I deepen the kiss gently, tasting her, letting her set the pace. She makes a soft sound in my mouth, and I nearly break my own rule.
I pull back with effort, forehead resting against hers. “Bedroom?”
She nods so quickly that I almost grin.
Taking her hand, I lead her down the hall, every step a test of my restraint. When we reach my room, I don’t rush her inside like a man starving. I stop at the threshold.
Jane turns to me, eyes wide. “Are you sure?”
The question isn’t really about me. It’s about her. About her fear of being rejected, of being too much, of wanting something she’s not supposed to have.
I answer with truth. “I’m sure I want you. I’m makin’ sureyou’resure.”
She nods. “I am.”
I nod. “Okay.”
I guide her inside and close the door softly behind us.
Chapter 10
Tex
The room is dim. Jane stands there in her coat and hat, suddenly looking younger and unsure.
I reach up and take her hat off first, slowly and respectfully, setting it on the dresser as if putting away pieces of armor. Her curls spring free, wild and beautiful.
Her breath catches as I slide my hands to her coat.
I pause. “Okay?”
“Yes.”
I help her out of it and hang it on the chair before turning back. Jane is still in her jeans and chambray shirt, boots on, cheeks flushed.
“You can stop me,” I remind her, my voice low. “At any point.”
She nods jerkily. “Okay.”
I step closer and kiss her again—soft, coaxing—then let my mouth trail to her jaw, her neck, tasting her skin. She shivers hard.
My hands settle at her waist, thumbs brushing her ribs through the shirt. “Tell me if you want more.”
“I want more,” she breathes, and the way she says it makes my restraint fray.
I slide my fingers under the hem of her shirt, touching bare skin for the first time, warm and soft. Her whole body reacts—arching slightly into my touch like she’s been waiting.
“Jesus,” I mutter against her throat.
Jane gives a small, breathless laugh. “You say that a lot.”
“You do this to me,” I growl, and her breath stutters.
I lift the shirt slowly, giving her time to stop me.
She doesn’t.
When it clears her head, her hair falls in a wild halo around her shoulders. She stands there in a bra that looks functional, not meant for seduction, and somehow, that makes it hotter.
