His gaze lingered on her mouth as he said, “Grant me some leeway here. Because, goddamn it…” He let out a low groan. “You’re more intoxicating than the private-reserve Dom.”
“My guess is, I should be more concerned about your potency versus that of the bubbly.”
“A roundabout compliment?” He kissed the corner of her mouth and said, “You can do better than that. Tell me I excite you, Kate.”
“You excite me, Jude.”
“Mm,” he said on a sexy growl. “Now, we’re getting somewhere.”
“I don’t dispute the mutual attraction.”
“You’ve managed to deny it for three years.”
“I’m a professional, Jude.”
“Yeah…me, too.” His mouth sealed with hers.
/>
Kate didn’t miss a beat. Her lips parted. His tongue delved deep, twisting with hers.
All kidding fell to the wayside, because Jude’s kiss was evocatively serious, blistering hot.
She held her glass in one hand, but wound her other arm around his back, her fingers curling into his jacket as she leaned into him.
Melted into him.
Jude’s free hand cupped her nape, his fingers tangling in her hair.
Without even fully engulfing her in an embrace, he surrounded her with his heat and intensity. So that Kate was hopelessly lost… Forgetting how unsettled she’d been about this family event, about how she’d introduce Jude, about…everything.
None of it mattered. Not a single thing.
All that registered was how Jude lit her up. So easily. So effortlessly. He knew how to engage her. How to pull her close enough that she literally, physically and viscerally yielded to him.
Kate swam in a sea of conflicting emotions. Knowing on an intuitive level she needed to keep her wits about her. Though on a femininely instinctive level, accepting that Jude tapped into a part of her she’d shut down years ago. And there was a dash of relief that came with that realization, assuring her she wasn’t as frigid, sexually, as she’d secretly been fearing.
He pulled slightly away and whispered, “You taste better than the champagne.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I don’t think anyone has ever kissed me like that, Jude.”
“A damn shame,” he murmured. “You were meant for kisses like that, Kate.”
His mouth pressed to hers again. Kate responded instantly, instinctively.
Jude’s tongue coiled with hers. Playfully. Skillfully. Perfectly. He subtly coaxed her into an endless stream of hot, sensual, exploratory kisses and Kate gave herself over to the thrill of it all, to the scintillating sensations consuming her.
He expertly led her and Kate was certain she’d never been so lost in someone.
When Jude eventually broke their kiss, she actually whimpered in protest.
He chuckled, low and deep and with such an intimate edge, it sent a titillating shiver along her spine.
His lips trailed down her neck, leaving feathery kisses in his wake as he whispered, “You smell as good as you taste, Kate.”
He kissed the crook of her neck, then his warm lips grazed her flesh as he moved upward again to that sensitive spot she’d thought of last night. His hand covered her breast and he squeezed. Gently at first. Then massaged with more pressure, his thumb sweeping over her nipple and pebbling it tight behind the built-in bra.
“Jude,” she gasped.