He cocked his head, studying the determined gleam in her eyes. “For a second back there, I thought you kind of liked me.”
“You were wrong,” she said firmly.
He withdrew his hands from his pockets and moved closer, half expecting her to back away. He towered ov
er her petite frame, but she didn’t give an inch.
“Do you rush in to defend a lot of men you don’t like?” he asked, his voice soft and gentle, as though tempting a kitten out of hiding. “With a kiss?”
“I needed to shut your brothers up,” she said.
“I like your approach.” He reached out and took her hand. “Worked better than anything I tried as a kid.”
Her lips curved into a small smile. “At least you fought back instead of running away.”
“Natalie, I ran toward them. Once, I even beat Colton at his own game.”
She arched an eyebrow. “How?”
“I’ll show you.” He stepped forward. Natalie shifted away until her ass touched the table’s edge, like she was following an unwritten rule stating that she needed to maintain a certain distance from him.
Jack paused. He offered her the chance to slip away and leave him facing a metal table. But she didn’t move. He placed his hands on her bare shoulders, gliding his palms over her smooth skin. His jaw clenched, and hell if his cargo pants didn’t feel as if they’d shrunk. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists and guided her arms behind her back.
“First, I pinned his arms behind his back,” Jack murmured. He held her wrists with one hand, and he ran his fingers over her abdomen. A light, teasing touch through her clothes. Nothing more. “Then I tickled him until he begged for mercy.”
“I won’t beg,” she said, her voice breathless.
“I know.” He released her arms and lifted his hands to her face. “I’m just showing you my way. But I still like yours better.”
Her hands moved to his chest, her fingers digging into his shirt. But she didn’t push him away. He studied her face. Her brown eyes widened and her lips parted. He wanted another taste. It might end with her fist planted in his gut, but he was willing to take the risk.
He lowered his mouth to hers, allowing his fingers to weave through her long hair. With his eyes closed, he let his imagination run wild as his tongue tangled with hers. He pictured stripping away her clothes, climbing up on this table, and taking her. He wanted to tie her up, and it had nothing to do with his past. Hell, he wished he could claim the fantasy. Here. Now. Make her scream his name and acknowledge the fact that he’d made her come. Make her admit that part of her wanted him.
His lips sparred with hers, and he fought for control of the kiss. Natalie pressed her mouth hard against his. He stepped closer, his hands holding her head as his body touched her. Rocking his hips, he let her feel how much he wanted her.
She pushed back, breaking the kiss. “Is this how you say thank you?” she said, struggling to catch her breath. But the thread of steel he’d heard from across the bar night after night was there, loud and clear in her voice.
“No, ma’am.” He released her long locks and ran his hands over her shoulders, down the side of her body, brushing the sides of her breasts. He wanted to memorize every inch of her, knowing she might never let him this close again. His hands wrapped around her waist.
“Is that what kind of man you are?” she breathed. “You don’t even offer a woman a proper thank-you?”
“Natalie, if I was fixin’ to offer a proper thank-you,” he said, his Texas accent clear and present in his voice, “I’d kneel down right here and slide your jeans over your hips, down your damn-near perfect legs. I’d toss your pants across the room, followed by your panties. And then I’d lick you until the whole bar heard you come. Screaming. My. Name.”
He released her hips and drew a path to the top closure of her jeans. His fingers toyed with the button as he stared into her wide brown eyes.
“Jack.” Her hand covered his but stopped short of pushing him away.
“What do you say, Natalie? Would you like a proper thank-you?”
Chapter Two
Jack dominated her senses. She could taste his kiss on her lips. And she could smell the ocean on his skin, the scent mingling with spice. Not cologne. She couldn’t picture the Navy SEAL splashing on the male version of perfume before leaving the house. This man didn’t primp in front of the mirror. Everything about her Prince Charming was raw and unrefined.
Natalie blinked. Her prince? Not a chance. She refused to let his charm slip past her defenses and claim control of her.
“While this is impressive…” She slipped her hand between their bodies and pressed her palm against the hard bulge hidden behind his cargo pants. “A proper thank-you involves pen and paper, not—”
You. On your knees. Licking me.