Beneath This Man (This Man, #2)(107)

‘I was waiting for my nails to dry.’ I settle between his legs and lay back against his firm chest.

He hums happily and tangles our legs together, wrapping his arms around me and sinking his nose into my hair. ‘That’s two hours I’ve lost with you that I’m not going to get back.’ he mutters sullenly. ‘No more painting nails and hunting down scarce whiskey.’

‘Okay.’ I agree. I know where I would rather be. ‘Oh, I forgot. Clive gave me some post for you this morning. I shoved it in my bag and forgot about it. Sorry.’

‘No problem.’ He dismisses my concern. ‘I love, love, love you wet and sliding all over me.’ He palms my boobs and bites my neck. ‘Tomorrow, we stay in bed all day long.’

I smile to myself, silently wishing we could do exactly that right now, but then I feel his heart beating against my back and it has me thinking about his beating heart comment. ‘What was the first thing you thought when you saw me?’ I ask.

He’s silent for a few moments. ‘Mine.’ he growls and bites my ear.

I squirm above him laughing. ‘You didn’t!’

‘I f*cking did, and now you are.’ He turns my face to his and kisses me gently. ‘I love you.’

‘I know you do. Did it ever occur to you to ask me to dinner instead of stalking me, asking inappropriate questions and cornering me in one of your torture chambers?’

He glances away thoughtfully. ‘No, it didn’t. I wasn’t thinking straight. You made me crazy confused.’ He shakes his head.

‘Confused about what?’

‘I don’t know. You triggered something in me. It was very disturbing.’ He leans back and I rest my head back again.

Triggered what? A heartbeat? I would think that a strange statement, but he triggered something in me too and that was also very disturbing. ‘You gave me a flower.’ I say quietly.

‘Yeah, I was trying to be a gentleman.’

I smile. ‘So the next time you saw me, you asked me how loud I would scream when you f*ck me?’

‘Mouth, Ava.’ He laughs. ‘I didn’t know what to do. I only usually have to smile to get what I want.’

‘You should have tried to be less arrogant.’ I don’t relish the thought of Jesse smiling and getting what he wants. How many women has he smiled at?

‘Maybe. Tell me what you thought.’ He nudges me, and I smile to myself. We could be here a very long time. ‘Tell me.’ he presses impatiently.

‘What, so your head can swell further?’ I scoff, earning myself a dig in the hip. I jerk sending water flying over the edge of the bath. ‘Stop!’

‘Tell me, I want to know.’

I take a deep breath. ‘I nearly passed out,’ I admit unashamedly ‘And then you kissed me. Why did you kiss me?’ I ask in disbelief, performing a little shudder.

‘I don’t know. It just happened. You nearly passed out?’ he asks. I can’t see his face, but I would put my life on the likelihood of his roguish grin being firmly fixed on his lush face.

I crane my head back. Yes, as I thought. I roll my eyes. ‘I thought you were an arrogant arse, with your touching, tactless comments and inappropriate manners. But I was so affected by you.’ I still can’t believe how blind I was to my surroundings and Jesse’s clues that suggested The Manor wasn’t a hotel at all. I was too wrapped up in fighting off the unwanted reactions I was having to him – then giving in, then fighting again.

He starts circling my nipples with his fingertips. ‘I needed to keep touching you to see if I was imagining things.’

‘What things?’

‘My whole body buzzed every time I laid a finger on you. It still does.’

‘Me too.’ I agree quietly. It’s the most incredible feeling. ‘Do you realise the effect you have on women?’ I spread my palms over the tops of his thighs.

‘Is it similar to the one you have on me?’ He laces his fingers through mine. ‘Do they stop breathing for a few seconds every time they see me?’ He presses his lips onto my temple and inhales deeply. ‘Do they want to keep me in a glass box so nothing and no one can hurt me?’

I almost stop breathing.

He sighs heavily, and I rise and fall on his chest ‘Do they think their life would be over if I wasn’t here?’ he finishes softly.

Tears jump into my eyes and I struggle to catch my breath. Okay, the first one for sure, but the other two I think are probably reserved only for me. They are pretty strong words, considering we’ve known each other for a month. At the beginning, I thought he was after one thing and one thing only, but his behaviour soon told me otherwise, even if I did ignore it. This man was relentless, and now I’m so thankful he was. His business and drink issue are irrelevant now. He’s still Jesse and he is still mine.

I turn myself over to my front and slide up his chest, his eyes following mine until they are level with his. ‘You stole my lines.’ I say softly. I need him to know that he isn’t the only one in this relationship who feels unbelievably possessive and protective. It’s crazy, this big domineering man, who has completely and utterly taken me, who has me surrendering to him without question or without much doubt. I’ve given him the power to completely destroy me. He’s as important to me as I know I am to him. It just is. ‘I love you so much.’ I say firmly. ‘You have to promise me that you’ll never leave me.’