Mistress Minded by Katherine Garbera Page B

sparkled, she’d left him alone in the shadows.
    â€œAllowing that, then Perla Negra will be yours by effort and not treasure hunting. What’s the one thing you want but can’t have?” Didi asked.
    Adam rubbed Jayne’s hand against his thigh and glanced over at her. She stared up at him, her wide blue eyes, darker than midnight, watching him with a kind of expectation that made his heart beat faster. “I want Jayne.”
    Her sexy mouth parted and her pink tongue darted out to wet her lips. She tilted her head to the side and said nothing, but he could see her pulse wildly beating at the base of her neck. Unable to resist, he touched that pulse with his free hand. Caressed the spot where her life pounded through her body.
    Her skin was soft, and gooseflesh spread out from his fingertips, letting him know she was exquisitely sensitive. He made a decision he wasn’t aware he’d been mulling over: he was going to have Jayne as his mistress.
    â€œPresumably she’s already yours,” Ray said.
    The spell was broken and Adam turned his gaze to their other dinner companions. “She’s the only unpredictable thing in my life.”
    Ray nodded and Didi pursed her lips. “What about you, Jayne? What do you want?”
    She shrugged. And Adam realized that while she seemed to be frank and up-front, letting the world seeher as she was, there were a lot of layers to this woman. “I’m not wealthy like you are, honeybun. So money would be nice. That way I could sleep in every morning and get up when I wanted to, but…”
    He turned away from Didi and Ray, looking down at Jayne, watching her as she bit her lip and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them he wasn’t sure whether she was going to tell them what she really wanted, or what she thought they would like to hear.
    â€œI’ve always wanted a real family.”
    â€œKids?” Adam asked.
    She nodded. “I want the whole shebang. Kids, husband, in-laws. I want to be part of a big family.”
    â€œI’m an only child,” Adam said.
    Her smile turned so sad that for a minute he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. But that didn’t make sense. Jayne was his assistant, and if he played his cards right, maybe his mistress. Why should he ache because he knew he could never give her the one thing she craved?
    â€œThen you better get busy with the babies,” Ray said.
    Didi punched him in the arm and gave him a warning look. “Babe…”
    â€œNever mind. We have a jazz band playing in the lounge later. Will you two join us for dancing?”
    â€œNot tonight. I promised Jayne a walk on thebeach. She likes to be outdoors, since we spend so much time in the office usually.”
    Didi nodded and Ray looked pleased with himself. Jayne’s hand turned under his and he wrapped his fingers around hers and held them with a desperation he wasn’t sure he liked.
    Â 
    The night breeze was warm and steady as they walked down the tiki-lit path toward the beach. “It probably would have made more sense to go with the Angelinis to the bar. You could have made more notes.”
    â€œI know what I’m doing, chère. I’ve been running the company for a long time.”
    â€œSorry. I guess I’m too used to being your assistant. And Ray and Didi both seemed to be buying us as a couple. I was worried about that for a while.”
    â€œI wasn’t.”
    â€œWhy not? How could you be so confident?”
    â€œYou’ve never let me down.”
    She wanted to smile but knew he was being evasive again. “You go from being this dream man to being a cold robot quicker than I can snap my fingers.”
    â€œI’m not cold, not around you.”
    â€œBut I am,” she said.
    He didn’t respond to that. Jayne felt a little of her determination waver. They arrived at the beach. “Still want to go for a walk?”
    â€œDo