Dirty Sexy Sinner (Dirty Sexy 4)

Reaching Tara’s house, he pulled into the driveway and parked next to her compact car. He shut the engine off, and when she unbuckled her seat belt and moved to get out of the vehicle, he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

She blinked at him questioningly.

“You wanted to know about the assault charge,” he said, not wanting to bring this conversation into the house with them. Because once they stepped through the front door, there was only one thing he wanted between them . . . pure, unadulterated pleasure. And sinning. An entire night of it.

She shook her head. “Jackson . . . you don’t have to tell me.”

Without knowing why he’d been accused of a violent attack, she trusted him. The knowledge humbled him like nothing had in a very long time. He smiled and skimmed the backs of his fingers along her soft cheek, the caress tender and gentle. “If I tell you my secret, will you tell me one of yours?” he teased.

She stiffened ever so slightly. “What makes you think I have a secret to tell?”

That night at the donut shop, she’d been evasive about a few things he figured were personal and private. “Don’t we all?”

She swallowed hard, and he didn’t miss the pained look in her gaze. “I don’t want one secret to depend on the other. So if you don’t want to share, I understand.”

“You’re right.” Okay, maybe she wasn’t ready to tell him what had put those shadows in her eyes, and he decided he was willing to wait until she was, of her own accord. “But I do want to tell you what happened to me.”

She settled back into the leather seat and turned her body toward him. The street lamp in front of her house bathed the interior of the car in a soft glow of light, just enough for him to see the genuine kindness and caring etching her features.

“I was married a while ago,” he started, and didn’t miss the surprise that flickered in Tara’s eyes at the admission. “Collette and I met at a work party and dated for about eight months before getting engaged. I honestly thought we had the same vision for our future, and we both talked about starting a family soon after we got married. I thought we were trying for a baby, that everything was great and wonderful, until I came home from work early one day and fou

nd her in our bed fucking a colleague. The guy was a cocky asshole. But he also had a shitload of family money that made me look like a pauper in comparison, and for Collette, that made his dick look a lot better than mine.”

Tara quietly placed her hand over his, and he expelled a harsh breath.

“Was I angry to find her screwing another guy in our apartment? Hell, yes. But all I did was tell the prick to get the fuck out of my house, and he literally got in my face and shoved me, as if it was all somehow my fault. He was this short little shit with a Napoleon complex, and as soon as his hands touched me, my first instinct was to throw a punch to defend myself. That one and only blow shattered his perfect fucking nose and had blood streaming down his face.” Jackson smirked in satisfaction.

Tara tried stifling a giggle behind her hand. “I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with you shouldn’t be shocked when you flatten them. You’re a big guy.”

He shrugged. “It was just an instinctive reaction, and I didn’t touch him after that, but the damage was done. Collette was screaming at me like I was a monster, and Brad called the cops to have me arrested for assault. A few weeks later, he dropped the charges because his family didn’t want the publicity. I was grateful not to be dragged through a trial.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I filed for divorce from Collette, and I can’t say I was surprised when she married rich, trust-fund baby Brad as soon as the divorce papers were signed.” He shrugged. “A short while after that, they had a kid, which was probably the hardest thing for me, since I believed that’s where my marriage had been heading.”

“I’m sorry,” Tara said softly.

“It is what it is, right?” he said, and they both smiled.

He shook his head. “You know, I feel like most of my life has been a series of blindsides. Just when I feel complacent or comfortable, something comes along to shatter that illusion.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Like what?”

Where did he start? The list was a long one. “Being an only child and my mother doting on me until my brother, Oliver, was born and that all changed without me understanding why. Getting married only to have my ex-wife cheat on me with someone with a bigger, more attractive bank account than I had. Finding out I was adopted and had a twin and other siblings I knew nothing about and having to prove myself to them. It seems like whenever I feel good about my life in general, something else happens to shake everything up all over again.”

She leaned over the console and surprised him by placing a warm, endearing kiss on his lips. “It’s a good thing you’re resilient,” she murmured affectionately as she started to move away.

Those generous words stirred something in him, and he slid his hand around the back of her neck, drawing her mouth right back to his for a hot, deep, hungry kiss that conveyed his desire for her and the feelings of undeniable need she evoked whenever he was with her. As their tongues chased and entwined and she moaned against his lips, Jackson realized that she was that good thing in his life, and damned if he didn’t want to hold tight to her and protect what was growing between them so it didn’t get taken away, too.

Eventually, he ended the kiss. Her lashes fluttered open and she smiled at him like a vixen. “So . . . are you coming inside?”

He grinned wickedly at the unintended double entendre. “Care to elaborate where?”

Her laugh was both husky and naughty as she nipped playfully at his bottom lip. “Coming inside the house . . . coming inside me . . .”

His dick swelled beneath the zipper of his jeans. “Fuck yeah. To both.”

“Then let’s go.” She moved back to her side of the car, opened the door, and sent him a coquettish look over her shoulder. “If I remember correctly, you promised me many different ways to sin.”

He groaned and quickly retrieved the strip of condoms he’d put into the glove compartment earlier to make sure he was prepared so they didn’t get to the point of no return only to realize neither one of them had any protection. He stuffed them into the front pocket of his jeans, got out of the vehicle and set the alarm, then grabbed her hand as they walked up to the door. Once they were inside the house, she switched on one of the lamps in the living room and set her purse down on the couch.

Suddenly, she looked nervous and unsure, very unlike the confident woman he knew her to be—and even had been a few minutes ago. He had no idea what to make of her unexpected anxiety or what had prompted it.