A Reclusive Heart

  to rest, relax, or more importantly, at least to her, to do it again. Thanks to him she’d been up half the night aching for him. Of course she used those hours wisely and got some work done. She finished editing a novel, finished her chapter early in her secret little project, and finished three chapters of her latest Vampire of the Heart novel. Now that she had some time she would like nothing better than to”I guess we’ll use this time to get some work done,” Nick announced, bursting her bubble as she watched him loosen his tie and sit down behind the desk without looking her way.

  “Fine,” she grumbled, knowing she was pouting, but not caring. She moved to sit on the small couch but decided that if she wasn’t expected to leave this hotel room then she wasn’t going stay in this pretty, but uncomfortable, suite. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable to work in then,” she said, heading for the door connecting their rooms and eager to change into her flannel pajamas and order a hot fudge sundae from room service.

  Nick didn’t say anything as she left the room and she didn’t expect him to.

  When he was working it was pretty much impossible to distract him. Maybe she’d head downstairs to the bar now instead of waiting for lunch. She walked over to her bag to grab her flannel pajamas when the light pink and baby blue shopping bag that she’d forgotten about caught her eye.

  Worrying her bottom lip, she shot a look over her shoulder at the closed door and then back to the bag. Could she really do this? Curious to see if she could make Nick lose his cool she decided that yes she really could. With an excited little giggle she grabbed the bag and ran into the bathroom.

  ******

  When Jamie walked into the room he didn’t bother looking up from his computer. He needed to figure out a few backup plans just in case this bad weather followed them on their tour. He was just about to ask Jamie how she felt about hitting Texas when a flash of white caught his eyes. Not really thinking much of it he looked up and nearly choked on his tongue at the sight before him.

  Before his mind fully registered the fact that Jamie was wearing the short white silk and lace number that made him harder than steel at the store he was getting to his feet and tearing off his tie and shirt. When she bent over in front of him to pick something off the coffee table he stumbled when he got his first look at her bare ass. If he hadn’t already been hard that would have done it.

  “Get on the bed and spread your legs,” he bit out, uncaring that he was barking orders at her or that she was still new at all of this. He wanted her and he was damn well going to have her.

  He could have kissed her when she did exactly what he asked without any hesitation. When she laid back on the bed and spread her legs he noted the blush that crept up her cheeks, but he was helpless at the moment to reassure her that everything would be okay when the only thing he could focus on at the moment was the neatly trimmed moist curls between her legs. He toed off his shoes and dropped his pants, uncaring that were going to get wrinkled.

  His underwear were barely pushed off by the time he crawled onto the bed and buried his face between Jamie’s legs. The sharp cry of pleasure she released when he swiped his tongue over her clit pleased him so he did it again and again as he ran his hands all over her silk encased body. By the time she started screaming his name he on top of her, grinding his erection between her wet slit and he took her mouth in a hard brutal kiss that she eagerly welcomed.

  The moment he came he realized that they wouldn’t be getting any work done today. The realization would have normally pissed him off, but today it only pleased him.

  ******

  He gritted his teeth and forced himself to breathe as the torture continued.

  Just as she took the tip of his cock into her mouth and began working him into a frenzy she’d stop and test his control. She’d been doing this for twenty-three minutes and ten seconds now.

  When she shyly asked him if she could take him into her mouth he’d nearly groaned wondering if Christmas had come early for him this year. It felt like years since he first imagined her sucking on him, but in reality had only been a few weeks. This morning when she showed up in his room in that barely there teddie he’d hoped and prayed that she’d do it, but had absolutely no intentions of forcing the issue. So when she offered all he could do was lie there dumbly and nod like an idiot.

  He didn’t even question her need to work under cover as she did it. Truth be told, watching the shape of her head move beneath the pale green sheet while she worked him turned him on even more. Just then she decided to up her game by licking him from his balls to the tip and he had to stop himself from arching his back and silently demand that she take him in her mouth again. When she licked him again he felt himself relax that is until she stopped, again, and shifted around.

  Jamie mumbled something, but he was too focused on the painful erection between his legs to pay attention. When she licked only to stop again he had enough. He really couldn’t take any more and wondered why she hated him so damn much to torture him like this. When he pulled the sheet away he received his second surprise for the day.

  She had one hand wrapped around the base of his cock as she frowned down at her phone. “I can’t tell if I’m doing this right,” she mumbled as she stared at her phone.

  With a shaky hand he reached out and took the phone away from her and nearly groaned when he realized that his little recluse was watching an instructional video on her phone. The fact that she wanted to please him touched him in a way nothing else had. In that moment it didn’t matter that she had him hard enough to cause pain. All that mattered was his little recluse.

  He tossed the phone to the side and reached out and cupped her face.

  “Anything you want to do will please me, Jamie. You don’t need that,” he said, struggling to beg her not to continue with the start and stop torture. He didn’t want to hurt her in any way and he sure as hell didn’t want to make her feel bad. He would lie there for the rest of the night while she tortured him if that’s what she needed.

  “Okay,” she said, sighing as she straightened her shoulders and set back to work. This time she took pity on him and didn’t stop. Actually she didn’t stop until he was shouting out his release and begging her to stop sucking on his poor abused cock. When she finally released him with a small little pout he couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She snuggled contently in his arms. As he drifted off he couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to end the day.

  Chapter 17

  “Where have you been?” Nick asked when Jamie showed up with only two minutes to spare.

  “Nothing,” she said, shifting nervously as she looked everywhere but at him.

  He narrowed his eyes on his little recluse as she shifted nervously as she hugged that large bag she dared to call a purse tightly against her chest. “I asked you where you’ve been not what you’ve been up to,” he pointed out as they stepped to the side as one of the camera men rushed past them.

  “Oh…..,um,” she mumbled, but didn’t really answer him. He knew she was nervous about doing her first on camera interview and really didn’t expect much at the moment. He had hoped that he’d have time to calm her down. In fact, he’d planned on pulling her into one of the dressing rooms and doing everything he could to help her relax, but the damn woman had made other plans this morning and told him that she’d meet him here.

  Which brought up an interesting question, what had she been up to?

  Judging by the way she was shifting with nervous energy, avoiding making eye contact, and hugging her bag in a death grip he was afraid he knew exactly what the little recluse had been up to. With a sigh he snatched the bag away from her and opened it, ignoring her protests as he pulled out five large bars of Belgium chocolate and glared down at his little recluse.

  “You promised that you’d avoid sugar this morning,” he said accusingly as he shoved the chocolate back in the bag and held it away from her.

  She swallowed nervously
as she reached for it. “You don’t understand! I need it!”

  He shook his head even as he grabbed her hand and led her deeper into the studio. “No, what you need to do is get your cute little ass into makeup and then do this interview.”

  When Jamie gasped in outrage he couldn’t help but smile. “But I need it!

  Please, Nick! Chocolate soothes me!”

  He threw her a disbelieving look over his shoulder, but didn’t slow his pace as he continued to drag her over to makeup. “You’re like the Energizer Bunny when you have chocolate, Jamie. If you want some chocolate you’ll have to get through this interview otherwise I’m throwing it out,” he threatened, knowing that if he took her chocolate anywhere near a trash can that she’d probably try to kill him.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” she hissed out and he didn’t bother to answer her as he maneuvered her around a group of people and planted her ass in a tall chair.

  “Here she is,” he announced to Margaret, the makeup specialist who’d been hitting on him since he showed up an hour ago to make sure that everything was set up for Jamie’s interview.

  “Thanks, Nick. You’re such a sweetie,” Margaret said, placing her hand on his arm and giving it a little squeeze as she sent him another inviting smile. His eyes shot over to Jamie to see how she was reacting to the other woman’s obvious come on, but the damn woman was still sending the bag in his hands looks of longing.

  Did he want her jealous? No, not really, but some kind of reaction would be nice since he couldn’t help but want to kill every bastard that got within speaking distance of her. He felt his lips twitch as Jamie tried to discretely reach out and take the bag from his hand.

  “This is just getting sad,” he said, sighing as he moved the bag further away.

  She looked up at him with sad puppy dog eyes as her lower lip began to quiver and he just barely stopped himself from chuckling, which she probably wouldn’t appreciate. Instead he shook his head and her shoulders slumped in defeat as she let out a cute little sigh.

  “Miss. Harris?” one of the production assistants said in greeting as she approached Jamie. “My name is Carla. Is there anything I can get you?”

  Jamie immediately perked up. “Yes, um, is there any chance that I could get some chocolate? It helps settle my nerves,” his little recluse said, lying her adorable ass that he planned on focusing on tonight off.

  Carla smiled. “I believe we can arrange that.”

  “No,” Nick said, cutting the woman off before she did something they’d all regret later. “No chocolate for her whatsoever,” he said, earning a killing glare from Jamie, but he didn’t care.

  Chocolate was Jamie’s drug of choice and unfortunately for her she didn’t seem to handle the sugar very well. She got wired, then cranky, then sleepy and when she woke up from her chocolate induced nap he usually had to wrestle more chocolate out of the addict’s grasp before she could make it to the toilet hugging phase, which was probably his least favorite of the phases.

  “Then can I have a Coke, please?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

  Sugar and caffeine? No, that would never work.

  “She’ll have a water,” he said, thankful that the assistant knew better than to listen to Jamie.

  When Jamie sulked in her chair he of course ignored her even as he made a mental note to order a huge ice cream sundae for her later. The woman was a little sugar addict and thankfully could be bought easily. Actually, now that he thought of it he should probably hunt down something sweet to give her once her interview was over. He could give her the chocolate in her handbag, but judging by the looks she was shooting the bag the little junkie had already reached her limit for the day.

  “So what do you say, Nick?” Margaret asked, making him realize that he’d missed everything she said while he’d been smiling like a fool at his little recluse.

  “Hmm?” he asked, barely able to take his eyes away from Jamie as Margaret fussed with Jamie’s hair and makeup.

  “She wanted to know if you’d like to go over to her house after this so that she could cook for you,” Jamie explained casually, not sounding upset at all, but judging by the hurt expression on her face she didn’t like the idea one bit. Why that made him happy he didn’t know, but it was nice to know that he wasn’t the only one that got jeal”Actually,” Jamie said brightly as she sat straighter in her chair, “why don’t the two of you go discuss your dinner plans,” she said smoothly as she reached out and snagged her bag out of his hand, “and I’ll just sit here and wait to be called for my interview.”

  His eyes narrowed on her as he felt a tick start beneath his left eye. “You’d sell me out like that? Over chocolate?” he said with obvious disgust.

  She shrugged as she held the bag tightly to her chest and let out another cute little sigh. “It’s Belgium chocolate,” she said as if that explained it all. That explained nothing. It also pissed him off that she clearly chose chocolate over him.

  He reached over and tore the bag away from her, earning a little gasp of horror that he refused to find adorably sexy. “Just for that you aren’t getting this chocolate back until tomorrow.”

  “B-b-b-but,” she stuttered, reaching for it but he simply stepped back.

  When she realized that she wasn’t getting it back she went back to slumping in her chair. He thought he heard her mutter, “Big jerk,” but he decided to ignore it since that was most likely the chocolate withdrawal talking.

  “Are you busy tonight, Nick?” Margaret asked as if the little odd conversation hadn’t just happened. Then again she was probably used to weird conversations in this line of work.

  He should take the woman up on her invitation. She wouldn’t drive him crazy or have him drooling after her like some kid. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d have her out of her panties and beneath him within two minutes of walking through her front door, but unfortunately for him the thought of touching her left him cold. The only woman he wanted was coming down from a sugar high and would probably require some babying later tonight when the stomach ache hit. What the hell happened to him when he’d rather spend the night cuddling a cranky woman than fucking a willing one?

  “That’s a very sweet offer, but unfortunately we have to work tonight and then catch an early flight in the morning,” he said, giving the woman his most charming smile and hoping it was enough.

  “Maybe next time you’re in town,” she said, giving him that coy smile that promised all sorts of naughty things between the sheets. Since this thing with Jamie would be over by the next time he swung through Virginia for work he didn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t accept.

  “That sounds like a great idea, sweetheart. How about you give me your number so I can give you a call the next time I’m in the area,” he said, forcing his eyes away from his little recluse as he told himself that he had no reason to feel guilty. He never felt guilty for living his life and he sure as hell wasn’t about to start now.

  ******

  “We’re ready for you, Miss. Harris,” one of the assistants said, gesturing for her to join Andrew Jameson, the show’s host, on stage.

  She decided not to keep her promise to Nick and hunt him down for last minute advice since he’d just given her the kiss off and joined Andrew on stage. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nick try to discretely gesture for her to walk over to him, but she ignored him and plastered what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face and sat down in the small leather chair next to Andrew.

  The man was mid-thirties, handsome and the look he gave her slightly appeased the hurt Nick had caused not even twenty minutes ago. She still couldn’t believe that he’d hurt her like that. She knew that they’d never have a lifetime together, but the last few days had been wonderful, especially yesterday when they spent all day in his bed, but apparently she’d been wrong. Well, she’d enjoyed it but obviously he had not.

  If he had he wouldn’t have been making plans to meet up with another woman right in front of her. The least
he could have done was taken her aside beforehand and given her the brush off. Finding out like that hadn’t exactly been pleasant.

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Miss. Harris,” Andrew said warmly as he reached over to take one of her hands into both of his.

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Jameson,” she said, easily returning the smile.

  “Please call me Andrew. From what I gather this is your first on camera interview. Just relax and pretend the camera’s not there and you’ll be fine. I’m also assuming that you would prefer to be called J.L. Lewis during the interview?” he asked, still holding her hand she might note.

  She risked a quick glance over to where she’d last seen Nick and was a little surprised to find him glaring at their hands. Considering he’d just basically made plans to have sex with another woman she thought he had a heck of a nerve to look pissed that another man was touching her. After this they were going back to a strictly professional relationship. She didn’t even want help with her list and come to think of it maybe it was time just to bite the bullet and have sex. It sure as heck would stop her from pinning after him and it would help shred a little more of the old Jamie away for good.

  “If you’re ready?” Andrew asked, reluctantly releasing her hand as he sat back in his chair.

  Was she?

  Yes, she was and not only for this interview. It was probably childish, but tonight when she found a man to take to bed she was going to make darn sure that Nick knew that she was doing it. Not that he’d care since he’d probably be having sex with another woman and couldn’t care less that she moved on and she had. It was just a few days. Nothing major. She could move on just as easily as he had.

  “Thank you for joining us this evening, J.L. Lewis,” Andrew said, letting her know that they’d begun recording the interview.

  “Thank you for having me,” she returned easily, surprising herself. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterwards.

  After a few minutes of basic questions he moved smoothly into her personal life. “So tell me, is there a Mr. Lewis in the picture?”