Take a Chance on Me(57)

“And you’ll stop?”

He shrugged, his face holding none of the turmoil whirling inside her. “That’ll depend.”

“On what?” She twisted her hands once again.

He leaned in close enough for her to see the spikes of brown in his eyes. “On if you really don’t like it, or if it just makes you nervous.”

Her hands stilled. “How can you tell the difference?”

“That’s easy,” he said, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. “The body rarely lies.”

She frowned. Was that true? Her body lied to her all the time.

Or did it?

She caught him watching her intently. “Am I frustrating you?”

“Nope.” Simple. Matter-of-fact. True.

“Why not? I’m frustrating me.”

“I want you to be sure.” He tucked a lock of wayward hair behind her ear. “Besides, it’s kind of cute.”

She scowled, some of her temper kicking in. “I don’t want to be cute!”

“Too bad,” he said, brushing a quick kiss along her jaw. “You are.”

“If I’m cute, it can’t possibly be the way I want it to be.”

“And how do you want it to be?” His expression was so keen with interest that a flush warmed her cheeks.

Now she’d done it. She shrugged.

“Tell me.”

“You know, all hot and passionate,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“You can’t be both?”

His expression was so filled with smug, male amusement that she couldn’t help answering with a totally female pout.

“This isn’t helping. I’m not feeling very sophisticated right now.”

“Maddie,” he said, his voice warm and rich like melted chocolate. “I’ve had enough cool, sophisticated women to last me a lifetime.”

Surprised, she blinked and said stupidly, “Oh.”

He looped one finger on her shorts and tugged. “And the truth is, I haven’t ever wanted anyone as badly as I want you.”

Throat dry, she swallowed. “You want me?”

“Since the second you walked into my bar.”

She nibbled on the inside of her cheek, still fretting over one concern she couldn’t possibly say out loud.

“What?” Another hard tug on her waistband shifted her to the left.

“What if I can’t . . .” Heat stained her cheeks and she waved a hand in the air. “You know.”

“Come?” A full smile stretched his mouth.

She nodded, the movement sharp and jerky.

“Then I’ll have to try harder next time, won’t I?” His tone was bemused.

“You won’t be upset?”

He laughed, the sound low, wicked, and completely sinful, and her belly leapt in desire instead of fear. “Nope, I’ll probably pass out before my ego can get too worked up about it.”

Laughter burst from her lips. “You jerk.”

He flashed the crooked grin from the night she’d met him, and her heart melted. “That’s what you get for asking a trick question.”

She shook her head, raising her gaze to the heavens, drawing her next question only to find her mind blank. The anxious, worried tension vibrating in her body was gone, her internal chatter finally quiet. “Okay, then.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” The word was more squeaky than intelligible.

He stepped closer, pushing her shoulders. Her calves hit the back of the bed. She straightened. “Hey! How’d that happen?”

“I’m tricky that way,” he said. His tone was amused, but his eyes were hot and hungry.

“How did you know I wasn’t going to say no?”

“Princess, if you were going to say no, you’d have said it a long time ago.” He lifted her and tossed her on the mattress, where she landed in an unceremonious heap.

She scrambled back and he climbed onto the bed, looking like a predator slinking through the brush.

“You’re very mean.” She was breathless now with anticipation.

He grabbed her ankles. “And don’t you forget it.”

Oh God. Her nipples beaded and she tried to squirm away, but he straddled her before she could move, trapping her beneath him. His eyes dipped to her breasts. “See, the body doesn’t lie.”

The hard buds tightened further, and she gulped.

He gripped her wrists, pulling them above her head and into the pillow. “I think you like it a little mean.”

Her breath stalled in her chest. How could he possibly know? She shook her head, unable to admit to something so depraved.

“Oh yes,” he said, the words ringing with something primitive and untamed.

And then he kissed her, putting all her worries to rest with one single press of his lips.





Maddie’s mouth opened under his in an instant, and Mitch took full advantage, taking her in a hard, brutal kiss, holding none of his pent-up desire back.

The muscles in her wrist flexed as she clenched her hands.

His tongue stroked into her mouth, coaxing her into a response, into greedy need.

She twisted under him, driving him half out of his mind as he devoured her with all the possessiveness he’d been repressing for days, pushing them both into the lustful, mindless oblivion she’d been craving.