It had been the perfect arrangement without any emotional complications, until Jackson had walked into Kincaid’s a week ago and ignited a desire that only burned hotter and brighter each time she saw him. It was as though he’d flipped a switch inside her and had awakened all those erogenous zones that had lain dormant for so long. And the few times he’d touched her, she’d experienced a jolt of need that made her crave more of him.
There was no denying that she wanted him to caress her body until she melted and moaned, which she suspected wouldn’t take much. She wanted those full, sensual lips sliding against hers, hard and demanding and hungry. And while he was at it, she wouldn’t mind his mouth on her breasts, sucking her nipples, and his tongue delving between her thighs. That was definitely something her vibrator wasn’t capable of.
She turned off the cool water and reached for a paper towel as those shameless thoughts of Jackson managed to do what all her previous dates had failed to accomplish—make her wet and aroused and aching for the feel of a real cock thrusting deep inside her.
She bit her bottom lip to keep her moan from escaping and came to a solid conclusion based on their mutual chemistry. Jackson Stone was exactly what she needed to finally end her six-year dry spell. He was gorgeous and sexy and pure temptation. Lean and lightly muscled in all the right places—the T-shirt and jeans he’d worn tonight showed off his toned physique more than his suit from the prior week had—he had a body made for pleasuring a woman, and she had no doubt he’d leave her thoroughly satisfied, in every way. And she wouldn’t mind returning the favor, making sure she had the opportunity to explore his hard, hot body, too—with her fingers, her lips, her tongue.
Yeah, she wanted all that. Wanted him.
Now that she’d made the decision to go for it—or rather, go for Jackson—a thrilling anticipation took up residence in her, one she embraced because it felt like forever since her body had been this attuned to a man.
She didn’t fool herself into believing that she was the type of woman who’d fit into the affluent life he’d created for himself on a long-term basis—not that she was looking for that kind of commitment. She was hardly cultured or sophisticated, and her past drug addiction and overdose were like a scarlet letter on her chest, but she could at least enjoy Jackson for a while. Too many years had passed her by since she’d done something for herself, for no other reason than she wanted, needed, to feel desired again.
Tara smiled at the woman staring back at her as a sudden flutter of nerves swirled in her belly. God, she hoped she hadn’t forgotten how to seduce a man. She was so out of practice, abysmally so, but if she didn’t make some kind of attempt, the opportunity might pass her by, and she didn’t want to look back and have regrets and wish she’d taken that chance.
She wanted to take a chance with Jackson. Sexually speaking, that was. Nothing complicated. Just sex for the sake of pleasure. This gorgeous guy who’d already admitted he wanted to do dirty, bad things to her was the perfect man to end her six-year drought.
Bolstering her courage, she walked back out of the restroom. Jackson was leaning against the table they’d eaten their donuts at, waiting for her return. She took a moment to appreciate the way the soft fabric of his T-shirt stretched across his well-defined chest and how the short sleeves hugged his strong biceps. His fingers were tucked into the front pockets of his jeans, drawing her gaze to the way the denim molded to the soft bulge beneath the zipper. His legs were crossed casually at the ankles, and when she finally traversed her way back up to his handsome face that was dusted with just the right amount of sexy stubble, one of his dark eyebrows was raised and a wicked smile tugged at his mouth.
Heat and awareness thrummed through her. She ought to be embarrassed at getting caught but decided that shying away from their physical connection wouldn’t get her anywhere. So, she lifted an eyebrow of her own in a shameless challenge as she approached him.
“Were you just checking me out?” His voice was a low, rumbling tease.
She laughed lightly and played along. Flirtatious ribbing she could do. “You stared at my ass back at the bar, so fair is fair.”
“Just for the sake of honesty and full disclosure, I’ve stared at your enticing ass a whole lot,” he admitted as he pushed away from the table and guided her toward the door with one hand at the base of her spine. Then he leaned in close and added oh so sinfully, “Thought about smacking it a few times, too.”
Her breath caught when he subtly caressed his large palm over the curve of her bottom, and for a brief second, she wondered if he was going to follow through on his admission—and oh, God, the thought had her quivering in anticipation—but instead his hand fell away as he opened the door for her.
As she walked past him with a murmured “thank you,” she looked up and caught his gaze. The twinkle in his dark, chocolate-brown eyes conveyed a distinct message there was no misinterpreting: two can play your game.
Oh, he was definitely having fun toying with her, and the fact that they were on the same page when it came to their attraction only solidified her confidence. Made her feel naughty and sexy and just a little bit risqué.
As they walked toward their cars, she gave him a sidelong glance. After everything she’d just learned about him, and the things she knew to be true and had already seen for herself, like his decency and his integrity, she posed a question that added to the lighthearted mood between them.
“So, Jackson . . . I can’t decide if you’re a saint like your brother Clay or if you’re more the sinner type.”
He slipped his hand into hers, grabbing it securely in his grip as he brought her thumb to his mouth and bit on the tip, just sharp enough to make her gasp in surprise. That nip also injected her entire body with lust.
There was nothing saint-like about the heat in his eyes as he held her gaze. “Nobody’s ever called me a saint, and just because you might look at me and see Clay because we’re identical twins, I can assure you that doesn’t mean we share that trait.”
Actually, when she looked at Jackson now, she no longer saw him as a cookie-cutter version of his brother as she had at first. Now that she knew him better, she saw him for a kind, caring individual struggling to come to terms with the bombshell he’d been dealt upon learning about his illegal adoption while trying to make amends with his brothers. This man walking beside her made Tara’s heart ache for everything that had been stolen from him, for the appalling childhood he’d endured, and how badly he wanted his siblings to accept him as one of their own.
But she didn’t say any of that, because she didn’t want to dampen their enjoyable banter with something so serious.
She grinned up at him as they reached her vehicle. “So, what you’re saying, then, is that you fall into the sinner category?”
He released her hand and backed her up against the driver’s-side door, then braced his palms on either side of her shoulders, caging her between her car and his big, solid frame. He wasn’t touching her anywhere, yet she tingled all over. His body remained mere inches away, tempting and teasing her, and she was suddenly dying to feel it pressed hard against hers.
“Let’s put it this way, sweetheart,” he drawled in a tone of voice that was infused with pure, illicit sex. “If you knew all the filthy, explicit things I’ve fantasized about doing to you, there would be no doubts in your mind that I’m a sinner in all the ways that matter.”
Her breathing deepened, and she licked her bottom lip, nearly groaning when his gaze followed the slow slide of her tongue. Except for the two of them, it was deserted in the back parking area and dimly lit. They were standing between both of their cars, which blocked them from view from anyone driving by.
She placed her hand on his hips, wishing it was his bare skin beneath her fingers and not the fabric of his shirt. “Tell me all the ways you want to sin with me,” she whispered, needing to hear every indecent detail.
He moved his hands from her car, pressing them gently against the sides of her face and tipping her head back so he was looking directly into her eyes. “Sin number one revolves around this sweet, beautiful mouth of yours. I’ve dreamed about kissing it, wondered too many times to count how you’d taste deep inside.” His thumb skimmed along her damp bottom lip, tugging provocatively on the full flesh. “But that’s a mild fantasy compared to the one I have of fisting my hands in your hair and pushing you to your knees in front of me. Want to know what happens after that?”
Those legs he just spoke of weakened, and she was grateful for the support of the vehicle behind her. Mimicking his words, Jackson’s fingers had already found their way into her hair, and she felt a distinct tug against her scalp as he wrapped the long strands around his hand. She felt the power and control in his grip, saw the glow of hunger in his eyes as he waited for her to answer.