His Secret Obsession by Nichole Rose

 

The Billionaire's Big Bold Weakness

Excerpt

 

"Jessa."

His voice washes over me like my favorite song. It's rough and gritty, barely more than a whisper. I hear it though. God, I hear it everywhere. My womb clenches, my nipples turning to hard points. I doubt he and Gretchen hear my heart pounding against my ribcage, but it seems unnaturally loud to me.

"Hi," I whisper.

His gaze tangles with mine, holding me captive. Maybe it's my imagination or a trick of the light, but he seems to relax the slightest bit, almost like he's relieved to see me. And then his eyes narrow, his full lips compressing into a thin, disapproving line.

Crap. He knows I've been avoiding him.

"This is the bartender I was telling you about," Gretchen says to Jax. Her sharp voice cracks through the tension between us.

Jax doesn't miss the way I startle.

"She's working the Reynolds party tonight," he says.

"Yes, sir."

"She'll be working it alone?"

"Yes, sir. They specifically requested no extra staff."

I grit my teeth, fighting back the urge to tell him that she is right here and can speak for herself. People talking over me drives me crazy. Which is exactly why he and Cyrus do it, I think. They love to annoy the hell out of me at every available opportunity.

"Is there a problem?" I ask, my voice sugary-sweet.

Jax catches my tone and flashes me the barest hint of a smile.

"Not at all, Miss Jordan," he says, striding across the bar toward me. "Gretchen picked the best of the bunch as far as I'm concerned." He stops in front of me. His spicy, outdoorsy scent is exactly as powerful as I remember. It hits me like a drug, wrecking me. "Just trying to get a lay of the land."

"Oh," I manage to say.

"How you doin', rabbit?" he asks, pitching his voice low and leaning toward me. The urgency in his voice makes my knees weak.

"F-fine." Working with millionaires and billionaires never shakes me the way this man does without even trying. I take a breath and try again. "I'm fine. How have you been?"

"You've been avoiding me."

"I…"

As soon as he narrows his eyes on me, the lie dies on my lips.

"You've had a lot going on," I mutter instead.

"I always have time for you, Jessa. Always."

"How are you, Jax?" I ask, not missing the strain in his voice. Guilt shoots through me. He needs friends right now. I haven't been that for him lately. I've been so focused on surviving the next few months that I've essentially cut off all contact with him.

"I've missed the hell out of you," he says.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, feeling about two inches tall. "I've been a crap friend lately."

The door to the bar swings open again and Lena pops her dark head in. She sees Gretchen and quickly scurries over to our boss. I watch out of the corner of my eye as they converse in hushed whispers. Whatever Lena has to say does not make Gretchen happy.

"You can make it up to me," Jax says.

I whip my head in his direction again to see him staring at me. He's got this look on his face…almost like he's in pain, burning alive. He had that exact same look on his face the night he tried to kiss me. My heart squeezes in a vise, my soul aching in protest. I hate that he's hurting. I hate that I've made it harder for him. And right now, I kind of hate his dad too.

"Go out with me tomorrow," he says…demands, really. He's used to being in charge. Like Cyrus, he's all alpha, all the time. There's a little thread in his voice though, like he's begging me to say yes, that throws me off. I see the same thing in his eyes. He's pleading with me.

"What–?"

"Mr. Archer," Gretchen interrupts. "There's a gentleman downstairs insisting that he needs to speak with you immediately."

"Is his name Daniel Fox?"

"Yes, sir," Lena says. "He said to tell you it's a, uh, a DEFCON situation, sir. He was quite insistent."

"Of course he was," Jax mutters, dropping his head forward as if in defeat. He stands there for a moment, muttering curses under his breath before he lifts his head. His eyes lock on me again, lightning sizzling in those mocha depths. "We'll finish this discussion later."

"Okay," I whisper.

He stares at me for a long moment, long enough to make me fidget. And then he shakes his head and spins on his heel before stalking across the bar toward Gretchen and Lena. I don't know what exactly a DEFCON situation entails for a billionaire…but I'm kind of glad I'm not Daniel Fox right now. Because not even the thousand-dollar suit hides the fact that Jax is mad as hell.

He turns back to look at me. Our eyes lock again. Another heatwave rolls through me, ruining my panties and nearly taking my sanity with it. Or maybe it takes my blinders. I'm not sure, but desire flares in his eyes, turning them darker. There's no mistaking that look. He's a big, dangerous cat, staring at dinner.

And I'm on the menu.

 

 

The Billionaire's Big Bold Weakness is now available.