Page 57 of The Hang Up
“Deal,” Ellie said. She stood up, too, and began leading the way to the office.
Jason watched Miriam follow, admiring the sway of her hips, the curve of her ass, pretty sure this wasn’t supposed to be turning him on.
* * *
Four hours later,Jason lay sleepless in bed. He wasn’t really upset about Ellie’s sex business or Miriam’s eagerness to help out.
But he was upset.
Or maybe “upset” wasn’t the right word.“Disturbed” was more like it. Shaken up by the fact that Miriam had gotten under his skin beyond the physical chemistry between them. He loved spending time with her, loved the way she meshed with Henry and Ellie and his whole life.
She’d asked that they keep things casual between them, and that’s what he wanted, too, dammit.
Wasn’t it?
Aw, hell. Fine, he could admit it. Seeing her with his family had unraveled him a little. He loved the way she interacted with Henry and Ellie. He loved the way she threw her head back when she laughed. He loved how she could be a prim and proper city girl one minute and a sex goddess on the dining room table the next. He loved how passionate she was about her career.
But he didn’t loveher,right? It wouldn’t do him any good to confuse the two.
And even if hedidlove her, there was no sense in doing anything about it. Not with Henry still recovering and Ellie still fragile and both of them still needing his full attention and protection and love and?—
The creak of a door made him roll over in bed. He’d left his bedside lamp on, intent on reading the latest issue ofMountainmagazine to keep his mind off Miriam.
But as he heard someone tiptoeing down the hallway toward his room, his libido surged. He knew the sound of her footsteps like he knew the beat of his own heart. She was here, in his apartment, and he knew what she was coming for.
He sat up in bed as she stopped in the doorway. Her hair flowed loose and wild around her shoulders, and her breasts bloomed full and round over the cups of her lacy bra. She wore thong panties and a salacious smile that sent all the blood rushing from Jason’s brain straight to his cock.
“I hear you have a closet full of sex toys,” she murmured, then licked her lips. “I just earned myself a hundred-dollar store credit. I was wondering if you might like to test out some of the merchandise.”
CHAPTER11
Miriam stepped into Jason’s bedroom, heart thudding in her ears. Part of her felt nervous about waltzing scantily clad into his private domain while he lay in bed wearing nothing but boxer shorts and a bemused expression.
But most of her just wanted him. Badly. From the look of things, he felt the same.
“Hello, there,” he said as his gaze traveled the length of her body, starting with the scalloped edge of her lacy yellow bra and moving down her abdomen, across her hips, and over the matching thong panty. He shifted a little on the bed and the sheet slipped off his hips, revealing the impressive bulge in his boxers. “I take it you’ve finished helping my sister?”
“Yes,” Miriam breathed, then took a step into the room and drew two small boxes out from behind her back. “And now I’m here to help you.”
Jason’s gaze dropped to the packages in her hands, then back up to meet her eyes again. He quirked one eyebrow.
“Help me what?”
He sounded intrigued, so Miriam took a few more steps into the room. She was grateful for the flattering hue of dim lamplight, grateful that even though she’d spent the day wearing practical clothing and footwear, she’d worn totally impractical underwear. As she approached the bed, she ordered herself to stand up straight, to suck in her stomach, to look sexy as hell.
But the heat in Jason’s eyes told her none of that mattered. One way or another, she was going to end up naked and sprawled on that bed in a matter of minutes.
She’d almost reached the bed. “I’m here to help you become more educated about the adult products offered by Madam Butterfly,” she said, shivering a little at the hunger in his gaze.
He started to reach for her, but she was just out of his range. Good. She wanted to savor this feeling a few moments longer, the sensation of having his eyes devour her.
“Madam Butterfly?” he asked.
“That’s your sister’s company.”
“I think we need to stop talking about my sister now. It’s kinda distracting with you standing there in your underwear looking hot enough to set my headboard on fire.”
Miriam laughed and set one of the boxes on the nightstand. The other she opened carefully, keeping her eyes locked with Jason’s as she lowered herself onto the bed beside him. He was the first to drop his gaze, taking in the package in her lap.
