Her Master at Last Read online

“Don’t take that tone with me, princess. We’ve been swamped today with the arrival of this private party as well as the snowstorm. I haven’t had time to check my messages. Come on.” Grabbing her hand, he dragged her to the wide staircase and pulled her up behind him as they moved to the second story. “You need to get out of those wet clothes before we finish this conversation. How’d you get so wet anyway? What’d you do, walk here?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, right after my car ended up wedged against a tree and stuck in the snow.”

  Jack stopped abruptly and turned to stare down at her in astonishment and growing anger. “Are you fucking telling me you were out in this storm dressed like that? Did you leave your common sense back in Chicago?”

  “Jack Sinclair, don’t you yell at me! I’ve had an awful couple of days and went through hell to get here.”

  As always, the sight of her golden eyes filling with tears was enough to cool his temper. The minx has been wrapping him around her finger since she was seven years old and it had taken all of his considerable self-control not to let her know that. “Come on,” he stated gruffly, tugging on her cold hand again. “Let’s get you warm and settled and you can tell me what this latest fiasco of yours is all about.”

  Morgan let Jack haul her the rest of the way upstairs, with fatigue, hunger, and chills making it easy to let him take over. Instead of a hallway housing separate rooms, she stepped into a spacious, open loft overlooking the lobby below. A huge fireplace bracketed by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves took up one wall. Arranged in a semicircle facing the fireplace and entertainment center, large cream-colored leather sofas stood out against the dark hardwood floors. The vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows taking up the adjoining wall made the room look even bigger. A long granite-topped eating bar was the only thing dividing the living room from the kitchen. A gourmet chef would drool over the stainless steel appliances, matching dark blue granite counters and copper pots and pans hanging over the island.

  “You live up here?” Morgan asked, loving the look of the place.

  “Marc and I do. Come on. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

  Morgan giggled and couldn’t resist needling him. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say that for years.”

  Jack spun around, pinning her against the wall, his dark eyes glaring down at her. “Don’t push me, brat. I’m sorely tempted to give you a spanking. And trust me, you won’t enjoy it nearly as much as my date did when you had your nose poked where it didn’t belong.”

  Morgan’s heart sped up and her pussy dampened with immediate lust. If he kept tantalizing her with hints of his taste in kinky passions, she wouldn’t need a hot bath to warm her up. All she’d need was him. “Are you sure I wouldn’t enjoy it?”

  Jack clenched his jaw, struggling to get himself under control. The damn minx had no idea what she was pushing for and he refused to risk ruining their relationship by giving in to her. Morgan had always been a spoiled little kid acting out to get attention. When her parents, damn their sorry asses, didn’t comply, she had turned her efforts on him. Feeling sorry for the lonely little girl with the haunting topaz eyes, he had taken her under his wing. Having two wonderful, caring, and doting parents, he could never understand why the Tomlinsons refused to show their only child any affection. He would have much preferred growing up in a loving home with little money or amenities to the cold mansion and even colder mother and father Morgan had to endure. All the things their money could buy her weren’t worth her neglectful upbringing. If it hadn’t been for Agatha, the Tomlinsons’ cook, and himself, Morgan wouldn’t have had any loving adult influence.

  It wasn’t until five years ago, when he had surprised her by showing up for her college graduation, he realized she was no longer a child, and the feelings that had started to change the summer of her eighteenth birthday from fondness to lust, had not lessened any with separation and time. Given his lifestyle, and not willing to risk hurting her or losing her, he has been keeping her at arm’s length ever since.

  Now, looking down into her mischievous face and hearing her tease him, he knew he was in real trouble. Because, like it or not, she would be stuck here for the next few days and he knew the hard-on he was trying to ignore had nothing to do with the light flogging and anticipated fuck he had planned with Sandy.

  “Dammit, Morgan, you’ve made me forget my obligations,” he growled, just now remembering ordering Sandy to sit naked at the bar like a good little sub and wait for him to return. “Come on.”

  Jack pulled her into his room, but gave her no time to look around as he continued across the plush maroon carpet into the bathroom. “Strip,” he ordered, dropping her hand and turning to start filling the large Jacuzzi bathtub.

  “Huh?” All flirting and teasing aside, Morgan knew she couldn’t just drop her sodden clothes in front of him, no matter how badly she wanted to get warm.

  Steam billowed up from the faucets as Jack turned and placed his hands on his hips to glare at her. “I said, strip. Now’s not the time for modesty. You’ll be lucky if you don’t wake up with pneumonia tomorrow. I have to check on someone downstairs. Unless you need help, I’ll be back in a minute.” Turning, he stormed out of the bathroom.

  Chapter Two

  Morgan shook, her fingers still numb as she struggled with the buttons on her coat and it seemed to take forever before she finally got the last one opened. Slipping it off, she let the coat drop to the tiled floor and went to work on her slacks. The steam made quick work of heating the bathroom and it felt heavenly as she took her time removing the rest of her clothes.

  As much as she had longed to have Jack see her as more than a friend or little sister, she would never be comfortable baring herself with casual disregard. She was not slender or petite like her mother, and never would be. Although, at five six, she was a good eight inches shorter than Jack, she was by no means small. Her mother had constantly harped about how she should lose weight because men didn’t like girls with such big breasts and hips—which hadn’t helped her self-esteem.

  With a deep sigh, she sank down into the heated water and then moaned as her chilled skin thawed. Years ago, after trying numerous diets and strenuous exercises to no avail, she had given up on being anything but what she was. Maybe Jack liked soft, full-figured women, she thought as she sank deeper into the tub. Closing her eyes, the memory of the last time she saw him five years ago warmed her even more.

  Tossing off her graduation cap, Morgan flew across the aisle and jumped into Jack’s open arms. “You came! I can’t believe you’re here!”

  “Now, where else would I be, princess? Is this not an important night for you?”

  Trying her best not to melt at the warm, tender look in his dark eyes or read too much into it, she kissed his cheek before taking a reluctant step back. “I had hoped but I rarely see you anymore. When are you going to invite me to Colorado?”

  Taking her arm, he steered her through the throng of graduates and guests and out into the warm evening air, telling her, “I made reservations at Angels and Kings. I’m proud of you, Morgan. Whatever you want tonight, it’s yours.”

  His deft avoidance in answering her hurt, but she refused to let it ruin the night. A trendy nightclub located in the Hard Rock Hotel, Angels and Kings was a favorite for dining and dancing. Excited beyond belief to be going there with Jack, she wouldn’t let his continued refusal to invite her to his Colorado lodge, where he had moved shortly after she started college, mar the little time she had with him.

  Giddy with the pleasure of just being with him, she ordered a ridiculously expensive salmon dinner to go with the bottle of ridiculously expensive Champagne he ordered as soon as they were seated at a quiet corner table.

  “So, now what? The world’s at your fingertips. What will you do with it?”

  “I wish,” she snorted. “Dad’s insisting I come work for him, and since I have a huge debt to pay off, I’m not in a position to turn down the large salary he offered.�
� Sipping the bubbly Champagne, she tried not to let her undesirable future interfere with her time with Jack.

  “They didn’t pay for your college?” he asked, frowning, but not surprised.

  “No. I needed to learn financial responsibility, they said. I’m sure it was so I’d end up in my current position, forced to take their generous offer. I could apply elsewhere, but a piece of paper doesn’t give me experience, and I’d be making peanuts for too long starting at the bottom of the ladder at some other company. At least dad’s giving me the assistant’s job in Human Resources, next in line for the head position instead of putting me in the mailroom.” She saw his displeasure, but held up a hand to forestall the rant she knew he wanted to vent on her behalf. “Come on, Jack, let’s just have fun. Okay?”

  “Okay, we’ll table my lecture for another time. Finish your salmon and then we’ll dance.”

  He caved, like she knew he would. It was only when she wanted to be included in his everyday life he didn’t give in to her now. She didn’t know what the big secret was about his new home in Colorado, but no amount of pleading, cajoling, or whining over the phone had gotten him to budge on his refusal to let her come visit him.

  His enticing invitation to dance with her had her finishing her meal in haste, and she barely tasted the succulent grilled salmon and vegetables as she anticipated getting physically close to him.

  Ten minutes later, he led her onto the small dance floor and when he drew her into his arms with an indulgent smile, Morgan had never been happier. He seemed to like holding her close and she couldn’t resist the temptation when he bent to kiss her nose, as he often did, to lean up, turn her head, and let his lips land on hers instead. His low groan sent a thrill through her, his tight arms pulling her close, heating her blood to molten lava. When her pelvis came into contact with his obvious erection, her blood turned to boiling.

  With a low, muttered curse against her mouth, he kissed her with deep pressure right there on the dance floor, his tongue making an erotic exploration of her mouth unlike anything she’d felt before. Leaning into him, she tightened her arms around his neck as their bodies swayed to the slow beat surrounding them. Surely he now saw her as a woman and a desirable one at that if the hard cock poking her stomach was any indication, she thought hopefully, her arousal escalating. Anticipating what would come next, of leaving the club with him and finally losing her virginity to the one man she desired above all others, she shuddered with longing in his rock-hard embrace.

  Seconds later, he removed her arms and looked down at her with a scowl. “I’m sorry, princess. That shouldn’t have happened. Come on, I think it’s time I took you home,” he said, his words dousing the fiery heat his kiss had evoked with the effectiveness of a cold dunking.

  Shock and disappointment had her following him out without protest, his retreat behind a friendly but cool facade more painful than his rejection.

  “Are you going to ignore what just happened, Jack?” she asked with her usual bluntness when he pulled up in front of her apartment after a silent drive home.

  His heartfelt sigh wasn’t lost on her and neither was the significance of his reply. “Nothing happened, Morgan and nothing’s going to happen. You need to find a nice young man to date and think about settling down. You’re not a kid anymore.”

  “No, I guess I’m not,” she murmured as the finality of his statement registered. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Jack. I had a good time tonight.”

  Morgan rested her head against the small bath pillow, sighing as she recalled getting into her car as soon as Jack had left and driving to another club where she’d known Tabitha was partying. Several hours and drinks later, she lost her virginity to a stranger in the backseat of her car. Since then, she’d tried to get over her infatuation with Jack, but none of the men she’d dated or the two she’d had affairs with stifled her longing for the one man she always wanted.

  * * *

  Jack kept quiet as he stood in the doorway and watched the myriad expressions crossing Morgan’s face. Head back, eyes closed, she appeared relaxed unless you knew her well, which he did. Her mouth had been soft, lips turned up before her chin tightened and her brows lowered in a frown. Her full, beautiful breasts bobbed in the water, her soft, rounded stomach beckoned his fingers, her hips wide enough to cradle his large frame in comfort. She had the type of body he favored most, full and soft, something he had been more than aware of in the past and done his damnedest to ignore. For now he would continue to ignore her lush temptation and instead get to the root of this unexpected visit.

  “What’s the frown for, princess?”

  With a startled squeal, Morgan sat up with a quick jerk, water sloshing as her arms went across her breasts. “Jack! You could at least wait until I get out. Go away and close the door.” She tried to sound indignant, but looking at him lounging nonchalantly against the door, his blond hair a sexy contrast to the dark beard covering his face, her voice came out with that familiar catch and her heart tripped with longing. It was always that way with him.

  “No, princess. My house, my rules. What were you thinking about a minute ago?”

  Narrowing her eyes at him, she replied with her usual bluntness, “About the one and only time you kissed me, and then left me hanging.”

  Jack remembered that kiss well, and his reaction to having her lush body plastered against his. She wasn’t the only one who had been left hanging that night.

  “We need to talk.” He needed to keep both their minds off anything sexual until he figured out what was going on with her and what scrape he’d have to bail her out of now. He knew it must be a doozy to have her driving clear from Chicago in the middle of a blizzard to see him. Not that he minded being there for her. He never had and never would. But she’d picked a bad weekend to show up unexpected on his doorstep. The private BDSM party booked months ago would take up most of his time and he had no idea how he would manage his responsibilities as their host and keep her occupied elsewhere.

  He tossed one of his flannel shirts on the counter along with a pair of socks. “When you’re warm enough, join me in the kitchen. I’ll fix you something to eat then you can tell me what scrape you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  * * *

  “You always could cook as well as Agatha.”

  Jack turned from pulling the leftover lasagna from the oven to see Morgan looking cute as a button in his shirt and socks. He hadn’t thought ahead when he gave her the shirt, but seeing her in something of his and knowing she was naked, her lush body easily accessible underneath the flannel made her even harder to resist. “Lucky for you. Sit down and tell me what was so important you had to drive all the way here in the middle of a blizzard.”

  Morgan hopped up on one of the stools at the counter, her mouthwatering when he set a plate of steaming lasagna in front of her along with a glass of tea. Not even the reminder of Joel’s betrayal could deter her from diving into Jack’s lasagna. “Just a minute.” Taking a bite, she closed her eyes, moaning in pleasure.

  “Morgan,” Jack growled, wondering if she sounded like that when she came. “Last time we talked, you were making plans for your big wedding.” And he had gone on a two-day binge Marc had been forced to pull him out of.

  Setting down her fork, Morgan sighed and looked up at him leaning against the counter with his muscular arms crossed and dark eyes assessing.

  Why couldn’t her mother have been as supportive and caring as Jack, she thought as tears welled. Her betrayal had hurt more than Joel’s.

  “The wedding’s off. I refuse to spend my life with a two-timing jerk.”

  Jack had always been overprotective of Morgan, and the thought of this guy daring to hurt her made him see red. She deserved better than that, someone who would love her unconditionally. “He cheated on you?” he growled, quelling the urge to take her in his arms. He was having enough trouble trying to keep from imagining how her breasts would fill his hands, how her nipples would harden in his
mouth as he sucked and bit at those tempting pink buds. But feeling that lush body pressed against him would be dangerous. His libido didn’t need any encouragement. It raged out of control well enough on its own.

  “I caught him red-handed, fucking some skinny blonde in the same bed he had just fucked me in that morning.” Morgan shrugged and took another bite of lasagna before adding, “But that didn’t bother me near as much as mom’s dictate that I still marry him.”

  That didn’t surprise Jack; her mother had never been supportive of her or indignant on her behalf. After all, why start now? If there were two people who should never have had a child, it was Kathleen and George Tomlinson.

  “And why would she want you to do that?” he asked, although he could guess. He was pretty sure the marriage had to have some benefit for her parents, otherwise they wouldn’t have given their blessing.

  “Something about a merger and keeping both companies in the family. Since Joel and I are both only children, our parents thought the easiest and most fail-proof way to do that would be for us to marry and have kids, thus keeping the company in both families. I ran home after leaving Joel’s and mom was there. When I told her the wedding was off, she said…”

  Jack frowned when she bit her lip and looked away from him in shame. Over the years he had comforted her more than once when her mother or father said or did something to hurt her feelings. He and Agatha were the only ones she trusted and turned to when their callousness and indifference drove her to tears.

  “Don’t tell me, let me guess. The bitch said you should be grateful he was willing to marry you. What was it this time? That you’re not pretty enough, skinny enough, or smart enough to do any better?”

  “Something like that,” she muttered, looking away from him.

  The way her face reddened in shame made him want to hit something. “Damn it, Morgan, you know better than to listen to her bullshit. And you know better than to let her get to you so badly that you recklessly drive for what, two days, risking your life, just to get away from her.”