Her Unexpected Hero Read online

  His hands reached beneath her sweater, scorched her skin as he kissed her with hunger. Her breathing heavy, her blood racing, she was ready to get to that hotel room. Losing all track of time, she was startled when he pulled back. “We’re almost there.”

  Slipping off his lap, she adjusted her clothing, praying no one knew exactly what the two of them had been doing on the long ride to their hotel. Though she knew thousands of others had to be engaged in exactly the same behavior at the exact same time, she was still embarrassed and blushing when they emerged from the vehicle. The crowds pressed in on all sides, but hotel security met them at the car, forming a buffer against the crush.

  “After you,” Jackson said, and Alyssa walked through the wide glass doors and into the hotel.

  “You must have unlimited connections to get this place on New Year’s Eve, Jackson,” she said, maintaining a poker face.

  “The W is the newest addition to Times Square. I reserved ahead just in case any of my family wanted to come.”

  Checking in took minutes, and then they were riding the elevator to the top floor. She was immediately drawn to the balcony in the beautiful suite, to the noise rushing up to her from the seemingly endless mass of people below. “I can’t believe there are over a million people right here.”

  “I don’t get the appeal—why would anyone want to be down in that crowd? Way too many people for my liking. I’ll order something for us to eat.”

  Time was lost as she stood on the balcony, waiting, as so many others were, for that ball to begin its descent in about an hour. Soon Jackson joined her, wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders, and a waiter followed with their food. He set up a table right there on the balcony, with a white tablecloth gently stirring in the light breeze, candles lit, and plates dressed to perfection. The balcony heater made it bearable to sit there on this freezing cold night. The view made it worth it. It wasn’t long until they were alone again.

  “Wine?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She accepted the glass he handed her, then leaned back and sipped the dry wine while looking over the side of the balcony. Nerves seemed to be the only thing she could feel right now.

  “What are your hopes for the New Year, Alyssa?”

  “To be free,” she said with a sigh. The more her reality sank in, the more she realized that was true. But she didn’t have to wish, or make a New Year’s resolution, because she already was free. The thought made her practically giddy. To be sure, the good wine was a fine contributor to her mood.

  “Free from what?” he asked.

  “That is something for me to know . . .” She smiled—but she wouldn’t tell him everything about her.

  “Hmm, you’re aware, I take it, that you’ve been very mysterious tonight,” he said with an easy smile before he added, “I love to solve mysteries.”

  “I don’t think you could solve me, Jackson.”

  “Challenge accepted. I’ll give it my best shot.”

  “You can try,” she said, accepting a refill of her wine and feeling more relaxed by the minute.

  “I want to make your body sing tonight, Alyssa. It’s killing me to wait even one more minute.”

  “Ha! You must think you’re a smooth talker, Jackson.”

  “And you’re good at avoiding what’s right in front of us.”

  “Well, I will say this: my day is ending much better than it began.” This night would be her final good-bye to her old life, and then maybe she wouldn’t arrive at her new Montana home as innocent as she’d left Texas nine years ago.

  “I hope I can take some credit for that,” he drawled.

  “You get all the credit,” she said, tossing him what she hoped was a come-hither look.

  It must have worked, because sparks flashed in his dangerous brown depths. He set his glass down, then moved closer to her. “I’m going to kiss you again,” he whispered, sending a bolt of heat straight to her core.

  “Finally,” she replied, and the air left her lungs as he reached over and pulled her close.

  She knew that if she was going to have any objections, now was the time to express them. Once his lips touched hers, it would all be over.

  The countdown began for the ball to drop, and Alyssa missed it all.

  . . . four . . . three . . . two . . .

  The further things went with Alyssa, the deeper Jackson fell. What particularly surprised him was his need to hold her, to caress her, to make this night never end. That should have scared him into stopping.

  He didn’t do long-term relationships. Hell, he didn’t do relationships, period! He just took care of his body’s sexual needs. But with Alyssa, something was going wrong.

  Or right.

  He had to have this woman. Alyssa obviously wanted a hot, sexy night, and so did he. They’d both walk away with no regrets. Slowly, surely, he pulled her into his arms, enjoying the lowering of her eyes, the deepening of her breath. She was turned on; the foreplay on the plane had ensured that. It was time for both of them to forget all about their respective woes and go together to the highest reaches of heaven.

  Tilting her chin, he tasted her lips with a flick of his tongue before he captured the bottom one with his teeth and bit down lightly, just enough to make her moan and turn the beautiful pink lip red.

  “Jackson,” she sighed, sending an ache straight to his groin, his body demanding he take more.

  He pulled her against him, letting the balcony rail hold them both. He explored her satin-covered back as he deepened the kiss and discovered every nuance of her mouth, taking what he wanted—and giving back even more. Her hands moved slowly up his arms; her elegant fingers glided across his shirt, leaving a trail of fire everywhere she touched. A groan escaped his throat as he undid the buttons of her blouse, then slowly peeled it downward, off her body, leaving her back bare to his touch.

  Pure, flawless silk. He’d known her skin would be soft—known she wouldn’t hesitate to give sound to the pleasure she was feeling, not after what they’d shared earlier, not now that they were alone and free to do as they pleased. Now she didn’t have to muffle her pleasure. Her cries of passion would only add fuel to the flames burning inside him.

  Knowing they needed privacy, and that if he wanted to take her clothes off he would have to get her in a warmer place, he moved them inside, never breaking the connection of their lips as his hands continued to strip the clothes from her body, exposing more and more of her skin to his wandering hands. After unfastening her bra, he pulled back to behold her perfection.

  The air caught in his throat as he took in the luscious mounds of her naked breasts, the pink nipples hard, an invitation for his touch. Gliding over the deep curve at her waist, he ran his hands upward, then cupped her in his palms as his thumbs whispered over her peaks.

  “Oh, Jackson,” she gasped, her head falling back, her breasts thrust forward.

  She demanded more, and he was glad to oblige. Squeezing a breast with one hand, he bent his head down, captured her sweet nipple, and suckled, his teeth scraping across the sensitive surface.

  Hearing the exquisite sounds of encouragement from deep in her throat, he relished her flavor, moving from one side to the other until both peaks were glistening and well loved.

  He needed her lips again. With his hands now around her back, he raised them quickly, clasped her neck, and brought her mouth back to his, leaving her in no doubt that he was pleasuring her, possessing her, owning her.

  She grabbed the front of his shirt, and he wanted to complain when her exquisite breasts left his chest, but as she began undoing his buttons, his protests faded. Yes. He needed to be skin to skin with her.

  He tugged off his cuff links, and the heavy gold flew off, neither of them knowing or caring where. Running her fingers down the insides of his arms, she pushed the offending shirt away, then drew back momentarily with half-closed eyes to take in the sight of his naked chest. A smile tilted the corners of her mouth.

  Leaning forward, she kissed his neck before taking her time and exploring him the way he’d been exploring her. He reveled in the feel of her slender hands running across his skin, of her mouth skimming over his chest, her tongue grazing his skin. She kissed his jaw, then circled his lips with her tongue. Her kisses seemed almost hesitant, as if she didn’t quite know what she was doing, but he knew that couldn’t be right. She was beautiful, confident.

  He knew she’d had at least one lover—and doubtless more—and he was sure she had plenty of experience to bring to his bedroom. Needing her in bed now, he wrapped his arms around her waist, gripped her luscious behind, and began walking. Gasping, she threw her hands around his neck so she wouldn’t fall.

  “Bedroom. Now,” he growled, barely able to speak because his erection was throbbing so desperately.

  “Mmm, good,” she said as she pressed closer, the peaks of her breasts rubbing gloriously against his chest.

  He strode to the suite’s bedroom, set her down at the side of the bed, and stepped back to take in the full view of her as she stood before him in nothing but a gleaming white pair of minuscule panties.

  “I have to say this is the best New Year’s I can ever remember,” he said.

  She shifted, apparently embarrassed to be on display. A model could be embarrassed? No. He couldn’t allow nerves to intervene in what they were about to do. If she decided to walk out and leave him in this condition, he might very well explode. Still, he knew he couldn’t take her if she wasn’t sure.

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you, Alyssa?”

  She paused, and he could swear his heart stopped. “No. Can we . . . um . . . can we just turn off the lights?”

  “Why would you want to turn off the lights? You’re beautiful and surely you’re used to being in the spotlight—after all, you’ve been a model for some years.”

  “That’s why I hate the lights. I hated being looked at as nothing more than a sex symbol. I want to be looked at as just me, but that hasn’t happened in a long time.” She shifted on her feet, and he knew he was going to lose her if he wasn’t careful.

  Without any further hesitation, he moved over and flicked the lamps off, grateful that there was still a glow of light coming in from the hallway.

  Jackson undid his slacks as he walked back toward her, and he let them and his briefs fall to the floor. He pulled her back into his arms, his arousal pressing against her and leaving no doubt whatsoever about how much he wanted her. “I want you because you fascinate me, but don’t doubt for a minute that you are desirable.” She sighed into his mouth as he joined their lips together again, then she ran her hands down his chest and over his stomach. He was practically shaking when she went lower.

  “Oh, Jackson, this is nice,” she said as she wrapped her fingers around his thick shaft.

  “If you keep doing that, we won’t get to the fun part,” he warned her as her thumb slid across the slick head of his arousal.

  “I thought you were more of a man,” she taunted, and his muscles locked up.

  He would show her a man. With a quick movement, he shifted his arm beneath her knees and lifted her in the air, then laid her down on the bed, quickly covering her body with his.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I want,” she told him, spreading her legs as she rubbed against his hardness.

  He tore her panties away and nearly thrust inside her before he froze, his body shaking with need.

  “Protection,” he groaned as he stood up and snatched a condom from his wallet. Where was his brain? He’d almost forgotten, and that was a mistake he’d never made before.

  Rejoining her at breakneck speed, he sheathed himself while she nibbled on his shoulder. When he ran a finger down her slick folds and it came back coated in her arousal, it was his turn to groan—she was more than ready for him.

  Turning so he was lying flush against her, his chest cushioned by her breasts, he positioned himself and felt her heat nearly scorching him. With a quick movement forward, he slid inside—and almost lost the last hold on his control.

  She was too tight—he wouldn’t last. Her body tensed, and he waited. She was small and he wasn’t, so he knew she had to adjust. When she began twisting about beneath him, it was his cue to move—and move he did.

  Grabbing the backs of her legs, he settled more fully inside her, pushing in and slowly pulling out of her heat. Within minutes, he was picking up the pace, listening to her moans of pleasure, feeling the pressure build in the movements of her body as he stoked both of their fires higher and higher.

  She cried out as her core began convulsing around him, and she pulled him farther inside her, made him give up his struggle to last any longer. His head rolled back as he pumped repeatedly inside the safety of her heat.

  Time stopped as he collapsed against her, barely able to take his weight off her as he tried to catch his breath. Normally this would have been the time he’d get up, go to the bathroom, dress, and make it more than clear that it was time for her to go. But he couldn’t persuade himself to get out of the warm bed. With her delectable body draped partway over his, they lay there panting, and neither of them said a word for several long moments.

  As he drifted off to sleep, Jackson felt a contentment unlike anything he’d ever felt before. His last thought was that he wasn’t even close to ready to let this woman go.

  WHEN ALYSSA HEARD

  the soft sounds of Jackson’s deepened breathing, she carefully untangled her limbs from his and inched away. He reached for her, and she held still, standing naked by his bed, waiting to see what he’d do. But slumber held him firmly in its grasp, and she was free to leave.

  But not free enough to ever forget her fascination with the impressive cut of his muscles, bare for her to see in the light shining through from the hallway. Every inch of her body ached—in the best possible way.

  And yet not all of her hurt was good. Surprised by the poignancy of the moment, she was feeling more pain than she’d expected at the sad fact that she’d never see this man again. But there wasn’t time to dwell on that. She pulled her clothes back on—well, everything except the ruined panties, which she tucked into a trash can to be thrown away with all the other New Year’s trimmings.

  After taking only a moment to clean herself up, she collected her purse and slipped from the room. It was four in the morning. The traffic from the New Year’s revelers had cleared, and that was a major blessing. It was time to go home. Time to return to being Alyssa Gerard, just a normal woman with no clue what to do with the rest of her life.

  Hailing a cab was easy, and just as quickly as she’d slipped into this stranger’s life, she slipped out. Alyssa was very proud that she looked back at the hotel only once before it disappeared from view. Using the last of her cash to pay the cabbie, she entered the airport and made her way to her gate.

  It was time to start over. And this time she was going to make no mistakes.

  MARCH

  Why wasn’t he smiling? Jackson normally enjoyed a function like tonight’s. New York in early March was at last beginning to shed its layer of snow, and even the wintry days were a respite from Montana’s frozen beauty. There were a number of women to choose from for an easy night of pleasure, the food was always excellent, and it gave him a chance to catch up with old friends.

  But tonight it was taking all of his willpower to stand in the beautiful room, wearing his custom tux, while he sipped a glass of wine. He didn’t want to be there, didn’t want to fake a smile, and didn’t want to talk to anyone. Maybe he should just leave.

  “You made it. I thought for sure you’d find an excuse not to be here.”

  Jackson turned to find Lucas Anderson walking up to him, his beautiful wife, Amy, by his side.

  “I tried to get out of it. But my father guilted me,” Jackson admitted with a crooked smile.

  “Why am I not surprised?” Lucas said with a laugh.

  “Because you know me well and know I’ve been less than social the last couple months. How is the clan in Seattle?”

  “Everyone is doing well. My father’s here somewhere, but Amy and I are hoping to sneak out early, so we’ve been staying on the perimeter. He can see that we’ve made a showing, and then we can escape,” Lucas said. “And you’ve been less than social for a few years, but you seemed to be getting a little better about coming out until a couple of months ago.”

  “Sometimes a person just has enough,” Jackson said. The thing he liked most about Lucas was that he knew his friend wouldn’t push the issue, or ask him why he didn’t feel like socializing. The last thing he wanted to do was tell a sob story, or try to explain to someone else what he couldn’t even explain to himself. “I have a meeting with Congressman Jones and then I’m going to slip out myself. I’ve been in New York for a week now, and I’m more than ready to return to Montana.”

  “I know how that is. I’m glad I do a lot less traveling these days.”

  “I don’t know, Lucas. It’s nice to get away from home every once in a while,” Amy said.

  “I’m more than happy to go anywhere as long as you’re with me, darling,” Lucas said with a brilliant smile for his wife.

  Amy laughed. “He’s still a smooth talker.”

  The three of them moved over to the open bar and refilled their drinks, then found a table and sat down.

  “The fashion show will be starting soon. I’m hoping to find a new dress,” Amy told them.

  “Something low cut,” Lucas added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

  “Would you behave?” Amy said. “This is a black-tie event.”

  “Yes, Lucas, please behave,” Jackson told him with a real smile.

  Their table soon filled up, and Jackson joined in with the small talk, but the only saving grace of the evening was the presence of Lucas, someone he actually enjoyed speaking to. Soon the show started, and Jackson had to grit his teeth as model after model walked down the runway, decked out in the newest fashions from Paris.

  When the show was coming to a close, a red-haired woman stepped onto the runway in a stunning emerald gown and made her way smoothly down the aisle. The chattering at their table continued, but Jackson tuned them all out as his eyes locked in on the model.

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