Make Me Melt(25)

His mouth curved in a rueful smile. “Just tell me you didn’t make good on your promise to have a dozen other guys when you were only sixteen.”

His tone was teasing, but Caroline could hear the underlying question in his voice.

“There’ve been a few,” she acknowledged, thinking of her past relationships. “But not until I was in college, and not even close to a dozen.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I have no regrets, Jason.” She was glad that the darkness hid her expression. Didn’t he see that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted? She knew he’d had a rough upbringing, and that maybe he had some lingering insecurities about his background, but she’d never considered him beneath her, and the inference that he was somehow unworthy of her was disturbing.


“I’m glad,” he said gruffly and pulled her down beside him, so that her cheek rested on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and wondered how long this dream would last.





7


JASON NEEDED A stiff drink.

Badly.

He’d waited until Caroline had fallen asleep; then, unable to close his own eyes, he’d finally gone downstairs. Barefoot and shirtless, he strode to the wet bar and poured himself a shot of Judge Banks’s best bourbon, then quaffed it in a single gulp. He gasped as the liquor burned its way down his throat and set the empty glass down on the counter.

Sex with Caroline had exceeded anything Jason could have imagined, and he’d imagined a lot. He just hadn’t been prepared for how completely she’d made love with him. She hadn’t held anything back, and she hadn’t let him hold back, either. As much as he’d like to tell himself this was only about sex, he knew differently. Despite what she’d told him all those years ago, Caroline wasn’t the kind of woman to sleep with a guy unless it meant something to her, and that was causing him all kinds of guilt.

With a groan, he scrubbed his hands over his face and sat down at the table where he had spread out the case files. After several moments, he gave up any pretense of looking at the documents. He couldn’t concentrate. All he could think about was Caroline. Upstairs, in his bed.

Naked.

He could still taste her, still feel the satiny texture of her skin beneath his fingertips. Still hear the feminine sounds of pleasure she’d made as he’d brought her to orgasm. He didn’t think he’d ever experienced anything as sexy and beautiful as Caroline Banks in the throes of ecstasy.

No question about it—he was in serious trouble. If she had even an inkling of where he’d come from or what he’d done in the past, she’d never have considered inviting him into her bed. He tried not to think about what would happen if she were to see through his carefully constructed veneer, to what he really was inside.

In the next instant, he realized it didn’t even matter. She wasn’t staying in California, and he wasn’t about to let himself get serious about her, even if she was. He thought he’d put his past behind him, but it was times like this when he realized he was still very much that angry boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Despite his personal successes, he couldn’t quite convince himself that he was good enough for Caroline Banks. He had no doubt that eventually she’d come to the same realization.

With a deep sigh, he laced his fingers together behind his head and stared at the ceiling, envisioning Caroline curled up in bed. Before he could change his mind, he pushed his chair back and took the stairs two at a time. He still believed that she deserved better than him, but he silently acknowledged that he wasn’t above taking whatever she offered. He was a selfish bastard and not afraid to admit it.

Outside his bedroom, he paused, and then he carefully opened the door. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but he could just make out her form under the blanket. Quietly, he shucked his jeans and slid in behind her. She gave a sleepy murmur of surprise and then shifted so her back was pressed against his chest. Groping with one hand, she found his arm and dragged it over her body so that he was wrapped around her. She was warm, and she smelled like the fragrant soap she’d used in the shower. It took all his restraint not to let his hands roam everywhere. Instead, he forced himself to remain still, but there was nothing he could do about his growing arousal.

“Where’d you go?” she whispered.

Jason leaned over and kissed her. “Just downstairs for a minute. You okay?”

She squeezed his hand and brought it up to cover one bare breast. “Better than okay. That was perfect. You were perfect. Even better than my fantasies.”

Jason groaned, knowing he was a goner. Her breast was heavy and soft in his hand, and he cupped it gently, stroking his thumb over her nipple until it tightened beneath his touch. While there was a part of him that was scared shitless about what had happened between them, another part of him was filled with masculine satisfaction. For tonight, it was enough. He wouldn’t let himself think about tomorrow.

* * *

JASON LEFT THE bed as the first fingers of light were touching the ocean beyond the dunes. He crept silently down the stairs, unwilling to wake her. After last night, she needed her sleep more than she needed to rush to her father’s bedside. As he entered the kitchen, he stopped short.

Colton leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in one hand and a disapproving expression on his face. Silently, he poured a second cup of coffee from the fresh pot he had brewed and handed it to Jason.