“I burn pretty easily. So you might get less sexy-beach-siren and more demure-Victorian-miss.”
Jackson’s smile turned wolfish; he sat up and twisted in one smooth, predatory movement. She noticed with satisfaction that much of the tension had cleared from his face; her own had melted away alongside. “But, if I behave myself, you’ll show me your ankles, right?” He grabbed one of her feet, tipping Leah back onto the cushions. “You have quite passable ankles.”
She squeaked as he nipped the inside of her instep, and almost kicked him in the face. “Ticklish! That’s so ticklish—”
Jackson gripped her ankle tighter, the grin on his face wicked. His weight forced most of the breath from her body, his smile stolethe rest. He bit her calf and pressed his lips to the curve of her knee. Overly sensitive and already anticipating where his mouth would travel next, Leah twisted and twitched.
“Lie still,” he growled. “I’m trying to ravish you.”
A breathless giggle burst from her throat. “To borrow a phrase from Hazel—you, sir, are a cad and a bounder!”
“A what and a what?”
“A rogue. A reprobate.”
“Ah, yes. Yes, I am.” Jackson’s grin should have come with a health warning. “But can you blame me?”
Those huge hands of his parted her legs as he kissed a trail from her knee to the inside of her thigh, and Leah’s stomach swooped. Jackson’s mouth hovered around the rolled hem of her shorts, his fingers sliding over her sensitive skin. He hooked a finger around the narrow bridge of material between her legs and she almost choked. He was—oh God, he was breathing her in!
A low hum of appreciation rumbled in his chest and swept away any embarrassment she might have felt. Heat bubbled in her veins as the need for more coursed through her. She was so turned on it wasn’t funny, and he’d barely touched her.
“You are very good at ravishing, Jax.” Leah moved her hips, unable to lie still.
“And you are outstanding at distracting me from office politics.”
Jackson pushed himself further up her body, although his hand remained in teasing distance of the edge of her panties. His hair was mussed, his eyes glittered. Unraveled and dangerous, he almost stopped her heart.
Chapter 32
Jackson
She was so fucking luminous it was like looking into the sun.
Landon Peake, the loan, the auction, Florian, the crane, his father... They were all forgotten. Leah drove every concern from his head; his mind was full only of her.
Jackson lifted his hand to grip her wrist, pulling Leah’s fingers from his hair. It took only the smallest tilt of his head to press his lips against the pale skin over her pulse. Already titanium-hard from the warm, fruity scent of her body, he tried to curb the need to pin her down and bite into her like a starving man. They had the whole weekend; he should take it slow.
“I bought you something.” Jackson leaned back and handed her the bag he’d left on the floor, watching as Leah delved inside.
“What... Why?” Shock rippled over her face like a gossamer veil when she pulled out the brand-new iPad Pro.
“It’s supposed to be good for drawing, but you can exchange it if there’s another one you’d like more.” Jackson hoped he’d got it right.
“It’s too much. You can’t... This is way too...” Leah struggled to string the words together but her mouth was spreading in a huge, delighted smile, and honestly, it was fast becoming his favorite thingabout her, that smile. Wide and generous, as bright and precious as a rainbow in a blackened sky. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to keep her smiling at him like this.
Jackson shrugged as if it were nothing but cradled her pleasure like a guilty secret. “You can’t keep working on your phone if you’re going to develop your art. And you’re too good not to.”
“But these cost a fortune!”
“You’ve earned it.” He rolled a shoulder. “Count it as a bonus for all the work you’ve done on marketing Esther’s books. Above and beyond your assistant’s salary. I’ll be benefiting from the royalties. You should have some perks, too.”
She set the box to one side, her eyes damp. “Thank you, Jax. Thank you so much!”
“There’s enough storage to save large art files—”
Leah closed her fingers around the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her. “Stop talking and kiss me, Jax,” she whispered against the corner of his mouth.
He didn’t need asking twice.
