An Irresistible Bachelor(66)

Innocence and raw sex appeal were one hell of a combination, he thought, feeling his mouth go dry.

"You didn't answer my question," she said softly.

A band of sweat came out on his forehead. "Which one?"

"What exactly were you missing?"

And then she touched him, on the chest, above his heart, which had started to beat like a jackhammer.

Christ, he'd had women come on to him before, but it had been nothing like this. Standing in front of him, with her palm bridging the space between their bodies, she had total power over him. She could have crushed him.

Just by walking away.

"You," he said with a groan. "I was missing ... you."

He bent his head down for a kiss, but she pushed against him.

"You remember when you asked me what type of man I was looking for?" He nodded. "Well, I want someone who will treat me with nothing but care and love. Who will respect me and walk through fire for me. I also want to be able to trust him completely."

Jack shifted his weight back but she put her hand on his neck and stroked him.

"Except you know what?" she said. "I've never found him. Haven't even come close. And I'm not going to pretend he's you, either. There aren't a lot of romantic heroes in the real world." Her hand moved over to his face and he turned his lips to her palm. "And I want you."


He closed his eyes, thinking those four words spoken in her husky voice were more seductive than any nude body he'd ever seen.

"Jack, I don't want you to promise me anything, but I'm going to ask you for one favor."

He opened his eyes, hoping whatever she wanted was within his control. "Name it."

"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.