Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to make it to their wedding. It had come at a time when he absolutely had to be in London on business, and Grady had made sure he married Emily with very little planning, as if he was afraid Emily would change her mind. At the time, Jason hadn’t been sure whether that previous commitment had been a blessing or a curse. He’d wanted to see Hope so damn desperately, but he wasn’t certain he would have been able to hide the fact that he wanted to fuck her if he saw her again. Honestly, he wasn’t certain he wouldn’t have thrown her over his shoulder and boarded his jet with her in tow, taking her anywhere that they could be alone together.
He talked to Grady for another thirty minutes, mostly about Emily, and Grady’s brothers. By the time he hung up, Jason almost saw double and his body begged for sleep.
He wandered into the bedroom and he immediately got hard when he saw Hope in the bed, her fiery hair splashed over a snowy white pillow. Obviously his dick was the only part of him not exhausted, and that part of his anatomy wasn’t angry with Hope at all. Even passed out on the bed, Hope looked breathtakingly beautiful. He’d pulled off her sandals, but he’d left her dressed in a pair of shorts and her tank top.
There’s only so much torture a guy can take!
He wasn’t about to fondle Hope while she was inebriated or unconscious. He wanted her awake and aware of everything that was happening when he buried himself inside her for the first time. And he’d be doing exactly that very soon.
Mine.
Jason wrestled with his sense of honor and morals again, wondered whether every man had a moment in his life where he’d do anything to get something or someone he wanted. This was a first for him. Admittedly, he took business risks, but only after he’d carefully calculated the risks and benefits of taking a particular action, when he was fairly certain of getting his expected outcome. He’d rushed into the last twenty-four hours strictly from emotion and lust, not bothering to even consider the consequences.
I’m just that pathetic and desperate to have her in my bed.
What the hell was happening to him? He could argue with himself forever, rationalize the reasons he’d done what he did, but it all came down to selfishness. He wanted Hope.
What the hell does it matter? It’s not like I’m keeping her forever. We’re going to have sex every day, every hour, until we’re both satisfied and tired of each other. When I know she isn’t going to marry the loser, and I have her out of my system, we can end this little unplanned vacation.
Jason scowled; his mind and body rebelled at that thought for some reason. His possessive instincts surged through his body as he gazed at her, so innocent and vulnerable as she slept.
Mine.
Now that he knew some of her secrets and was aware of how she’d lied to everyone to keep them, he felt even more protective of her, needed to keep her safe, even though he was so angry he wanted to wake her up and shake her to tell him the whole truth. And why she’d lied.
He forced himself not to look at Hope anymore, shucked off his pants and shirt and closed the shutters on the windows to dim the light. It was late in the afternoon, but the room was still bright.
He climbed into the bed beside her and smiled as he wondered whether she made that delicate snoring sound when she wasn’t intoxicated. It was actually kind of…sexy.
She moaned and rolled over on her side. Her hands immediately reached for him and she draped her body over his like a heat-seeking missile. “Jason,” she whispered with a low, sleepy voice full of intense longing.
She wasn’t awake, so he wondered how she knew it was him and not her fiancé.
She’s searching for me in her bed.
The fact that she looked for him, sought him out subconsciously, hit him in the gut like a sucker punch. He wrapped his arms around her protectively.
“You’ve got a lot to answer for, woman,” he whispered roughly. His eyes closed, and he felt as if Hope was finally exactly where she was supposed to be. His dick was hard, but he was content not to act on that. Right now, it was enough to know she was here, and that he might finally get free of his long, horny preoccupation with her.
Not wanting to think about later, and with Hope’s warm body half covering his, he closed his eyes and slept.
Hope woke up slowly. Her head pounded as if someone slung a hammer at her skull. Her stomach roiled with nausea. The light hurt her eyes and she closed them again; one hand went to her aching head and the other to her rebellious stomach.
What the hell had happened?
Desperate to use the bathroom—her bladder felt as if it was about to explode—she opened her eyes carefully to let the light seep in gradually.