She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, probably noticing the husky tone in his voice. Her eyes widened as he closed the gap even more and pressed against her back, their faces only inches apart.
“Lauren, you’re driving me insane.” He trailed a finger down the smooth skin of her neck. A shiver shook her body. “I want to put my mouth on you, and I want you to want me to.”
Her gaze flicked to his mouth, and her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. It was all the invitation he needed. Groaning, he turned her to him, cupped her face in his hands, and covered her lips with his own. Slow and sweet.
For a moment he thought she might stop him, and he prayed she wouldn’t. As if answering his prayers, she gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer. He told himself to take it slow this time, but damn if he had any self-control. The kiss turned deep and urgent.
God, he wanted to lay her down on the floor and taste every inch of her. But he wouldn’t. Not with Lauren. She wasn’t a quick screw—even if her encouraging moan told him otherwise— and he wanted a lot more time with her. But that didn’t mean he’d stop kissing her senseless.
Jack heard the muffled buzzing of a phone coming from inside Lauren’s bag. He ignored it, and she did too, either that or she was too wrapped up in the kiss to notice it. The ringing stopped and Jack got back to focusing one-hundred percent on Lauren. Threading his fingers into her hair, the soft, silky strands tumbled into his hands. With unsteady hands, he gently brushed the hair away from her neck and placed his lips on her rapidly beating pulse.
The phone rang again. Unable to ignore it for the second time—it could be something important—he groaned at the interruption and pulled away. Lauren blinked up at him, and heat coiled low in his belly at the lust shining from her eyes. Red, swollen lips called to him, and he had to stop himself from taking them again.
“Your phone’s ringing.” His voice came out husky and raw.
“My phone?” She looked as dazed as Jack felt.
He nodded toward the bag hung over her shoulder.
Shaking her head as if reality finally sank in, she stepped away from him and fumbled in the bag, searching for her phone. “Hello?” she answered with a shaky voice. “Hi, Jaime.” She paused, listening to the caller, then flicked out her wrist to look at her watch. “I can be there in about fifteen minutes.” She disconnected the call and turned to Jack. “Something’s come up at work, I need to go.”
The need to keep touching her was strong, so he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Go ahead with your suggestions. They sound good to me.”
She nodded, said a quick goodbye, and left the office, avoiding eye contact.
Turning, he found Lauren’s briefcase still sitting on the desk. Picking it up, he ran out after her, catching up with her just outside the building. “Lauren,” he called out, and she stopped and turned around. He lifted up her briefcase. “Forget something?” She smiled. “Thanks. I would have had to come back for it.” “I would’ve loved another visit.” He grinned.
Red flushed her cheeks.
The breeze had blown a strand of hair onto her lips and he plucked it off and tucked it behind her ear. He couldn’t help but lean in and plant a soft kiss on her mouth before walking back into his office.
* * * *
Claire sipped iced tea as she sat at the same table in Mandy’s Coffee House—giving her the same view of Jack’s office—as the day she’d destroyed it. But instead of satisfaction for what she did to the office keeping her company, fury sat by her side.
Every day since her act of destruction Claire had sat at Mandy’s at different times, watching the comings and goings from his office. She’d seen the cleanup crew arrive and remove the broken furniture, courtesy of her handiwork, and had laughed at Ellen looking scared every time the woman unlocked the building for work. Claire wanted to give Jack some time to think about what he’d done, so that when they reunited he would have missed her so much he’d give her anything she wanted.
A blonde woman sashaying her way to the building caught Claire’s attention. Her grip tightened on the glass as she saw the blonde slut give her hair a quick tidy before pushing through the doors, no doubt wanting and willing to fill Claire’s position. Claire’s mouth twisted in a cruel sneer. She wasn’t fooled by the briefcase the blonde held. The only position the bitch would be filling would be Jack’s new office whore.
When the blonde slut walked out twenty minutes later, her hair looking tousled— which Claire was sure was from Jack’s fingers—it was like a slap to the face. The fury that had consumed her now clenched at her chest and rammed a fist down her throat. It hadn’t taken him long to find her replacement. And then when he ran after the whore like a horny dog, blood as hot as fire traveled through her veins.How could he move on?Jack belonged to her! But now some cheap blonde, who had no business fucking him, thought she could waltz right in and take him.
Not going to happen.
When Jack walked back into his office, Claire jumped up from the seat and raced out of the coffee shop, determined not to let the bitch out of her sight. She kept a few meters behind and watched as she got into a car. Thankfully, Claire’s rented Mazda wasn’t too far away. She hurried to the vehicle, got in, and pulled out onto the street, making sure she didn’t get lost in the traffic.
Luck was on her side and she tailed the blonde until she stopped in a carpark behind a brick, cottage-style building and walked inside the shop. Claire pulled into a parking spot on the opposite side of the street, giving her a view of the shopfront.
Finally, after sweltering in the heat of the car for over an hour as she watched the woman move around the shop, the bitch left from the back entrance and got in her car, pulling out onto the street and driving away.
Claire tried to follow her again but lost sight of her in the heavy morning traffic.
There was no doubt in Claire’s mind that the blonde was doing more than Jack’s filing.
This bitch needed to be put down.
Chapter Sixteen
Lauren heard her phone ring as she stepped out of the shower. Grabbing the fluffy towel from the rail, she wrapped it around her and hurried into her bedroom. She picked the phone up from the bedside table and checked the caller ID. Her traitorous heart accelerated at full speed when she saw the name that lit up the small screen. Taking a deep breath, she answered.
