Page 24 of Sexy Dare (The Sexy 1)

This weekend was Noah’s birthday party, and she’d been working hard all day on the treats and packaging she had planned for the event. The good news was that she had Kelsey back at work and she wasn’t handling the burden of everything on her own.

The bad news was they were both tiptoeing around the sexual frustration that was building between them. Living together made for very close quarters. More than once, he’d walked out of his bedroom in his boxers, stumbling to the kitchen for a drink, forgetting he had company, and found her in the living room on her computer because she’d been unable to sleep.

She, too, had thought she’d be alone and was dressed in a pair of short shorts and a flimsy camisole top, her abundant breasts falling out of the lace edging. He’d woken up at the sight, his dick getting hard in an instant. She’d been flustered and apologized, rushing back to her room, but not before he caught the way her gaze fell to the bulge in his underwear and a beautiful, sexy flush stained her cheeks.

Jason had never hesitated to take what was offered, but that was the issue here. He wasn’t sure how much Faith was offering. She was under a ridiculous amount of stress, and he didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable situation. On the other hand, he recognized the signals that told him she was interested in him and he damned well wanted her. He’d gone so far as to take a cold shower before heading back to bed after their run-ins because he desired her that much. The question was, how much more could either of them take before they broke and ended up in bed?

He watched her from a chair that must have his ass imprint on it by now, as she put away the candy on the shelves, humming as she worked, breasts bouncing in the confines of her tee shirt, and he groaned.

Finally, after she’d locked up for the day, they were in his car on the way home. He’d been about to ask her what she wanted for dinner when his phone rang. He hit send and said hello.

Landon’s voice sounded over the intercom in the vehicle. “When are we going to see your ugly face?” his friend asked.

Jason chuckled, glancing at Faith’s amused expression. “Sorry, man. I’ve been tied up. I explained it to you already.”

“Well, get untied and get your ass down to the club. We’re overdue for a group meeting. You’re the one who wanted to expand, and we’re the ones making it happen.”

Jason winced because they were right. “I’ll be there tonight,” he promised, disconnecting the call.

Faith turned toward him, and though he kept his eyes on the road, he felt her narrowed stare.

“Your partners are annoyed. Do they know why you haven’t been to work? And why didn’t I even think about the fact that you had somewhere to be at night?” She groaned. “You were so busy during the day I forgot you ran a nightclub in the evening.” She twisted her hands together, working herself up with a heap of self-blame and recrimination.

He placed a calming touch on her thigh, immediately aware of the soft heat of her body, and the desire he’d been fighting off and keeping at bay made itself known.

“I make my own choices,” he said in a gruff voice. “And I wanted to be with you. Now I can drop you off at the apartment before heading to the club. I know with Christopher, my night doorman, on duty you’ll be safe. I’ve just always felt better being there myself. Especially after your apartment was broken into.”

She shook her head. “I’ll come with you. It’s the least I can do. You don’t need to make another stop just for me. Besides, it’ll be fun to see you in your element.”

She grinned at him and he laughed. “Fine, but don’t take anything the guys say to heart. Tanner, especially, can be an ass.” Because he’d never gotten over Landon’s loss. None of them had but they each dealt in their own way.

“I can deal with it.”

He knew she could. She’d been holding up like a champ so far. She’d even dealt well with the robbery, although the loss of the necklace put a dent in her armor. Jason had called Jack Renault, and the PI was looking for the jewelry based on Faith’s description and an old photograph where the piece was shown from a distance on her mother’s neck. Lord knew there were a lot of pawnshops in New York City for him to scour, and the process would take time.

They walked into the club well past suppertime, when people came for after-dinner drinks and the Friday night crowd had started picking up. He gestured for Faith to head upstairs ahead of him, following close behind, and they entered the main office area to find Tanner and Landon dressed for a night on the floor.

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