Make Me Melt(21)

“I’ve been trying to get you into bed for twelve years,” she said. “So, yes, I’m sure.”

Jason couldn’t suppress his amused smile, because the truth was she’d avoided him like the plague for the past twelve years. Even when she’d graduated from college and he’d driven up from San Diego to attend her graduation party, she hadn’t approached him. At that point, he hadn’t seen her in a couple of years and he’d been blown away by her blond good looks and her air of confidence. She’d finally grown up, and he’d wanted nothing more than to ask her out, but she’d been surrounded by a group of young men, all vying for her attention. Her parting words from that long-ago night had come back to him.


By the time your conscience decides I’m old enough, I’ll have had a dozen other guys.

He had no idea if she’d made good on her threat, but he’d backed off and had left the party without speaking to her.

“That’s not quite how I remember it,” he replied with a tender smile. “But as long as you’re sure...”

Without giving her a chance to protest, he pushed to his feet, pulling her with him.

“Where are we going?” she asked, letting him lead her through the darkened house toward the staircase.

“I am not going to make love to you on a couch,” he said, leading her up to the second floor. He flashed her a quick smile. “At least not the first time.”

In the upstairs corridor, he glanced at her closed bedroom door and then moved past it to the room where he always stayed when he visited the beach house. The room where Caroline had asked him to be her first. He knew he was years too late, but there was a bittersweet satisfaction in being back here with her.

He stepped inside and drew her in behind him, kicking the door closed with his foot and locking it. Colton was asleep downstairs, and Deputy Mitchell was on duty in the car outside. Either of them could come looking for him. What he was doing was wrong on so many levels, but he suddenly didn’t care. He was the selfish one, because all he could think about was how badly he wanted Caroline.

Pale moonlight slanted in through the windows, illuminating the room. He could see her clearly, but he was unprepared when she turned and pushed him up against the closed door. Her hands slid beneath his shirt, and then she was shoving the fabric up. Cool air wafted over his heated skin.

“Take this off,” she demanded. “I want to feel all of you.”

Jason hesitated.

“I’ve already seen your tattoos,” she reminded him, correctly interpreting his reluctance. “And I think they’re hot.”

Jason complied, yanking the shirt over his head and dropping it onto the floor. Then her hands were there, stroking over his chest and shoulders, tracing her fingertips over the intricate tattoos even as she pressed her mouth against him. Jesus. He thought he’d be the one doing the seducing, but he’d been wrong.

He buried his hands in her hair, relishing the texture of the silken mass between his fingers as she gripped his rib cage and traced a path over his skin with her tongue.

“Caroline.” Her name escaped his mouth on a groan.

“Let me.”

He let his head fall back against the door, aware that his heartbeat was coming faster. She was working her way down his torso, planting moist kisses along the center of his chest and stomach, until she reached the waistband of his jeans. She glanced up at him once, and then her fingers deftly worked the buckle and the button before slowly drawing his zipper down. Jason sucked in a breath when her fingers brushed against his stomach, and she hooked her fingers into his waistband. She tugged the stretchy material down just enough so that she could stroke one finger over the engorged head of his penis.

That light, feathery touch nearly undid him. He couldn’t ever recall feeling this way before, as if it were his first time. He was incredibly aroused, and although he’d never admit it, a little anxious. He wanted this to be perfect for her.

“Oh, Jason,” she murmured. “You’re so...so beautiful.”

“Enough,” he muttered and reached down to stop her hand from exploring him further. He pulled her upward. In two strides, he reached the bed, drawing her with him. Her arms slipped around his waist, and she pressed herself against his bare chest.

“You smell so good, just like I remembered.” Her voice was low and sexy. “Why did you stop me? I want to touch you everywhere.”

“I want that, too.” He slid his hands up the length of her arms. “In fact, if you don’t touch me, I think I might die.”

She laughed, a huff of breath that washed over him and caused goose bumps to rise on his sensitized flesh. She gave him a gentle shove, forcing him back onto the mattress. Then she was straddling him, her hands braced on either side of his head. Her robe gaped open, and Jason realized she was almost nude and her gorgeous breasts were right there, practically in his face.

Jason drew her down, covering her mouth in a heated kiss. She trembled and leaned against him, until he could feel the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest. Heat lanced through him, and he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. She met him with a beguiling fierceness that took his breath away, first spearing her tongue against his and then sucking on it, drawing it deeper. Her mouth was hot and succulent.

As he angled her face for better access, she lowered her body and then, sweet Mary, he could feel her, rubbing back and forth over his throbbing erection. The sensation was so exquisite, so pleasurable, he wasn’t sure he could stand it. While he wasn’t exactly a monk, it had been a long time since he’d been with anyone. His self-control was tenuous, at best.