Allan had thought of Jessi as steel-hearted before today. She’d always seemed sort of a ballbuster until he’d seen the cracks and chinks in her tough-girl facade. Even when she’d hired that P.I. to investigate John before he’d married Patti, Allan hadn’t realized that she’d done it because of her deep emotional attachments, not just to be a bitch. Because she cared about her friend...maybe even loved her. He’d never suspected that the woman who needled him the way she did could be as soft as he was beginning to suspect she was.
“I think I might be able to persuade you to come around to my way of thinking about sex instead of love,” he said. He needed to change the dynamic between them. Get them back to the familiar footing they’d always been on.
“That’s putting a lot of pressure on your charm and sex appeal,” she said with a wry grin.
“Trying to take potshots at my ego?” He put his hand over his heart. “Hoping to see if you can deflate me?”
“Sort of. Is it working?”
“Nah, I still know I’m all that and a bag of doughnuts,” he said.
She laughed, but it sounded a little forced to him, and he realized she was on edge, too. Maybe because she’d felt something for him that one night, or maybe it still had to do with John’s and Patti’s deaths. Allan had no idea, and if he were honest, he didn’t care at this moment. Thinking about Jessi, sparring with her, kept him from remembering his best friend was dead.
“You’re some piece of work,” she said. “Let’s see what you’re bringing to the game, big boy. How are you going to tempt me?”
“I thought I’d make it into a challenge,” he said.
“What kind?”
She seemed intrigued, and he had to wonder if maybe she needed a distraction, the way he did. They’d always made bets over outrageous things and always honored them. In fact, if she weren’t so...well, if she weren’t Jessi, he’d actually like her. But she was Jessi. A Chandler. A prickly, ornery woman with as much cuddliness as a porcupine.
“One you won’t want to lose,” he said.
“I’m listening.”
“I’m betting that you’re attracted to me and that you can’t control yourself better than I can when we put each other to the test,” he said. It was a calculated risk. A chance to prove to himself that his iron willpower over his body and his sexual prowess were still intact. Because there was something very different about Jessi, something that he didn’t entirely know how to deal with.
“I know I can,” she said. “So what’s in it for me?”
He thought about it for a few long minutes, shifting back in the chair. Just thinking of kissing her made him stir, so he stretched his long legs out in front of him to relieve the pressure on his groin.
“If you win I’ll help you keep your job at the newly merged Playtone-Infinity Games,” he said.
A light went out of her eyes and he saw her nibble on her lower lip. He didn’t know what he’d said to cause that reaction, and made a mental note to pursue the question at another time.
“And if you win?” she asked.
“You let me buy you out,” he said. “You walk away from gaming a wealthy woman.”
“If you agree to help me, can you guarantee that I won’t be axed?” she asked. “Because I don’t think Kell is going to be that impressed with you saying that you lost a kissing contest with me and that’s why you have to keep me on.”
“Oh, Jess, I’m not going to lose,” Allan said. “But if I do, I will help you by making my network of contacts available to you. I have a feeling that with those connections you’d be unstoppable.”
“Why not just do that anyway?” she asked.
“We’re enemies, remember? From the first moment we met you knew I was a Montrose cousin and I knew you were a Chandler sister.”
“True. The family feud will always be there, won’t it? Even though Cari and Dec have a son and are planning to get married...there’s still bad blood between our families in your eyes.”
“It’s hard to just dismiss it,” he said. “So do we have a deal?”
She crossed her arms under her breasts while she leaned back in her chair, then crossed her slim legs. She wore boots that would look ridiculous on anyone else, combat boots with a thick, three-inch heel that gave her added height. Tight-fitting leather pants and a loose, sheer black blouse completed the outfit. But it wasn’t inappropriate, given that it was Jessi. He could tell by her all-black outfit that she was mourning.
“All I have to do to win is make sure you are more affected by one kiss than I am?” she asked.
“That’s it. Keep in mind in certain circles I’m known as—”
“The man with a big mouth and bigger ego?” she taunted.
“You’re going down, Chandler,” he said.
“Only if I agree to your deal. And given how hard you’re pushing for me to accept it, I’d say I’m destined to win.”
“There was something destined to happen,” he said, leaning forward in his chair and putting his hands on the armrests on either side of her. “Stop baiting me and make your choice.”
“Am I baiting you?” she asked, shifting closer to him and tilting her head to one side as she stared at his mouth.
“You know you are,” he said, trying to ignore the tingling of his lips. He was in control here.
“Well, then I guess I’m going to have to accept your wager. Prepare to lose, McKinney,” she said.
* * *
Jessi came over to him and straddled his lap. Slowly, she eased forward and brought her mouth down on his. Her only thought was to do this and win, and then she’d focus on keeping her job. But the moment her mouth met his something changed.
It had been easy to tell herself that her memory of what had happened between them at the wedding wasn’t accurate, or that everything had been due to the champagne she’d drunk that night. But now, in the cold reality at thirty-five thousand feet in the air, there was no denying that the attraction she felt for him was real.
His mouth was firm against hers and his lips were soft. He was letting her be the aggressor, and she took full advantage of that, running her tongue over the seam where his lips met. He tasted minty and fresh, and she pulled back, but felt his hand on her head, keeping her in place.
His tongue traced her lips, as well, and she wondered if he’d like the flavor of her strawberry lip gloss or if it would be too sweet for him. But he didn’t say anything, only kept coming back to taste more of it and of her.
She opened her mouth and felt the brush of his tongue over hers. She wanted to moan, but kept that sound locked away. She struggled to remember she was competing here. And suddenly it seemed stupid to her that the first man she’d kissed in a long time—and wanted to keep on kissing—was playing a game with her.
She closed her eyes and let herself experience the embrace of a man who made her want to forget she was a Chandler, and just enjoy being a woman.
His mouth was warm, and he tasted good. So good she never wanted the kiss to end. She shifted to get closer to him, but he kept the distance between them and she realized she was in danger of losing this bet. She hadn’t anticipated having to fight her own urges while she kissed him.
She tried to think of Allan, tried to stem the need welling up inside her to feel his solid chest pressed against hers. Tried to forget that she’d seen him shirtless enough times to know that he had solid pecs and a well-developed six-pack. Tried to forget that the man was seriously