An Irresistible Bachelor (An Unforgettable Lady #2)(58)

“Just let me know when you lose interest before the next woman comes into your life.” She tilted her head up, her lips so close to his he could feel her sweet breath on his mouth. “I’m only going to look at this as a short-term fling, so I have no expectations. I just want to keep my dignity, okay?”

He was about to argue that he was going nowhere fast when he saw a quick flash of mistrust in her eyes. Of course she wouldn’t put faith in his words yet, he thought.

“God, yes. I promise you that.”

With a groan, he put his lips down to hers, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. As his hands spanned her hips, he felt her grab onto his shoulders and lean into him. Lifting his head, he growled deep in his throat, ready to fall on his knees and beg if he had to.

“Upstairs?” he ground out.

When she nodded, he took her hand urgently and led her through the house, up to the Red Room. He hadn’t even closed the door behind them when he took her in his arms again and kissed her long and hard, wrapping himself around her and holding her against his body.

He shut the door with his foot and barely heard the clap as it slammed shut because he was slipping his hands under her sweater, onto warm, smooth skin. He groaned as he pulled up her top and kicked off his shoes. Lifting her sweater over her head and tossing it to the ground, he had to close his eyes to take back some control.

If he kept going like this, they’d only be half naked when he came inside of her.

Her hands went around his neck and pulled him to her lips just as he started guiding her backward to the bed. They got tangled in a chair and he had to catch a lamp to save it from falling when they knocked into a table. Keeping contact with her lips, he ripped his shirt off with a tear only to get trapped by his cuff links and the sleeves.

He cursed in frustration and she laughed softly as he tugged and jerked.

“Stop fighting and let me do it,” she told him.

He stared down at himself, willing her fingers to be fast. As she quickly freed him, he murmured, “I may never wear those goddamn things again. And to hell with the shirt for that matter.”

Her smile was tremulous as she put the pair of gold studs on the bedside table. The shirt dropped to the floor in a cloud of white, and as her wide eyes went to his body, he suddenly wanted to slow down so he could remember every moment with her. She was looking at him as if she’d never seen a man’s chest before, and the wonder in her blue eyes made him feel as if he was making love for the first time. As he stood in front of her, patience came to him in a cooling wave.

There would be no hurried sex tonight, he thought. He wanted them to be together the right way. Slowly. Reverently.

But as she continued to stare at him, he felt some of the urgency come back.

“You’re beautiful,” she said on a choked sigh. She put her hand up to her mouth, as if trying to hide her reaction.

And Jack was undone.

“Come here,” he said.

Taking her hand in his, he sat down on the bed and cradled her between his legs. Her breasts were covered with thin, white lace and she was resplendent in the soft light, the contours of her body casting enticing shadows.

He put his hands on her hips and moved them slowly down to the bottom of her skirt. Sliding underneath, he stroked the backs of her knees and then moved up her thighs, feeling the warmth of her. Putting his lips against the skin of her stomach, he went searching for the zipper and the button in back.

And then the skirt was on the floor. Followed by her panty hose.

Taking her in his arms, he pulled her on top of him and they fell back on the bed. As he kissed her deeply, he rolled her over and gently touched her breasts. As she grabbed onto his arms, her body contracting with pleasure, he impatiently pushed aside the bra and took her into his mouth, looking at her face as he did. Her eyes were wide with astonishment as she arched up, spreading her legs. It was as if she had no idea her body could feel the way it did, and Jack almost lost all control.

With shaking hands, he quickly did away with the bra altogether and settled over her, feeling her fingers in his hair as she absorbed his weight in the cradle of her hips. The moment he felt her naked breasts against his chest and her heat through his pants, he had some vague thought that he might not be the same man afterward.

And that it wasn’t a bad thing at all.





15


CALLIE FELT Jack come down over her and she ran her hands across the smooth skin of his back. As he kissed her neck, she knew she was making the right decision. She wanted Jack—he wanted her. Teenage fantasies of a perfect love had no place in the real world. All anyone ever had was the here and now.

And what she had was Jack nearly naked and touching her with hands that trembled.

He kissed a path down to her breasts and his hands went to her panties. Impatiently, she lifted her hips, thinking how good it would feel to have nothing between them. He slid the fabric down her legs, and as soon as she was free of the wisp of silk, he started to stroke the inside of her thigh.

“I need you,” he said hoarsely. “Oh, God . . .”

She felt his mouth, warm and wet, over her belly button and the shock of his kiss was covered by a rush of heat as she felt his fingers brushing up against her core. A low sound of satisfaction came out of him and she reached for his face, needing his kiss.

When he pulled back, she let out a protest but he was only taking off his pants. They hit the floor, were followed by his boxers, and then his naked body was over her. The hard, blunt feel of him against her center made her arch beneath him and she was instantly frustrated when he stopped kissing her and pulled back.