Get a hold of yourself, man!
The fire burning inside him was attributable to a mysterious chef from the Americas, and the only solution to present itself was to get out of his clothes. He removed his shoes, stockings, waistcoat, shirt, and tie. Though he would love to remove his trousers, he didn’t want to do anything to upset her.
Besides, her gaze alone on him might bring him to climax. And he didn’t want that. He needed to take things slow. He wanted tonight to be perfect for Gabriella.
He pulled the down comforter over Gaby, then, not knowing what else to do, he lay beside her. When she snuggled up against his chest and rested her hand on his heart, he couldn’t control his sudden intake of breath. Her beautiful fingers toyed with his chest hair, and his pulse raced through his veins. He didn’t dare move, not wanting to sever the connection with her. The utter perfection of this initial intimacy was bliss, and he kissed her forehead, which wasn’t nearly satisfying enough when all he could think about was kissing every inch of her.
The sigh that escaped her made his blood thunder in his ears. It reminded him of what he felt when he plucked the low C on the cello—it made him yearn for the other sounds that might escape her perfect lips in the heat of passion. If only she knew how much he wanted to please her. If only she knew that every argument they’d had, every negative comment that had fallen from his lips, was an attempt to put distance between them. Everything he’d said and done was his stupid attempt to hide his feelings and throw obstacles in their way.
But Gabriella had found a way into his heart, and he feared he could no longer pretend otherwise.
Her lashes fluttered open, and their eyes met. He waited with bated breath for her to make the next move. She lifted her hand from his chest and cupped his cheek. Could she hear the thundering of his heart or the rush of blood that swelled his manhood?
What is she thinking? I must know.
His voice was so deep and gravelly that he hardly recognized it, but he had to say something. “Are you warm enough?”An inane statement, you fool. The room is hotter than a Roman steam bath.
“I don’t think ‘warm’ describes what I’m feeling at the moment.” Her giggle was husky and the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. It wrapped around his heart like the music of Beethoven and held him enthralled.
Whatever does she mean?He couldn’t decide if it was good or bad. Did she want him to open a window?
His mouth dried up when it hit him that her proverbial “warm” might mean hot in her lower extremities.
Her mouth curved into a smile, and he could not tear his eyes away. Her tongue swept over those lusciously full lips, moistening them, and her eyes reflected the fire’s glow. He was mesmerized, wondering what she might say or do next. Meanwhile, his cock was throbbing with need.
“Do you remember the last thing I said to you in the stable?” she whispered, tracing the curve of his bottom lip.Dear Lord, who is seducing whom?
“Frankly, I’m incapable of clear thought,” he admitted.
Another delightful chuckle escaped her. “I said that if I don’t do what my heart tells me to do, I will never know what it feels like to love or be loved, and I have every intention of being loved by you.”
“I also remember you saying before that we would both be doing each other a disservice if we pursued this attraction.”You fool—why remind her of something that might change her mind?
“I was wrong. The mistake would benotpursuing what we both want.”
“Both?”
“Yes, Jack, both of us. Can you deny it?”
Was he hearing things? He nearly put his hands together in prayer mode.Thank you, Lord!
“I’d be a lying fool if I did, and I’m not. At least not anymore.” He dipped his head, and before she could protest—or worse, change her mind—he kissed her within an inch of her life. He would not be denied, not this time, not ever if he could help it.
*
Jack’s kiss wasas soft as a gentle breeze over her lips, and then he wasted no time coaxing open her lips and finding her tongue with his. What was this hold he had over her? How could one look from his eyes cause her heart to break through the confines of her chest and take flight?
She moved her hand to the back of his neck, twining her fingers in the golden waves. He pulled her closer, and she felt the bulge that filled his trousers.
There was nothing small about Jack, nothing.
His hardness pulsed against her, and her body deciphered the code, its message igniting her. She wanted to feel his hands and lips all over her. She wanted to feel him inside her. It made her wet, imagining what was to come.
Strong hands cupped her nape, and the same long fingers that caressed the strings of his cello with strength and delicacy now played upon her skin, possessing her in a way she’d never felt before. She knew there was no turning back. What she felt for Jack was unlike anything she’d felt for a man. She knew that no matter what happened after tonight, she would never feel this way about any man again.
Jack. There was only Jack. And this moment. She wanted it to last forever.
His mouth sought hers with a hunger that took her breath way, and everything she’d ever wished for was sealed in a kiss that made her moan with pleasure. She pressed herself against his shaft, hungering for him. Whatever followed, she would give freely from her heart without a promise of anything beyond this moment. Leaving or losing him would break her heart, but never loving him would rip her heart in two.
