RAY
Did I just say yes? To Jack, of all men?
At the flying scenery and the wind in my face, doing little to calm my heated body after that sizzling kiss at the wine bar—yep, I had. Heck, this dance between us had already paved my path.
One night—or day. Just once. I wanted him.
No entanglements.
Except my tummy dipped at the thought of seeing him afterward and acting as if nothing had happened. No, I shut it off. I’d deal with that later.
Jack parked in the garage at the back of the house a half-hour later. I got the keys from my backpack and headed for the kitchen door. Jack followed silently, his expression unreadable. I didn’t know what I expected to see; eagerness, excitement? Certainly not his even stare meeting mine. No matter. It wasn’t leading to anything. Just enjoyment, and I could scratch off the one item on my very short bucket list, getting my O-card filled by the king of players.
I walked into the silent house. Warm, noonday sunlight flooded the kitchen, highlighting the oak cupboards and dark granite counters. “Would you like a drink or something?” I asked to break the tension and settle my stomach that felt like a nest of wasps had burrowed in there.
His gaze hooded, he watched me. “What do you think?”
Ooo-kay. Inhaling deeply, I made my way down the short corridor to the stairs and headed up to my bedroom, passing Ila’s old room. It had been converted to the guest room—which Jack now used—along with my parents’ suite since Dad had moved their bedroom to the ground floor after Mom’s stroke.
As I opened the door to my personal space and walked inside, a cool breeze swept in through the open window. The door shut behind me, and the backpack I had no idea I still clung to, disappeared and fell to the floor. Jack’s palms settled on my hips, and he pressed his lips to my nape. A shiver drifted along my spine, the wasps in my tummy scattering.
“You’re nervous.”
“Hardly.” I took refuge in speech. “It’s not my first, second, or even third time.”
He turned me to him, eyes narrowing.
“What? Did you think I was headed for the convent?” Surely, he must hear how my heart thudded? I feared it would crash through my ribs if Jack didn’t do something, or I might just open my mouth again and ruin this. “It wasn’t anyone you know. They were from college”—Oh shit, I should stop now. “Besides, why would I want those drunken idiots in the bar? Most end up smelling like the brewery, looking for hookups—”
His mouth came down on mine, stopping the verbal diarrhea. Thank God.
“I don’t care what you did,” he murmured. “It’s not like I have a pristine past.”
I snorted. “Yeah, you—”
“Ray, shut up,” he groaned. “Let’s put that mouth to better use.” His tongue slid inside, finding mine and sucking. It was as if he’d found the connection to my core, each pull of his mouth had desire tightening my body. It was like no other kiss I’ve ever gotten, not even the first one with Jack or the subsequent others. It all faded to be replaced by this sensual torment. He was out for everything he could get from me. Since this would only happen once, I lost my usual shyness and gave as good as I got. Because I desperately wanted him.
I released my hold on his t-shirt and grasped his nape, sucking on his tongue, drawing it into my mouth and demanding more.
A low grunt of approval rumbled in his throat as he tightened his hold on me. I lost track of everything around me, aware only of his mouth moving on mine. Then he was walking me backward. My legs hit my bed, and he took me down to the mattress. Our mouths disconnected.
I fumbled off his t-shirt. He smoothly removed my top. His gaze settled on my ribs and the dressing there. “Fuck, Ray, I don’t want to hurt you—”
“You won’t.” I grabbed his head and dragged his mouth back to mine for those intensely sensual kisses, and we sank into each other. He eased back, his eyes glittering with desire, and with a few deft moves, he removed my bra. Then his gaze tracked over my chest with a stare that had the ache in my core growing.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, voice rough. Then he licked his way up my sternum to the notch in my throat, causing a shiver to sweep through me. He cupped the weight of one breast in his big, callused hand, and his tongue circled my nipple before his mouth closed over me. He sucked. A moan tore free as his suction grew firmer. I grabbed his thick hair, holding him in place, desire coiling my body tighter. He cupped and squeezed both breasts, then tugged on my nipple with his lips, causing a flood of need to rush through me, my core growing wetter.
Jack kept most of his upper body off me because of my injury, and I slipped my hand between us to grasp his erection. A grunt escaped him. He was huge and incredibly hard. As I stroked him, he hissed out a breath and looked up, those usually taunting gray eyes burning with hunger. I fumbled for the stud on his jeans, didn’t want the barrier of clothing between us.
He moved my hand away and shifted to his knees, then he undid the button of my shorts, unzipping and dragging them down my legs, along with my underwear.
Jack stilled, his heated stare sliding over my body and hiking my desire. “Yes, damn beautiful.”
And I was so grateful I’d kept up with my waxing.
He nipped my hipbone, then spread my thighs to slide alongside his hips. With a swipe of his tongue, he licked along my cleft. I jerked, but he put a palm on my stomach, holding me down. He parted my folds with his other hand and ran the flat of his tongue down one side of my cleft and up the other side. I shuddered, the tightening in my core rapidly building. I was so close. I desperately wanted his mouth on my clit, needed the release I craved. But he wasn’t done with his torment.
“Jack, dammit!” I whimpered. “Stop playing with me.”
