Seduced

She’d become a challenge, one he enjoyed as much as it frustrated him—losing, in any capacity, wasn’t something he liked to accept, and he’d never been one to admit defeat until he’d exhausted every effort available.

A slow smile curved his mouth. Maybe it was time he upped the ante with a more direct approach and showed her that their attraction could lead to a mutually satisfying relationship. He wasn’t looking for anything deep, heavy, or serious that would interfere with the goals he’d spent the past six years trying to achieve. No way did he want to disappoint his parents, who’d scraped and saved to send him through college and law school and were so proud that their only son had chosen such a distinguished career. Eventually, he wanted to make junior partner. There was also the possibility of him heading up the family law department, and he was biding his time, winning cases, and making a name for himself that would go a long way in impressing the higher-ups when the time came for that particular advancement.

Being a bachelor suited Ryan just fine—it freed him to pursue his career goals single-mindedly, without the distraction of a serious relationship to waylay him, as he’d seen with other colleagues. But he wasn’t opposed to spending time with a woman who aroused him on all levels, and Jessica Newman certainly did that.

But first, he needed her to admit she reacted the same way to him.

His mind turned over tantalizing ideas just as his office door opened and Glenna stepped aside to let Jessica enter. Automatically, he stood, one of the many gentlemanly gestures ingrained by his mother since he was a toddler. Being the only son in a family with three sisters, he’d learned early to treat women with utmost respect. As a teenager, he’d grumbled about the unfairness of having to cater to his sisters, but had grown to appreciate being familiar with the formalities that women seemed to admire and value.

Not that he was counting on his social graces to make any difference with Jessica. No, it was going to take something more tangible and candid to make an impact on her. By the time she left his office, he planned to shake her aloof composure and, he hoped, put a fracture in her convictions to keep him at arm’s length, too.

She strolled into the room, her winter coat draped over her arm with her leather gloves stuffed in the front pocket. He started around his desk and across the distance separating them, watching as her big blue eyes registered his gradual approach. He smiled, taking in her teal-and-black, thigh-length sweater over black leggings, which tucked into stylish boots. She always dressed conservatively, whether in jeans and loose blouses, or slacks and long flowing skirts—nothing to draw attention to the slender curves and full breasts merely hinted at beneath her choice of clothing.

Nothing sophisticated like the kind of worldly women his profession drew, but it was her wholesomeness that fascinated him and appealed to him. She wore little makeup to enhance the creamy perfection of her skin, just enough to intensify the drown-in-them-forever blue of her eyes. Her hair was a rich shade of honey-blond, all chin length in a no-fuss style, and parted on the side with wispy bangs touching her forehead. The strands were incredibly silky-looking, beckoning for him to slide his fingers through them as he’d envisioned doing a hundred times since knowing her.

Today, there would be no suppressing his urges. Today, he was going to discover just how warm and heavenly her hair felt wrapped around his fingers…and he planned to discover a whole lot more.

“Can I bring either of you refreshments?” Glenna asked.

“Would you like something from the coffee bar downstairs?” he suggested to Jessica. “An espresso? Mocha? Cappuccino?”

He fully expected her to say she wasn’t staying long, but she surprised him with, “I’d love a mocha, thank you. I’m still chilled from the cold temperatures outside. Maybe that will help warm me up.”

Ryan thought of more traditional and fun ways to generate heat. Long, slow kisses. The stroke of his hands across her bare skin. His naked body against hers. The possibilities were endless.

“A mocha it is,” he said, glancing toward Glenna with their order. “And I’ll take a cappuccino.”

With a nod, the receptionist was gone, closing the door behind her.

“This is a pleasant surprise.” Taking her coat and purse, he hung both next to his suit jacket on the brass hooks mounted on the wall just inside the room. “Dare I hope that you’ve reconsidered going out on a date and you’re here to beg me for a second chance?”

A smile quirked the corner of her mouth, and she slanted him that sly look he was coming to know so well. He knew what was imminent, and anticipated her brand of humor.

“Hmm, let’s see,” she murmured speculatively, as if giving his question serious consideration. “I’m trapped in a room with a tiger, a rattlesnake, and a lawyer. I have a gun with two bullets. What should I do?”

He lifted his brows, indicating he was ready for her punch line, even though he knew it wouldn’t bode well for him. “I have no idea. What should you do?”

“Shoot the lawyer. Twice.” She flashed him a quick grin.

He chuckled and shook his head, even as he wondered what had caused such a cynical attitude toward attorneys. “I take it that means no?”

“Ahh, a lawyer that catches on quick. Amazing.” She moved away from him, to the wall holding his law degree and other various certificates, diplomas and credentials he’d acquired since college. He watched her examine each one, a tiny frown forming on her brow. Not sure what had caused the sudden mood change, he attempted to keep their banter light and flirtatious. “You’d better be careful, Jessie. I have to confess that those lawyer jokes of yours are starting to turn me on.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a hint of laughter dancing in her eyes. “Maybe I need to work on my delivery.”

His gaze perused her lazily, thoroughly. “From my vantage point, your delivery is perfect.” He gained a bit of satisfaction at the temptation he witnessed in her eyes, the wanting. What he didn’t care for was the struggle to curb her desires. “I think what we need to work on is your general opinion toward lawyers, and me.”

She turned around and sighed, the sound rife with regret. “It’s nothing personal, Ryan. I do like you.”

“Just not that I’m a man who represents clients in a court of law.”

“Yeah, something like that,” she responded vaguely.

Pushing his hands into his trouser pockets, he slowly stepped toward her, watched as she subtly backed up to keep the same amount of distance between them. “Then maybe we should narrow it down to working on just you, and me…on a personal level.”

She bumped into his cherrywood filing cabinet, glared at it for being in her way, then crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture he read as protective. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“What can I say? Being a lawyer, I like to argue and prove people wrong. Especially when I know I’m right.”

She rolled her eyes at his too-confident statement. “Well, this is one case you won’t win, counselor.”

He smiled lazily. “You don’t think so?”

She shook her head, and that soft, enticing hair of hers swayed with the movement, teasing him, making the tips of his fingers tingle for direct contact. “I know so.”

Very casually, as if it were a perfectly natural move, he braced his left hand against the edge of the filing cabinet, sealing off her one chance to slip around him. All amusement ceased, replaced by a shimmering heat. Her scent, an arousing combination of jasmine and innocence, curled around him, intoxicating and impossibly alluring.

Resisting the urge to bury his face against her neck and inhale deeply of the fragrance clinging to her skin, he tipped his head and said, “Give me a strong, valid reason why I should give up.”

She swallowed, and the pulse at the base of her throat fluttered. “Number one on my list of dating rules. No lawyers. Especially divorce attorneys. It goes against my ethics.”

He’d heard it all before, in so many words, and he didn’t bother asking why, knowing by that guarded look in her eyes that he wouldn’t glean the answer he wanted, just a brush-off. But he knew her reasons went much deeper than something so superficial, and the analytical part of him couldn’t help but want to discover all her secrets.

“So, you’re gonna hold my profession against me?”

“’Fraid so.” She lifted her chin. “You know, despite knowing how much you enjoy provoking me, I didn’t come here for an interrogation.”

He stared deep into her eyes, filled with conflicting emotions. Denial. Defiance. Longing. It was the last emotion that struck a reciprocating chord in him.

“Maybe you came here for more than you realize,” he murmured, and lifted his free hand. He moved slow and easy, catering to her apprehension, intending to brush his knuckles across her cheek, gently tangle his fingers through her silken hair, stroke along the warm nape of her neck…and let desire take its natural course.

He was determined to make this the defining moment between them. And judging by the deepening of her breathing, the parting of her lips, and the way her lashes drooped slumberously over her hazy eyes, he was fairly certain she wouldn’t belt him for satiating the need to caress her supple skin, taste her honeyed lips, and draw her lithe form up against his hard, hungry body.

It never happened.

A brisk knock on the door interrupted his seduction. Jessica jerked back, shaken, her eyes widening in alarm. Inches away from touching her, he fisted his fingers in the air, and swore beneath his breath at Glenna’s untimely return.

Frustration tightened his jaw. Another five seconds, and he would have finally kissed Jessica, as deeply and as intimately as she would have allowed. And in the process he would have put a serious crimp in her “ethics” against getting involved with a lawyer. He’d waited a year for this opportunity, only to have his proficient receptionist shatter the moment.

He gave Jessica the breathing room she suddenly seemed to need and opened the door, retrieving their hot beverages from Glenna. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jessica move into the center of the room, where it was spacious and safe. She dragged a hand through her hair, looking flustered and as though she couldn’t believe what she’d almost allowed him to do, what she’d almost openly participated in.

He nearly laughed at her naivete. If she knew the half of what he imagined doing to her, he was convinced he’d never see her again. Kisses and stolen caresses were only the beginning of what he wanted from her.

He turned back to the receptionist, who was awaiting further instructions from him. “Glenna, will you hold all my calls until I’m through with Ms. Newman?” At her nod, he added with a rueful grin, “And would you mind closing the door for me since my hands are full?”

“Of course.” With a smile that told him she believed this was just another business meeting with a client, she enclosed them in the room. A tension-filled silence immediately descended over his office.

Jessica eyed him cautiously, and he hated that her wariness was back. “You don’t have to hold your calls for me.”