For His Eyes Only Read online

  Growing more frustrated and worried by the second, he walked back to the kitchen phone and checked his voice mail again. The automated system announced that someone had called from the office—his office. Jacey’s earlier message followed.

  She had called from his desk phone?

  He never paid attention to the numbers on his voice mail. He figured if it was important, the caller would leave a message. If he had known this earlier, he could have gone down to Insomnia and caught her there instead of spending the evening wondering where in the world she had gone. It figured that on the first day in six months he’d left work early, she would go there to look for him.

  He would go crazy if he waited any longer. He had to go look for her, even if his search would be futile. He made a mental note—again—to get her a cell phone. How had people survived without those things? Then he headed for his car.

  Jacey didn’t have the money to go shopping or get her nails done or any of that girly stuff, so he could think of only one place to look. Holding his breath, he pulled into a parking spot behind her decrepit apartment building. She’d told him she had a couple of days left there, and sure enough, a light gleamed in her kitchen window. A thousand pounds lifted from his shoulders.

  He shut off the engine and released a huge sigh. At least he’d found her.

  When he reached her door, his first knock went unanswered, so he pounded harder. “Jacey, it’s Alex. Open up, I know you’re in there.”

  No answer.

  Why was he chasing such a stubborn woman?

  He raised his hand again. “Jacey!”

  She opened the door.

  The sight of her, in one piece and breathing, filled him with a sense of completeness he’d never experienced. He wanted to grab her, hold her to him and thank heaven she was safe. But then he remembered she had left him—quite deliberately, the way it looked—and decided she wouldn’t welcome an embrace.

  “I left my things at your place,” she said, her voice void of emotion. “I’m sorry. I’ll go get them while you’re at work tomorrow.”

  Too overcome with concern to ask permission, he walked inside and closed the door behind him. “I told you I didn’t want you to leave. I’ve been worried sick about you. Is something wrong?”

  She waved a limp hand, concentrating on the worn fibers of her carpet. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Why did you say your parents divorced again?”

  “I never did say.”

  “Oh…right. Sorry.” She sat on the couch, crossed her legs and chewed on a fingernail. She acted like he wasn’t even there. What was wrong with her? And what did it have to do with his parents?

  “It was typical,” he explained loudly, since she didn’t really seem to be listening. “He was a workaholic, and she never got any attention. Neither did I, for that matter. He was at the office at least fourteen hours a day, including weekends.”

  “I guess that’s what it takes when you’re the head of a thriving company,” Jacey mused, staring into space.

  “Well, maybe. But I wish my mother would have stuck around a little longer. Dad’s retiring in a few weeks because of health problems, so he’ll be at home a lot more.”

  Her gaze snapped up to meet his. Finally, he’d gotten her attention. “Health problems? What kind?”

  “He’s been having heart trouble. His doctor suggested that stress is the problem and he needs to get out of such a demanding position. So I guess I get to have the heart trouble now.”

  His laugh sounded only half-sincere, and he didn’t like how close to the truth that statement was. His heart hurt already just from the way Jacey looked at him. Her expression formed a mixture of anger, hurt and confusion. He didn’t know which part was directed at him or what he had done to cause it.

  “Why the sudden interest in my parents?”

  She shook her head and went into the kitchen to sip a half-empty glass of water. “I was thinking about what you told me last night. About your dad setting me up to win the competition. Do you think he does things like that a lot? Things that are kind of…not right? Selfish, I guess?”

  Alex followed her and leaned on the counter. “I don’t think so. I mean, he’ll twist the rules to make a buck, that’s for sure, but he doesn’t hurt people.”

  He’d let success go to his head, but underneath that ego, his dad was a good person. Alex believed that. He had to. Otherwise, what legacy was he trying to save?

  “He built Insomnia from the ground up, and I respect him for that. In that way, I’ve wanted to be like him my whole life.”

  Jacey coughed and put down her glass. “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “I don’t really want to talk about my dad. I want you to come back to my place.”

  “That’s nice of you, but I think I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “You don’t have a car.”

  She fidgeted, and he knew he had her. “I’ve been taking cabs.”

  “You can’t afford that. And I have to withdraw my funds unless you’re staying with me.”

  She blinked, looking hurt until she saw the smile playing on his lips. She managed a smirk. “I’m pretty sure that’s blackmail.”

  “I can offer you some other benefits.”

  Desire sparked in her eyes. He took her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. “I want you at home so I can be with you, not so I can take care of you. If you want, we can talk about whatever is bothering you.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes tired. “I don’t really want to talk right now.”

  Her arms slid around his waist. He shivered at her surprising change of mood and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Come home with me.”

  “And we won’t talk?”

  “We won’t talk.”

  She smiled. After turning off the lights and collecting her purse, she squeezed his hand and led him down the stairs.

  But while he drove across town, she stared out the window in silence. Her troubled mood hadn’t quite lifted. Alex skipped the exit for his condo and turned onto a side road, heading for a place that might cheer her up.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Alex, I’ve had a bad day and I really am tired.”

  “Don’t worry. This doesn’t require any deep thought. Or talking.”

  She huffed at his teasing, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward. And when he pulled his car into the gravel parking area of a small playground, her eyes lit up.

  “Are we going to swing?” Her hands clasped. She beamed at a thick metal bar with four plastic swings attached, sounding for all the world like a child visiting the park for the first time.

  He chuckled. “Among other things.”

  She got out of the car and jogged across the tiny pebbles that covered the ground beneath the playground equipment. She sat on a swing and grinned at him, gesturing for him to take the one next to her. He obliged, though his body was much broader than hers and barely fit into the thing.

  “My mom used to bring me here when I was having a bad day,” he said.

  Jacey looked at him, her fingers wrapped around the chains suspending the swing. She swayed back and forth, just enough to make the hair around her face wave in the breeze and drive him crazy with desire.

  “I’ve never been to a park.”

  “Never?”

  She shook her head. “I mean, I guess I’ve been to one, because there was a playground at my elementary school. But I was never in the mood to play. So I didn’t.”

  His heart twisted. What little kid had never been to a playground?

  He reached up and curled his hand over hers, pushing both of them forward and back so their heels lifted off the ground each time. Her blue eyes were wide, staring up at the full moon that, thankfully, provided enough light for this late-night trip.

  He kissed her hand, enjoying her rare display of elation. She was even more beautiful when she was happy, and he wanted her to feel that way more often. “Is there an
ything else you’d like to do while we’re here?”

  She pressed her lips together and thought for a moment, then shot him a playful grin. “Yeah. Over there.”

  The slide. Of course. It had been his favorite as a child too.

  “All right, but be careful,” he chided. “That one might be too big for you to handle.”

  Her heap of curls bounced on her back as she hopped her way to the tallest slide in the park. “There’s nothing here that’s too big for me to handle,” she called over her shoulder.

  His groin tightened. He’d brought her there to cheer her up with a little innocent fun, but if her idea of fun was naughty, he wouldn’t argue.

  She climbed the ladder and perched on top of the yellow plastic slope. Alex positioned himself at the bottom.

  “Go on, I’ll catch you.”

  “Promise?”

  He winked. She threw her arms in the air, squeezed her eyes shut and squealed all the way down.

  Her laughter saturated the night air. He caught her in his arms and she lay back against the slide, catching her breath.

  “That was awesome.”

  He leaned over and touched his lips to hers, feeling her chest heave with exhilaration.

  “You’re awesome,” he whispered.

  “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

  “Seeing that smile has been thanks enough.”

  She smiled even wider, then covered her mouth and giggled. “Look, now I’m all embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be.”

  He kissed her again. The euphoric wave Jacey was riding rushed to her lower body. She wanted him—for the high he made her feel, for the unique ways he made her smile, for being so gorgeous and sexy and fun and perfect. Driven by a passion so strong she could barely contain it, she wrapped her arms and legs around his body and pulled him atop her on the slide.

  He shoved his hands into her hair and devoured a spot of flesh behind her ear. “Are you sure you want to do this here?”

  “Yes.”

  When he released her neck, she was certain he’d left a mark. The thought of having him imprinted on her skin delighted her and sent her thrill level to a new extreme.

  “Alex.”

  His mouth traced a moist path along her collarbone. “Mmm?”

  “Make it rough.”

  He raised his head, one eyebrow flexed. “I’ll hurt you.”

  “Impossible.”

  With a grunt, he pushed up her shirt and unfastened the front clasp of her bra. He took her nipple in his mouth, laving it to a tight point, then grazed it with his teeth and left her entire breast throbbing for more while he tended to the other one.

  Words failed her under the influence of his mouth moving over her chest, so she made a squeaking sound and reached for his jeans, dying to know he felt the same urgency for their bodies to be naked and joined.

  He did. When she opened his pants, his cock strained against his boxers, so she released it and massaged the hot length in her hand.

  Alex pulled up from her breast. “Oh, Jacey.”

  His voice was no more than a sigh. She loved that she could make him want her enough to lose control. She curled her free hand around the back of his head, played with his dark hair and nipped at his neck. He moved out of her reach to remove her sandals, then tugged her zipper down and slipped one leg of her jeans and panties off, enough to bare her to his gaze and give him complete access to her body.

  She sucked in a breath, intoxicated by the rush of being so exposed outside and the fever of knowing Alex was seconds away from making love to her in the middle of the park. She laid her head back on the plastic surface and exhaled into the star-sprinkled sky, so excited she’d probably come if he so much as breathed between her legs.

  He put that theory to a fervid test when he summoned her to the edge of the slide and knelt to the ground. Lowering his head, he nudged her knees apart and consumed the very core of her. She gripped the sides of the slide and tried not to hyperventilate, but the continuous motion of his lips and tongue took the air right out of her.

  She moaned. Just when she lingered on the edge of climax he slowed his caress. Warm liquid flowed from her as she melted in front of him.

  “That’s it,” he murmured. With a loud cry, she begged him to finish what he’d started.

  He tasted her once more, then dipped his finger into the softness he’d created and gently rubbed it over her tender, pulsing flesh.

  A fierce orgasm charged through her body. Her hips arched off the slide. She shouted, squirmed, implored him to let her go, but he held tight to her thighs and stroked her again and again until the sensation crested and she thought she would explode.

  At last, he rose, shoved his pants to his knees and sank into her with one quick plunge. The friction against her sensitized sex brought tears to her eyes. She let her legs fall open and took him as deeply as she could, just to feel the strength of his body pressing against her soul.

  He lifted her knees up to rest over his shoulders. His breath skimmed her ear like silk. “You did say rough, right?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

  She clung to him. Her fingertips dug into his shoulders, her body lost in his, and her mind swam with memories of all the times they had done this before. He rocked hard against her, and she absorbed the rhythm of his thrusts, the moisture on his chest, the melody of his ragged breathing. She never wanted to forget any of it. His movements within her sparked a depth of emotion she wasn’t used to, a feeling resembling need, and she tried hard to block the telltale drops that still burned behind her eyes.

  She had spent so much of her life believing beauty was an adversity, something to hide and be ashamed of because people wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of it—or, like her mom, use it to their advantage. She’d hated men, hated sex, hated herself for allowing her and her mother to live such a lousy existence. But Alex made her feel worthy of a better life. He made her long for his touch when he was there, and smile at the mirror when he wasn’t.

  With Alex, she felt beautiful.

  His arms contracted around her, and they shared a release that left them both limp. Gradually, the world came back into focus, the scenery around her proving they had just made love atop playground equipment. She’d never felt more alive.

  Slowly, Alex withdrew from her body. He rubbed his hand over his face and smiled. “I hope I’ve made your day better.”

  Her day. The words doused her like a bucket of ice.

  Images of that evening rushed to the front of her mind. William’s office. The young girl. She didn’t want to remember. She looked at Alex, pained at the thought of destroying his tender expression, his company, and possibly his life.

  Not to mention his relationship with her.

  But she had to tell him. How could she survive another day knowing what William was doing to those girls if she didn’t do anything to stop it? She couldn’t. She knew all too well how they would feel about themselves later.

  Alex tucked his shirt back in and Jacey pulled on her jeans, shivering though the night was warm and humid. She took a breath. It was now or never, and never wasn’t an option.

  She touched his arm. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Of course. What’s up?”

  She couldn’t get the words out. She waited until they had adjusted their clothes and ambled back to the car. He looked at her expectantly, and she blew out a puff of air.

  “It’s Insomnia. Your dad. There’s something going on I think you need to know about.”

  “My dad? What is it?”

  She swallowed, then forced it out. “I saw him with a model. In the office when I went to look for you.”

  He didn’t answer right away. Resentment flashed in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure if it was directed at her or his father.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I could never imagine something that awful.”

  He fidgeted, obviously uncomfor
table discussing his father’s sex life. “Well. I’m sorry you had to see that, but I don’t know about awful. I agree it’s not appropriate for the workplace, but if a grown man and woman want to—”

  “Grown woman?” Her outrage bubbled to the surface, erasing the uncertainty she’d felt about revealing the truth. “These girls are still in high school. Some of them can’t even drive yet, and you call them grown—”

  “Wait.” He stepped closer and put his hand on her arm, but it wasn’t the soft touch she’d become accustomed to. His fingers were cold. And they pressed into her skin with too much force.

  “Did you say high school? Where in the world did you get an idea like that?”

  “I told you, I saw him. Today in the office.”

  “No. You didn’t. You couldn’t have. My father isn’t the world’s most righteous person, Jacey, but he is not a criminal. Or a pervert.”

  “Alex, please. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I need you to help me. We have to stop this from happening again.”

  He mumbled something and opened the passenger door. “Get in the car.”

  It didn’t seem like the right time to argue, so she sat down and prayed they would get home safely, because he was weaving in and out of traffic like someone acting entirely on a volatile emotion. Rage, for instance.

  Not good when behind the wheel of a speeding, two-ton vehicle.

  “Look, I’m sorry, okay? Can we stop the car and talk about this calmly?”

  He remained silent. And kept driving. She closed her eyes, opening them only when she felt the car lurch to a permanent stop.

  They were back at her apartment complex. She thought of how close they had been thirty minutes earlier, and a thousand knives twisted in her heart.

  Alex gripped the steering wheel and turned to face her. “I know you think you saw a young girl in my dad’s office, but I can assure you she was just one of the twenty-somethings he likes to spend his time with. It’s not that unusual in this business.”

  She opened her mouth to object, but he shook his head and kept talking. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said again. “I’m sorry he couldn’t work things out with my mother and decided to date the models, if that’s what’s going on. But that’s personal business, Jacey, not public information. I know what you’re thinking and I’m telling you now, don’t do it. Don’t ruin this company for me.”