Watch Me Fall (Ross Siblings, #5)(35)
But what the hell did he know.
He did know that when she scooted toward him, he watched her advance as his breath hitched in his chest. It was a bit of an awkward journey for her. He didn’t let her make it alone. Leaning forward, sliding the tip of his finger under her chin, he glided in to meet her lips with his. Simply, effortlessly, as if they’d done this a thousand times already…but the feel, the softness, the taste of her mouth was all brand-new. Heat and sweetness and the naughty edge he knew she would bring, sending warmth through his blood. He slid his hands into her hair, holding her head just firmly enough not to let her get control. He caressed her lips with his, kissing one corner of her mouth and then the other. Tasting the full pout of her lower lip as her breath rushed over his skin, as she parted her lips in invitation.
He didn’t accept it, not yet. He waited until her hands, trembling, clenched the front of his shirt. He waited until her short bursts of breath were ragged and desperate. He waited until she’d practically climbed into his lap, until their gazes collided for one brief moment and he saw pure, scalding desire in her dark eyes. Only then did he tease his way inside, savoring the hoarse whimper from her throat, his tongue flickering in at last to taste the deeper, sweeter flavors—
“Ooooooh!” erupted from the hallway.
Jerking away as if she’d been burned, Starla catapulted back to her original position with a barrage of apologies. “Ash, Mia! Back to your room,” Jared commanded. The little blonde head peeking around the corner disappeared. He heard his daughters scamper away in a flurry of giggles.
Starla was still apologizing. “Sorry. Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” His heart thudded hard, and he shifted positions to hide the evidence of his arousal straining against his zipper. Jesus. He hadn’t wanted so much in years…
But Starla, still spooked, bolted up to her feet and began collecting the items she’d brought over, still muttering, “Oh my God” as she did so.
He could still taste her. He wanted to taste more. “You’re not going, are you?”
“I think I’d better. I shouldn’t— I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying that.” Jared climbed to his feet with a wince. “You didn’t—we didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But everything is so crazy and—”
“Listen.” Reaching and gently taking her hands, he easily stilled all her frenetic movements, as if his touch alone made all the fight go out of her. Her eyes met his, glistening in the lamplight, and he was dismayed to think she might actually start to cry. So he didn’t mention it, pretended he didn’t even notice. “Next time, it’s just you and me. I want to take you out. Would you be up for that?”
“I’d love that,” she said softly. “But—”
No. No buts, no way. He wouldn’t let her talk herself out of it. “So let’s do it. Name a time and place. I’ll come get you. I don’t care if you want me to bust up in your workplace and carry you out over my shoulder, I’ll do it. In fact, I might do it anyway just to make a point.”
She laughed, such a beautiful sight, and he relaxed a bit. “Jared, I… Ugh.” Her shiny hair fell forward as she lowered her head and drew a deep breath. “Everything is so complicated.”
“So let’s figure it out.”
“It’s not that easy. You seem to wanna come in and slay my dragons, but…they’re mine. I’ve lived with them for a while now. We’re old friends.” Chuckling sadly, she looked back up at him. “I’m rambling like an idiot.”
“I’m the complication,” he said grimly.
“Yes.”
“I get it. We have baggage. Should we just lie down and let it crush us, though? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing that for a long damn time. After meeting you, I feel like shoving it off. If that makes any kind of sense.” Now he was rambling, and he didn’t really know where he was going, hadn’t thought much about the consequences of his words. She made some primal instinct come out in him, and maybe it was all about slaying her dragons, as she put it, but he didn’t think so.
Truth was, he was tired. So f*cking tired. He’d lived for Macy, he’d lived for giving Shelly the best life he could, now he lived for his girls. And that was fine. He could keep doing that for Ashley and Mia. But what the hell was wrong with taking what he wanted for a change?
Right now, more than anything else, he wanted Starla.
“Tell me when,” he said, sliding his hands under her hair to gently lift her face. Her deep brown eyes searched his while her bottom lip trembled a little. It made him need to taste it again, but he restrained himself.
“Tomorrow.” The word tumbled instantly from her lips. He liked to think he heard an urgent promise behind it. “Seven. I can take an hour.”
Damn. Only an hour? “Pick you up at work?”
“Yes. Please don’t walk in and throw me over your shoulder, though.”
Laughing, he pulled her to him and hugged her, loving the way she seemed to melt into him as her arms went around him. “I’ll try not to.”
Chapter Ten
She tossed and turned that night. Ordinarily, she was a night owl, and since she didn’t have to be at work until two in the afternoon, she felt she had every right. After getting home from Jared’s, though, she’d been so wound up and so bored without any outlet for that nervous energy, she’d simply gone to bed. Of course, there’d also been Doug’s smirking face to avoid.