Black Hearted - An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Complete)

Black Hearted: Chapter 46

"Is this what you want?" Solana's harsh whisper in his ear accompanied more massaging of Little Jack.

"Yes... no. I..." He swore out loud. A burning sensation was already forming at the base of his spine with whatever she was doing down there. Mere seconds more and he'd be jacking off in her hand.

Her fingers stopped their caressing touch and clamped down. Pleasure turned to pain as her grip increased. "Tell me what's wrong."

Jack ground his teeth together and shook his head, needing a minute to form words.

Solana drew her thumb over the base of his cock, and shockwaves of ecstasy rippled through him. "Talk."

"I screwed up." His confession rocketed into the room. Solana's grip lessened slightly, her chest gliding over his, and more tremors of desire prickled, denying him the ability to speak.

"How?" A soft kiss on the crook of his neck accompanied her plea.

Jack closed his eyes and sucked in air. The light orange spice scent hit him, and his pulse slackened. With blood returning to his brain, he could form thoughts again. He teetered between pushing her away and pulling her closer, resting his head against her warm skin. "My deal isn't closing. Probably because they can smell blood in the water."

Another gentle press on his neck. "Why?"

"A few months ago, I made a bid to take over my ex-wife's family business. I lost." The word tasted like ash on his tongue. Jack Blackhorne wasn't allowed to fail. Every move was assessed, and the odds of success weighted. Usually, victory was influenced by bribes or blackmail, but the outcome was assured before every calculated step was made. Being on the board of Stinson Studios, he assumed he'd be a shoe in to take control after the untimely death of Ali's father left the corporation leaderless. He'd been wrong.

"Took a hit to my reputation. I should have followed that failure up with an easy win. Take over a smaller pharmaceutical company I could pressure into selling. But I didn't." Jack swallowed. Somehow, Solana's hand had left Little Jack and sat on his chest. Her head rested on his shoulder. "Now our investors are skittish. Capitalism is not a joke, such a fine line to balance. New is not appreciated as much as you'd think."

Solana didn't say anything, simply settled in, breathing in sync with him. Bubbles of what he wanted to admit burned in his throat. "I got this idea in my mind. Wanted to do something good."

There. He'd said it. Out loud. He'd sold Wolfe on the idea under the guise of diversification. Drugs were lucrative, would always be the big ticket, but no company should depend on one line of business for its income. The government could change and some liberal could get it in their mind to give free health care to everyone like other countries in the world.

But the real reason had nothing to do with Blackhorne and Cauldwell's bottom line. No, it had to do with the burning desire that was becoming harder and harder to resist. The pressure in his head reduced to a dull ache. "Build something lasting future generations could look at and appreciate. Like Stinson Studios does."

"What do they make?"

"Furniture. Beautiful classic furniture. Not my style. But it stands the test of time. My children will still be using the tables they make today. The plan was to transform the company into more modern lines. But I failed." Solana's palm found the back of his neck, her thumb stroking the chords she discovered there. "Despite Wolfe's warning, I insisted we try again. Starting a new division from scratch could take years. Buying a company with manufacturing capabilities, established vendor and supply lines set and warehouses was feasible." It had taken months to find the right company, one on the edge of bankruptcy, but viable enough to thrive with an influx of cash. Blackhorne and Caldwell cash.