“Yeah,” I say, my voice coming out low and raspy.
Fern licks her lips and unlocks the door. I follow her in, and when the door clicks shut behind us, I can’t hold back any longer.
“Fern.”
She spins, dropping her purse on the dresser.
We close the space between us at the same time and crash into each other. My hands grip her hips, and hers fist my shirt as I dip my head and claim her lips with mine.
For a second, everything else disappears. The wedding. The job. Her family. The hotel around us. All of it fades until the only thing that exists is the soft gasp that leaves Fern’s mouth when our lips meet.
She tastes like the wine she had at dinner and something sweet that’s just her. I rumble with approval as she melts against me, pulling her closer, one hand sliding up her back to cradle her head.
“Jackson,” she breathes against my mouth.
“Been wanting to do that all night,” I murmur.
“Only all night?” she asks softly, her eyes bright as she looks up at me.
I huff out a quiet laugh, my forehead resting against hers. “Okay, more like since the first time I saw you.”
Her cheeks flush pink, but she doesn’t pull away. She steps closer, her hands sliding up my chest and settling against my shoulders.
“Me too,” she whispers.
Then she kisses me again.
This time it’s slower, softer, like she’s savoring it. My hand slides down to her waist, pulling her flush against me as our mouths move together. She fits perfectly in my arms, like she was built for me.
The thought hits me hard in the chest. It feels right. It feels true, like maybe we really are soulmates.
Fern’s fingers curl into the back of my shirt as she leans into the kiss, and when my thumb brushes along the curve of her waist, she shivers.
I pull back to look at her. Her lips are swollen from kissing, her blue eyes a little dazed. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“You have no idea how hard it’s been not touching you,” I admit quietly.
Her brows lift slightly. “Really?”
“Really.” My thumb brushes along her cheek. “Tell me I’m not the only one who wants this.”
“You’re not,” she says quietly. “I want you.”
That’s all it takes. I back her up against the closest wall and press my body against hers. I dip my head again, brushing my lips against hers. This kiss is slower than the others, unhurried. I take my time, savoring the way she sighs into my mouth and how her body relaxes against mine.
I want tonight to be perfect, so even though it kills me not to throw her down on the nearest surface and bury myself deep inside her, I force myself to take my time.
I kiss her, my hands roaming over her body. I listen to every sound she makes and every movement of her body against mine. Every moan, every breathy sigh, every tremble of her curves against me, I catalog them all. I need to know what she likes, what she needs to make her scream.
My hands find the edge of her shirt and slip beneath the soft fabric. Fern shivers as my fingertips rub back and forth along the skin above her waistband. When her fingers slip down my chest and underneath my shirt, my control frays a little.
I break the kiss, stepping back and tugging up her shirt at the same time. She lifts her arms, and I pull the garment over herhead and toss it aside. Fern bites her lip, and as she looks up at me with those big blue eyes, she claims the last piece of my heart.
I’m hers now. All hers.
My eyes drop to her bare skin, and I lick my lips. Her tits spill over the cups of her bra. I force my gaze from the delectable sight down to her waist and the soft swell of her belly.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper.
