And that’s when she realized they were both stark naked. Instead of pushing away, she clung tighter, his warm, hard body exciting her in a myriad ofways.
“I’m fine, Robby. You okay?” A pause. “She’s with me,” he said, regarding Taylor. “Call the building inspector.” He hung up and, with her still nestled in his arms, answered his cell. “Loving.” He listened. “That’s good news. Keep me posted and thanks for the call.” He hung up and tossed his cell phone onto the kingbed.
“Are you okay?” His business tone had been replaced with a huskiness that weakened herdefenses.
Though still quivering, she needed to break away. But she couldn’t. Being in his arms felt safe and exciting and right. Which was so incrediblywrong.
The atmosphere turned electric. His breath hitched, his bright eyes bled black with desire. She couldn’t steady her breathing or halt her trembling. The fear from the quake had morphed into a tsunami ofdesire.
A hungry, raspy moan ripped from herthroat.
“Dammit, Taylor.” His mouth found hers. The deliciousness of his sexy sounds exploded through her, shattering herdefenses.
Again, the bathroom phone rang. He softened the ravenous kiss, dropping tender pecks on her mouth. When he plucked the receiver, he didn’t let hergo.
“What did you learn?” While listening, he pressed his lips to her forehead. She melted from the tenderness. Though Robby talked nonstop, her focus remained onJagger.
She loved how they clung to each other, though the immediate danger had passed. His strong, steady breathing and his deep, controlled voice soothed her. The earth had shifted, the building had swayed, but not Jagger. She wanted him, but the need went beyond the physical. He was everything she was not. Calm. Steady. In control. And that affected her in the best of ways. In his embrace, she had stopped shaking. Relieved, she inhaled a breath. And his delicious baseline scent reminded her of the most exciting night of herlife.
“Good work, Robby. Thanks for checking the exterior doors.” He listened. “Of course, I’ll assure her. See you in themorning.”
He hung up, and wrapped her in his arms. Heat blossomed in her chest while she gazed into hiseyes.
“Robby suggested I keep you company in case there are aftershocks. And I have a feeling there will beplenty.”
Adrenaline shot through her. “Jagger, I…I can’t. You’re my client.” She despised the words as they spilled fromher.
“Have you thought about me at all since our night together? Be honest with me,Taylor.”
Spurred by her need to be truthful, she found her voice. “Yes, I have. What aboutyou?”
A shadow darkened his bright eyes. “The question is: Whenhaven’tI thought aboutyou?”
“You want Raven,” she whispered,crestfallen.
He kissed her gently. “I want the woman I met at the auction. Bold one moment, timid the next. Gorgeous, somewhat unsure, and totallyhot.”
She was fighting the desire to be with him…and losing. He kissed her shoulder, his lips lingering on her heatedskin.
“I want to feel you beneath me,” he murmured. “I want to touch every inch of you. But more than that, I want to make you scream my name from the pleasure I can bringyou.”
Make bold choices.She launched herself onto him. Her kiss was brutal. Hungry mouths and crushing tongues. She fisted his hair with one hand and raked his back with the fingernails of her other, her erratic breathing interrupted by her desperate grunts andmoans.
His kisses tormented her. Soft and tender one moment. Hard and unrelenting the next. She opened her eyes. He slowed the kiss, then ended it, but wouldn’t let hergo.
“Do you feel this?” hemurmured.
She smiled. “I feelsomething.”
His low, deep chuckle rumbled through her chest to her heart. “Not that. Us. This is more than passion or sex. This is…” He stopped. “I want you to see how beautiful youare.”
He turned her around so she faced the mirrored wall, and wrapped his arm across her chest, anchoring his hand on her shoulder. His gaze roamed with ease over her nudebody.
The weight of self-consciousness bore down on her. Her youth had been filled with taunting about her skinny legs and flat chest. She slammed her eyes shut against the whoosh of painfulmemories.
“You’re so damned beautiful.” He leaned around, kissing hercheek.
Shivering from vulnerability, she refused to look at her reflection. “I can’t watchme.”
