Body Heat (Simply 4)

Her throat grew parched and she couldn’t seem to moisten her dry lips. “Different views.”

“From different angles. Are you game?”

She’d come this far and she wanted to go much further. Gathering her courage, she raised herself onto her tiptoes and gave him an answer he couldn’t mistake—a scorching kiss on the lips, the kind that told him she was indeed game. For any view, any angle, anything he desired.

CHAPTER SEVEN

DESPITE HER PROTESTATIONS Brianne had an adventurous spirit, Jake sensed. She continually proved him right. First her trip to Victoria’s Secret and now this instigation of a kiss. And what a kiss it was. Her tongue glided over the seam of his lips, then retreated, teasing, tormenting him further. His body was strung tight, had been since he’d laid eyes on the beautiful waitress. Unable to wait another second, he grabbed her hand and led her through the apartment, down the hall and into the gym, kicking the door closed and leaving Norton outside.

The room was the only place in this mausoleum where Jake felt remotely comfortable, the only place he could truly be himself and the only place they’d already marked as theirs. And, for some reason, the place he chose was important to him.

It mattered to her, too, if her bright eyes and warm expression were anything to go by. She snaked her arms around his neck and treated him to a deeper, mind-blowing kiss, this one ripe with passion and infused with need—the same need he felt growing, coming to life inside him. He twisted his hips slowly, deliberately, erotically tantalizing her with his full erection pressing hard and insistent against his jeans. She groaned and arched against him, seeking more relief than he could provide through the barrier of clothing.

Jake wanted nothing between them except bare skin.

Her clothes were tight and form-fitting, making it difficult to pull and shift so he could eliminate the impediments and give himself complete access. But once the maneuver was accomplished, his view was incredible, thanks to the mirrors surrounding them and the reflection of light.

“You like?”

A light purple bra with flowered lace exposed more than it covered, and he sucked in a ragged breath. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing not to like.” He traced the scalloped edging with one fingertip, trailing a path over her delicate skin. “And everything to admire.” Cherish, bask in, he thought, lowering his head and replacing his touch with his tongue, tasting her bare flesh.

Her response was a rush of air and a moan of contentment, as he followed a damp path across her heated skin. Her shudder shook him as well. Had he ever before felt the way he did now? Wanted a woman’s pleasure more than his own?

Jake knew the answer to both questions, and it scared him. He knew he’d have to deal with it sometime, but, for now, the heavy beat of arousal overrode all thought and emotion.

His hand came to rest beneath her breast, cupping the fullness and allowing him to move from the lacy edging to the nipple peaking in a hard ridge beneath the flowered sheath of material. As he drew the distended tip into his mouth and nipped lightly with his teeth, it hardened even more, and the grip he held on his control nearly shattered.

Apparently, she felt the same because her hands went for the snap on his jeans. He lifted his head and met her gaze, not wanting her to feel as though she had to go faster to please him. “I promised you slow.”

“That was before we…came this far.” A blush stained her already made-up cheeks.

He grinned. “I never said fast wasn’t good, too.”

God knows, his body would appreciate it if he picked up the pace, but he needed to tell her a few things first. Not just how much he wanted her, but smaller details, too. Things that would let her know she wasn’t just someone he’d screw and forget. She held a special place in his life and his heart, he forced himself to acknowledge, and sleeping with her was the answer to every dream he possessed.

“Do you know I loved watching you while you worked at the café? You had on no makeup, just a thousand-watt smile, and I could have watched you all night.” The flush on her cheeks deepened, and he brushed his knuckles over her reddened skin. “You’re gorgeous with makeup, but you’re one of those special women who doesn’t need it to make an impression.”

Her eyes lightened in wonder and appreciation. “You’re pretty amazing yourself, Jake. Waitressing wasn’t exactly a job I looked forward to after working all day, but once you showed up…well, all of a sudden I couldn’t wait to start my shift.”

“Glad to know the feeling was mutual, sweetheart.”

She bit down on her lower lip. “There’re lots of mutual feelings flowing between us right now.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” He stepped closer, allowing her to feel his groin push against her.

The desire to remove her clothes was as quick and furious as the need she inspired. She shed her tight leggings and revealed a pair of lacy underwear, a complement to the barely-there bra. Remembering how he’d tasted the material around her nipple, the need to do the same to the lace panties and feminine secrets beneath grew like an insatiable hunger deep inside him.

Before she could reach for his shirt, he dropped to his knees. “You might want to grab on to something right now.”

“You’re naughty,” she murmured. But the excited gleam in her eyes told him she desired everything he wanted to give and more.

He waited till she reached for the exercise bar running across the mirrored wall and then inched closer to trace the elastic edge of her underwear with his tongue. The taste was so decadent, her feminine scent so erotic, he nearly came without being inside her—hell, without even being touched, something that spoke of her incredible power over him.

He snaked a path with his tongue, first following the boundaries set by her panties and going no farther, teasing her with delicate strokes. But when her legs quaked and he felt her lean more strongly against the wall for support, he grew bolder and slowly lowered the scrap of silk to her thighs, allowing himself to taste her dewy essence.

Her shuddering moan was all the encouragement he needed to dip his tongue into her heat and attempt to draw from her everything he could, give to her everything he had.

Brianne leaned her shoulder against the hard mirrored wall and opened her eyes for a moment. She glanced down at Jake, his dark hair in stark contrast to her white skin, his strong hands holding on to her thighs and his mouth doing miraculous things to her long-deprived body. She knew she’d been alone but hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been, how empty she’d felt, until Jake possessed her. His arms holding, his hands caressing and his mouth giving to her in ways she’d never experienced before.