Fingertips walking down his chest, I follow their path with hooded eyes, tracing each firm ridge of muscle to where our bodies meet. He says nothing as I grab hold of the elastic band at the waist of his boxers, teasing the skin behind with the backs of my fingers.
"Why do you deny yourself?" I whisper.
He grabs my wrist to stall my hand. "Because I don't want to deny you."
"You're denying me now."
He releases me, allowing me to explore deeper, brushing the base of his cock. "Am I?" His brow moves against mine, and I pull back a little to find his eyes closed, a deep frown marring his beautiful face.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No." Jinx opens his eyes briefly to set his hand against the side of my neck. "But you should."
I lick my lips. Relish the spark in his eye when he watches the movement. Then set my free hand against his chest and push.
He collapses onto the bed, and I move with him, crawling up his perfectly sculpted body to sit astride his hips. The evidence of good times to come nestles perfectly between my thighs, the slightest twitch causing a rush of warmth to my core in response.
"Everyone always thought I was the good little girl," I purr, running my hands across his broad chest. "The lawman's daughter, who attended church every Sunday. Never swore. Minded her Ps and Qs and abided by the rules." My fingers span the firm slope of muscle from his collarbones to his neck, and then down over the rounded caps of his shoulders to pronounced biceps. "I bet you thought that about me, too. Thought I'd be too much of a good girl for you."
He smirks, eyes still closed. "I thought you needed to be taken off the leash and given space to run free."
I smile, even though he can't see me. "And that's what I did, Jinx, while I was gone. I discovered myself. The things I like," I say as I trace the waistband of his boxers with both hands, restricted by my weight. "The things I wanted." I roll my hips. "The things I need." Thumb and forefinger either side of his jaw, I force his head back and lean down to lick a line up his throat.
He groans, hands clamping to my outer thighs to urge me to roll my hips again.
And yet, he doesn't seem fully turned on yet. At least, there's nothing uncomfortable beneath me to say he is.
"What do you need?" I whisper before tugging his earlobe between my teeth.
He frowns, as though the question is a painful one. "I don't know."
Clearly, playing the sex kitten doesn't work, so I switch tactics.
Jinx opens his eyes, a little confused when I slide off his body to lie beside him. Leg hitched over his, I trace the contours of his body with a single fingertip, dropping my head to rest it on his arm. Silence falls between us, Jinx eventually rolling his head back to face the ceiling, yet his eyes don't slip closed again. Instead, he stares straight up, lacking any sign of emotion.
"I never thought I'd be enough for you," I admit, dropping the act to flay my heart open instead. "You were the total opposite of me: confident, loud, happy, and free. I always figured if I got a chance with you back then, I'd ruin your life."
"How the fuck would you have done that?" he murmurs, brow pinching slightly.
"Like I do now. By complicating things."
Jinx lifts his head, staring me dead in the eye. "You ain't ruining anything, darlin'. You make me come alive."
"Am I?" I glance down at his boxers.
He drops his head with a frustrated groan. "It's not you."
"It never is." My hand stalls on his chest.
He covers it with his. "Don't stop. Please."
I resume my exploration, yet the heat has slipped from the moment. Too many questions crowd my mind. Too much suspicion. Does he lie to me? Is there someone else I don't know about that he'd rather be with?Fuck.Does he have a crush on Vanessa? Is that why everything's so complicated?
My movements become robotic, and I only notice when Jinx sighs, lifting my hand off him. "Go to sleep, Kyra."
Like that's going to happen."Not until you tell me what the issue is if it's not me."
"It's me," he snaps, moving away. "It's always fuckin' me."
