“Can I get you something to drink?”
Her bone-deep sighhit him straight in the solar plexus. “You’re a good man, Jeff.” She traced her fingers lightly along his jaw.
Her soft touch loosed a tornado in his veins. He shot to his feet.
She dropped her hand to the couch. “I have a water bottle up front.”
In three strides, he had the aluminum bottle in hand. “Here.” He held it out, keeping an arm’s length between them. Thank God for his long, gorillaarms, because the sight of her tilting her head back to drink did strange things to his insides. “You want to stop at a mini-mart for something else? Ginger ale, maybe?”
She shook her head with a wan smile. “No. I’m okay.” Smoothing her hair back, she twisted it up into a folded ponytail. “But I need to tell you something.”
“Are you pregnant?”
Her head snapped back, her lips parting. “What?”
Oops. “Well, it’s morning, and you said it wasn’t from driving…”
Her laugh was tinged with hysteria. “I guess that’s fair, but I can assure you there’s not a chance in hell I’m pregnant.”
Well, okay. At least a little color had returned to her cheeks. Maybe too much color?
Reaching out, he laid the back of his fingers against her warm forehead. “Maybe it’s a stomach bug.”
Her low chucklecurled through him, soft and enticing as a warm breeze. With a little head shake, she took his hand and tugged him down next to her on the couch, her wan smile vanishing. “I just need a minute.”
He went willingly, shocked to the core at how much he craved her touch, craved having her near.
When she nestled against his side with a soft sigh, he wrapped his arms around her, every nerve on highalert, every muscle tensed. Her slender body molded itself to his, setting his skin ablaze from shoulder to knee. He forced himself to breathe slowly, to relax, to ignore the feel of her arm lashed across his stomach, her hand pressed to his ribs.
He had no idea how long they sat like that, with him rubbing her back while she rested her head on his shoulder, but at some point, the air betweenthem changed.
Thickened.
Heated.
Slowly, deliberately, she looked up at him, her hand grazing the stubble on his jaw.
Jeff closed his eyes, his skin tingling at her soft touch.
Don’t do it.Don’t look down.
He knew better, but hell, he was only a man.
Lowering his head, he let his gaze rove from her dark eyes to her enticing mouth, just inches from his own. Her pull was magnetic,undeniable, breath-stealing. But he fought it.
Right up until she closed the gap and kissed him.
And holy hell, what a kiss. Her lips were soft as rose petals and sweeter than sugar. Pure ambrosia.
Need crackled across his skin like lightning. She was fucking irresistible.
Angling to face her, he pulled her closer, exploring lightly with his tongue until she let him in with a tiny humof pleasure that singed him to his toes.
Tara’s hands skimmed up and over his chest, her fingers kneading the tight muscles in his shoulders. He groaned and opened wider, stroking, licking, sucking. She tasted of mint toothpaste and desire, and he couldn’t get enough.
He wanted all of her. Everything she—
Someone knocked on the door.
