Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)(51)

With hooded, hungry eyes, she watched as I yanked my T-shirt up and over my head before dropping it to the side of the bed without a single glance.

“Keep looking at me like that,” I said.

“Like what?” She bit into her bottom lip with a grin.

“Like I’m the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen.”

“Maybe you are,” she purred.

As I flashed her a wicked grin, my hands traveled down to my belt buckle. “I haven’t even taken off my pants yet, sweetheart.”

She watched intently, her eyes never wavering, as I made quick work of my jeans and boxers before dropping them onto the growing pile of forgotten clothes on the floor.

“Even better than I imagined,” she said softly.

I crawled back onto the bed. My body brushed against her heated skin, sending shivers down my spine.

“You mean, bigger—bigger than you expected.” I grinned against her shoulder as I scattered kisses along her collarbone and neck.

“I always knew you were well-endowed, Jackson. You tend to be very alert when I’m around. Plus, there was that night in the hot tub.” She laughed.

Memories of her sexy little body grinding against mine suddenly clouded my vision. I’d wanted her more in that moment than my next breath—much like right now.

“No more talking. I need you—now,” I demanded before slamming my mouth on hers without mercy.

She took everything I gave while arching into me with enthusiasm and such passion.

Our lips molded together, and my hands gripped her hips, pulling her tight against me. It would never be enough. I wanted to crawl inside her and brand my name on her heart, making a permanent reminder that I’d been here and I was never leaving.

Jesus Christ, I loved this woman.

It was so much different than the love I’d thought I had for Natalie where I felt the need to prove it to the world, to her, and even to myself. This love for Liv had crept up slowly, making itself known with a whisper rather than a roar. It didn’t need to be justified or backed up with a fancy job or any of the other ways in which I’d tried to prove myself to Natalie. It just was.

I loved Liv.

It was so easy, so simple.

The tricky part would be convincing Liv how much she already loved me.

Liv

Every inch of my body was on fire.

Any second, I was going to combust and burst into flames.

I’d had several lovers in my life, but Jackson had erased every memory of them the moment he walked into my bedroom. Even before he’d even touched me, I’d known I would never be the same again.

His eyes stared straight into my soul, like he was searching for the missing half of himself.

Had he found it?

I’d never believed I could have a perfect partner, that missing puzzle piece people always talked about, until I’d met Jackson—well, maybe a few weeks after I’d met Jackson. That first week, I had been sure he was sent by Satan himself to punish me for some unknown crime against humanity.

But now, I saw him for what he could be—in the life I thought had been so perfectly planned out.

It scared me.

It thrilled me.

It made me feel alive.

His fingers slid down my hip and anchored to the back of my knee, pulling my leg around his body. I felt him everywhere, as I pushed against his hard length.

“I want you inside me,” I begged.

“God, yes,” he answered before pausing. “I don’t have any condoms.”

“I’m on birth control, and I was tested after—” I didn’t bother finishing.

He nodded. “I’m clean, and it’s been—well, it’s been a really long time.”

Our eyes met as he slowly guided himself into my slick core. Every inch was like a shock wave to my system, stirring deep moans from my lungs.

“I love that sound,” he groaned.

Our hip bones met briefly before he pulled out slowly, letting our bodies grow accustomed to each other.

“Fuck,” he cursed. “You feel so good.”

In and out, he set a slow, sensual rhythm at first, rocking his hips so that his body would hit my clit at just the right angle. I cried out in pleasure, completely lost in my passion.

Hands gripped my hips, and I was pulled upward until my body was seated on his lap. With his legs folded underneath him, he moved me up and down on his throbbing cock.

The friction, the heat, the rawness was too much. My hands wrapped around him, and I dug my nails into his back, crying out as my body quaked with release. His movements sped up as I continued to orgasm, my body tightening around him like a vise.

“Shit!” he cried out as he slammed into me from below.

Harder, faster, deeper—it was all I felt, and it was divine. My head fell into the crook of his shoulder as I matched each power thrust with enthusiasm. Suddenly, he tensed as a low masculine moan escaped his lips. His arms encircled my waist, and he held me close as he came, long and hard. My fingers wove into his sandy colored hair, and I smiled as he rested his head on my chest.

“Still think cookies are better than orgasms?” he asked.

I felt his lips curl into a grin against my damp skin.

“Cookies suck,” I answered.

“Good answer.”

Jackson

I’d been awake for hours, watching the way her skin looked under the moonlight and the rising sun. I’d studied the curve of her hips and the tiny freckle on her right shoulder. My fingers ached to trace the delicate pattern of her tattoo as it disappeared down her back. I’d memorized the exact color of her hair and the way it looked while fanned across her naked chest.