A smile started. “You’re jealous.”
He cut me an exasperated look. “Of course, I am. He’s charming, amazing, and still too good-looking with all his own damn hair and teeth. Who wouldn’t like him?”
Stepping closer, I put my hand on his rigid jaw. “He’s lovely, but I honestly don’t sense that kind of vibe from him. More a fatherly one, I would say. Now…you,” I said, my tone nonchalant, and his stare seared me. “From the moment you stalked me, I wanted to jump your bones.” Biting back a smile, I pivoted and reached for the car door.
Jack slammed his palms on the Porsche’s roof, caging me with his arms and body. His hard, warm front pressed against my back. His lips and tongue caressed the shell of my ear. My breath caught at the contact.
“Don’t taunt me, Ray,” he growled in that low, sexy tone. “I don’t react too well then. Right now, all I want to do is spread you across the hood of this car and feel your wet heat as I suck on your sweet little clit until you come, screaming my name.” His sultry promise had every nerve-ending on edge when he grasped a fistful of my hair, tugged my head back, and sucked on the side of my throat. My body went into instant melt-down, and my core throbbed. A low moan of pure need escaped me. Then he bit me. Hard. I whimpered at the pain-pleasure sensation coasting through me, pressing into him, desperately wanting his fingers between my thighs. He slowly licked the sting away.
Blankly, I stared at a guy walking past on the opposite side. He glanced at us and winked in amusement, no doubt thinking some kind of hanky-panky was going on. Heat scorched my face. Because it was, in a way.
“So, unless you want me to, right here,” Jack drawled in my ear, his cock a hard length against my backside, “behave.” And then he was gone, stalking around the hood, leaving me bereft, adrift in a sea of roiling desperation for him.
“Are you coming, or are you just going to stand there?” He arched an eyebrow from the other side.
“I hate you,” I grumbled, clutching the roof so my knees didn’t collapse, pulling me to the asphalt in a pile of goo.
“I’m used to your hate, kitten. Sheathe those tiny claws and get in.”
Ack. Swiping my hot face, I tugged open the door and flopped into my seat with all the grace of a limp noodle. I rubbed the tingling sensation on my neck, then my ear where I had seven tiny studs marching down to my earlobe, wishing I could just as easily put my hand between my thighs and ease myself.
Jack turned in his seat, his grimness gone, but those light-gray eyes were a spectacular blaze of molten heat. He leaned across the console, his hand sliding between my thighs and over my jeans-covered core. “Far be it for me to deny my girl anything.”
I swallowed. “Jack…”
He trailed his mouth along my jaw, dragging open-mouthed kisses to my lips. God, I was tempted, so tempted to straddle him. But we were in public. “No.” I pushed at his chest.
His eyes burned. “One of these days, Ray-bug…”
“You keep saying that—” I bit my lip, suddenly fighting back my smile. “And what happened tokitten?” I fake-pouted. “I liked it.”
“You don’t deserve the endearment,” he muttered, removing his hand and starting the car. “Not when you bug me so damn bad.”
I blinked. That was why he called mebug.Because I unsettled him?
What did that even mean? Because my stupid heart didn’t seem to care that we had to go slow, to be careful. It just wanted to leap out of my chest and settle at his feet.
17
Ray
I rubbedmy temple and stared through the windows at the busy street in SoMa, my mind in disarray.
I’d given my notice at the bar on Sunday after we visited Nigel. He’d been discharged two days ago, and I’d insisted that Jack not sleep in my room until I was ready to tell Nigel about us. Jack hadn’t said anything, but I knew he wasn’t happy about it. Two nights without him, and I missed him. Everything was escalating at an alarming rate—meaning, my emotions. And why I found myself at my sister’s loft this morning, a few days later.
With my growing feelings all over the place, I needed some space—a place to think.
In her usual, calm way, Ila had asked what was wrong, and I spilled.
I never did things like this. Talk about feelings. My normal was to shore up stuff in the vault I called my brain because I never let anything distract me from my studies. Until now.
Yeah, she’d listened without accusations or complaints as to why I hadn’t said anything about Jack and me. Besides, Max had told her the truth after she’d seen the paper.
“You’re sure about this, Ray?”
Ila’s concerned voice dragged me away from my muddled thoughts.
I knew what she meant. Not too long ago, I had denied I’d wanted anything to do with Jack. Now, I was living with him and his grandfather and working as Nigel’s companion.
