The Bachelor Auction (The Bachelors of Arizona #1)

“Jane?” Brock knelt down. “Shit, Jane, don’t cry. I’m sorry. I was teasing.”


“Well, it’s not funny.” She refused to look at him. “Did you ever wonder why I took the job in the first place? Yes, it was an escape from my crazy family, but I need the money. Don’t fire me because you want more time for sex. I know you were joking, but it just…it just reminded me that we’re from two very different worlds. You may think nothing of it, but it’s my life, Brock. This is my life.”

“Damn it, Jane. I would never… You know I care about you. I really was teasing.”

She nodded.

He reached for her. “Hey, look at me.”

She shook her head.

“Jane…”

“Brock…”

He finally grabbed hold of her and turned her to look at him. His face was apologetic, and so handsome it hurt to stare at him. “You aren’t fired.” He sighed. “But…” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I think you missed a spot.”

With a gasp she threw the sponge at his face.

It splashed against his chest, leaving a wet mark across his nice white shirt. “Oops, it slipped.”

“Oh?” His eyebrows shot up. “It seems to me like you took at least two seconds to aim, but sure, it slipped.”

“Completely.”

“Liar.”

She splashed some of the soapy water into his face. “See? All clean.”

“One.” His voice was calm, too calm. “Two.”

“Brock!” She held her hands out in front of her. “Calm down.”

“Three.” He stood.

She tried to scurry backward, but he was too fast. Suddenly he was on her and the bucket was in midair.

“You wouldn’t.” She lifted her chin in defiance, just as he dumped the entire bucket’s contents over her head.

She couldn’t even see, but she could hear his laughter. “Oops.”

“You bastard!” she roared, wiping at her eyes. She locked her gaze onto his amused face for a few seconds before running over to the kitchen faucet and grabbing the sprayer.

“Now, Jane!” Brock held up his hands. “Don’t overreact—”

She sprayed him directly in the face.

He cursed, blindly reaching for her, and then slipped on the already wet floor.

She burst out laughing and continued spraying him, then yelped when he grabbed her body and brought her down on top of him.

They laughed as he kissed her—softly at first, then more fiercely, his frantic hands gripping her shirt and tugging it off. His mouth fused to hers, his tongue fighting for dominance against hers as his hands slid beneath her shorts and cupped her.

She hissed out a breath as he slowly removed his hands and slid her wet shorts, then her underwear down her legs, pausing at her ankles before he pulled them off completely.

Apparently all it had taken was a few marathon sessions with Brock and she was a hussy now, completely naked on the floor after he’d stripped her bare.

He ran a hand up her thigh, but she stopped him with both hands. A look of confusion washed over his features before she laughed and held up a finger as if to say not so fast.

“My turn,” she whispered brazenly, unbuttoning his jeans and slipping her hand inside. He groaned out a curse as he moved against her fingers. He was so warm and hard that she felt her own self-control snapping as he gritted his teeth and locked eyes with her.

It was terrifying.

The way Brock looked at her as if he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life—the way he opened up to her both physically and emotionally, and the way he made her feel with just one look.

One look that held promises.

One look that held a future.

“Wait,” he gently pulled away from her and struggled out of his wet jeans. When she laughed at his awkward positioning on the floor, he glanced back. “Are you going to just sit there and mock me or help a man out?”

“I think…” She leaned up on her elbows. “I choose mocking.”

“I’m killing the moment.”

“Actually, I was thinking you were making it more entertaining.”

His lips twitched into a smile before he got to his feet, kicked off his jeans and boxers in one swift movement. Reaching for her hands he brought her to her feet, then lifted her onto the kitchen counter.

The cold granite was a shock to her skin as he hooked her ankles around his naked body. She forgot the sensation when he suddenly froze.

“What?” She asked, cupping his face with her hands then running them down his muscular shoulders.

He swallowed. “I think you’re incredible.” He leaned in closer, his mouth grazing hers. “I think you’re absolutely stunning.” His lips teased hers in a draining kiss that had her heart erratically slamming against her chest. “I think that I’ll never get enough of this.” He kissed her harder. “It’s not just your taste…” His lips lingered on the slender column of her neck. “It’s you. Jane, it’s you.”