Jar of Hearts: (Family Stone, # 5 Keisha and Shane) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense) (2 page)

Way to get off on the wrong foot, Washington.

And, shit he should not be thinking about getting off while he was sitting next to the hottest woman of his acquaintance. He’d always thought she was gorgeous. Her curves had curves and she had an ass that he’d love to dig his hands into.

But what really did it for him was her attitude and smarts. A killer combination. But she worked for Jack, and in business Shane stuck to a ‘no frat’ policy. Leftover regs from his days in the military.

But damn, she was fine.

And he wasn’t going to lie, he’d occasionally fantasized about her while he’d been alone. With his dick in his hand and a massive erection.

Of course, after he laughed, she wasn’t going to get with him. Especially not if she thought he was laughing at her. But now was not the time to explain, so he returned to Jack’s favor. “More of a beer guy, Jack.”

“Not tonight you’re not.”

“It’s Valentine’s Day.” Keisha ignored Shane, propped her fists on her hips, and tilted her head at Jack. “What if I have a date?”

Shane was fascinated by everything about her. She…shimmered. There was no other word for it. Her broad, flat cheekbones were dusted with some sort of bronze powder. Her eyelids sparkled with a subtle gold shine that only enhanced her hazel eyes, and her dark mahogany hair was streaked with deep gold and auburn.

She was like a shimmering, shiny star and the urge to reach out and curl his fist around all that shiny was intense, overwhelming. Shane swallowed and shoved the desire way down inside. Business. No frat, he reminded himself reluctantly.

Jack blanched. “Geez, Keish, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Well if you want to keep that girl of yours you better think about it quick,” she snarked back at him.

A goofy smile spread over Jack’s face and his whole countenance shifted.

“Hey, I know.” Keisha snapped her fingers, a bright yellow polish on her nails. “Why don’t you take Bliss to a charity wine event?”

“Ha. Ha.” Jack shoved the tickets at Shane.

Shane gripped the thick paper in his meaty fists. He wanted to know why Jack was sending them to a charity event. Somehow Shane didn’t think Jack was playing matchmaker.

“What’s the problem?” Shane asked.

“Someone’s giving food to the food bank.”

“Isn’t that the point of the food bank?” Keisha’s question sounded eager as she reached for a reason to turn this assignment down. “People donate and then it’s distributed to those who need it?”

“Someone is depositing fresh produce in the warehouse after hours.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest, his butt was on the edge of his desk, and his legs were extended straight, feet crossed at the ankles. “The problem is that the food hasn’t been vetted and they have no idea where it came from. I’ve got a lab testing the broccoli right now but the food bank can’t distribute the food until we know for sure that it is safe and where it came from.”

“So how and why are we undercover?” Shane couldn’t get the image of Keisha under the covers out of his head. He leaned forward and bent slightly at the waist, so that his semi-hard cock wouldn’t be visible to Jack or Keisha.

Jesus, he needed to stop thinking about her naked. Like, now.

“Here’s your cover.” Jack pointed at them, his face serious. “The Washingtons are considering a sizable donation to the food bank but before they fork over the money they want to check out the facility and the way the organization is run. They are very hands on philanthropists.”

“A wine event.” Keisha snorted and her head rocked a little. “Stupid. Wouldn’t it be better to have the philanthropists actually donate food?”

“They have several fundraisers a year where they wine and dine the local population and then they convince them to open their checkbooks.” Jack frowned. “Food for Life is a particular favorite of my mom’s. And The Stone Foundation contributes a fair amount every year.”

“I still don’t understand why we have to go undercover as a couple.” Keisha pursed her mouth, her bronze lip gloss gleamed in the early morning light of Jack’s office. Shane forced his attention away from her luscious mouth. “Why can’t you just investigate?”

“We’ll actually be there too.” Jack said, “The chairman asked me as a favor to get to the bottom of what is going on. But the board knows me and my brothers and my sister. It’s clearly an inside job in some way. So…I needed to bring in someone they don’t know.”

Shane listened to Jack babble on about times and locations and other logistics for tonight’s ‘mission’, but he was still stuck back on one heart-pounding, libido-inciting, temperature-raising fact.

Hells yeah. They were going to be a couple.

Two

Keisha checked her silhouette in the mirror. She’d bought the slinky black cocktail dress for a trip to Las Vegas with her old boyfriend. But he’d bailed at the last minute.

She looked damned fine in the tight, short dress. Her red lace, push up bra created cleavage that gave her interesting shadows in the keyhole cutout, and the little bit of spandex in the dress caused it to cling to her well-apportioned ass. While she always thought she was a little too round, guys had yet to complain about the size of her butt.

And what the hell was she doing thinking about her assets in this dress? Her heart beat in triple time against her ribcage as she thought about the upcoming assignment. Tonight was just to lay the groundwork. She and Shane were supposed to go and cement their cover as a wealthy, philanthropic couple looking for a new cause to support.

The plan was to get an invite to visit the actual warehouse, hopefully tomorrow, and check out the security and see if they could set up a place for surveillance so they could catch whoever was covertly delivering the produce in the act.

She was one part excited about spending time with Shane, and one part annoyed with herself for being excited about spending time with Shane. But she couldn’t deny that just being in the same space as the hot, big man raised her awareness of both him and her own body.

Her nipples tightened and her sex tingled as she thought about having to pretend to be Shane’s wife. He was going to have to touch her. Of course, it wouldn’t be anything too intimate but she was going to have to steel herself for the feel of his rough, callused hands against her skin.

She slipped her feet into the four inch heels with gladiator straps and a zipper up the back and admired the sleek shimmer of the body lotion on her legs and arms. The light spicy fragrance enveloped her and gave her confidence a much needed boost.

Shane Washington was a player.

She knew it. And she needed to keep that fact front and center in her mind.

A heavy pounding startled her out of her thoughts. She’d wanted to meet Shane at the restaurant where the event was being held, but he’d argued that they were a couple and would logically drive together. She’d relented but she hated the idea of having Shane in her home, fearing once he’d been in her space, she and it would never be the same.

Shane Washington banged on the door of the nondescript condo. He was pumped about this small assignment for several reasons. One, he’d been restless lately. A little action was welcome. Two, he was looking forward to spending time with Keisha Johnson. Usually he avoided any kind of interaction with women he worked with. Besides the fact that the no fraternization policy pretty much worked, he tried to keep things with women light and easy. He wasn’t a long term prospect and he had no wish to piss off people, women especially, that he worked with. But ever since last November, Keisha Johnson had been on his mind.

A strange exhilaration gripped him. He couldn’t wait to spend time with her. The rush of adrenaline and thrill of anticipation was the same as when he was about to lift off the runway. And he began sporting wood at the thought. Fantastic. She was going to answer the door and see his hard on.

All his life, all he’d ever wanted to do was fly. Nothing had even come close to the high he got from being thousands of feet in the air. But standing on Keisha Johnson’s front porch had just come a close second.

She yanked the door open and Shane couldn’t say a word.

Her curves were amply displayed in a skintight black dress. The neckline of the dress was a wide band of shiny gold and circled her neck demurely, but then her dress had some sort of cut out that showed her cleavage, revealing the mounds of her breasts and enticing shadows that he wanted to explore with his tongue. He was almost desperate to see if she tasted as good as she looked. The dip in her waist was tiny compared to her gorgeous breasts and her fantastically grabbable hips.

Shane could imagine her on top of him riding him like a freaking bronco as he gripped her hips and pounded up into her. Suddenly his heart was racing and sweat blossomed on his face. God damn, he wanted her.

Wanted to explore every lush inch of her Nubian body. Wanted to bury his cock in her hot slick pussy. Wanted to explode into the tight clench of her sex as she orgasmed around his cock.

She propped her fist on her hip and tilted her head.

Shane cleared his throat. “You look fantastic.”

“Let’s go.”

“We can’t yet. We need to get comfortable with each other.” He knew they needed to practice touching each other in a non-sexual way. He definitely needed some pre-work if just looking at her caused his body to react so intensely.

“What are you talking about?” She was all tough attitude and snark. But he’d seen the softer side of Keisha when they’d protected Maria Torres a few months ago. That had been an eye-opener. And ever since he’d seen that inner marshmallow, she’d been on his mind. He couldn’t get her sweet side out of his head.

“We’re supposed to be a married couple.” Shane’s body reacted again. And he wanted to touch her the way he’d been obsessing about for the last two months. But instead, a tame, informal hand on her face was all he could allow himself. Shane slowly brought his palm up to cup her cheek. Even with his cautious movement, she flinched when their skin touched.

“See,” Shane said unnecessarily.

She shoved his forearm away from her body. But she didn’t step back. Didn’t make a move to put more distance between them. “That means nothing.”

Shane leaned nearer, their bodies so close, their chests were almost touching. The scent of patchouli and lemon wafted from her heated skin. As he looked into her striking eyes, hazel swirled with gold, he saw her answering response to him.

Her eyes were brighter, her lungs expanded and contracted faster, and her nipples had sharpened to points. If he took a deep breath, his pecs would make contact with her breasts.

Her mouth was slicked with siren red and her tongue peeked out to wet her lips.

Shane groaned. How could he resist that unconscious invitation?

He dipped his head, stared into her wide startled gaze, giving her plenty of time to avoid what was coming. But she didn’t move. Didn’t breathe if her absolute stillness was any indication.

“This is a monumentally bad idea,” she whispered against the slow, soft brush of his lips.

“Hell no.” He pressed a chaste kiss against the corner of her mouth, swiped his tongue against the seam of her lips, then nipped with his teeth, softly demanding entrance. “Best. Idea. Ever.”

And then he kissed her. Really kissed her. Fully engaged, lips, tongue, teeth, devouring her mouth as if he’d die if he didn’t taste her.

Keisha melted.

There was no other word for it. She sank against his larger, harder body. Her fingers lightly clasped his biceps and she tilted her head to give him better access. His cock brushed her slightly-rounded belly between her hipbones, and they both moaned.

Slow, slow, slow.
He gently held her hips and rubbed against her. He could feel the hard contraction of her womb as her stomach tightened against his cock. Her response was uninhibited, genuine, and sexy as hell.

Keisha slid her hands up his muscled arms until her palms rested on his shoulders. He shivered at the sensual stroke of her fingers against the back of his neck.

His cock swelled. Shane whirled them around and pushed her up against the wall next to her front door.

Keisha was sandwiched between the hard press of his thick muscular chest and the unforgiving wall behind her. With her shoes on she was tall enough that the sculpted planes of his pecs rubbed sensuously over her stiff nipples.

Somnolent, sultry heat rose between them as he leaned closer and rubbed his nose along the surprisingly sensitive curve of her ear. His body dwarfed hers, his beefy thigh was wedged between her legs. A curious dizziness assailed her and Keisha swayed toward the magnetic draw of his sex appeal.

Keisha shivered.

Shane lifted her up and she whimpered. Holy shit. She was a solidly built woman and he’d lifted her up as if she were a stick thin model. He scraped his tongue down the side of her throat and nipped at the rounded curve of her shoulder. Then he opened his mouth over her neck and suckled.

His bulk towered over her, surrounding Keisha in a sexual haze. Her dress was tight enough that she couldn’t wrap her legs around his waist. But then Shane cupped her ass in his large palms, and rubbed the ridge of her pubis against the pole in his pants. She moaned again as the slight friction stimulated her clit.

“Shit woman. You’re like A-1 jet fuel at flashpoint.” Shane let her down easily until the tips of her shoes touched the floor. He rested his head against the wall over her shoulder, his chest heaving and his fingers trembling as he smoothed his palm over the curve of her hip.

Keisha knew she needed to put her armor back in place. Put up that wall that kept people at a distance and protected her from heartbreak. In a second.

Right now she just savored him. It had been far longer than she’d like to admit since she’d had a man. And she’d never had anyone as masculine or as sheerly dominating as Shane. She could admit, if only just to herself, that he made her totally weak in the knees.

She’d combusted in his arms. Probably like every other woman he’d had.

Player, she reminded herself. She needed to subdue her yearning, and get them back on track and out the door.