if Grammy were here she’d be telling her to let Noelle sink or swim on her own. The next time that’s exactly what she panned to do.
But for now she’d made a deal.
With Lincoln Donovan.
Eight years ago she’d been young and in lust. Now she was older, wiser. This was a business deal and nothing else. Hence the reason she’d killed those dinner plans. Linc needed a date for his parents’ festivities. Well, those festivities hadn’t begun yet. Therefore, there was no need for them to spend time together.
That coupled with the fact that she detested being pushed around. When a man wanted to have dinner with a woman, the normal route was to ask. He’d told her and she’d showed him differently. She smiled smugly and wrenched open the freezer.
“So who was the winner again?” she asked as she frowned at three neat stacks of frozen meals. She had a large variety since this was what her complete diet consisted of, but tonight, for some reason, chicken and broccoli fettuccine just didn’t sound appetizing.
A hard knock at the door had her nearly jumping out of her skin. And when she’d made her way across the room to pull it open that same skin began to heat instantly.
Her throat went dry as her gaze rested on Linc’s wide shoulders completely filling the tiny doorway. He looked ominous, foreboding and commanding dressed in all brown, glowering at her as if she’d just stolen something from him.
Jade squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Can I help you?”
His gaze raked over her in a way that left her feeling naked and exposed and she instinctively regretted the question.
Linc cleared his throat. “We had dinner plans,” he said gruffly.
“No, you had dinner plans. I went shopping and came home.”
“I thought it was understood that we were staying at the hotel.”
“You’re staying at the hotel. I have a home, thank you very much,” she quipped.
He gave an exasperated sigh. “Can I come in?”
“No,” she said quickly.
“Jade?”
It was her turn to sigh just before stepping aside and allowing him entrance. “What are you doing here?” she asked, closing the door behind her.
“As I said, we had dinner plans.”
She was instantly uncomfortable as she watched him peruse her apartment. It wasn’t a hovel by any means but Jade was positive it was below Lincoln Donovan’s standards. Just as she’d always been.
“And you left this in the car.”
His voice interrupted the beginnings of her pity party and she looked down at his outstretched hand.
“Oh,” she said then reached for the necklace. “It must have fallen off.”
Before she could take it from him Linc pulled his hand back. “Was it a gift from someone special?”
She blinked wondering why he’d asked. “From Grammy. I mean, my grandmother.”
He nodded, profoundly relieved that it wasn’t from a man. He looked down at the necklace in his hand then back at her. “The clasp is broken.”
Jade reached for the necklace again. Since his arrival it had become increasingly harder for her to breathe. She feared his large form simply took up too much space in her small apartment. She had to get him out of here as quickly as possible. “I’ll have it fixed.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said simply then slipped the necklace into his pocket. “I’m hungry. Can we go to dinner now?”
Jade opened her mouth to speak then quickly closed it again. He’d asked her nicely this time, his voice velvety smooth as his gaze bore through her. She didn’t know how to respond.
“Are you hungry, Jade?”
“Ah…I…I’m not dressed for dinner,” she croaked. Damn, he was getting to her again. She looked down at her robe that had begun to gape a bit at her chest. Hastily she pulled it closed then cinched the belt around her waist.
Linc followed her gaze. “I’m certainly not complaining about your attire but you might want to change just in case other people get the wrong idea.”
“I most certainly am not going out like this. I’m not going out at all. Our deal doesn’t start until tomorrow.”
“I think you’re mistaken.” Linc took a step closer to her. “Our deal started the moment you took my credit cards and hit the mall.”
Jade thought about what he’d just said, recognized the logic and could have kicked herself. Again she reminded herself why she was allowing him back into her life. It’s only for a week, she told herself—seven days and six nights then she’d have what she wanted and he could go back to his rich, polished life. The one she’d never be a part of.
“Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll change.”
He nodded his approval as she stalked past him.
She’d change all right and Lincoln Donovan would regret coming here forcing her to do this tonight. While she wasn’t financially or socially in his league, she had one positive thing going for her—she was a woman.
And he was definitely a man.
A man that wasn’t above being tortured.
She wore red, come-and-get-me red, that fit her like a second skin. He swallowed as he reached for her hand to help her out of the car. The drive back to the Gramercy had been one of hell on earth. Her scent was intoxicating, coupled with that barely there dress. His blood pressure had steadily begun to rise.
They’d talked amicably in the car, she seemingly without a care in the world while he struggled to keep from blabbering how much he wanted her. They walked through the lobby, Linc noting the stares both from his staff and the guests milling about. He didn’t like that. He’d never really cared before that people watched him, made conclusions about him that were false and unfounded. But the thought of them wondering what was going on between him and Jade didn’t sit well with him at all.
She wore light makeup. A gold frost on the lips, something to darken her eyes and that was it. Her hair had been pulled up to a pile of luminous curls. She looked absolutely delicious and he was ravenous.
“I thought we were having dinner in the room,” she said with a pretty smile.
“We’d better stay in public for as long as possible,” Linc said through clenched teeth.
He escorted her to the restaurant and then to a booth reserved especially for him in the back. Sitting down, she picked up the menu. “I hear the food here is fabulous.”
For endless moments Linc couldn’t speak. He’d watched the sway of her hips as she walked. Then she sat while he remained standing. Her dress was cut low, very low. The view of those luscious mounds had all the blood rushing from his head. He gripped the back of the chair to steady himself then lowered his quaking body down into the seat.
This was not what he’d expected.
She was not what he’d expected.
He wanted her, yes. He’d thought making her spend the week with him was a good idea. But now, he had a sinking feeling that in the next week he was going to get more than he’d bargained for.
“I don’t like when my plans are changed.” He frowned.
Jade lifted a brow. “I hadn’t planned on having dinner with you. Actually, I hadn’t planned on ever seeing you again and I most definitely did not plan to spend the week with you. But life is unpredictable. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned.”
Her voice was alluring, soft and sultry in the dimly lit restaurant. His