A Lover's Vow - Brenda Jackson

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his breathing to stop as he hung on, waited in lustful anticipation for her response?

      “Go fuck yourself.”

      Those three words had been whispered low but spoken clearly, direct, definitely matter-of-fact, no holds barred. His eyes narrowed as anger ran up his spine. Instinctively, he took a step back, refusing to let what she’d said affect him. And he rejected the idea that the strange tight feeling in the middle of his chest meant anything. Her snubs were becoming commonplace, like oil rolling off his back, because in the end, they would make her capitulation that much sweeter.

      He pulled back and smiled down at her, saying with none of the calm he actually felt, “I’d rather do you than myself. Sorry you’re missing the opportunity.”

      She rolled her eyes. “I’m not missing any opportunity, trust me. And—”

      The clapping of hands drowned out her next words. They both turned when Jace and Shana appeared holding hands. They had changed into traveling clothes. It was time for them to leave on their honeymoon—two weeks on the beaches in Cape Town, South Africa.

      Dalton shifted his gaze from the smiling couple and back to Jules. She was still looking at Jace and Shana with genuine happiness on her face. But he saw beyond her happiness for her sister and his brother. She was clearly not a romantic at heart, and he’d picked up on her cynicism a few times. They thought alike in some ways, and Dalton figured that if given a chance, they would set a bedroom on fire. He would see to it. But there were a few things about Jules he was determined to find out. Unravel. Sink his teeth into. And then he would sink his body into hers. Make her scream. Holler. Bite him a few times. Come unglued and put an end to this shitty attitude she wore like a suit of armor. The thought of taking her on in the bedroom made a tingling sensation spread through him. Right now she was made of ice, and he couldn’t wait to see her melt.

      “You’re a difficult person, Jules Bradford.”

      She glanced at him, her smile gone. “You’re still here? I thought you would have seized the opportunity to leave.”

      “With my tail tucked between my legs? No woman will ever drive me to such madness.”

      “Really? And as far as my being a difficult person, I disagree. I just refuse to tolerate bullshit.”

      He leaned in closer again. “Then I don’t understand why we don’t get along, since I refuse to tolerate bullshit, either.” He straightened and smiled down at her. “See you around, Juliet.”

      And then he walked away.

       Two

      “Do you ever get the feeling you’re being followed?”

      Caden Granger glanced up from the file he was reading and watched his brother Dalton walk into his office to plop down in the chair across from his desk. He figured it was going to be one of those days. When Jace had left for his honeymoon, he had deliberately assigned Dalton projects guaranteed to keep him busy. Now that the two-week honeymoon was over, Jace was back and Dalton...was being Dalton.

      “No, can’t say that I have,” Caden said, leaning back against his chair. “But if you are being followed, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

      Dalton pursed his lips in a hard line. “Why would you say that?”

      “Because I’m your brother. I know you. You’ve probably pissed somebody off. A jealous husband, perhaps?”

      Dalton glowered. “I don’t do wives, so there shouldn’t be any husbands out for blood.” He paused a moment and said. “Unless...”

      Caden lifted a brow. “Unless what?”

      “Nothing.”

      The single word was spoken too quickly, and Caden eyed his brother speculatively. “Well, if you’re not worried about jealous husbands, then maybe Jules Bradford has put a hit out on you.”

      The edge of a wry smile appeared on Dalton’s lips. “If I haven’t put one out on her first.”

      Caden rolled his eyes. “Seriously?”

      Dalton nodded. “Seriously.”

      “I meant that as a joke.”

      Dalton shrugged broad shoulders. “Can’t say the same.”

      “Then you have issues. And, from the sound of it, they are rejection issues.”

      The smile dropped from Dalton’s face. “I can handle rejection, Caden. What I can’t and won’t tolerate is a woman who tries to play me.”

      “Play you?”

      “Yes. Play games with me.”

      “Is that what she did?”

      “Hell, yes. That night she brushed me off, but then told me to find her. So I did. I hired a private investigator to find her, and when I did, she acted all shitty, like my finding her was no big deal, and she didn’t want to be bothered when she knew the score. I found her for a reason.”

      “And that reason?”

      Now it was Dalton who rolled his eyes. “Damn it, you know the reason, and she did, too. I found her, and she didn’t deliver. Her entire attitude sucked. And then she showed up at that club a second time just to remind me about what I wasn’t getting.”

      Caden didn’t say anything for a long moment. He knew his brother. He was still hot behind the collar about an incident that happened a few months ago. Dalton took holding a grudge to a whole other level. Unfortunately, the woman he loathed was Shana’s sister.

      He drew in a deep breath, glad that Jace was back from his honeymoon and would be coming into the office tomorrow. There was only so much of Dalton that Caden could handle at times. When he, Jace and Dalton had left Charlottesville years ago for college, all three had sworn never to return permanently, only for visits. Having their father charged with their mother’s death years earlier had left deep scars. After college, Jace had settled in LA and worked for the state of California as an attorney; Caden had pursued his dream of making it big in the music industry. His love for his saxophone had earned him his first Grammy at twenty-seven. He’d spent most of his time touring the country and playing his sax to sold-out crowds. And as for Dalton, after a stint in the NFL, he left the US for Europe and made a name for himself as a playboy and boy toy. Because of good investment decisions, Dalton was the one who’d become the billionaire. The one who believed a person should work smarter, not harder. And the one who liked to whine about practically anything. Like he was doing right now.

      The three of them had returned to Charlottesville when their grandfather, Richard Granger, had suffered a fatal heart attack. What they hadn’t counted on was making a deathbed promise to him to take over the family business, Granger Aeronautics. They hadn’t expected a failing company, one deep in the red. But they had made the promise and rolled up their sleeves. Hiring Shana’s crisis management firm had been the smartest decision they could have made. She’d discovered employees divulging trade secrets and helped expose someone they thought was a family friend as a killer.

      “Caden, are you listening to me?”

      No, he wasn’t really. But he knew he should. This issue Dalton had with Jules wasn’t good and could cause lots of problems in the long run. “Yes, I’m listening,” he lied. “You were talking about Jules. Let’s look at this logically for a moment, Dalton. Have you considered the possibility that when you did find Jules that you came on a little too strong? That maybe you were too focused on what you expected? You probably walked into her office with a hard-on.” The look that suddenly appeared on Dalton’s face let Caden know he’d guessed correctly.

      “So what if I did? Like I said, she knew the score,” Dalton countered.

      “And you would have taken her right there in her office.”

      Dalton

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