And somehow, standing here in his orderly space with my messy self, I don’t feel like a contradiction. I feel like themissing piece.
He closes the door behind us with a soft click, and the sound makes my pulse spike.
Tex turns back to me, looking at me for a long moment as if he’s taking the time to memorize me. His eyes slide over my face, my hair, the shirt hanging off my shoulder, the bare skin of my thighs.
“You’re beautiful.”
I look at him closely. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes. I’m not sayin’ it to make you feel better. I’m sayin’ it because it’s true.”
Tex steps closer, slowly enough that I could back away.
I don’t. I want this. I want him.
His hand reaches for the hem of his shirt—the one I’m wearing—and pauses. He looks at me. “Okay?”
“Yes.”
He lifts the shirt slowly, revealing my stomach, my ribs, the soft curve of my waist. Cold air kisses my skin even as heat blooms in my chest.
When the shirt clears my head, he tosses it onto the chair. I stand there naked, suddenly hyper-aware of every inch of myself.
Tex’s gaze is steady. Hungry in a way that makes me feel chosen.
I shiver.
“Cold?” he asks.
“Not even a little.”
His mouth twitches, and then he’s kissing me, his mouth coaxing, teasing, tasting. His hands move down my back, over my hips, and he presses me against him so I can feel how hard he is.
A needy sound escapes me, and he groans into my mouth like it hits him in the gut.
He breaks the kiss to murmur, “Tell me what you need.”
My brain stutters. I don’t have the language. I only have the wanting. “I… You. Touch me.”
His eyes darken. “Where?”
My cheeks burn. “Everywhere.”
My core throbs. My nipples tingle. I need?—
I grab his hands and place them on my breasts.
Chapter 16
Jane
Tex cups my breasts, teasing his thumbs over my nipples until my body arches involuntarily. The sensation is sharp and electric. My skin is suddenly too sensitive to air as every nerve ending screams to life. My mind, which usually won’t shut up, goes blissfully, terrifyingly quiet.
Tex watches my face intently, as if he’s deciphering my feelings. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I breathe. “God, yes.”
He lowers his head, taking one of my nipples into his mouth and sucking gently. The pleasure hits me so hard that my knees weaken, and I grip his shoulders for support.
