“Claire, if you don’t send me packing right this second, I’m going to kiss you. And if that happens, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from carrying you to the bedroom and showing you how a man is supposed to treat a gorgeous woman.” He leaned closer, his eyes locked on mine as his voice grew dark. “Tell me to leave. Now.”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
Jason pulled me into his arms, his lips not quite touching mine. “Why not? Tell me everything.”
His voice was like a command. Like a shot of truth serum. “I’m afraid to be alone with my thoughts right now. And you’re so sweet, and... I’ve never had anyone be so nice to me. I’m afraid you’ll leave and I’ll never see you again and never feel this...”
“This what?” Another dark command.
“This... raw, physical pull. You make me feel sexy, and... I like it.” I could not believe I just said that. I felt a shiver run through me and had to look away from those riveting eyes to try to collect myself. But his arms around me were so warm, as if his heat was overtaking me. I felt it everywhere, my thighs rubbing together, unable to stop the deep ache that was throbbing in my core.
“You are incredibly sexy,” he breathed, his lips skimming my cheek, my jaw, not quite kissing me. “And adorable. Funny. Smart. I’ve been looking for a girl like you for a long time, and I can’t be your rebound guy. I don’t want to be your fling. I’ve never had one, and I’m not about to start with a girl as incredible as you.”
I tried to break the tension by laughing. “They say the best way to get over a man is to get under another.”
His perfect lips twitched into a sideways grin. “And how many men have you been under, Claire?” I could feel myself blushing, but he put a finger under my chin to tilt my eyes back up to his. “Tell me.”
“Just one.”
“Did he make you squeal, Claire? Did he make you shake so hard your brain felt scrambled?”
I shook my head. My heart was racing and I couldn’t catch a full breath. The way he said my name was making me unnaturally aware of the center of my panties, now damp, clinging to my skin. My hands wound around the back of his shoulders, unable to stop squirming. His hands were rubbing up and down my back, and I needed him to touch me everywhere.
“If you don’t tell me to leave, I’m going to take you to your bedroom and make you scream my name. You’re going to reach for me every night, needing me again and again. Is that what you want?”
Oh help me , I did. But I couldn’t make promises I didn’t know if I could keep. “I can’t be in a relationship right now,” I whispered. “I can’t. I’m not ready. I’m sorry. Could... Um, would you be okay with just one night?”
Staring into those dark eyes, I felt like I was in a trance. I wanted to give him anything and everything he wanted. But I had to be honest. It would be absolutely insane to start anything serious right now.
He felt frozen. His hands stopped moving, and his eyes closed for a moment.
I felt horrible. Here he was, helping me so much, on the verge of giving me everything I wanted, needed, and I was hurting him. Yet this made no sense. There was no way he could have feelings for me after one day. Could he?
Jason’s eyes snapped open. “Last chance to say no, Claire.”
Now I froze. I honestly could not believe this was happening. I’d never needed someone physically like this before, and it was so new and raw I couldn’t possibly say no.
“Yes,” I whispered.
His eyes flashed with an intensity I couldn’t even make sense of. “Now tell me you’re on the pill.”
I nodded slowly. His lips finally met mine in the most gentle, heart-wrenching kiss. His hands slid under my shirt and up my back, exploring my skin as my lips parted for him. He unclasped my bra so fast I didn’t even feel it until his hands slid under it, cupping my breasts.
He kissed me more deeply, his tongue commanding me, teaching me how to move with him. My breath was hitching and I gasped as his thumbs swirled firmly over my nipples. He wasn’t just playing with my breasts, he was claiming them. There was something in his heat that was animalistic. It felt so right.
Jason scooped me into his arms, easily carrying me into the bedroom and placing me on my new bed. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, lying beside me as he pulled our bodies together. He was so powerful that for half a second I wondered if he’d be rough. But his fingertips skimming under my shirt to touch my skin, his soft lips, everything about him was so tender.
He began pulling my stretchy pants off, and I laughed, knowing it would be awkward. I stood up to remove them, turning off the light.
“I want to see you,” his dark voice murmured.
“Um, I’m sort of... shy,” I said, slipping off my leggings.
He opened the blinds a little so a bit of light filtered in from the street lamps. “Compromise?”
“Sure.”
I turned toward him and he pulled off my shirt and bra together, then dropped to his knees to kiss my stomach. He didn’t seem to care at all that I was every inch a size fourteen.