eyes widened as she answered.
“Allegra Wilks speaking.”
“Allegra, Kai Kaluna. Can I see you back in my office now, please?” While Kai ended on a
question, from the steel threading his commanding tone, Allegra knew it was an order.
“Sure, we’ll be there in two minutes.”
“See you then.” He hung up, leaving Allegra staring at the phone in consternation.
Zoe punched her on the arm. “Well? What did he say?”
“He wants us back in his office now.”
“Now?” Zoe bounced up and down on her seat. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
Allegra shrugged, her hands shaking as she slipped her cell back into her bag. “The optimist in me
says he was so blown away by our presentation he has made his decision and wants to tell us in
person.”
“I’m sensing a but?”
“But the realist in me believes that if he called Jett back, too, maybe he’s letting us all down in
person?”
Zoe slumped into the cushions. “Damn, I hate it when you’re logical.”
Allegra nudged her, hoping her heart would stop pounding so loud she could hardly hear herself
think. “Come on, no use speculating. Let’s go hear the verdict.”
…
Kai sat behind his monstrous glass-topped desk, silhouetted against a breathtaking ocean view. “I bet
you’re wondering why I called opposing parties in at the same time.”
Jett, who’d barely acknowledged Allegra and Zoe’s entrance, nodded, while the enemy—Allegra
—alternated between darting nervous glances at him and Kai.
“You two were my last pitches.” Kai pointed at his computer screen. “I had three pitches by Skype
this morning and yours this afternoon.”
He steepled his fingers and rested them on the desk. “Every business decision I make is driven by
two things. Carefully assessed analysis of the situation and pure gut instinct, so I knew instantly who I
wanted launching the new advertising campaign for Kaluna Resorts.”
Jett heard Allegra’s sharp intake of breath, the same sound she’d made every time he touched her
intimately, and it annoyed him immensely when his cock hardened. A Pavlovian response, nothing
more. But the part where his heart clenched? Frigging disaster.
Kai stood, rounded his desk and held out a hand. “Jett, your pitch blew me away. Innovative.
Sharp. Exactly what I’d want for a new resort.”
Jett shook Kai’s hand, knowing with a sinking feeling deep in his gut he’d lost.
“But the Caribbean resort and the resort here have been established a while and need a fresh take to
grab the consumer eye.”
Kai released his hand and turned to Allegra and Zoe. “To that end, Miss Wilks and Miss Keaton,
your presentation nailed exactly what I’m looking for to take Kaluna Resorts forward.”
Disappointment trickled through Jett, freezing his veins, as he sat there, immovable, as he watched
his future being handed over to the woman who had betrayed him.
“Congratulations, ladies. AW Advertising will be responsible for the new face of my resorts.”
Frustration curled Jett’s hands into fists, disillusionment making his head buzz as he tuned out their
effusive thanks and mustered some kind of rigid smile.
“However, there’s one stipulation.” Kai held up his hand. “My Australian resort in the Whitsunday
Islands needs a special touch. We’re not opening ’til next year and I think Mr. Halcott’s ideas would
suit a new resort of this nature.”
Hope flickered to life as Jett sat taller.
“So here’s what I propose.” Kai turned to Allegra. “While your company controls the overall
campaign, I want Mr. Halcott doing the Whitsunday job.”
Allegra gaped, before closing her mouth quickly. “You mean as a subcontractor?”
Kai nodded. “Exactly.”
And just like that, Jett’s bubble of hope popped in a big way.
He didn’t want to work alongside Allegra, let alone for her. To have to answer to her? Run every
idea past her? No frigging way.
“Perhaps it would be better if Mr. Halcott worked independently on the Australian resort?” Allegra
shot him a concerned glance that only solidified his anger. He didn’t need her goddamn concern or
pity. “He knows that part of the world better than we do, so it would leave AW time to focus on the
other resorts.”
Kai shook his head and sat behind his desk, his frown ominous. “I don’t like complicating my
business any more than it needs to be. Kaluna Resorts will have one advertising company, that’s it.
However you want to structure it, I want Mr. Halcott doing the Whitsunday job.”
Jett gritted his teeth and waited for Allegra to protest again, to do something to get them out of this
god-awful mess. Because if this went through—and the pragmatist in him was resigned to the fact it
had to for him to save his career—he’d be bound to Allegra, albeit professionally, when he’d never
wanted to see her again.
“Are you all in agreement?”
Jett glared at Allegra, even at this late stage hoping she’d shake her head. Instead, she nodded and
he joined in a second later.
Their fate was sealed.
Chapter Nine
“We need to talk,” Jett said, reaching out to grab Allegra’s arm before thinking better of it and letting
his hand drop.
Allegra’s heart plummeted. The fact that he didn’t want to touch her hurt. A lot.
“You think?” She feigned indifference to hide her pain.
Was it only yesterday he couldn’t get enough of her? Seemed like a lifetime ago, a parallel universe
where she was carefree and happy, without pretenses.
She liked being in that place, liked who she’d been with him. But that was in the past now and she
had to face reality: being Jett’s boss.
Hell.
“Let’s get a drink.” He waited for her to fall into step with him before heading to the resort bar.
She didn’t blame him for not wanting to convene in her room or his. They didn’t talk much when
that happened.
Not that there was the remotest chance they’d be having sex again any time soon. The kicker? The
thought of missing out on that incredible passion didn’t hurt half as much as the loss of intimacy. The
way he’d stroke her hair afterward, the way he’d curl his arm around her shoulders and she’d snuggle
into him, the way he’d absentmindedly stroke her arm as they made desultory small talk in bed.
Yeah, she’d miss that and more, had resigned herself to taking a while for the pain to ease. Yet by a
surprising twist, Kai Kaluna had managed to bind their fates, at least for the interim.
She could handle it. She could handle anything if it meant saving AW Advertising. But by Jett’s
rigid posture and set jaw, he didn’t like it one bit.
“Drink?”
She shook her head, hating his sharp tone.
He ordered a double whiskey before edging his barstool away, ensuring that they wouldn’t
inadvertently touch. “This entire situation is screwed.”
“Not necessarily.” She toyed with a drink coaster before nudging it away with her finger. “We both
get what we want. I save AW, you save your career.”
“Yeah, by working as your frigging underling,” he spat out, accepting the whiskey glass from the
waiter with a terse nod then downing his drink in two gulps. “No way in hell I’d sign up for that.”
“You do have a choice,” she said, maintaining her cool aloofness with difficulty.
To have the guy she cared for speak to her like that…damn, maybe she should’ve had a drink after
all.
“Some frigging choice,” he said, signaling for another drink. “Aren’t you even the slightest bit
ruffled by any of this?” He snapped his fingers. “Of course not. You control the situation and get your
own way.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Suck it up, Princess. Life’s not fair. Or didn’t you know?” He downed another double shot and
wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Want to know what’s not fair? Working your ass off for
years, building a reputable company, and losing everything because you’re a gullible idiot who sees
the best in people.”
“You weren’t gullible.” She laid a hand on his forearm, wanting to comfort him. Not surprisingly,
he snatched his arm away.
“Like how I wasn’t gullible with you?” Bitterness twisted his mouth. “Christ, I’m an idiot.”
“I didn’t mean to deliberately hurt you,” she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. “I was
going to tell you the truth.”
“When? After you landed the deal so as not to mess up the little arrangement we had going on?”
He scored a direct hit and heat surged to Allegra’s cheeks.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” He leaned closer, whiskey fumes on his breath mingling with the citrus
aftershave that seemed imprinted on her skin following their scorching encounters. “You were
enjoying getting off so much, you didn’t want to mess with that, so you hedged your bets.”
“Don’t be crude,” she said, turning away a fraction so he couldn’t see her shame at being caught
out.
“Crude is waiting to see if you land a deal before coming clean. Crude is taking what you can get
and not giving a shit about the other person. Crude is using whatever means possible to get ahead.”
Her head snapped up at his last accusation. “I never used you to get ahead.”
“No, but you used your sexuality as a weapon.” He waved toward Kai’s office. “You and Zoe
strutting in there in your short-skirted power suits, using the old ‘sex sells’ campaign.”
“Don’t insult me.” She squared her shoulders and eyeballed him. “I’m a professional. I won this
campaign by sizing up the situation and acting accordingly.”
He pinned her with a glare that made her squirm. “Is that what you did with me? Size me up and act
accordingly?”
He made it sound like she’d tied him up and used him against his will. He wished.
“Let’s stick to business,” she said, brusque to the point of rudeness. “You’ve got the Whitsunday
job if you want it. Carte blanche with your ideas, but as a subcontractor to AW I’ll need to have final
approval.”
His lips set in a mutinous line.
“I guess for all intents and purposes I’m your boss but I don’t expect you to run everything by me.
You’re a professional in the industry. I trust you.”
“How magnanimous,” he said, a sneer curling his upper lip.
“You’re acting like an ass.” She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “When you’re willing
to talk business like an adult, give me a call.”
“Screw this,” he said, signaling for a third drink as he pinned her with an accusatory glare. “I know
exactly why you didn’t tell me about pitching. Because I was the enemy and you wanted to be in total
control of the situation.”
Startled by his accusation, she crossed her arms, her nails digging into her forearms until she felt a
sting of pain. “You were never the enemy.”
“But you did want to keep me on a tight leash.”
She didn’t like his flaring resentment or the realization that part of his accusation might be true. She
had loved the incredible empowerment of having it all for once: killer job, killer guy, and happiness
beyond measure. But she hadn’t told him everything because she didn’t want him to feel emasculated.
Because she cared about him, worse luck. “You’re wrong—”
“Am I?” He tapped his temple. “You’re constantly overthinking and overanalyzing everything. I
couldn’t even have your undivided attention for one dinner without you drifting off into your own
little world where you’re the queen of your domain.”
Allegra stared at Jett, his constant references to her controlling tendencies seriously starting to piss
her off. She’d been distracted at that dinner because she’d been scrounging up her meager courage to
tell him the truth. And look how that turned out.
Hating how he had the power to hurt her, she deliberately perched on a barstool again, cool and
calm and in control to prove a point. “Not everyone can be facetious and glib and insouciant all the
time.”
Anger sparked his eyes. “Are you calling me shallow?”
“No more than you calling me a control freak.”
His neck muscles bulged. “Good to know what you really think of me.”
“Stop being so damn sensitive,” she snapped, instantly regretting losing her temper when he
squared his shoulders as if going into battle. “I tried to help you, goddammit. I changed my pitch for
you! Yours was almost identical to the idea I’d had and I wanted to give you a fair shot at winning so
I came up with something completely different. I did that for you.”
The truth spilled out in an ugly torrent and nothing like how she’d envisioned telling him. But it was
too late. By his pallor and horror-stricken expression, way too late.
“For fuck’s sake, you thought I was some kind of pathetic charity case who couldn’t go head-to-
head with you so you changed your pitch? You thought I needed your pity?” He shook his head,
disgust twisting his grimace. “How magnanimous of you, deigning to help the poor sucker you
duped.”
He stood. “Don’t you think I know what you think of me deep down?” He towered over her,
glowering and grim. “You think I’m a gullible loser who can’t keep control of anything, let alone his
business partner and company.” He jabbed a finger at her. “Here’s a news flash for you.” He sneered.
“I’ll do the best damn job I can on the Whitsunday campaign and report in like a good little minion.
But anything else between us?” He made a slitting action across his neck. “We’re done.”
Stunned by how swiftly the situation had deteriorated, Allegra opened her mouth to call him back.
To refute his outlandish claims. To deny his self-pity.
But as Jett’s strides lengthened and the gap between them grew, Allegra knew there was nothing
she could say to convince Jett he was wrong. Because as brutal as his accusations had been, maybe
there’d been a kernel of truth buried deep.
…
The next morning, Jett had the hangover to end all hangovers.
He’d lost count of how many double shots he’d had last night at one of the resort’s many bars and
didn’t particularly care. He’d craved numbness and that’s what he’d gotten after the tenth drink. Or
was it the fifteenth?
At no stage had it entered his head that he’d be committing professional suicide if Kai Kaluna had
ventured into the bar and seen him sprawled against it. Then again, had he really cared?
When Allegra had talked to him like a condescending queen with a pole stuck ten feet up her ass,
he’d wanted to smash something. So he’d settled for getting smashed instead.
He’d acted like a real prick and she’d called him on it. Had to admire her for that. Never had he
seen her look at him like that…like something nasty she’d stepped in and couldn’t wait to wipe off
her shoe.
He’d deserved it, of course, but it didn’t change facts.
If he didn’t get his act together he’d be heading back to Sydney unemployed.
He should be rapt that Kai had given him a shot at showcasing his newest resort to the world.
Instead, he’d gotten hung up on the logistics and allowed his bitterness toward Allegra to taint his
success.
To think, she would now be his boss.
In what realm was this anything but a big cosmic joke? Ha frigging ha.
It wouldn’t be so bad. She’d be on the other side of the world, he’d be based in Sydney and making
regular trips to the Great Barrier Reef. They’d be oceans apart.
So why did that thought make his stomach roll as much as the lingering scotch in his bloodstream?
He had to pull himself together, get cleaned up, and go find Allegra to perform his first task as her
employee.
Grovel.
…
“So stud-muffin didn’t take the news so well, huh?” Zoe bit into a bagel and licked strawberry jam off
her top lip.
“He was a mess,” Allegra said, scooping a spoonful of cereal before letting it trickle back into the
bowl, untouched. “I kinda felt sorry for him.”
“Sore loser,” Zoe said, taking another big bite of bagel. “Probably one of those Neanderthals who
hates having a female boss.”
Allegra shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“You’re defending him?” Zoe’s eyebrows shot up. “Because he doesn’t deserve you.”
“Whoa, back up. How did we go from discussing business to him not deserving me?”
“You’re pining for him, and by the way he kept staring at you in Kai’s office, the feeling’s mutual.”
Zoe dusted crumbs off her hands and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. “You’re deluding yourself if
you think having him work for you is going to be strictly business.”
“’Course it will be,” Allegra said, wondering if her snappy answer had more to do with convincing
herself than Zoe. “We need to get a job done.”
Zoe grinned. “Yeah, but who’s going to be doing who?”
Allegra picked up a bagel and flung it at Zoe, who ducked with a raucous laugh.
“Trust me.” Zoe puckered up and made gross smooching noises. “You and stud-muffin? Not over.
Not by a long shot.”
Allegra never mixed business with pleasure, but for a fleeting second, she sure as hell wished she
could.
…
Jett knocked twice on Allegra’s door and waited. He clutched the bunch of frangipani so tight they
almost snapped off at the stalks and he forced himself to relax.
As far as peace offerings went, the flowers were uninspiring but what else could he do? Normally
he’d offer to kiss it all better but he had a feeling any offer remotely like it would earn him a
resounding slap.
He should’ve called ahead but had wanted her off-balance. Childish? Maybe, but he needed to
regain the upper hand, to establish some kind of control after losing so much ground last night.
He couldn’t help but admire the way she presented an unruffled front to the world. Made him
wonder. How many people did she let her guard down around? Was he one of the lucky few?
He lifted his hand to knock again when the door swung open, and he clamped down on his first urge
to push into the suite, slam the door shut, and take Allegra up against the wall. They’d both enjoyed it
that way, a little rough. She had faint bruises on her ass where he’d held her tight to prove it. Not to
mention the memory of her tied up and splayed before him…wet and wanton…
Some of what he was thinking must’ve shown on his face because she stood back to let him in, not
daring to meet his gaze.
His gut clenched with remembrance as her soft floral fragrance wrapped around him, teasing him to
reevaluate all he’d lost.
“I want to apologize for last night.” He thrust the flowers at her. “I behaved like an idiot.”
“Yeah, you did. But I did, too, blurting the whole truth like that.” She took the flowers, buried her
nose in them, and inhaled. “Thanks for these.”
“Least I could do.” He sat without being asked, more memories assaulting him from all angles.
Kissing her on this very sofa, making her squirm for him.
Predictably, he hardened. Damn.
If she noticed, she didn’t say anything, bustling into the kitchenette to fill a glass with water and
placing the flowers in the makeshift vase.
When she came back in she handed him a glass of yellow fizz. “Liquid vitamin B to help your
hangover.”
“I’m not hungover.” But he accepted the drink regardless.
She snorted. “You can shave and shower and use an entire bottle of mouthwash, but those
bloodshot eyes?” Incredibly smug, she sat opposite him. “They don’t lie.”
He bit back his first response of “unlike you,” because that kind of barb wouldn’t help anyone. He
needed to make peace, not start a war.
“Drink up. You’ll feel better.”
He muttered “know-it-all” under his breath and downed the drink.
“Better?” She smirked.
“Immensely.” He placed the glass on the table, braced his elbows on his knees, and leaned
forward. “How about you?”
“Just peachy.”
“Because a campaign the size of Kaluna Resorts is a helluva lot of pressure. Sure you’re up to it?”
So much for not baiting her, but there was something infinitely annoying about her imperturbable
front that begged him to ruffle her.
She stiffened, the first sign he’d penetrated her nonchalance. “I’m a professional. Something you’ll
soon find out, as I’ll be your boss.”
He found himself grinning at her sass. “So how do we play this?”
A tiny frown dented her brow. “We don’t play at anything. If you’re willing to toe the line, we
work together. If not, you bail now.”
He had to admire her. She’d donned an über-cool persona, determined to demonstrate she was the
boss. It made him want to rattle her, see if she could relinquish a little control.
He leaned back in the chair and draped an arm across the back of it. “You seemed to enjoy our play
before.”
The telltale blush he loved so much flushed her cheeks crimson. “Our fling’s done.”
The flare of heat in her bold gaze made a mockery of her statement before she pinched the bridge of
her nose and exhaled. “Look, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Let’s not muddy our professional
relationship with anything we’ve done in the past.”
He jotted imaginary notes on the back of his hand. “Got it. Sex off-limits.”
“And lose the smart-ass attitude.”
He scrawled in the air in giant script. “Must. Not. Be. A. Smart. Ass.”
He saw her struggling to keep a straight face. Good. Meant they could meet on middle ground and
work together.
“You’re flying home today, then to the Whitsundays day after tomorrow.” She picked up her iPad
and swiped the screen. “I’ll e-mail you all the details, along with relevant subcontractor forms.”
“Looks like you’ve thought of everything,” he said, wondering if he’d ever see her again. “Bar the
important stuff.”
“Like?”
“Like us clearing the air properly. Like you letting me make it up to you. Like you admitting there
may be more between us than a few sun-filled days of island sex.”
The iPad almost slipped from her fingers and she laid it on the coffee table before finally looking
up.
Turmoil darkened her eyes to indigo. He knew the feeling. It was the same unrest he’d been feeling
ever since he set eyes on her at LAX.
He’d never experienced the mayhem and confusion this woman could elicit with one glance. She
disarmed him to the point of craziness and he knew there was no way in hell he’d be able to get any
work done unless they confronted what had happened over the last few days.
“Your being here has cleared the air, and the flowers were apology enough for your acting like a
dickhead.”
“And the rest?”
She shrugged, infuriatingly calm. “Not an issue.”
“Bullshit.” He leaped from the sofa, vaulted the coffee table, and sat beside her. “Look at me.”
She ignored him, gritting her teeth so hard her jaw jutted as she stared straight ahead, pretending
that he didn’t exist.
“Why did you really do it? Change your pitch?”
It had been bugging him all night, why she’d done such a thing. Because when he’d eventually
calmed down and his fuzzy alcohol-infused brain had cleared, he’d known she hadn’t done it out of
pity. At no stage in their brief relationship had she looked down on him. So what had been her real
motivation? Because no way in hell he would’ve changed his business pitch for someone he barely
knew.
“I did it because I wanted to help.” Her nose crinkled adorably.
He bristled. “So I was a charity case? Something you saw as broken that needed fixing?”
“Don’t be such a moron.” Her upper lip curled in derision. He found it kinda cute. “I felt bad
enough not telling you we were vying for the same account. And it meant everything to both of us. So I
did what I thought needed to be done. I changed my pitch. End of story.”
She made it sound so matter-of-fact, when Jett knew there had to be more to it.
“You’re still lying to me—”
“I care about you, okay?” She whirled on him like a crazy woman, eyes blazing. “That’s why I did
it. I care. There. Now you know. So sue me.”
She turned away and folded her arms, determinedly not looking in his direction, her jaw clenched
so tight he wouldn’t have been surprised to hear her teeth grinding.
He should’ve been glad she’d finally admitted the truth. She cared. Well, that made two of them.
But how could they ever come back from something like this, now that she was his boss?
He needed to get their relationship—albeit for work—back on track. And the way to do it was to
revert to what they’d done best all week. Sparring.
“You’re the most controlling, confident, maddening woman I’ve ever met,” he said, poking her in
the side to get a reaction.
She whirled on him so fast he startled. “And you’re the most arrogant, cocky, big-mouth son of a
bitch I’ve ever met.” She placed her palms on his chest and shoved, hard.
However, her little display of dominance backfired as he toppled backward and she came with
him, ending up lying flush on his chest.
“I knew you still wanted me.” He grinned up at her, clamping his arms around her waist when she
struggled to sit up.
“Fuck you.”
“Only if you ask nicely.” He claimed her mouth, stifling the rest of what she’d been about to say.
She squirmed against him to escape and he held on tight, waiting for the moment her lips parted
before his tongue swept into her mouth, deepening the kiss to the point of no return.
Her struggles soon ceased, replaced by the soft moans he recognized, and he eased his mouth off
hers.
“You done fighting?”
She glared at him through passion-hazed eyes. “We can’t do this.”
“Sure we can.” He lifted his hips, deliberately pressing his hard cock into her. “Tell me you don’t
want this.”
She took an eternity to answer as he silently prayed he hadn’t pushed her too far. He’d been the one
to instigate this relationship from the beginning, had sweet-talked his way beneath her defenses and
bombarded her until she couldn’t say no.
He’d thought she liked it that way, thought she’d enjoyed relinquishing the rigid control she
maintained in all other aspects of her life.
But what if he was wrong?
She shook her head and her hair brushed his cheeks like soft silk. “I can’t.”
Disappointment slashed through his lust and he released her. She scrambled off him, couldn’t get
away fast enough.
He sat up and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “You didn’t answer me.”
She turned away, but not before he’d seen her raise her hand to touch her lips. “What?”
“I asked you to tell me you don’t want this.” He stood so close behind her he could feel the heat
radiating off her back. “But you can’t, can you?”
“Please leave,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The fact that she couldn’t lie to him now, after the secrets she’d kept from him before, gave him
hope. He’d leave her alone for now. But he wasn’t done, not by a long shot.
She’d hidden her professional side from him during their time on the island but she’d opened up to
him physically, in ways he’d never dreamed possible. She hadn’t been afraid to show him her
vulnerability in the bedroom, yet maintained a control-freak facade in the boardroom.
Which made him wonder. Who was the real Allegra?
Something he had every intention of finding out.
“Have it your way.” He touched her shoulder before heading for the door. “But don’t say I didn’t
warn you.”
She finally lifted her head, her gaze tortured yet defiant. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He mustered his best smile, the one he’d used to great effect to charm her in the first place.
“I’m flying out this afternoon, but you and me? We’re work colleagues now.” His smirk held a hint
of challenge. “You’re not rid of me just yet.”
Chapter Ten
Jett had screwed up. In so many facets of his life he didn’t know where to start.
But before he flew out to the Whitsundays to start work on the Kaluna campaign, there was
someone he needed to see.
The wisdom of confronting his father after having landed in Sydney only an hour ago following a
twelve-hour flight—economy this time—was questionable, but this couldn’t wait.
If Jett was starting with a clean slate, he needed to get a few things off his chest. Because the way
he’d lost it with Allegra in Palm Bay was indicative of a deep-rooted insecurity he hadn’t known
he’d possessed until she’d pushed his buttons and he’d overreacted.
He hated that she’d been witness to him going apeshit during their brief relationship and despite his
best efforts to apologize, looked like all the groveling in the world wouldn’t make amends.
That ballsy comment he’d made at the end, about her not being rid of him, was pure bluff. Her
response to their defiance-fueled kiss proved they would always have that underlying spark of
“something more.” But what could he do? They lived an ocean apart. And she was his boss. He may
have tied her up and made her relinquish control in the bedroom, but in the boardroom? Could he be
any more emasculated?
Best thing to do would be to prove he was the best in the business so she never had a reason to
question his professionalism. Focus on work. Keep their contact to the required minimum. Easy.
So why did his gut churn at the thought?
To have her accessible professionally but not personally…when he could remember the sounds she
made when she came, her eagerness to match him move for move, her delicately flushed skin post-
orgasm…
Of course, his dad chose that moment to stride onto the patio.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Jett.” Clive Halcott held out his hand, not looking sorry in the least, his
benign expression something he practiced to hide the impatience beneath.
And Jett. Not son. Had there ever been a time when Clive had acknowledged him by “son”? None
that Jett could remember.
“Dad.” Jett shook his hand and released it. “How have you been?”
“Busy as usual. Can’t complain.” Clive poured them ice water from a crystal pitcher without
asking, looking the epitome of a wealthy, retired barrister in his designer golf gear with a
multimillion-dollar view of Sydney Harbor behind him. “How did your overseas trip go?”
“Good.” Jett accepted the water and drained the glass, his throat constricting at the inevitable put-
downs once he elaborated on his failure to salvage anything for his company. “I’m doing the
campaign for Kai Kaluna’s new Whitsunday resort.”
“Impressive.” Clive sipped at his water, his unwavering stare making Jett uncomfortable, the same
way his dad’s scrutiny used to make him feel when he hadn’t aced a test or had come second in a
backstroke final. “What about the rest of the resorts?”
Trust dear old dad to home in on what he hadn’t achieved rather than what he had.
“An LA-based company is doing those.”
A frown wrinkled Clive’s brow. “That seems an odd arrangement. You subcontracting to them?”
Jett nodded. “We’ll make it work.”
“Better than you did with your last company, I hope.”
And there it was, the predictable slap-down.
Well aware his father would only get wound up the more defensive he was, Jett chose silence as
the best form of response.
“Your lawyer is sorting through the insolvency issues?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good.” Clive refilled his glass. “I never liked that Reeve, you know.”
News to him. Reeve came from one of the richest families in South Australia and Clive had always
fawned over him, making Jett feel second-best.
“Really?” Jett kept his voice devoid of emotion, his fingers gripping the glass, expecting one of his
dad’s infamous zingers.
“Yeah, shifty eyes.” Clive shook his head. “Any man who can’t look another directly in the eyes is
suspect.”
“That would’ve been handy to know before the prick fleeced our company dry.”
“Would you have listened if I’d said anything?”
“Probably not,” Jett said, earning a rare smile from Clive for his droll response.
“Word of advice from an old man who has seen a thing or two in his time.” Clive tapped his chest.
“I’m always available. Whether you need to discuss or offload, give me a call or drop by.”
Jett stared at his father. Clive had never made time for him as a kid, why the hell would he change
now?
“You dying?”
His father laughed, another rarity. “No, but I’m reprioritizing, starting with my son.”
Son. Another shock.
Jett clutched his chest in mock pain. “Careful, Dad, I can’t handle too many surprises in one day.”
Guilt and sadness clouded his dad’s eyes. “And that comment right there reinforces what a bastard
I’ve been all these years.”
Jett opened his mouth to respond and his dad held up his hand. “Let me finish. I’ve been a lousy
father. A demanding tyrant who expected his kid to perform like his employees and I wouldn’t
tolerate anything less.”
And the shocks just kept coming as Jett found the nearest seat and sat before he keeled over.
“I know you must be gutted after losing your company. And I handled it badly when you first told
me before leaving for LA, sending you that short, sharp message without any commiserations.” Clive
crossed the patio to lay a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, son. For everything. Whatever you need in
setting up a new company, holler.”
Speechless for once in his life, Jett stared at his father like he’d seen an alien.
Clive chuckled, patted his shoulder, and headed for the drinks tray, forgoing the water this time in
favor of two scotches.
Jett dragged a hand over his face, wondering if he’d dreamed the last few minutes. He’d never seen
his father anything but surly and indifferent and demanding. To have him articulate his support was
mind-boggling.
Clive handed him a shot of whiskey and raised his in a toast. “To the pair of us being less
stubborn.”
Jett clinked glasses and tossed the whiskey back, the burn of alcohol down his gullet finally freeing
his tongue. “Who are you calling stubborn?”
His dad guffawed. “Son, I’m the stubbornest old bastard on the eastern seaboard of Australia and
you learned from the best.”
Some of the tension gripping Jett eased as he handed over his empty glass. “Get me a top up and I’ll
fill you in on the Kaluna project.”
“Deal.”
As he watched his father refill their drinks, Jett wondered how accurate his dad’s observation had
been. Was he stubborn? If so, had he been so entrenched in his beliefs, his insecurities, that he’d used
them to drive Allegra away before she got too close? By his dad’s admission, they’d had a lousy
relationship. And then the one person he’d trusted, Reeve, let him down, too.
Had he pushed Allegra away because he’d expected to be hurt? Because it was all he knew?
He’d made a big deal out of her betraying his trust by not telling him the truth about pitching against
him. But if he hadn’t used that as a means to drive a wedge between them, would it have been
something else?
He’d accused her of being a control freak, of never letting go. Her self-admitted flaw. But what
about his?
That nothing she could’ve said or done would’ve ever soothed his insecurities. That not having his
father open up to him until now, along with trusting Reeve and losing the company, had gutted him
more than he cared to admit. Having his dad finally articulate what he’d been hoping to hear for many
years had gone some way to easing his discontent.
But what if he made the same mistake? Holding back from Allegra because he was too damn
stubborn to admit the truth?
What they had went way beyond a tenuous business connection. Now all he had to do was prove it
to her.
When Clive handed him the glass, Jett raised it at him. “Glad I stopped by, Dad.”
“Me too, son,” Clive said, grinning like a man who’d just won the lottery.
Now that Jett had inadvertently fixed things with his dad, he had to figure out how to navigate tricky
relationship waters with Allegra when he’d completely stuffed up.
…
Allegra had been many things growing up, but a coward wasn’t one of them.
She’d been practical about her parents’ complete disregard for her welfare. She’d been
deceptively cool in the face of their many letdowns and disappointments. It had made her fiercely
independent and for that she was grateful. Never, not once, in the face of their continued narcissism
had she been scared. So why had she turned into a rubber-legged chicken this last week?
Every call Jett had made, every e-mail he’d sent, every Skype session, she’d had Zoe run
interference.
She couldn’t face him, even professionally, and that didn’t bode well for her state of mind or her
stupid, impressionable heart. The heart that never let anyone get too close. The heart she’d learned to
protect many years ago.
So what was so damn special about Jett Halcott that he’d wormed his way in without trying?
It sure as hell wasn’t his big mouth or his deliberate charm or his lack of trust. Or his quick-fire
ability to jump to incorrect conclusions. Or his deep-seated insecurities. On the flip side, he was
warm and generous and spontaneous. A skilled lover. Wickedly funny. With an inherent ability to
make her feel like she was the only woman in the world.
Damn.
She kicked the trash can as Zoe entered their Beverly Hills office, a slow grin spreading across her
friend’s face.
“I see you’re still in a foul mood.” Zoe dumped a stack of pamphlets on her desk. “Have you tried
magnesium and vitamin B? Heard it’s great for stress.”
“Don’t need vitamins,” Allegra said, flicking open one of the pamphlets their printer had put a rush
on and scanning it with little interest.
“Then what do you need?” Zoe perched on the end of the desk, drawing attention to the funkiest pair
of turquoise cowboy boots Allegra had ever seen. “Let’s see. If vitamins won’t do the trick, maybe a
trip to Australia would?”
“Shut up.” Allegra made a zipping motion across her lips. “Don’t go there.”
“I’m not going there, you are,” Zoe said, speaking slowly and accentuating every syllable in a
deliberate taunt. “You know you want to.”
What Allegra wanted was to be free of haunting memories of Jett. The way he’d push strands of
hair behind her ear. The way he’d kiss her when she least expected it. The way he’d caress her back
or stroke her arm just for the pleasure of touching her.
Double damn.
“He’s done some amazing work.” Zoe jerked a thumb at the computer screen. “Did you see the
latest layout he e-mailed? Brilliant stuff.”
“I saw it,” she admitted grudgingly, and had to agree. Jett was extremely talented at what he did,
bringing his ideas to life in a way she’d never anticipated.
Ironic, that Kai Kaluna had instigated her initial plan without realizing it. She’d thought the perfect
solution to both their business woes would be for AW to win the campaign, then offer Jett a job, some
kind of freelance gig.
In a way, it had worked out well, because considering the way he’d initially responded to Kai’s
stipulations, there was no way in hell would he have accepted any kind of job offer from her.
Not that she could blame him. Would she have done the same if their roles had been reversed?
Accept a job from a guy who’d pushed her to relinquish control in the bedroom, then expected her to
give it up in the business arena, too?
Doubtful.
She wished there was some way to bring a guy of Jett’s talents into the AW fold without offering
him a job he’d definitely turn down. Her gaze drifted to the PC screen and the latest mock-ups he’d
sent…a brilliant, succinct ad campaign that rivaled anything she’d ever come up with. The two of
them working side by side was a guaranteed winning combination.
Side by side…
“What’s that look for?” Zoe tilted her head, examining her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost but
want to kiss its ass.”
Allegra laughed for the first time in seven long days. “You’ve got a way with words, Zo-Zo, and a
keen eye.”
The eyes in question narrowed. “You’re up to something.”
“Not yet, but I will be. Very, very soon.” Allegra leaped off her chair and started pacing. “You
know that partnership I offered you?”
“Yeah?” Zoe slapped her head. “Damn, I forgot to pick up the papers from the legal eagle
downstairs. Give me a second and I’ll pop down—”
“How would you feel about renegotiating?”
Chapter Eleven
Jett preferred working the old-fashioned way, with paper, cardboard, and photos. It gave him
perspective, being able to see a layout of his ideas in solid form.
And with this campaign, he liked what he saw.
He propped the massive bulletin board covered in Post-it notes against the window, studying it
with a critical eye. So many ideas in a crazy kaleidoscope, a creative free-for-all he loved but had
ended up bamboozling him. He needed a second opinion.
He needed to talk to Allegra, but short of flying to LA and barging into her office, it wasn’t going to
happen. Zoe had been great to work with but Allegra was the brains behind that unit, and he wanted to
hear it from her that she liked his work, that he was delivering on one promise he’d made.
But nada. And it bugged the shit out of him.
So he’d put it all on the line. Made a grand gesture. If it didn’t get her here, nothing would. By his
calculations, she should arrive sometime in the next few days. If the courier company delivered
pronto, that is.
He hoped she’d take one look at his business proposal and realize how much it had cost him:
emotionally rather than financially. Though there was that risk, too.
He could lose everything. Including his heart. And that’s what scared him the most. That even after
this, she’d still say no to him on every level.
Hating the surge of uncertainty that made his fingers drop the pen, he pushed away from his desk,
strode closer to the board, rearranged a few notes, and stood back to reassess. Something was still
wrong, still missing…
“If you put the lagoon pool front and center in the brochure, with a scantily clad bikini babe in it,
won’t matter what the text around it says.”
Shocked, he turned toward the voice, wondering if he could add hallucinations to his craziness
lately.
Allegra stood in the doorway to his makeshift office, looking incredibly chic in a tailored ivory
linen suit, a daffodil top, and heels that made her legs look impossibly long.
But it was her expression that captured his attention the most: fearful, embarrassed, and hopeful.
He knew the feeling.
She was early, though. Too early to have seen his delivery. Which meant…what? She’d lobbed
here of her own accord? To check up on him? So much for the rebuilding of trust he’d hoped his
proposal would elicit.
“What are you doing here?” It came out sounding gruffer than he intended, but she’d thrown him and
he had no idea how to deal with having her here after the way they’d parted.
“I like keeping abreast of the work being conducted,” she said, stepping into the office and shutting
the door like she owned the place.
“You like to ensure you’re controlling everything, you mean?” The moment the words popped out
of his mouth he wished he could take them back. He’d been dreaming about seeing her again, yet here
she was and all he could muster was antagonism.
Rather than bristle or bite back, she crossed the room to examine his layout. “You’re probably
right. I do tend to have controlling tendencies.”
Stunned by her admission, he joined her alongside his display. “What do you think?”
“Your work is brilliant,” she said, leaning closer to study his mock-up. “You’re incredibly
talented.”
“Thanks,” he said, humbled by her effusive praise and feeling like a real bastard for having a dig at
her moments earlier.
“It’s why I’m here, actually.”
So much for his undeniable charm and flamboyant overture luring her halfway across the world. Of
course she’d be here in a professional capacity, but for a wild, crazy moment, when he’d first heard
her voice, he’d hoped she was here for them.
Considering he didn’t even know what “them” entailed since he’d left Palm Bay, he had to be out of
his mind to contemplate anything more than their current frosty working relationship.
But that ache in his chest didn’t lie. He’d thought he’d mastered it over the last two weeks, had
dulled the pain with all-night action flick marathons and the occasional bottle of whiskey. Yet all it
took was one glance from Allegra and the pain was back, intense and breath-stealing.
“Did you get my delivery?”
Confusion creased her brow. “What delivery?”
Great. Now he’d have to do things the hard way: by trying to articulate how he was feeling and
what he envisaged for them going forward.
“I couriered something over to you.”
Her frown deepened at his obtuseness. “What?”
“A portfolio. Containing copies of every ad campaign I’ve done for my biggest clients. Their likes
and dislikes. Inside information I’ve collated over the years. Every last detail you would need to
make them your clients if you wished.”
She propped on the edge of his desk. “Why?”
Here went nothing. “Because I thought by handing over my most lucrative business, you’d take me
seriously.”
She shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“That makes two of us, sweetheart.” His bittersweet chuckle sounded brittle. “Ideally, I would’ve
used that info to start a new company from scratch. But I wanted to show you how serious I am about
us teaming up. I think we could take the advertising world by storm. And if it takes a gesture like this
to prove to you I’m one hundred percent committed to you and your company, well, I hope you’re up
for it.”
Yep, he’d made a hash of it. He knew he would. For a guy who could barely analyze and recognize
emotion, having to express how awe-inspiring this incredible woman was in a few words was a real
balls-up.
“Committed to me?”
His first instinct was to laugh it off as a slip of the tongue. But it wasn’t, and the sooner she realized
his offer was more about them than her company, the better.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “How about it?”
When he’d contemplated this very scenario, he’d imagined her running into his arms, wrapping her
legs around him, and celebrating their partnership in hot and sweaty style on his desk.
He hadn’t anticipated her laughing so hard tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.
“What’s so funny?”
She stepped forward, her familiar floral fragrance tickling his nose and urging him to bury his face
in her hair. “I came here because I have a proposition for you.”
“I wish,” he said, a faint pink staining her cheeks the only indication she’d heard what he’d said as
she slid a manila folder out of her satchel.
“I’m restructuring AW Advertising.” She handed him the folder. “My ideas for the proposed
changes are in here.”
Curious as to why she’d be sharing any of this with him, he flipped open the folder, scanned the
first document, and almost fell over.
“You’re offering me a partnership?” He blinked, read the fine print again, before staring at her like
she’d lost her mind. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“I told you. Because you’re exceptionally talented.”
Rattled by the unexpectedness of all this, Jett shook his head and snapped the folder shut. “The
advertising world is chock-full of talented people, but I don’t see you offering them an equal
partnership in your precious business.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose before inhaling deeply. “I was hoping that offer would prove
something to you.”
“Prove what?”
She eyeballed him, her sincerity unquestionable. “Prove that I can relinquish control when it
counts. Prove that I want us to be equal partners. Prove that I want you to be a part of our success.”
She laid her palms out, face up, like she had nothing to hide. “My company is the most precious thing
I own. It’s everything to me. So to give up full control of it, to invite you in…well, surely that proves
I want you in my life.”
His heart jackknifed. “Professionally, you mean?”
“Argh.” She threw up her hands in despair. “How many ways do you need me to spell it out?”
“Keep going ’til I say stop.”
The corners of her mouth twitched at that. “So what do you think? Can you stand having me in your
life?”
“Absolutely. But this?” He tapped the folder against his other palm. “This is a big deal.”
“Stop.” She held up her hand. “We trust the people closest to us. In your case it was Reeve, in mine
it’s Zoe. Who’s also going to be an equal partner, by the way. But the way Reeve abused your trust
has nothing to do with you not being good enough or smart enough to recognize the signs, okay?”
He stared at her, stunned by her casual articulation of his deepest fears.
“Because that’s what you think, isn’t it? That somehow it was your fault you lost the company.” She
shook her head. “You accused me of taking pity on you and thinking you were a loser on Palm Bay.
That’s plain wrong.” She stood and jabbed him in the chest. “You’re many things, Jett Halcott.
Infuriating, cocky, stubborn. But a loser isn’t one of them.”
Having her echo his father merely solidified what he already knew. That if he didn’t let go of some
of his stubbornly held beliefs, he would lose this amazing woman. Permanently.
“You forgot good-looking, suave, and a sex god in bed.”
She smiled and he could’ve sworn all the air whooshed out of his lungs. “I also forgot egotistical,
flippant, and a pain in the ass.”
“I can live with that.” Before she could react he flung the folder on the desk, wrapped his arms
around her waist, and pulled her close. “The question is, can you live with me?”
…
Allegra couldn’t think with Jett holding her close. She’d dreamed about being in his arms again so
many times that now that it was a reality, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“An answer sometime this century would be nice,” he said, his eyes crinkling with amusement.
“I’m not quite sure what you’re asking.” In fact, she had no clue. Was he asking her to live with
him? To stay in Australia? To try a real relationship?
The scenario she’d pictured had been way different: him accepting her partnership proposal,
spending most of his time in LA, and traveling when needed, maybe finding their way to some middle
ground where they could both be happy in a relationship that moved beyond a fling.
In reality, she hadn’t thought it through much beyond his being overjoyed by her offer and
bestowing copious amount of gratitude—in the way of physical compensation.
She’d missed him, hadn’t realized quite how much until she’d walked in here and seen him, a
picture of casual ruggedness in his navy cargo shorts, pale blue polo shirt, and boat shoes.
He’d let his hair grow, too, and it curled around his collar, just begging for her fingers to comb
through it. But his eyes were the same, that startling deep green with a glint of gold that deepened in
color when he was excited or angry or aroused.
Right now, she hoped it was the first and the last.
He cupped her cheek. “I’m asking if this offer means what I think it means?”
“What do you think it means?”
He rolled his eyes at her deliberate obtuseness. But she wanted to hear him say it first, was
frightened of putting her heart on the line only to have him hand it back with a “thanks but no thanks.”
“I think your relinquishing control is a big step, especially professionally.” His thumb brushed her
cheek and she sighed. “I think you know what it’s like having parents who don’t give a damn so you
cultivate an independence that you think will get you through anything.”
Damn, he was good.
His thumb stroked her bottom lip and she resisted the urge to nip it. “I think that aloof image you
present to the world is a defense mechanism against being hurt by people who let you down.”
“Wow, an ad wiz and a shrink. Lucky me.”
He smiled at her throwaway comment. “I once thought we were very different but you know
something? We’re alike after all.”
He kissed her, a soft, tender, whisper-light caress of his lips against hers, leaving her wanting more
when he eased away. “We both need to drop our guard and let the other person in. Think you can do
that?”
She nodded. “I already have. I never would’ve made this offer if you hadn’t pushed me out of my
comfort zone on the island and made me realize it’s okay to surrender with the right people in my
life.”
The implication of her agreement sank in when he scooped her into his arms and deposited her
gently on the suede sofa near a small conference table.
Letting her guard down, relinquishing control, meant changing the habits of a lifetime. The
partnership had been the first step, but was she ready to embrace a new way of thinking for all facets
of her life?
“You’re overanalyzing again.” He touched the tiny dent between her brows. “Stop thinking so hard
and start feeling.”
“Where should I start? Here?” She zeroed in on his hard-on.
“A good a place as any,” he said, maneuvering into a better position, with him on top. “You know,
that’s the only place I’ve seen you truly lose control. In the bedroom.”
He lowered himself so they had body-to-body full frontal contact. “I like it.”
“Good, because I plan to lose control often,” she said, hooking her arms around his neck and
dragging him down.
She’d had enough talk.
Time for action to show this wonderful man exactly how much she loved him.
Epilogue
The Kaluna Resort in the Whitsundays opened with the fanfare it deserved. Thanks to the AW
Advertising campaign led by Jett Halcott, a recent partner at the firm, Australia’s crème de la
crème paid five thousand dollars a head for the privilege of attending the star-studded opening.
Hollywood stars, supermodels, and local TV personalities mingled with the elite, reinforcing the
resort’s message: Why settle for the rest when you can have the best?
Jett stopped reading the press coverage online when Allegra snatched the cell out of his hand.
“Hey, they weren’t done pumping up my ego yet.”
Allegra switched the cell off and pocketed it. “If your head gets any bigger you won’t be able to fit
through the doorway.”
He slid an arm around her waist, loving the way she snuggled into him. “You were the one who
made me partner and helped my creativity soar.”
“You were doing just fine before I came along,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him so he’d
laugh.
“Actually, I wasn’t.” He captured her chin, tipped it up so he could look into her eyes. “You
complete me in ways I never thought possible.”
A barf sound came from over his shoulder and Jett released Allegra in time for Zoe to elbow him in
the ribs, hard.
“Can’t you two get a room so the rest of civilized humanity doesn’t have to listen to that sappy
crap?” Zoe stepped between them like a referee breaking up a fight. “And you, hun, I expected better
of you. What happened to the uptight workaholic you used to be? You’ve melted into a marshmallow
around this schmuck.”
“Careful. That’s my fiancé you’re calling a schmuck.” Allegra ducked around Zoe and cuddled up
to Jett again. “And you’re just jealous because you haven’t hooked up with any of those GQ models
yet.”
Zoe’s eyes sparkled more than the gold glitter sprinkled across their lids. “Did you see the one that
looks like Channing Tatum? Oh. My. God.” She fanned her face. “Wonder if I can get him to do a
Magic Mike impersonation?”
Jett cleared his throat. “Do I really need to hear you two debate the broadness of Channing’s chest
versus Joe Manganiello pecs again?”
“We didn’t come to any conclusions last time so it’s a debate worth resurrecting.” Allegra patted
his chest. “But don’t worry, gorgeous. Yours is far better than theirs.”
“Liar,” he said, but puffed out the chest in question a tad.
Zoe pretended to stick two fingers down her throat. “I’m actually glad I’m heading to the
Mediterranean to suss out that land deal next to Kaluna’s resort. It’ll get me away from you two
lovesick morons.”
Jett crooked his finger. “Maybe you’ll meet some hot-blooded Italian stud who’ll stand up to you.”
“Yeah, and maybe George Clooney will invite me to his Lake Como pad for a sleepover.” Zoe
rolled her eyes. “I’m headed to that island to work. Guys are the pits.”
Allegra mouthed “bad breakup last week” and Zoe whacked her.
“Wasn’t a bad breakup considering we were dating for three weeks.”
Jett winked. “Isn’t that a record for you?”
This time Zoe thumped Jett.
“I’m outta here,” Zoe said, saluting them. “Going to find Channing and see if he’ll sign my boob.”
Allegra giggled and Jett groped her ass.
With one last derisive roll of the eyes, Zoe slipped into the crowd, leaving Jett with his woman.
Damn, he loved that.
“She’s lonely,” Allegra said, her smile fading as she watched Zoe disappear. “She puts on this
brave front like nothing or no one can touch her, but I see glimpses every now and then that she’s not
happy.”
“Reminds me of someone I used to know,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “But you came around.
Maybe Zoe will, too?”
“Hope so.” Allegra slipped her arms around his waist and gazed up at him in adoration. “How’d I
get so lucky?”
“Well…it started with that rocks-off lingerie, then a little mile-high action, and some hot island
nights where I discovered your fetish for being tied up by Aussie men—”
She kissed him and he was totally happy to relinquish control.
Sometimes it paid to be submissive. And when his fiancée whispered in his ear what she’d do to
him once they made it back to the privacy of their exclusive villa, he was all for giving her total
control…
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the following people who were onboard for this book’s publication ride:
Libby Murphy, editor extraordinaire, whose insight and enthusiasm is a huge inspiration. I love
working with you, Libby!
Heather Howland, for welcoming me into the Brazen Books fold. And for her fab cover skills.
Liz Pelletier, for launching Entangled Publishing and making dreams come true.
Natalie Anderson and Soraya Lane, for being the best writing buddies ever!
Carly Phillips, who took time out of her hectic schedule to read W
ICKED
H
EAT
for a cover quote.
Much appreciated.
To my supportive readers, who buy my books…you’re the best!
To my amazing sons, who are incredibly gorgeous and funny and cuddly. Love you to the moon and
back, and then some more.
About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author Nicola Marsh writes flirty fiction with flair for adults, and riveting,
spooky stories for teens.
She writes contemporary romance for Harlequin, Entangled Publishing and indie, has published 40
books and sold over 4 million copies worldwide. Her YA novels release with Harlequin Teen and
Month9Books.
She’s a National Readers’ Choice Award winner, a Waldenbooks, Bookscan and Barnes & Noble
bestseller, and a multi-finalist for awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award,
RBY (Romantic Book of the Year), HOLT Medallion, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill and Laurel
Wreath.
A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two little heroes,
and her favorite, curling up with a good book!
While you’re waiting for Zoe’s sizzling story in Wanton Heat, check out
another sexy story from Nicola Marsh!
Who said marriage had to be convenient?
LA party planner Poppy Collins has kept her side business—planning divorce parties as the Divorce
Diva—under wraps, but keeping her sister’s company afloat is proving tougher by the day. When a
new divorce party prospect gives Poppy the opportunity to save the day and boost her bottom line,
she can’t pass it up. But this time, she’s about to get way more than she bargained for…
Vegas golden boy Beck Blackwood knows Poppy’s secret, and he’s not afraid to use it to get
exactly what he wants—a wife. With his reputation and corporate expansion plans on the line, the
only way he can repair the damage is by getting hitched, and fast. And if blackmail is the only way to
get Poppy to the altar, then so be it…
But they’re in the city of high stakes, and Poppy has a few aces up her sleeve. Now it’s time to find
out if they’re playing to win…or if they’re playing for keeps.
He’s been keeping this secret far too long…
the third book in the Come Undone series
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Revenge is a dish best served with him on top…
Eight years ago, former Army sergeant Nathan Schultz let the love of his life disappear without a
fight. After watching everyone around him find happiness while his slipped further away, he’s finally
ready to fight for Chelsea Callaghan—and he’s not afraid to play dirty.
Chelsea has always followed her conservative family’s rules—with one heartbreaking exception.
When she receives an invitation to an old high school friend’s wedding, she knows who’s to blame.
Though she goes solely to give Nathan a piece of her mind, he blackmails her into staying the entire
week. With him.
There’s no way she’ll bow to Nathan’s will without making him pay. Unfortunately, revenge is a
dish best served fully clothed, and they can’t be in the same room without losing theirs. As insatiable,
anger-fueled lust shifts into something more, they begin to lose sight of why they can’t be together. But
with so many unforgivable wrongs between them, can Nathan and Chelsea ever make things right?
If you love sexy CEOs, meet Cory!
the third book in the Love Required series
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bestselling author Cari Quinn
Faking it never felt so good…
Cory Santangelo is used to getting his way, both in the boardroom and the bedroom. Lately he hasn’t
had much opportunity to do anything but work, but one unexpectedly sexy night in a gazebo with
Victoria, his gorgeous and feisty interior designer, changes all that—especially when they’re caught
on camera. Suddenly Cory’s sterling reputation is no longer above reproach. Since his impromptu
encounter coincides nicely with his need for a girlfriend to get his well-meaning, meddling parents off
his back, he decides to ask his lifelong frenemy for a favor.
To pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. No strings attached.
The only problem? Vicky Townsend wants those strings tied all around her. She’s battled a long-
suppressed crush on Cory, and their combative work relationship has only fanned the flames. When
he suggests his needs are more than she can handle, she’s ready to up the ante. And her bargaining
chip is lots of delicious, inventive sex.
Until they discover nothing feels as good as making it real…
Bestselling author Nina Croft joins Brazen!
book one in the Babysitting a Billionaire series
He’s the only man she didn’t see coming…
Four years after escaping her abusive ex-husband, Kim finally believes she’s in control of her life
and her emotions and she’s determined to never risk either again with a man. She has a great home, a
job as a security specialist which she loves, and Jake for a best friend. But things are a tad lonely in
the sex department, so she decides to embark on a no-strings-affair with one of her hot co-workers.
And who better to help her remember how to lure a man than her best friend?
Jake has wanted Kim from the moment he first saw her, but four years ago, she was too young and
too damaged. So he kept her close and he kept her safe, offering her a job in his security company and
the training to feel safe again, and he bided his time. But now, after the long wait, if she imagines he’s
going to stand by while she seduces some other guy… Never going to happen.
Get ready for September’s next release…
a Halloween anthology featuring five of Brazen’s bestselling authors!
One night. Five cases of mistaken identity.
Mystery and intrigue surround Halloween night as friends unwittingly become lovers, enemies
surrender to long-hidden desires, and the heat of passion threatens to consume them all…
Enjoy your tricks and treats in this sexy anthology featuring bestselling authors Katee Robert, Lauren
Blakely, Cari Quinn, Samanthe Beck, and Tessa Bailey.
Document Outline
- Other books by Nicola Marsh
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
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