Page 5 of Off Limits
He squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe it had all been one hell of a dream. Wouldn’t be the first time Jane starred in one. But then the sweet, unmistakable scent of jasmine filled his nose, and reality hit him like a crashing stock market.
What the fuck was I thinking?
He’d just had sex—mind-blowing, earth-shifting sex—with Jane Bancroft. His best friend and business partner’s sister. The same woman Rex had explicitly forbidden him to so much aslook atwith anything resembling interest for over a decade.
And he’d obeyed. Kind of. He’d paraded his steady rotation of women at holidays and dinners, hoping she’d find him repulsive enough to keep her distance. Truth was, if it had been up to him, he might’ve caved long ago.
He’d held the line. Until now.
A few drinks lowered his inhibitions, usually not a bad thing. But alcohol also had the habit of bringing up his inadequacies, making him feel needy, vulnerable and missing connection with another person. Here, on New Year’s Eve of all nights—the night of new beginnings, he’d allowed the beer and champagne and his insecurities to blow things all to hell. A heavenly hell. How could he stay away knowing now what her kiss tasted like? What it felt to be inside her?
He couldn’t. But he had to or he was a dead man. And if Rex didn’t kill him, he would definitely excise him from his life. And Jane’s. He’d rather be dead.
He straightened and slowly withdrew from her body. Jane let out a shaky breath, and he nearly groaned at the loss. The separation left him feeling hollow—emptied out in more ways than one. He dragged the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that clung there, but it did nothing to cool the heat still pulsing beneath his skin.
“Well, that was fun.”
The words came out colder than he intended—sharp, distant, all wrong. Because what he really wanted was to pull her into his arms, press his lips to her shoulder, and carry her straight to his condo like she was his.
But he couldn’t.
He couldn’t let this go any further, couldn’t feed the spark already threatening to become a wildfire. That path led nowhere but to ruin. Rex would never forgive him—not for touching Jane, not for wanting her, not forthis.
And the worst part? Even if Rex never found out, he wasn't sure he could forgive himself.
She recoiled like his words had slapped her. His chest twisted.
“Fun?” Her voice was sharp. She pulled the straps of her dress up, covering the perky breasts he just tasted and adored. “That’s your response to what we just did?” She scooted off the desk and straightened the material of her dress. Her nostrils flared. As hot as she was on a day-to-day basis, her sex appeal skyrocketed when she had a little fire in her.
He snagged a tissue from the desk and disposed of the condom before tucking himself back in his pants. He couldn’t have this discussion with his dick hanging out. “You didn’t have fun?” He raised a brow.
“Sure, I did.” Her words bit. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin.
“Great.” He ran his fingers through his hair. He was completely out of his element. Normally, the after-sex was easy. He’d kiss them and leave. No discussion. No awkwardness. The women he slept with knew they got one night and moved on.
This was different. Moving on wasn’t really an option. He’d see Jane again and again. He’d be tortured by her presence at every holiday dinner he attended at the Bancrofts or event at the brewery, remembering her whimpers, screams, and moans when she came. The way her hips had moved in rhythm with his. He’d never look at her the same. Every time she walked into the room, his heart would palpitate. He’d be overcome with desire, and he’d have an erection.
He’d just secured his place in hell.
He retrieved his wallet from the floor and tucked it into his pocket. To buy a moment to get his scrambled thoughts in order, he shuffled a few things on the desk that had gone askew during their escapade.
“Let me grab a few things and I’ll walk you to your car.” He nodded at his bag resting on the floor next to the desk.
She shimmied over to him, her jasmine fragrance surrounding him like a fog. “You can pretend I’m just another one of your one-night stands, Brady. That I don’t mean anything to you.” She ran a hand up the front of his wrinkled white button-down shirt. His skin tingled from her touch and despite his epic orgasm just minutes before, blood rushed to his cock. “But I know differently. I see the way you look at me. And I refuse to let you forget what happened here.”
“Jane, this can’t go anywhere,” he said, voice low, rough. “Because youdomean something to me.” He raked a hand through his hair, chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
“You’remyfriend. You’re my best friend’s sister. Rex—he’ll kill me. Literally.” He looked at her then, really looked at her, like it hurt to say the words.
She scoffed. “I’m a big girl. Rex doesn’t tell me what I can or can’t do.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed him. “And he shouldn’t tell you either.”
He gripped her waist, his fingers digging into her flesh and drawing her closer until their bodies touched. He growled, the sound pained. As much as he wanted to devour her again, he had to stop this madness. He broke contact. “Rex is like a brother to me. I’ve already crossed the line. If he finds out about this, he will never forgive me. Continuing down this pathway will ruin everything.”
“You’re scared.”
“Of what? What am I afraid of?” He huffed out a breath and marched to the other side of the room.
“You feel something for me.”
