Razor's Edge Read Free Page B

noting his edginess while she felt amazingly calm. He made her feel safe enough to be bold. He didn’t yet know what that meant to her, but she intended to show him.
    Jack moved toward the open sliding glass door. “What you and Steve had was special.”
    “Once in a lifetime,” she agreed. She’d been the right girl to Steve’s right guy at the right time. And she felt that way about Jack. She was so sure they were what each other needed; it didn’t seem possible that she could be wrong. If he just gave her a shot, maybe he’d see she was the missing ingredient in his life. And if she ended up being the one in their relationship who loved the other one more, that was okay with her.
    “You just have to give it some more time. And be a little open-minded.”
    “Oh my God.” She set her fork down. “Are
you
giving
me
dating advice? No offense, but what the hell do you know about having a serious relationship?”
    Jack leaned his back into the doorjamb and shoved his hands in his pockets, giving her a breathtaking silhouette of long legs and firm pectorals. “Nothing at all. I just know Steve is going to be a hard act to follow. You might have to make some compromises, but you can be happy again. You can find a good guy for you.”
    “You mean I might have to settle.” She straightened and pushed the plate away, ignoring the urge to clean up after herself. Damned if she’d fall into mommy role right now. She was dressed to kill and primed. And she was playing to win, even if that meant playing a little dirty. “I’ve never settled on the wrong guy in my life, and I’m not going to start now.”
    “Then what the hell are you doing here?” he said coldly.
    “Going down in flames, apparently.” She reached for both spaghetti straps of her dress. If he needed to believe she could handle a no-strings-attached one-night stand, she could give him that impression. Then she’d work her way into him from the outside. She just had to start somewhere, and standing on opposing sides of the room wasn’t cutting it. “But hey, if that’s the way this is going to end, I might as well make sure I gave it my best shot.”
    Flicking the thin straps off her shoulders, Rachel held her breath. Her dress slithered down her body and puddled on the floor.

four
    Jack stared, stunned and aching, as Rachel went from dressed to mouthwateringly naked in a split second. He swore. His knees weakened. He was grateful to be leaning against the house. There wasn’t a scrap of material on her. No bra, which he’d known, and no panties to cover her waxed pussy, which he was grateful he hadn’t known about or she’d have been bent over the couch already.
    Sucking in air like he’d just run for miles, he devoured every inch of her pale body with a ravenous gaze. The proud angle of her chin and shoulders, her small but lushly curved breasts, her flat stomach, and her mile-long legs. She turned in a circle with her arms outstretched, showing off her elegantly curved spine and perky little ass.
    “Last call,” she said, facing him again. “If this doesn’t catch your interest, I’ll head out. You can keep the cake.”
    Christ, she was sassy and bold. Jack had no idea who the woman standing in front of him was. It damn sure wasn’t the Rachel he remembered, a woman who’d coped with her vindictive aunt by staying away from home as much as possible. Staying away from home led to her being assaulted when she was sixteen. Steve didn’t elaborate and Jack hadn’t pried. That one word was more than enough.
    The walls started closing in. Sweat misted his skin and the knot in his gut tightened painfully. He could’ve said no to the old Rachel. With this one, he was a goner.
    Her seduction was the worst sort of perdition. He was terrified he was going to fuck this all up and push Rachel and Riley away, the only people he really considered his family. The people he called on holidays and sent gifts to. The people he thought of when the