Tara gave a swift inhale and pressed back.
Lust jolted through him, breaking his control. He pumpedhis hips with abandon and smacked her butt again, leaving a faint pink mark that he smoothed over.
Her head dropped and she groaned, arms locked, knuckles turning white as she gripped the couch harder. “Sogood.”
The sound of their bodies slapping together mingled with their moans and heavy breathing, swirling around them in an erotic soundtrack that fed his frenzy. His legs trembled withthe effort to stay upright as he plunged deep, one hand lashed across her hips while the other frantically worked to bring her to the edge.
“Oh, God.” Tara’s limbs stiffened and her inner muscles contracted around him in rolling waves.
Jeff’s climax slammed through him like a tsunami, shattering him as he cried out.
Holy shit.
He couldn’t catch his breath.
Beneath him, Tara’s high-pitchedmoans crescendoed. Her body turned limp, and she slumped forward against the sofa cushion.
She lay there a second, breathing hard. “I think I died.”
He laughed, puffing with pride as he continued to move slowly inside her, bringing them both down gradually. And hell—who was he kidding?—loath as hell to leave the sweet cocoon of her body. “La petite mort?”
“I get it now.” She rose to standingand leaned back against his chest, her hands resting on the arm he still had locked around her hips.
Snagging his shirt from the back of the dinette, he laid it on the seat so he wouldn’t bare-ass it on the upholstery, and swiveled, settling her in his lap as he reluctantly pulled out. After removing the condom and placing it carefully on the floor, he closed his eyes and inhaled the scentsof Tara and sex. His new favorite perfume.
His breath slowed and his body cooled and sleep buzzed nearby. “Was that, um, wild enough for you?”
It was her turn to laugh, that wonderful, tinkling sound that never failed to lift his spirits. “You have doubts?”
“Not really.” Sweeping her hair aside, he kissed the back of her neck and she hummed her pleasure. Goddamn she was dangerous. “But,you can tell me if there’s something you want me to do differently. Or, if everything was perfect.”
She chuckled. “Fishing for compliments is unseemly.”
He grinned against her skin, unable to stop touching, kissing.
“I think I gave you all the feedback you needed. Next time, pay more attention.”
As if he could focus on anything else while touching her. Next time he’d— The smile slid fromhis face. What the hell was he thinking? There wasn’t going to be a next time. Sure, maybe he could get her onboard for another round after he recovered, but come morning it was back to the real world. Back to Evan, school, Colorado.
Exactly what he wanted.
But he wanted Tara too. For as long as he could have her.
Was there a way to make it happen? He couldn’t ask her to leave her job, herfriends, and her home based on less than two days together. And he shouldn’t be making life decisions with a naked woman in his lap.
Hadn’t he learned anything from his time with Bridget? He couldn’t regret getting Evan out of the deal, but if ever there were a warning for how much a pretty face could make a man stupid, she’d been it. Not that he’d felt half the connection to Bridget that hedid with Tara.
Maybe because he already knew Tara was a good person. Even if the other guys at work hadn’t made it clear how much they respected her, Jeff had known her long enough to understand her character and work ethic. She was nothing like his ex.
Tara was compassionate, intelligent, beyond beautiful, and a goddamned dream in bed. Or on a couch. Probably anywhere.
And there were somany other places he’d like to get her naked.
But he also liked being with her when they were fully clothed, in a public place. Or talking over dinner, alone in the RV.
Jeff was confident Evan would like her too, once he recovered from losing his mom. If such a thing were possible. Jeff had been twenty-seven when his own mother died six years ago, and he still wasn’t over it.
And what ifEvan fell in love with Tara and it didn’t work out between her and Jeff? The boy would be crushed again.
Jeff couldn’t risk it.
Tara slid from his lap, wrapping her arms across her chest. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Dammit. Had he telegraphed his thoughts again?
On the dining table, his cell phone played the ringtone he’d chosen for Olivia. Rising, he grabbed the phone, his eyes trackingTara as she disappeared into the tiny bathroom.
“What’s up?” he asked, stepping into his boxers and wrangling them on with one hand. Talking to his PI while naked felt wrong.
“The police decided not to wait until morning. They’re going to knock on Conklin’s door in a few minutes. Get ready to meet me at the police station.”
