Forged of Steele Bundle (34 page)

Leah sighed deeply. “I wish I could move back home, but I can’t.”

Jocelyn didn’t need to ask her why. “Leah, if you were to tell him what—”

“No. And I don’t want to talk about it, Jocelyn,” Leah said in a clear and distinct voice.

Jocelyn drew in a deep breath. She wanted so much for Leah, more than her sister was willing to accept as a way of life. If only she would tell Reese the truth.

“To hang around here any longer will be a mistake, Jocelyn.”

“So you’re planning to leave?”

“Yes, in a few weeks. I’m going to start checking out airline tickets later today.”

“I really do wish you’d consider staying.”

“And I really wish that you’ll understand that I can’t.” That said, Leah rose gracefully, proving all of their Aunt Susan’s teachings were still intact, and left the room.

“You’re going to Memphis this weekend with Jocelyn?” Reese asked, tipping his head to one side to stare at Bas.

Bas pushed aside the stack of files. It was four-thirty and if he intended to keep his word to Jocelyn, he had thirty minutes left before calling it a day. “Yes. And if it wasn’t for that, I’d love going to the horse races this weekend with you and your brother.”

Reese’s lips twitched in amusement. “I can’t wait until Duran Law hears about you and Jocelyn’s weekend plans. He’s been trying to get her to go to that jazz festival with him in Memphis for years and she’s always turned him down. Now, just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers for effect, “you breeze into town and talk her into going.” Reese chuckled. “Yeah, old Duran is going to be pretty pissed.”

Bas leaned back in his chair. “Actually the trip was her idea. She thinks I need to incorporate more fun into my life.” Then, without missing a beat he asked, “And who’s this Duran Law anyway? An old boyfriend?”

Reese snorted. “He wished. Duran’s been a pain in Jocelyn’s ass since high school. I guess he figures sooner or later he’ll wear down her defenses, and he’s too into himself to see that something like that won’t happen.”

Bas frowned, not liking the man already. “How are things going over at the Jones place?”

“Great. We hope to have our walk-through next week. But keep your fingers crossed. We’re yet to have one on time for Marcella. She likes finding things for us to correct or change at the eleventh hour.”

“Yeah, we’ll all keep our fingers crossed.” Bas then glanced at his watch.

“Ready to head over to the gym?” Reese asked.

“In a few seconds. I need to touch base with my brother about something.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you over there.”

“Will do.”

Bas pulled out his cell phone, pressed one number and within seconds he heard his brother Chance’s deep voice. “Bas? What’s going on?”

Before Bas could answer, Chance said, “Hey, hold on and let me take this other call.” And then he clicked off.

Bas knew what a busy schedule his brother had as CEO of the corporation, but he smiled, thinking that time restraints hadn’t gotten in the way of him pursuing Kylie once he’d become interested. To kill time while waiting for Chance, Bas glanced around Jim’s office. There were numerous trophies proclaiming him to be Builder of the Year and several plaques awarded for his community service and involvement in such worthwhile organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Big Dads of America, the Newton Grove Mission and others. Apparently Jim hadn’t had any qualms about occasionally putting his work aside to become involved in things he felt were important to him, activities that gave him enjoyment and the chance to do something other than work.
Fun
things.

“Sorry about that, Bas. That was a call I was waiting on from the Evans Group.”

Bas lifted a brow. The Evans Group was currently in a bitter labor dispute with the Teamsters Union re
garding a number of their employees who had been laid off. “Something going on I need to know about?”

“No, not now, but I’ll keep you posted.”

“Yeah, you do that. I know you’re busy so I won’t hold you. I just want to know if things are still on for Donovan’s birthday party.”

“Yes, Vanessa and Kylie are taking care of all the arrangements, but as far as I know they’re on track. I talked to Taylor and Cheyenne and they’re both flying in. Should be nice. You are coming home for it, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and I might be bringing somebody with me.”

“Oh, who?”

“Jocelyn Mason. I haven’t asked her yet, but it’ll be my turn to come up with some fun activity for us to do.”

“Fun activity? Bas, what are you talking about?”

Bas chuckled, knowing his brother was confused. “I’ll explain things the next time we talk. Just let Kylie and Vanessa know that I might be bringing a guest. I’ll know for certain after this weekend.”

“Okay, I’ll pass on the word. Take care, Bas.”

“You do the same.”

After putting his cell phone away, Bas glanced at his watch. It was five o’clock on the dot. He bade Noreen a good afternoon when he passed her office, and walked out of the building while it was still daylight. Amazing.

The September evening was rather chilly and he
pulled his leather jacket tighter around his body. He hadn’t seen Jocelyn that day and had avoided dropping by the job site. It would be hard seeing her and not wanting a repeat performance of the kiss they’d shared last night. The art of kissing had always interested him, and depending on his partner, he usually varied his technique. Cassandra had gotten put off by the use of too much tongue. She liked her kisses the same way she wanted everything else they did that was connected to sex—in moderation. According to her, a true lady didn’t get carried away with passion, especially with a kiss. It was just unthinkable.

He chuckled, glad not
all
true ladies thought that way. And Jocelyn was a true lady, hard hat, jeans, work boots and all. There was that gracefulness about her even when she was wielding a hammer. She was soft but not mushy. Regal but not overly so and she definitely wasn’t a snob. But what he enjoyed most was how much she liked kissing—just as much as he did. And because she did, he’d never enjoyed kissing any woman as much as he enjoyed kissing her. One aspect of that realization disturbed him, while another kept constant heat drumming through his body.

Smiling, he couldn’t help but look forward to the coming weekend.

“I
f I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to avoid me this week.”

A slow smile curved Jocelyn’s lips as she snapped her seat belt in place. She glanced over at Bas and squinted her eyes against the glare of the sun peeking over the mountains. “Now why would you think that?”

Bas stared out of the windshield of his car for a second before tilting his head to meet her gaze. “Because this is the first time I’ve seen you since Sunday night.”

“But we talked on the phone Wednesday,” she reminded him.

“Yes, all of five minutes,” he murmured, backing the car out of her driveway. “And that was to tell me this would be an overnight trip and you had made reservations for us at a hotel. With
separate
sleeping arrangements.”

Jocelyn grinned and leaned over and tweaked his cheek. “Didn’t want you to get any ideas, Steele.”

An innocent look flashed across Bas’s face before he gave her a warm smile. “You think I’d do something like that?”

“I’m not sure and I decided not to take any chances. This is supposed to be a fun weekend. Our definitions of fun might be vastly different.”

His smile widened as he recalled the kisses that had flooded his mind all week. He just couldn’t shake the memory of how her lips had felt beneath his, the taste of her, how their tongues had mingled, chased each other back and forth. “Oh, I think our definitions might be the same.”

“You think so? Then how about telling me what you have planned for us next?”

Bas glanced over at her when he came to a stop sign. “I want to take you home with me.”

She lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “My family is giving my youngest brother Donovan a party for his thirty-first birthday next month and I’d like you to go with me.”

“To your family’s function?”

“Yes, as my guest.”

A tiny flush warmed her cheeks. In the good old days when a man took a woman home to meet his family it meant something, but she knew that in this day and age of modern dating, the rules had changed and so had the expectations. You no longer needed a formal date to become romantically involved. The two of you could just meet somewhere and get it on. She’d even heard of the concept of video mobile dating. It seemed “try before you buy” was the way to go now.

“How will your family handle something like that?” she couldn’t help but ask.

He grinned over at her before easing the car onto the interstate. “Seeing you will raise a few brows, I’m sure. I haven’t seriously dated since I ended my engagement eight months ago.”

She was about to tell him that he wasn’t seriously dating now when the last part of his sentence stopped her. “You were engaged?” she asked, trying to stop her head from reeling and her eyes from spinning.

“Yes. You sound shocked. Don’t you think I’m marriage material?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “For some reason I can’t see you sitting by the fireplace with a pipe in your mouth while reading to the kiddies.”

“Get rid of the pipe and go with the scene. I love kids and want a couple of them one day, and when I
do settle down and marry, I plan to give my wife and children my absolute attention.”

“Really. Then, what happened?”

“Let’s just say Cassandra and I determined we weren’t compatible after all,” he said easily. Too easily for Jocelyn’s way of thinking.

“How long were the two of you engaged?”

“Six months.”

“And how long did the two of you date before becoming engaged?”

“Almost a year.”

“Jeez, it took you that long to discover the two of you didn’t fit? You don’t come across to me as slow, Bas.”

He didn’t know whether to take her comment as a compliment or an insult. He chose the latter. “I’m not slow and there were reasons I hung in there for as long as I did.”

Jocelyn sighed softly, wondering if love had been the reason. Had he loved this Cassandra person so much that he’d been determined to make things work between them? Did he still love her? “Do you think the two of you will ever work things out and get back together?”

“Excuse my French, but hell no. There’s no way I’d consider such a thing.”

Brushing her hair back from her eyes, Jocelyn glanced over at him. He certainly didn’t sound like
a man who was still in love. But then she was comparing him with Reese. Although Reese was bitter and angry with Leah, Jocelyn could still detect the deep love in his voice whenever he spoke about her sister. With Bas just now, all she heard was disgust.

“So, will you go home with me to Donovan’s party, Jocelyn?”

She wasn’t ready to give him her answer yet. “I’ll let you know. And thanks for offering to do the driving,” she added, feeling the need to change the subject.

“No problem. Just put your head back and relax. I’ll have you in Memphis before you know it.”

She smiled and tilted her seat back. “Just stay within the speed limit. I’m not sharing the cost of a ticket with you.”

Bas chuckled. “You are the last person to give someone advice about speeding.”

A small giggle slipped from Jocelyn’s lips as she closed her eyes.

The hotel Jocelyn had chosen was right in the thick of things and as soon as they dropped their overnight bags off at their respective rooms, they met downstairs in the lobby, ready to explore, enjoy and have fun.

Memphis was known for its food, entertainment and hot spots. But this particular weekend it was all
about jazz. What had begun a few years ago as an outdoor concert was now a full weekend of numerous blues and jazz events.

As if it was the most natural thing to do, Bas and Jocelyn wandered the streets holding hands as they shared meals and listened to music from jazz greats as well as students from the University of Memphis music department. One concert displayed a variety of cultures with the native music of the Caribbean, the Middle East and the rich musical heritage of the African-American culture blended together in a way that was soul-stirring at its best.

With vendors on each side the streets were narrow, and more than once Bas had to pull Jocelyn closer to his side to let others pass. Each time his hand touched her waist she would gaze up into the depths of his chocolate eyes and could only smile as an unnerving degree of heat slithered down her spine. Whenever she looked at him her thoughts wandered into forbidden territory and her mind was actually whirling with possibilities of how their night would end.

She clutched the bag filled with the purchases they had made, determined not to go there. Tonight she would go to her room and Bas would go to his; it was that simple. But a warm blush crept into her cheeks when she admitted that that likely wouldn’t be the outcome at all. Something was happening to
her. With very little effort Bas was doing something no other man had done—awakening her deepest desires. He was connecting to a part of her she had long denied existed. She inhaled deeply. Where was all that poise, self-control and composure she’d always prided herself on?

It was past midnight when they called it a day and began walking back toward their hotel, still holding hands. She recalled they’d even held hands throughout all the concerts they had attended.

“Did you have fun today?” she asked as they walked lazily through the streets. The crowd on the sidewalks had thinned out a lot. It was evident the people passing them by were party animals, still in a festive mood on their way to some nightclub or other.

Bas smiled at her. “Yes. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

She grinned and leaned in closer to him. “Even more fun than the fishing trip last weekend?”

He chuckled. “This was a different sort of fun. I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed by not going to a jazz concert. CDs are nice but there’s nothing like being right there in the audience, having the strings of a guitar and the melodic tune of a piano slowly hum through you. The vitality of it was awesome. Thanks for suggesting that we come.”

She smiled, pleased. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

When they reached the entrance to the hotel he suddenly stopped, turned toward her and slid his arms loosely around her neck. He leaned in closer, his mouth barely an inch from hers. “In fact, I may have had too much fun. I’m not ready for the night to end. Feel it?”

“Feel what?” The only thing she felt at that moment was the slow sizzle in her blood from the way he was looking at her. He was so close she could see the dark rings around his pupils, and that look made a deep-rooted longing uncurl inside her.

“Night heat.”

She swallowed against the thickness that suddenly settled in her throat. “Night heat?”

“Yes. Maybe it’s the sound of all that jazz, being surrounded by it while it works inexplicable sensations all through you. But I honestly think it’s something else.”

“What?”

“You. Me. Here. The night. The heat. The connection,” he breathed against her lips. “Close your eyes and feel it.”

Jocelyn closed her eyes and she began to feel it. She mentally savored the sounds around her, the conversations in the distance, the jazzy music that wasn’t ready to end and the breathy sigh that escaped from between her own lips.

A sultry breeze made her sniff the air and she
took in the smell of Cajun food, spicy barbecue ribs, the steamy aroma of blue crabs. Then there was the scent of man, at least of the man standing in front of her. Of all the things she had taken in, he was the one thing that made the night steamy. Hot. He was everything she imagined night heat was about—a male rich in sensuality, masculinity and irresistible charm. A man who could make her heart pound from just one heated look. A man who gazed at you as though he was a predator and you were the object of his intent. “Yes, I can feel it,” she murmured truthfully, before opening her eyes.

Her senses were jolted with the sudden feel of his mouth on hers. Hot and quick. His tongue captured hers before she could take her next breath and then just as quickly, he pulled away.

“There’s a nightclub in the hotel. Do you want to go dancing?”

Jocelyn suddenly felt light-headed, dazed. The air surrounding them flickered softly across her skin, adding to the odd feeling she was experiencing. And at that moment she knew she too wasn’t ready for the night to end. Trembling with a mixture of sensuality and excitement, she met his gaze, smiled and whispered, “Yes, I want to go dancing.”

A deep tremor passed through Bas the moment he took Jocelyn into his arms on the dance floor. The
air surrounding them was thick. The jazzy music encircling them was rich and smooth, and she was soft.

If she had been any other woman he would have suggested that they go up to his room instead of going dancing. Holding her against him, moving his body with hers to the sway of the music only intensified the temptation he was trying like hell to fight. He had been feeling something practically all day, but it had become more prevalent when night had set in. He wanted her to feel it, as well. He wanted her to acknowledge its existence as he had. From the first, this heat between them had been there. That was the reason he couldn’t forget her kisses and the reason he wanted to hold her here now, sliding his body intimately against hers, wanting her to feel his desire, his longing, his want. He wanted to touch her all over and had to steady his hands, force them to remain at her back, stroking, caressing, although they were desperate to do more.

But he couldn’t stop his lips from wanting to taste her, so he brushed them against hers, lightly, building passion one degree at a time. He doubted that he would ever get tired of kissing her, whether the kisses were light and breezy or deep and demanding. As he continued to delight her mouth with slow, easy kisses, he felt her body become almost weightless in his arms. He wanted to sweep her off her feet, into his embrace and take her to his room or hers to give
her pleasure so intense she would remember this night for the rest of her life.

Damn. Something was happening to him. Emotions he was known to keep bottled up inside of him were fighting to seep out. In the past he’d been too busy plowing himself with work, but lately he’d had a lot of undemanding time to think and appreciate, to begin to enjoy life. And he was beginning to like having free time on his hands. He was enjoying having fun, leaving work on time and going to the gym and going fishing with Reese and his brothers. He couldn’t recall the last time he had allowed himself the time to indulge in such simple pleasures.

After that summer with Jim, when he had returned home to finish college and work in the family business, he had placed himself on a rigid schedule that he’d gotten addicted to over the years. But now it seemed that Jocelyn Mason intended him to incorporate some fun into his life, and he was actually looking forward to it. He was even eager to settle down and start working on that paint-by-number kit she had talked him into purchasing today from one of the sidewalk vendors. It was a picture of a woodland chalet with snowcapped mountains in the background, a scene that reminded him of Newton Grove. He was excited to get started on it. More than anything, he’d enjoyed taking the time off this weekend to spend with Jocelyn.

The breath rushed out of him when he realized he was beginning to feel something for the woman he held so close to him. She had the ability to fire a need within him that he hadn’t felt in years, if ever. And it wasn’t all sexual, although he did have this vivid mental image in his mind of how wonderful it would be to have her in his bed to play out all those fantasies and dreams he’d had of her lately. Thinking about them only made him want her more. Being here with her, dancing with her, holding her in his arms while her cheek rested on his chest, seemed as natural as breathing, and a satisfying sensation skittered all the way down his belly.

“Bas?”

He barely heard her whisper his name. “Yes?”

“Can we go somewhere else?”

Her request heated the desire he felt through his entire body. “Where do you want to go?”

“You decide.”

And with a low growl, he did. He took her hand in his and led her off the dance floor and out of the nightclub to a place where they could finish what they had started.