Jake just kept staring—and staring. “Damn, Taylor,” he groaned, eyeing the clasp of her hands at the front edges of her robe. His lips parted, cheekbones tinged with a deep flush of arousal. “Are you naked under that little thing?”
“No,” she laughed, feeling like she’d been caught in some modern rendition of a Shakespearian balcony scene. Move over Juliet, here comes Taylor Moore. “I left the door unlocked, so you can come on in. I’ll be down in just a sec.”
Jake eyed the ivy-covered trellis leading up to her window. “I could always climb up and lend you a hand.”
Her knuckles gripped the champagne satin tighter. “Uh, that won’t be necessary, but, um, thanks anyway.”
His sensual lips lifted in an unmistakably wicked grin. “You don’t have to be shy with me, Taylor. What difference will it make if I see you putting it on, honey, when I’m gonna be the one takin’ it off you later anyway?”
She shook her head at his outrageousness, stunned by the girlish giggle bubbling up out of her. She was utterly unaware of the provocative picture she made smiling down at him from the backlit room, her body a shadowy, sensual silhouette in the soft light of the window. “And if I had a dollar for every time you’ve probably said those words to a woman, Jake Farrell, I’d be richer than Bill Gates.”
His smile fell. “No, you wouldn’t.”
The twinkle in her eye said she wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. “There’s no reason to be coy, you know. I remember your reputation. That much couldn’t have changed in the last ten years.”
“Then you should also remember that I never had to work very hard at getting a girl.” His dark green eyes burned with lust, making her breath pant in little bursts of need. “Too bad the only one I ever wanted was you. And that sure as hell hasn’t changed.”
Maybe she felt safe because of the distance between them, or maybe she was just finally grown up enough to swallow her insecurities and go after what she wanted. Whatever the reason, Taylor tried for a provocative smile and said, “But this time you’re going to get me, aren’t you?”
Uh-oh. His entire body went rigid at her words, big hands fisting at his sides, and she felt the nerves she’d swallowed down quickly working their way right back up. Her eyes must have shown her panic, because he suddenly growled, “Don’t even think about it.”
Taylor licked her lips. “Think about what?”
“Taking it back. You said it, now you’re going to have to back it up.”
Her spine went straight, shoulders back, eyes narrowed. “Maybe I’m ready to back it up.” Hah! So there!
She was feeling pretty proud of herself till he grunted, “Then hold that thought,” and promptly disappeared through her front door. Well hell, now what? Her eyes flew across her room in a near state of panic, wondering what to do. Geez, why hadn’t she kept her big mouth shut? She really did have every intention of going through with this thing and throwing herself all over the gorgeous man tonight, but she’d been planning on working up to it over dinner. Not to mention having a few heady glasses of wine to help her along.
Her frantic gaze finally landed on her bed, where she’d laid out her new outfit for tonight. Yes! But she was too late. She made a mad grab for the clothes just as Jake appeared in her doorway, and he just kept right on coming, not stopping until he was standing over her.
God, the man was tall. She bent back her head and looked up, higher and higher, finding herself trapped by his brilliant green eyes. They—burned on her. There was no other word for it. “What are you doing?” she squeaked, wincing at the ridiculous sound.
He took a step closer.
She took a quick step back and felt the bed hit the backs of her knees. He wasn’t even touching her yet, just staring down at her, but his look told her exactly what he was thinking about, down to the last slippery, delicious detail. She flushed and felt herself go hot and wet between her trembling legs, her pussy eagerly readying itself for him. His nostrils flared the tiniest bit, and she moaned at the thought that he might actually be able to smell the need on her.
Jake took another deep breath and nearly died. She smelled so damn good. Good enough to eat. To lick. To tongue fuck for hours on end. His voice emerged as little more than a husky growl. “Your cunt’s already getting wet for me, isn’t it, Taylor?”
She groaned this time, her eyes snapping shut, as if she could block him out simply by taking away the incredible sight of him. It didn’t work. She could still smell his own delicious scent; still feel the waves of heat and lust coming off of him, crashing against her. “Jake, I have to get ready.” Her voice felt thick, everything within her going heavy with want.
His big hands covered her small ones where they still clasped the front of her robe together. “Like I said, I’ll help you, sweetheart.”
His voice seemed to shake as much as her fingers and he felt a violent rush of love flow through him, sharp and indescribably sweet. He couldn’t believe he was here. He’d wanted her for so long, and here he was, standing in her bedroom with her, while she trembled before him, barely dressed and smelling sweetly of desire. This was it. The best moment of his life. Right here, right now. And he could hardly wait for all the ones just like it to come.
She cracked her lids enough to catch a peek of him through the thick fringe of her lashes. Oh, man. The way he looked at her, as if she were the most desirable woman in all the world, made her want to run to her mirror and look to check if she was still the same ol’ Taylor. Maybe some childhood wish had been granted and she’d finally grown boobs and hips. Maybe hell had frozen over and she’d been transformed into a Victoria’s Secret model without even realizing it.
She did a quick mental inventory, but everything still felt the same. Well, hell. What was wrong with this guy? He could have any woman he wanted, and yet, here he was with her, looking as if he wanted to eat her alive. Was there something she’d never seen, maybe? Some hidden allure that she’d never recognized? Or was he just crazy? Blind as a bat?
Then he smiled, and her eyes narrowed with suspicion. That was more like it. Taylor could easily imagine him finding her less-than-perfect curves—okay, pretty much nonexistent curves something to laugh at. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing’s funny, babe. I’m just happy. I’ve never had to coax a woman out of her clothes before, and it’s a hell of a lot more fun than I’ve ever thought it’d be.” His green eyes crinkled at the corners, looking sexy as sin. “Then again, I think it’s just the idea of getting you outta your clothes that makes it fun.”
Taylor groaned. “Jake, why do you keep saying these things?”
“Because they’re true, honey,” he replied in the kind of tone a parent might use on a reluctant child. “And after tonight, you’re not ever going to have any trouble believing me again. Now let go and let me see what you’re hiding under there.”
She laughed softly; a sound more pain than humor. “Nothing, Jake. That’s the problem. I’m not hiding anything. What you see is what you get.”
“Good, because it’s exactly what I want.” His hands tightened on hers, forcing them away. “Stop
teasing me, Taylor. Let me see you.”
He sounded so sincere, so tortured; she couldn’t help but look up at him in wonder. And she just kept watching him as she felt the satin soft fabric part and the cool air of the early evening hit her skin. But she wasn’t cold. There was enough heat in Jake’s stare to make her sweat. His work-rough hands moved to her shoulders, pushing the robe away until it fell to the floor in a silent swoosh of fabric. Then his fingers tightened, biting into the smooth slope of her shoulder, almost hard enough to make her wince.
“Aw, damn,” he whispered into the heavy, breath filled silence. “Do you have any idea how beautiful
you are?”
This time it was a moan that escaped her. “Jake, you really are blind.”
Though his hands stayed on her shoulders, his eyes touched her everywhere. He couldn’t get enough of her perfect, upturned breasts. They were small, yes, but couldn’t she see how sexy they were, their tiny nipples tilted up, just begging to be sucked and licked and scraped with his teeth? “I love the bra, babe, but I’d rather see what’s underneath it.”
His eyes locked with hers, filled with an eagerness she couldn’t help but respond to. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning getting ready to unwrap his favorite present.
“Can I take it off you?”
She was surprised he even asked, but then, his look told her this would be the only time. Once she gave him permission, she was going to be his to do with as he pleased, however and whenever he wanted. She licked her lips again and gave a slight nod of her head.
Before her next breath, the front clasp between the pert mounds was released and Jake’s warm, rough palms were molding over her naked flesh. He squeezed, then slowly rotated his hands so that her swollen nipples chafed against his calloused skin. Oh, God help her. That felt so good. A strange, jungle cat sound purred in the back of her throat, shocking them both. Jake’s hands tightened, and she felt the shudder that shot straight through him.
“You like that, don’t you, sweetheart?”
Something like a sob, or maybe a wail, whimpered from her throat. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to sink to the floor in embarrassment or grab his hands and hold them to her tighter. Then he leaned down, nuzzling the side of her neck, and asked, “Do you want more?”
“Yes, please.”
She felt his smile against her skin, his warm breath sending a shiver through her increasingly heavy limbs. It was almost like floating, this feeling, and yet she was anchored in place, unwilling to move and miss so much as a second of it. His hands shifted so that his palms cupped the tender undersides, testing their weight. “Mmm,” she moaned, thinking that felt heavenly. Then his thumbs flicked over her rigid nipples and a sharp cry burst from her throat. “Oh, God.”
“I agree,” he groaned, grasping the hard, pink tips and twisting with his fingertips, using just enough pressure to make her gasp. He opened his mouth against the side of her neck and flicked his tongue against her dewy skin, growling from the taste of her. Damn, he wanted to do so many fucking things—everything to this woman, but he already felt on the verge of losing it and all he’d done was touch her beautiful, precious breasts.
For a split second, Jake considered shoving her back on the bed and starting their marathon night of fucking right now, this very second. God only knew his cock was ready, pounding against the fly of his pants the way it was, begging to be let out to play, but his heart knew this needed to be done right. He’d
promised her dinner and answers, and he was going to give them to her even if it killed him to have to
wait. And it just might.
Obviously, the first priority was to get her covered up again, or they’d never even make it out of the room. What had he been thinking, torturing himself with this little peek at paradise? Huh! He’d been thinking with the wrong head, that’s what, and now he was just going to have to force himself to stop copping the best damn feel of his life and cover the woman back up. A turtleneck would’ve been handy, considering his maddening state of lust, but he made do with what was available. Cursing beneath his breath, Jake fumbled with the clasp of her bra. As soon as it clicked back into place, he grabbed blindly at the clothes he’d seen lying on the bed behind her.
“Here,” he grunted, pulling back from her enough to look at what he held in his hands. “We need to
get you dressed or I’m gonna be crammed deep before you even know what hit you.”
Sensing the urgency in his words, Taylor grabbed at her top and quickly pulled it over her head, while Jake struggled to keep his eyes away from the smooth expanse of her pale belly and the delectable little patch of lace barely concealing the dark curls between her legs. He tried, but failed miserably, leaning back to get a clearer view of the neat little triangle barely visible through the blue lace. His nostrils flared. He could smell the warm, subtle scent of her cunt, like cinnamon and vanilla, and any second now his face was going to be shoved right there, his tongue searching for her flavor, but then she bent over to pull on her skirt.
All he could think about was pulling it right back off of her.
When she straightened again, completely dressed but for her narrow feet, he cursed some more beneath his breath, then not so beneath his breath as he muttered, “What the fuck is that?”
Taylor noted his narrowed glare, wondering what the problem was. “This? It’s just something I picked up for tonight. I drove over to the mall today and bought it.”
He looked—stunned. Pained, even. Taylor looked down at herself, but couldn’t figure it out. The dark blue matching silk skirt and tank looked just as it had when she’d tried it on earlier at the department store. She couldn’t figure out what the problem was. It was maybe a bit more revealing than she felt comfortable with, but certainly nothing that should’ve shocked Jake. “What’s wrong with it?”
He grunted at her. Actually grunted. “Jesus, Taylor. I told you not to wear anything sexy and you go and buy this!”
She didn’t care for his tone. The outfit wasn’t that revealing, for crying out loud. “What’s wrong with this?”
Jake sent her a pained look. “I don’t even know where to start.” His hand motioned toward to her chest, and he muttered, “The fabric’s so soft that I can clearly see the outline of your nipples.” His eyes dropped to the thin strip of flesh visible between the hem of her top and the waist of her full-length poet’s skirt. “And I can see your belly,” he added in a grumble. “And that damn skirt’s so sexy—I just want to toss it over your head and fuck you senseless while you’re still wearing it!”