Pining For You (Jasper Falls 4)

“Your job is safe, Skylar. Whatever this is, it’s separate.”

She gave a subtle nod, which he translated as relief, consent, and a dark desire to continue.

“If you let me have this, I promise I’ll make it good for you.”

Her full lips trembled as she looked up at him giving another subtle nod. “Tell me what you want,” she rasped, her voice a throaty temptation that drove him wild.

It had been a long time since he wanted someone the way he desired her. Tonight, in the limo, he finally admitted, resistance was futile.

“I want everything you’re willing to offer.”

Her breasts pressed against the blue silk as her breath noticeably quickened. She glanced at the double doors to his bedroom and his gut clenched with need. He wanted to devour her, and he was running out of patience. He’d die if she turned him down now.

“Make a choice, Skylar. Left, you go to your room, shut the door, and go to sleep. Right… You’re awake all night and nothing’s the same in the morning.”

Her brow puckered. “What about Addison?”

“I told you, your job’s safe either way. I’m not a shmuck. My daughter loves you. You’re good for her. You’re good for us.”

She stepped around him and his heart ripped into a hard beat, pounding behind his ribs until she turned left. His mood plummeted and his body raged at her rejection as she slowly walked toward her bedroom door.

How had he so massively misread the situation? He shouldn’t be surprised. He wasn’t new to rejection and—

She paused at the end of the hall, but she didn’t open the door. Setting her shoes beside the carpet, she turned, her footsteps silently treading over the runner as she walked back to him.

His throat went dry and desire spiraled through him. That look. Did she even realize how much she tempted him?

His body vibrated with needy hunger as she took a step. His breath caught as she slowly walked toward him, returning to him. Rivers of midnight blue taffeta rippled from her narrow hips as she took her time, drawing out his torture.

She stopped two feet in front of him and met his stare. “Addison can’t know. I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“Agreed.”

A nervous smile teased her lips but didn’t hold. “Okay then.”

“Okay?” He had to be sure.

She nodded. “I’m ready.”

He closed the distance, trapping her face in his hands and stealing her mouth with a darkly promising kiss. She lifted to her toes, pressing into him with a soft moan. He pulled her close, delving his tongue deeper and forcing her to open for him. She complied with a sort of elegant grace that was his undoing.

She was incredibly easy going, but she left him hard by simply breathing. Their chemistry seemed absolutely effortless. It was the simplest connection he’d ever experienced with a woman, and that terrified him.

“How far are we taking this, Skylar?”

If there was any chance they’d have to slow down, he needed to know now. He already knew, once they started, it would be excruciating to stop.

She lifted a delicate shoulder and blushed. “How far do you want to go?”

She was too agreeable for her own good. “With you? I can’t imagine ever hitting a limit.”

This time she let her full smile show, radiant and flawless, and his knees nearly buckled with need.

“Show me,” she challenged, her smile playful and curious.

He caught her tempting body in an unbreakable hold and slammed her to the wall, his mouth crashing over hers and delivering a sinful kiss that promised she’d be a wiser woman come morning.

Biting her full lip, he tipped up her face and vowed, “You’re mine.”

Grinding his body against hers, he showed her what she did to him. His mouth dropped to her throat, nipping and tasting, tongue sliding over her racing pulse until he groaned with desperation, needing to be inside of her.

Her kisses were addicting. Soft, leading, teasing. He pulled away and growled, resenting their clothing and the trek they still had to make to his bed.

“Your mouth makes me crazy,” he confessed, dragging the pad of his thumb over the pillow of her lower lip.

She pressed her cheek to his touch and parted her lips, letting the digit slip inside. His eyes rolled back, and he groaned.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not.”

When she looked up at him with those smokey blue eyes, he nearly came in his tux. Tugging her away from the wall, he lifted her off the ground, anchoring her body to his so that her legs twisted around his hips.

His face buried in her throat, sinking kisses over every exposed inch of tempting flesh as he crossed the threshold and kicked the door shut. He didn’t stop kissing her until he tumbled her to the bed, sinking his weight over her, pinning her in a purely possessive way.