Best friend! That’s a mild word for what I feel for Sasha. She’s my reason for living. She has been since we were kids in college. The first day I met her I knew she was special. Her hazel eyes were hidden behind these huge tortoiseshell glasses that almost swallowed her delicate features. Her ginger-red hair was piled on top of her head in a wild mass of curls. She was pale and so sweet. And if it wasn’t for the pouty mouth and curvy body that made my stomach curl with longing, I’d probably have put her firmly in the friend zone. She was just too sweet and I knew I’d scare the hell out of her with the desires ripping me to shreds.
I’m not a gentle man. Not by any stretch of the imagination. You don’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps from nothing to billionaire in such a short amount of time without being ruthless.
That doesn’t end at the bedroom. I’m rough and hard. I don’t woo a woman. I overwhelm her with my desires. Sasha is so sweet that I can’t picture her ever dealing with those kinds of urges. Not without running screaming into the night.
And what happens to our friendship then? I don’t even get to see her if she runs from me. That’s not an option.
So I’ve kept myself tightly wrapped since we left college. I’ve had a few one-night stands but they didn’t last. I didn’t want them to. If I couldn’t have the woman of my dreams, I would stay alone until I died.
At least that was the plan. Now all those furious urges are rampaging in me. Telling me to take Sasha, throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to my apartment, never letting her get away from me.
Control. That’s the name of my game. I own it. But Sasha is pushing me over the edge.
A little smile curls her lips when I stop next to her and I want to bare her ass and spank the hell out of her for scaring me to death.
I shove my hands into my pockets and loom over her tiny body. “Sasha,” I growl and smirk when she flinches.
“Hi, Jackson.”
My eyes flash and I curl my hands into fists. I barely made it here with the little notice I had. And her response is “hi, Jackson!”
“Sasha, we’re going to talk about this when we get to the plane. But not here. I’m going to lose it and I don’t want to do it around these fucking criminals.”
Her face pales and the fawn eyes that I think about every night widen to pools of gold, green and brown. I lean over and grasp her elbow in a tight grip.
“That’s right, baby girl. You’ve got my attention now. But by the time I’m done with you, I’m not sure you’re gonna like it!”
Then I drag her behind me. “Let’s go, princess.” She squeaks but follows willingly.
Hopefully she now knows that I’m on a razor’s edge. One more peep from her and I’m going to lose what little control I have left.
That’s what scares the hell out of me. She tears all my control right out of my hands just by being.
What happens if I get my hands on her body? I may devour her, body and soul, leaving nothing but broken wishes and dreams lying around us in the bed, littering the silk sheets and destroying everything that we are, past and future.
And I won’t survive it if she leaves me.
CHAPTER3
Sasha
Holy shit!I’ve never seen Jackson so furious. His tanned cheeks are flushed and there’s a muscle jumping in his strong jaw that looks like he’s gritting his teeth.
His dark blue eyes lock on me, scary as hell. “Don’t dawdle, baby girl. I want to get the hell out of this place. I’ve got Victor and Henry and a few of the other guys watching the doors and anywhere else we might get into trouble.”
I lift an eyebrow. “What do you mean? It’s all over.”
Jackson grunts and glares at me. “This is why I tell you all the time that you’re too damn naive. You think that it’s all over since I’ve won the auction and paid for you? These men aren’t exactly the kind that stick to the letter of a contract. They’re more likely to shiv me in the back on the way out and sell you again.”
“But…Alejandro…” I stutter.
“Alejandro is a killer. They respect him. They know not to cross him. You and I don’t fit into the same categories.”
“Alejandro would never let me do something dangerous.” I jerk at my arm and glare at my friend.
He stops and stalks up to me, picking me up until I’m nose to nose with him. My breath stutters and my pulse jumps like I’ve touched a live wire.
“Alejandro told me he was against this stupid stunt from the first.” His dark blue eyes are like chips of sapphire ice. “He did this because you two, especially Jane talked him into it. And he’s lucky he’s still walking. I wish I’d have kicked his ass because then maybe some of the…”. His eyes close and then open and I gasp when I see the flames of rage in their dark depths. He takes a deep breath. “Let’s just say I’m not feeling quite sane right now, Sasha. I’m not sure what you hoped to do with this stunt but Alejandro said you wanted my attention. Said you need something from me. Well, you’ve got it. All of it. All of me. You crossed a line tonight. A line that I’ve been very careful to stay away from and you jumped over it like it was a little bitty crack. It was a chasm. One that I meant to use to keep you safe. Now we’re done with that. I have needs, angel.” Darkness and fire. His eyes burn up and down my body and it’s like a physical touch. “Needs that I meant to keep you safe from. But since I just paid a million dollars for you, I guess I should get my money’s worth.”