“Found out by accident,” he grumbled, placing the frozen peas on his eye again.
She braced herself, and contemplated the dimly lit kitchen. Stainless steel appliances and tacky kitchen accents held no appeal over the man in front of her. Rarely had she seen him like this, somewhat relaxed and stern even when at peace.
Ogling him did nothing to soothe her. Yet she found it impossible to stop, to prevent from fantasizing about his large hands on her body. His hard mouth, softening and opening to claim hers. If he hadn’t had sex with Mel, who had kept his bed warm and his sheets rumpled?
Rumpled sheets. She swallowed the lump of forbidden desire in her throat, but it rolled down and turned into a shot of heat, speeding her heartbeat, blazing in the pit of her stomach. She shifted on the chair just enough to press one leg against the other, the humming between her legs making her thighs stick.
She moaned.
“What’s up?” Out of the blue, he opened his eyes with a start.
Too late. A chill zapped down her spine. No. No. No. How embarrassing. To think for years she’d fed her body organic foods and treated it to deluxe treatments and massages, only to have it betray her at the first opportunity. Thanks a lot. “N-nothing.” How could she ever fight the desire sweeping over her? She stood, her clit a big knot of tension, throbbing whether she encouraged it or not. “It’s time for me to go tobed.”
“Sure.” He rose to his feet, his voice huskier than usual. “I should do thesame.”
“Yes. Good idea.” Excellentidea.
He opened the door to the freezer, threw the frozen peas inside, closed it, and moved to turn the light switch off. With small steps, she walked out of the kitchen. Even though he knew the house better, he marched behind her, his breathing filling theair.
She nearly tripped on the couple of steps leading to the living room, blinking to adjust to the dim lighting. The recessive lights from the foyer skipped through the pitch black in the kitchen. She threw her arms in the air to find balance, cursing her choice of high heels.
“You okay?” Jack asked behind her, perching his hands on her waist to keep her steady.
She exhaled, and propped her head back and closed the gap between her spine and his chest.
The little hairs at the back of her neck stood on end, his hot breath too close for comfort. An invisible force kept her from moving. Holy Louis Vuitton, she barely managed to breathe! His touch was heavy, as if all his tension and worries concentrated on his hands. But something else heaved…
Jack erased the distance between them, grasping her tightly. He pressed his bulge against herass.
A strangled sound left her parted lips. Before her, the stretch of subdued light into the living room was an invitation to common sense. Behind her, the mystery of a darkness she’d once known and loved. Known and hated.
“Lola.” He tightened his grip and spoke in a low growly voice.
Gathering whatever strength she had left, she spun on her heel to face him. They stood under the doorway, where light and dark collided. Present and past. Without making an effort to jerk away from him, she stared at him. A big lump made its way down his throat. The planes of his chest stiffening against his shirt. The shimmer in his blue eyes gave away his controlled yearning.
The thudding of her heart drove her insane. This couldn’t be happening. Could it? For the first time since she’d been back, they contemplated each other without resentment or pride. Just purelust.
Resist him. Warning bells soared in her mind. Jack dipped his head down, the brush of his lips a whisper over her forehead.
Resist him. She caught a whiff of his undeniable scent, the earthy, leatherish notes expanding her lungs.
Resist… him.
She lifted her head and parted her lips, offering her mouth to him. Resisting him was not an option.
He pulled her back into the kitchen, and covered her lips with his, and the brush of his flesh on hers ignited an electrifying signal through her entire system, every tiny part of her awakened and vibrated withlife.
Unable, unwilling to wait, she darted the tip of her tongue out of her mouth and glided over his upper lip. He smothered a groan, tipped her chin up and deepened the kiss. Within seconds, gentleness vanished—their lips, tongues fused with each other, in relentless pursuit. Heat overloaded her, the sensitive spot between her legs aching.
Jack lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him with an intimacy scaring her to the very bone. The edge of the wooden table brushed against the back of her knee. Cupping her ass with both hands, he sat her on the table, and she linked both arms around hisneck.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he groaned in between kisses, each one more passionate. Each kiss testing her lungs.
She nibbled on his lower lip. “Absolutely nothing. We go together like Champagne and Frito pie.” Except she wasn’t sure which one represented her… the bubbly drink, or the super caloric treat. Did it matter?
His reassurance only solidified her resolve. Nothing would change after they had sex, which gave her carte blanche to enjoy it, guilt-free.
“You’re on thepill?”
