I slept well, considering the absolute shit day I had yesterday. Between my dead father, the earth-moving kiss with Jade, Jade regretting said earth-moving kiss, and the fight with my mother, I'm surprised I can even function. The worst part is I'm more upset about Jade than any of the other things. One minute she's seducing me with her magnetic eyes, sexy words, and that damn smile, and the next she's pushing me away and tormenting me.
I roll over and my eyes land on the clock sitting on the nightstand. It takes a second for them to focus, but when they do ... Holy shit I slept late—it's almost noon. I've always been an up-at-seven-no-matter-what girl, but not today apparently. Groaning, I get out of the extremely comfortable bed and start getting ready for whatever Jade has planned for me. Looking over the outfits I threw in my bag during my pissed-off packing, I realize I don't have an outfit for "I have plans." I have no clue what to wear or where we're going. Instead of agonizing over it, I opt for jeans and a cute pink top. Luckily I brought my favorite pair, which hug my butt perfectly and accentuate my curves. The top that Ashton threw in is not a business top, but it's perfect for our "plans." The one shoulder gives a little sexy, but the loose fit keeps it looking casual. I have my hair in a loose ponytail with the ends curled. I throw on my white sneakers and hope for the best.
I've just sat in the chair and broke out my Kindle when I hear a knock on the door. Rushing over, I take two deep breaths, press the handle down, and open it. Jade's smiling as she leans against the wall with her legs and arms crossed. My brain ceases to form rational thoughts. The sight before me takes my breath away—she's mouthwatering. I look down at the floor, trying to hide my blush and get my mind functioning again. As she uncrosses her leg and stands straight, I can't help but think that this woman is going to be the death of me. My eyes slowly scan her body, absorbing as much detail as possible before I have to meet her eyes again. First thing I see are her dark blue track shorts, and above them a tight black shirt shows the ripples of her abs. My greedy perusal continues until I land on her face. That's when my knees buckle and I grip the doorjamb for support. Her eyes darken. The intensity of her stare causes my stomach to clench and heat to pool in my center.
She steps forward so we're toe-to-toe and I tilt my head to look at her smiling face. Her frame towers with confidence as she stands in front of me that has me parting and licking my lips. Jade's expression changes as she follows my movement. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, letting me know I'm affecting her as much as she's affecting me. A thrill runs through me, increasing my desperation for her lips on mine. She pushes forward. Our chests are touching, my nipples pebbling at the warmth of her body and the thoughts flooding my mind of her taking me right here, right now. Jade lifts her hands and cups my face, slowly leaning into me as we breathe each other in. She stills, our mouths almost touching, but I hold my ground. I want her to be the one to kiss me again. I need it to be her choice. I close my eyes, trying to make my intentions clear, silently begging. Please, just kiss me!
I feel her lips brush against mine before I hear, "Not yet, Perrie. But soon." Jade's voice drops even lower. "The next time there won't be any mistakes."
She takes a small step back and I open my eyes, watching as her gaze darts between my eyes and my lips, as if she's battling her own desire. I can't speak. I can barely process anything she's saying. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "First, we have plans, okay?"
No, it's not okay! I want her to push me down to the floor or up against the wall and take me. Damn her and all her self-control. I take a step out of her grip and respond in a breathless whisper, "Sure."
"Good. Grab your stuff. We only have it reserved for an hour. I think you'll have fun today." Her voice is now playful, refocused and excited by whatever plans she's made for us.
The only fun I want to have doesn't include us leaving this hotel room. I walk over and grab my purse, shoving my phone in and gritting my teeth. So much for my own self-control—I have none when it comes to her. Not even two seconds after seeing her, I'm ready to strip and let her have her way with me.
Jade turns to walk away, taking only two steps before she stops, grabs my hand, and weaves her fingers through mine. I can't help but smile at the small gesture. Great. Holding hands has reduced me to a schoolgirl.
"Oh, and Perrie?" The hair on the back of my neck rises at the deep rasp in her voice. "Today we're going to talk and figure this out."
I nod, praying that we can figure out whatever's happening between us before it destroys everything I've worked for. No matter what I'm feeling for her, she needs to know that I won't sacrifice my career for this, for her, for anything.
~~~
"Where are we going?" I ask, grabbing my driver's license out of my wallet as she requested. We're waiting in line to get through security.
"This is the Navy base. I thought you might have fun doing something different," she replies, taking my license and handing it over to a guy with a rather large gun around her chest. I'm so confused.
"Wait," I say as she starts driving forward. "Did I miss something? Are you still in the Navy?" I narrow my eyes and she smiles over at me.
"No, but I'm a contractor, so I can still access the base. Also, I was a SEAL, so I called ahead to my friends and got all this cleared." Her smile widens as we pull up behind a fence.
"These are our plans?"
Jade doesn't say anything as she parks the truck. When she sneaks a peek at my expression, I can see the mischief dancing in her eyes. What in the ever-loving hell is she thinking? I'd be lying if I said I didn't love this side of her. I've never really enjoyed surprises, but she looks like a kid on Christmas morning and I don't want to spoil her mood.
I look around, trying to see exactly what she has planned for us on a Navy base. I can't see anything through the trees lining the fence, and my lack of information is quickly turning my excitement into anxiety. Jade leans over the console and grips my hand. I'm both relieved and annoyed by how my panic starts to ebb at her small touch. She squeezes once and exits the car. I climb out of the cab and squint, trying to decipher what the large tree-house-looking building is.
"Ready?" I flinch, my heart accelerating at the feel of her behind me. I didn't even hear her approach.
"Stop scaring me! Jesus, don't you make noise when you move?" I ask, slightly flustered. She lets out a loud, carefree laugh as she comes around. The look on her face is priceless, and her dimpled smile melts my momentary irritation.
"I'm just stealthy."
"I have no words for you." I smile and shake my head. "Stop scaring me all the time."
"You're just skittish. Maybe you should pay closer attention to what's going on around you." She pulls me in by my hips, right up against her chest. My eyes widen and the air expels from my lungs at the sudden contact. In a flash, her expression changes. Her eyes smolder and her voice is low and hoarse when she says, "Maybe soon you'll hear all the noises I make." I gasp as a shudder passes through me. She releases me without a word and walks toward the metal gate.
There are no words. I can't think of a single thing to say to her. Once again, Jade renders me speechless. She's flirtatious and seductive one moment and then a smartass then next. She's unlike any person I've ever met. Shaking my head to rid the turmoil in my mind, I gather my wits and walk over to her.
"Are you ready for some fun?" she asks with an amused smirk.
I have no idea what kind of fun we're going to have in a gated, woodsy area, but for some reason I trust Jade. I don't know if it's because of her time in the service or the fact that she owns a security company, but I don't believe she'd put me in harm's way. I take a deep breath and smile. "Ready as I'll ever be. Do you mind clueing me in to what this fun is?"
Jade grabs my hand as we walk through the gate. What I see stops me dead in my tracks and I drop her hand absently. She's got to be kidding me! Through the clearing is a large four-story building. Long ropes stretch from the top of it to a huge pole across about a hundred feet of open air, with only a shabby-looking net under them. Off to the right are four tree trunks on their side with about a foot of space between the ground and the trenches dug beneath them. Farther down are large metal cylinders that you either climb through or over. What the hell is this place? As I continue to look around, there's more—ropes, walls, even a moat! Oh hell no! I'm in jeans—cute, expensive, skintight jeans—and a pretty pink top. She's insane. I look over to where she was standing, but she's moved about ten steps away. She's leaning casually against the gate, and judging from the look on her face, she's getting quite a kick out of my reaction.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I ask her with a half laugh.
"What?" she replies innocently, a sarcastic grin plastered to her face. "You said you were stronger than I thought. I figured maybe you'd wanna put your money where your mouth is, Ms. Edwards."
"I never said I was training to become a soldier!" I huff.
Jade walks toward me and stops about a foot away. She has one brow raised and her voice is playful. "Sailor," she reminds me. "Hmmm, maybe you're too ..."—she taps a finger on her chin—"scared?" she taunts.
My jaw falls slack as I stare wide-eyed at her comment. I'm way too competitive to let that comment slide and somehow she knows it. Yet again she's found a way to bend me to her will. Who the hell does she think she is? Screw that! "I am not scared! I will own this course, Muffin." I glare and then soften as an idea enters my head. Giving her a taste of her own medicine, I bend and touch my toes, providing a little seduction of my own. I glide back up and cock my head to the side, pursing my lips and narrowing my eyes. "I hope you're ready to have your ass handed to you." I'm about to embarrass myself, but I will not let her beat me.
Jade takes a small step forward. Her cheeks raise and the crinkles by her eyes grow more defined. Her eyes are sparkling and her voice is smooth. "Then by all means." She waves her hand toward the course. "I can't wait to have my ass handled by you."
"Handed! I said handed!" I throw my hand over my face. I fell right into this trap and now I'm going to look like an ass. If I'm going to lose, I will go down with dignity.
"Same difference." She laughs. "You should know this isn't my first time here. I also never lose, so if you want to back out, now's your chance," Jade says, completely relaxed. She starts stretching, laughing at me as I glare at her.
"Nope," I say confidently. No way am I going to back out now. I'm in this—balls to the walls. I mentally roll my eyes at my false bravado. I'm so screwed.
I look over and realize I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do. Is there a safety harness or padding I can wear? Shit! I clear my throat and Jade looks back with a knowing grin. "Ummm, how does this work? Do I start here or what?"
She walks me through the course, explaining whether to go under, over, through, or up. I keep shaking my head and huffing, each time earning a laugh or some other entertained reaction from Jade. I sure hope she's enjoying herself because I'm freaking the hell out.
We end back at the starting point and she places her hands on my shoulders, brushing her thumbs across my collarbone, sending chills through my body. Her finger glides up my neck, just barely touching my skin. Without permission, my head tilts into her touch, naturally gravitating toward her like a magnet. Her eyes swim with emotion as I try to decipher what she's feeling. Jade shifts forward and puts her lips to my forehead. My lids shut as I absorb the moment of intimacy. Inch by inch she backs away and I stare at her with questions floating in my head. One side of her mouth lifts and her low voice cracks through my daze. "Time starts now."
"What?"
"Clock is ticking. You're wasting precious time that you're going to need if you plan to ..." She looks pensive as she rolls her eyes up and taps her foot. "What was it? Oh I know, handle my ass." She leans down and whispers in my ear, "Remember, I never lose." She swats my ass and laughs.
I take off and start running, half surprised, half frustrated that her plan to get me flustered and then start the timer worked. Stupid girl and her stupid plan. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. The only thing keeping me moving is my need to win and the chance to watch Jade run this damn course after me. I climb over the logs and then crawl through the metal tube. As I approach the huge building, I swallow nervously. Seriously? I have to climb this? Panting my way up the stairs, I make a mental note that the gym is now a daily requirement. It feels like someone's sitting on my lungs. I continue to climb but stop when I notice Jade standing at the top, smiling. Asshat!
As I move toward the ropes, she steps forward and puts her hands on my waist. I don't have time for her stupid touch-Perrie-and-she-gets-flustered game—I have a challenge to win, dammit. "Place your hands on the rope," her deep voice commands. "Now swing your legs up and grab it with your feet."
My eyes widen and my mouth drops open. She's joking, right? There is no way I'm sliding down this rope. "Yeah, no thanks. I'll just slide down the net."
Her loud guffaw reverberates in the woods around us. "Fine. Then I'll add two minutes on to your time." She shrugs as she returns to her spot against the wall.
"Yeah, that whole endearing thing is total bullshit. They lied." I narrow my eyes and then grab the rope, swinging my body forward but missing with my feet on my first try. I cast a quick glance at Jade, who's trying to hide her smile. Bitch. I bite my lip and try again, managing to get my leg around the rope this time. I hold on for dear life and lean my head back, smirking at Jade with an I-told-you-so look. Okay, now what?
As if hearing my mental question, Jade walks toward the rope. I'm hanging upside down with my head still tilted backward, giving her a perfect view of my breasts. Though she seems to be trying to keep her eyes on mine, she's failing miserably as she glances more than once. A low grumble sounds from her chest and she closes her eyes. Her voice is strained when she looks back at me. "Okay. Now, slide down the rope and keep your feet locked. If you fall, you lose."
I groan, slowly starting to move down the rope. There are times I truly wonder what the hell is wrong with me and why I'm being punished. I look back at her when she grabs the rope and pulls herself up. It jumps and I clench my legs tighter, letting out a high-pitched scream. "Jade!"
"What?" she asks innocently.
I'm not buying her act.
I slide lower down the rope, getting about halfway and feeling confident I can do this, when it jerks again and I bounce up and down. She smiles widely and I let her know what's about to happen. "I swear you're going to pay for this!"
She's a dead woman walking. I continue to slide until I reach the end, where I promptly let go and fall on my ass. Awesome. That's going to leave a mark.
Running to the finish line, I hear her throaty laugh behind me as she claps her hands. "You did it!" she yells excitedly, moving fast in my direction.
My hands are on my knees as I gasp for air, trying to catch my breath from running and hurling myself all over this stupid course. People do this for fun? She moves toward me and picks me up, throwing me over her shoulder. I gasp and squeak, "Jade! Put me down!"
She lets out a chuckle while carrying me over to a bench near the starting line. Her voice is happy. "Nope. You need to sit and see how it's really done. Time to watch the master." She plops me down and hands me her watch. I stare up at her as I realize I get to watch her run it now.
"Master? What if my time is better?"
She laughs and quickly recovers. "Should we bet?"
"Are you sure you want to chance it?" I smile, goading her.
Jade has a huge grin on her face as she stands in front of me, blocking the sun with her body. "If I win, you have to have dinner with me in New York."
"But if I win, you owe me a spa day and a new pair of jeans."
Jade smirks as if this is the easiest bet she's ever made. "Deal. This is going to be a walk in the park."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that."
She chuckles and grabs my hand holding the watch. "Okay, that button on the right is the timer. When I say go, you press it. Got it?" She smiles as I nod in agreement. Good thing she missed my finger twitch when I pressed it a moment ago.
"Oh, Jade?" I ask innocently.
"Yes?"
I casually lift my shoulders and press my chest out to stretch my back, taking an agonizingly slow time with each movement. Her jaw tics as she watches me roll my neck. I let out a gentle breath and drop my voice to a seductive whisper. "Did you enjoy the show?" My teeth bite on my bottom lip and I watch every moment, taking great pleasure in the way her eyes drop to my mouth and her throat bobs.
She takes a deep breath and rips her shirt off, leaving her in sports bra, stopping whatever game I was attempting to play. Holy fucking shit. She's standing completely still, allowing me to take her in. Each muscle in her body is toned and perfect. My mouth goes completely dry as I stare at her breasts and the large tattoo covering the left side of it. Greedily, my eyes graze lower to her rippled abs, all the way down. I find my way back up to her blazing eyes—the look she gives me cements me to my seat.
She takes three long strides and places her hands on the back of the bench on each side of me, staring intently into my eyes. I feel naked, the intensity of her gaze stripping me and baring my soul. I've never felt so vulnerable yet so desired at the same time. Her breathing is labored and I'm completely still. Neither of us moves as my eyes start to drift, and then she makes a deep noise in her throat. My gaze quickly reverts to her brown eyes as they probe for something. Between the running, adrenaline, and the intensity that is Jade I start to get dizzy.
She leans in and drops her head to the side of my neck, taking two deep breaths. I can feel the tension, the turmoil rolling through her body. I don't know what she's fighting. She runs her nose up my throat and my eyes roll back as I moan. "Keep making those noises and I'm going to get the wrong idea."
Abruptly, she's gone. She's at the start line looking back at me. "Ready for your show, Perrie?"
So damn sure of herself, isn't she? Leaning back, she lifts her arms over her head, which causes her shorts to drop a tiny bit. My eyes follow the indentation of her hips down to the tiny trail that leads to all things happy. My lips part and my breathing becomes erratic. I'm incredibly turned on right now. She gets in the ready position, waiting for me to tell her to go. I smile inwardly knowing that she's added about three minutes on to her time with her little seduction game. I lift the watch and yell, "Go!"
Nothing could have prepared me for watching Jade run the course. Not only does she have a large tattoo on her front, she has one on her shoulder as well. It's black and looks like the skeleton of a frog. Her body moves as if she was made for this—each leap graceful and precise, every step calculated. Her body moves, her muscles tighten, and my mouth waters at the sight of her. There's no time for me to return the favor of climbing to the top of the ginormous building, so I decide to rush over to the bottom of the steps. Jade still has a little time before she makes it over there, although with the way she's moving, it may be a lot faster than I'm anticipating. I get there before her and try to climb a couple flights, but the five-alarm fire burning in my legs prevents me from getting too far. I sit on the steps instead, trying to appear casual as Jade starts to climb.
I lie across the step and rest my hand on my propped-up knee. She gets to my step and stops briefly, letting out a throaty laugh. "Nice try, babe." She leaps over me and laughs the rest of the way up.
I turn and yell in her direction, "Hey! Not fair!"
I look up and see her descending a rope faster than I thought humanly possible. Somehow when she reaches the bottom, she's not even winded. She sprints to the end, finishing without breaking a sweat. Jesus!
She yells back, "Done! Press stop!" as I gingerly walk to her, trying to lessen the throbbing in my muscles. Jade heads toward me with a huge smile on her face as I press the button.
I place the watch in my back pocket. She's not getting it until I know my time. "So, Jade, you tell me my time and I'll tell you yours. Then we can see who the winner is." I raise my eyebrow, smiling coyly.
She reaches forward and pulls me against her. "First, dinner. I'll tell you then."
"What?" I huff. "No! I want to know now." I purse my lips and push back from her.
"Too bad. If you want it, you have to have dinner with me. Besides, you owe me anyway."
"Ugh! You don't fight fair." She drives me insane. On the other hand, I haven't had this much fun since ... I can't even remember. She makes me laugh and feel special. There are worse ways to spend my evening than dinner with an extremely sexy and agile and funny and powerful and ... Oh man. This is bad. She's all of those things, but she's also my client. Still, she doesn't seem to be concerned with that little fact.
Her low voice halts my mental debate. "Stop overthinking. It's dinner—we can even talk business. Plus, don't you want to know how bad you lost and if you get your spa day?"
I grab the watch, taking a picture of her final time with my phone. I clear the display and then hand it back to her. Her time was outrageously long—that makes me smile. And now that I have the proof in my phone, there's no way she can deny it. "Fine. Dinner, but we talk about work. Then I'll show you just how bad you lost." I grin, walking toward the car.