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.