Sinful (Bad Boy Rockers 5)

“Here you go.” Savannah places the drinks down on the table, and sits back down beside me as she leaves a cushion between us—too far away.

I frown, which she catches.

“What’s wrong?”

What the hell!

“I want you closer.”

She blushes, which is fresh and slides closer. “Is this close enough?”

“No…but it’ll do.” I smirk.

We’re touching thigh to thigh, but I’d love for her to be pressed completely against me…preferably naked.

That isn’t something I need to be thinking about right now, otherwise, I’m going to be an embarrassment.

Watching as Savannah leans forward to add sugar to her coffee, I notice that today her shiny, red locks are held back with a clip to the nape of her neck.

She always looks as fresh as a daisy, and the thought of her in my bed causes a hitch in my breathing.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to let her go when I get her in my bed—that’s how much she’s under my skin.

“Is your leg still very sore?” she asks, her hand rubbing back and forth on my thigh.

While she waits for my answer, she’s about to find out how I’m reacting to her closeness with how close her wandering hand is to my groin.

Catching my breath, I grab her hand, keeping her fingers wrapped in mine, while I answer her original question, “It’s not as bad today, but from past experience, if I wear the prosthesis today while my leg is still slightly swollen, it will make it ten times worse. So the crutches are going to be my friend for today.” I shrug, trying to act nonchalant.

It bothers me more than I’ll ever be able to say that I can’t be a normal guy—that I have to think before doing certain things, and that the beautiful woman sitting with me might prefer a guy who’s more put together without missing any body parts.

Stop! Savannah will be so pissed if you carry on thinking along those lines—you know she will.

Five years of sneers and rejections aren’t just going to disappear, and no matter how much I try, the words that my ex threw at me when she walked away while I was still in the hospital haunt me. They shouldn’t affect my life after all this time, but I find that they do, no matter how much I try to move on. She planted doubt in my mind at my lowest point, and it stuck with me.

“I’m glad,” Savannah comments, squeezing my hand. “Whatever you keep thinking, please stop, Jace. The fact that you wear a prosthesis doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a man, a sexy one to boot…and don’t let my words go to your head.” She grins.

“You’re damn good for me.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her against my chest. Awareness of her seeps through my clothing and causes my arousal to tighten.

Her hand slides over my stomach and around my waist as she hugs me in return. I feel so content with her in my arms, and nature all around us that I don’t want to let her go.

Sitting like this out in the open will prevent my thoughts from becoming action.

Savannah

“Jace,” I hesitate, “I really don’t want to, but I need to tell you about Richard.” The nerves are fluttering around in my stomach, but this is a conversation we’ve needed to have since the other night. I avoided it then, but I can’t anymore, which is why the sooner I talk to Richard, the sooner I can really be with Jace. I have no misgivings about what he wants—me.

“Tell me, Savannah,” his voice rumbles over me as his fingers start a caress along the length of my hair.

He’s so damn comfortable against me that I could close my eyes and sleep forever.

Richard…where to start?

“Oh boy, okay. Richard appeared at a time when the whole world as I knew it had come to an end. The death of my father.” Jace’s hold on me tightens, briefly. “He was my world, and when he died, I hadn’t a clue as to which direction I should go or what I was doing, really. Uncle Ned didn’t know what to do for me, so he was relieved, I think, when Richard took over. It was just easier for me to stay lost and let him take over everything for me.”

Lifting my head, I meet Jace’s gaze and want to stay lost in it. He makes me feel things that I haven’t felt before and I’m glad that I’m here with him now.