Despite the cool evening breeze, Solana couldn't quell the inferno burning inside her. Why had she gone to Jack's office after the party? Why had she let Jack talk like that? Why had she kissed him?

She pushed open the front door of her abuela's house and sucked in the familiar scents of her childhood. The underlying smell of pine reminded her of Jack, and the fire in her belly stirred. Damn him.

"How was the party?" Ximena sat at the kitchen table, her favourite catface mug in hand.

Solana studied her. The large white bandage on her forehead now contrasted against healthy glowing skin flush with life. Since leaving the hospital, her complexion and stamina improved rapidly and her grandmother insisted she was capable of going back to work. Solana wished she would take more time to rest, but when Ximena made up her mind, you either got behind her or got bowled over by her. "It's late. Why aren't you in bed?"

"I'm waiting for you. Did you see Jack?"

At the mention of his name, tendrils of heat spiked up the back of her legs where his finger had traced a path across her skin. To relieve the pressure, she pulled her shirt out from her skirt. "I did."

Ximena raised her cup to her lips and took a long drink. Solana had the impression she was hiding a grin.

"I don't know why you like that man." Solana grabbed a glass and filled it with cool water. It did little to quell her parched throat.

"I don't know what you have against that man." Her grandmother emphasized the that like it was an insult.

"Let's see. He's arrogant, a snob and likes to play with people's emotions" And has lips that taste like honey. She shook her head to unlodge that thought.

"He's kind, has a good heart, and is not bad to look at."

"Abuela." Solana's mouth fell open. "You can't be serious."

"You can't deny he fills out those suits of his nicely." This time Ximena grinned openly. Then winked.

Solana drained her glass. "Sorry, but his attitude ruins all that for me."

"If you say so." Ximena uncurled from her chair, set her empty mug in the sink and patted Solana on the arm. "I'm off to bed, my Heart and Sol. Sleep well."

As she watched her grandmother move down the hall, Solana doubted sleep would come anytime soon. She stripped off the Sunset Street Diner uniform and turned on the shower, determined to wash off the smell of platters of tamales she'd served and the man she'd kissed. Her fists balled as she reprimanded herself for giving in to Jack. For losing the game of cat and mouse, they were playing and kissing him first.

Hot water peppered her skin, and she gave in to the heat, letting her mind go. The scent of her orange blossom shampoo mingled with the steam, and she relaxed. Her fingers massaged her scalp, her shoulder, and landed on the hollow below her neck, brushing against the sensitive spot Jack had caressed with his soft lips. Lava churned in her stomach and sank lower as her hand retraced the trail Jack had mapped out on her body.

In frustration, she closed her eyes, a fatal error; immediately assaulted by Jack's hooded eyes gazing down at her. Those electric irises hypnotizing her with their irresistible desire. Desire for her. Having him look at her like she was the only woman in the world was breathtaking. And exciting.

She squeezed her thighs together at the memory, desperate to tamp down the rising arousal. With a twist of the shower knob, cold water needled her and thoughts of Jack evaporated.

Almost.

Her fingers balled the soft cotton of her towel. She didn't understand her reaction to Jack as she glared at herself in the mirror. He was like a drug and around him, her world swam like she was high on the smell, the taste, the feel of him.

What had Jack Blackhorne done to her?

***

Solana stepped out of the elevator at Blackhorne and Caldwell and into a scene straight out of a bar fight. Jack stood in the middle of the open concept lobby, arms flailing and yelling.

"Don't give me that shit, Wolfe." His finger jabbed into the chest of the man who had interrupted them last night. "It's your fault."

Wolfe was a nickname Solana would have given the older man. His thick mane of hair reminded her of a silver-haired wild dog and his stocky chest strained against the fabric of his white dress shirt.

"You can't blame me." He crossed his arms and spat back at Jack. "This was a terrible deal from the beginning."

"You said you could make it happen." Jack's voice boomed across the vast foyer. "If James wanted this, it would be done by now."

"James would have never gone after them in the first place."

Jack rocked back on his heels like he'd been slapped. "Well, James isn't in charge anymore. I am. I know what's best for my company." He emphasized the "my." "You're paid to do my bidding."

Solana clenched her teeth. This was exactly how she expected a snob like Jack to act. Parading around his kingdom, expecting people to answer his beck and call. It turned out the Jack she'd been getting to know over the last week was just a performance, as she predicted. A scam.

"No, I'm paid to protect the reputation of this company. That's my job." Wolfe's eyes flickered to Solana and then glared at Jack. "And I do it well. You get to entertain your extra-curricular interests because of me."

"What I do with my time and money is none of your business." Jack's voice lost its boom but held its vinegar.

"Without this company, you have no money. And all these people will be out of work."

Solana was fascinated as Jack didn't retaliate, but froze, his hands clenched at his sides. She recognized the stance. One she used herself to try to stem the inner tide of irritation brewing inside when an obstinate or rude customer attempted to berate her. Her own body tensed, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

Except it didn't. There was no tirade, no eruption, no release of frustration to blow off steam. Instead, Jack twisted away from Wolfe. Those electric blue irises from last night fell on her, but now they were lack luster, like the life had been sucked out of them. Her heart leapt into her throat and she had this urge to wrap her arms around him. Comfort him.

Dark eyebrows pulled together in confusion over those muted eyes. "Solana?"

"Hi."

Wolfe stepped up beside Jack. "Why is she here again?"

The words sounded like an accusation, and Jack's glance slid to Wolfe. Before he could answer, she interjected. "I need to talk to Jack."

Wolfe stared down at her like she was last night's trash returned. "He's busy."

Solana wished she'd worn her high heels today, instead of her usual ballet flats, so she wouldn't have to tilt her head back quite so far to glower back at him. "I only need five minutes."

Wolfe put a hand on Jack's shoulder, like a father would a petulant son. "Next time, make an appointment."

Solana couldn't believe she was being brushed off by this man. Or that Jack was letting him do it. Gone was the urge to comfort Jack, replaced with the compulsion to smack him. Why was he deferring to Wolfe? Who was this guy?

"I have something he wants." Solana reached into her bag for the envelope full of cash she'd intended to return to Jack when she went to his office last night.

Wolfe grimaced. "I bet you do."

Heat flamed on her cheeks as her fingers gripped the pouch with the money. "Here." She shoved the white folder toward Jack.

He regarded it like it might contain a virus. "What's that?"

His voice matched his eyes, barren and emotionless. The tone struck against her skin like the prickles of a cactus. Of all the sides she'd seen of Jack, she liked this one the least. Devoid of any emotion, he stood before her, a husk of a man, the light inside him gone. Even the over-confident cocky Jack was better than this. He was dark on the inside, like the black suit he wore on the outside.

Irritation at his lack of... well, everything swelled in her chest and the heat of embarrassment transformed into a flame of annoyance. "The money I owe you."

His eyes flashed. At last, a spark of life. The blaze inside her ribcage quelled. This was more like Jack. Unfortunately, the flicker of energy didn't last as he pressed his lips together. "I don't want it."

She shook her hand, the thick paper waving at him like a white flag. "Take it."

"Yes." Wolfe squinted at Jack. "Take the money and be done with her."

"No." Jack shifted as if trying to escape Wolfe's grasp, but the older man's fingers paled where they gripped Jack's shoulder.

Solana's stare bounced between the two men as she tried to figure out what was going on here. Why was Jack letting this man control him? Whatever this power dynamic was all about, she wanted nothing to do with it. These men and their games were of no interest to her. She wanted out.

"Just take the damned money, Jack."

In an act of defiance, Jack crossed his arms. Thing was, she wasn't sure if he was denying her or Wolfe's request.

Frustration at this situation, with this man, at how the world revolved around money boiled inside her and a white heat split across her brain. The elevator dinged behind her; the noise breaking through her thin wall of control, and she snapped. Mad at herself for not being able to regulate her emotions like Jack, she slammed the envelope against his chest. "I'm so done with you." She let go of the envelope and they all watched as it fell with a slap onto the floor at Jack's feet.

"You're done with me?" Jack shirked out of Wolfe's grip, stepped over the money, and angled toward her. Solana moved in the opposite direction, pushed by the anger in his voice, and found herself inside the elevator. "I'm done with you, Sweetheart."

"Good," she spat back.

Jack's face flushed. "Great."

She hated how he always had to one up her, get the upper hand. Men like him always got to have the last word, and she wasn't going to let it happen again. As the metal doors creaked and started to move, she scrambled for something to jab at him with. "And stay away from my grandmother."

Her words hit their mark and Jack's mouth fell open. Then it twisted in anger. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. You won't see me again."

"Well, that's a relief."

Steele separated them, and the elevator began its descent. Encased in the shiny box, her flushed face stared back at her. Solana screamed in exasperation. She felt anything but relieved.