‘And I was certainly never a victim,’ he added, dropping his hand. He reached across the space to snag her wrist. ‘So you can take that pitying look off your face.’
His touch was electrifying, shocking her into silence when he stood and dragged her to her feet.
He was too close to her, his big body generating warmth, the scent of him enveloping her. Her apple shampoo mixed with a tantalising, musty aroma which threw her back to that night in his bed and into that unbearably erotic dream.
‘I don’t pity you,’ she said, shuddering when he cupped her cheek with his other hand, pushing her wild hair back from her face and hooking it behind her ear. The gesture was disturbingly possessive, but oddly tender too.
‘Good,’ he remarked, his gaze roaming over her face with a purpose which made her more aware of his addictive scent and the heavy weight sinking into her sex.
‘But I do feel sorry for that boy,’ she said boldly, ignoring the renewed ache she thought she’d tamed weeks ago.
‘Well, don’t be. That little bastard is long gone.’ His mouth lowered to hers, his eyes dark with arousal now. ‘I’m a man now, a man who always gets what he wants.’
She should push him away, tell him to let her go, but she couldn’t seem to move, couldn’t seem to speak, all her senses focused on his lips and the memory of them skating over her skin, igniting fires which had been burning ever since.
‘And what I want now is you, Red,’ he murmured.
It was an outrageous thing to say. They didn’t know each other, they certainly didn’t like each other, and it was fairly obvious he was still mad at her for what had happened with Bea...
But, even knowing all that, her heart continued to hammer harder than the rain outside as her body softened into a mass of molten sensation.
What was happening to her? She wasn’t a virgin. But she’d never felt anything like this instant, insane chemistry. Her two boyfriends as a teenager had been nothing like Jack Wolfe. They had been friends, not a rich, powerful, ruthlessly driven man who was the complete opposite of sweet or generous or kind.
So why couldn’t she tell him to get lost?
He framed her face with both hands. The rough calluses abraded her skin as he tilted her face up to his.
‘You want me too.’ His hot breath, flavoured with caramel, whispered over her lips. ‘Say it.’
She flattened her palms against her nain’s robe, wanting to push him away. But then his ridged abs tensed beneath her fingertips.
‘Tell me the truth, Katherine.’
‘Yes,’ she whispered on a soft sob of need.
Yes.
Triumph leapt in Jack’s chest, her reluctant acceptance yanking at something deep inside. He slanted his mouth across hers, capturing her startled gasp, and threaded his fingers into her wild hair to hold her steady, releasing the tantalising scent of apples as his body ached.
The firestorm of need that had been propelling him here all along soared as her lips parted, instinctively giving him more access, and he thrust his tongue deep.
She tasted of cocoa and sin—silky, rich, delicious and even more addictive than her brownies. He explored in demanding, hungry strokes, while running his hands down her sides to capture her bottom and press her into his erection. He exploited each sigh, each shudder, scattering kisses across her stubborn jaw, biting into her earlobe, feasting on her neck.
Her kisses, tentative at first, became as fierce and furious as his. He draped her arms around his neck and drew her closer still, stoking the fire until it burned.
Feeling his control slipping, he yanked himself back and held her waist. Her eyelids fluttered open, her expression a picture of stunned arousal and shocking desire.
He let out a gruff chuckle, trying to ease the tension in his gut and calm the driving need to devour her.
‘Where’s your bedroom?’ he asked, surprised he could actually string a coherent sentence together.
She frowned and he could see the wary confusion cross her face.
‘What are you scared of, Red?’ he coaxed.
Her gaze flared with outrage and a strange pressure pushed at his chest.
She really was glorious when she was mad.
‘I’m not scared of you, that’s for sure.’ The fierce denial made her eyes flash with green fire. The desire in his abdomen flared.
Who would have guessed her independence was even hotter than those gorgeous curves or the fiery passion in her eyes?
‘Then let’s take what we both want,’ he said.
It was a dare, pure and simple. A risky strategy for sure—and not something he would normally do. He didn’t have to fight for what he wanted—not any more. Everything eventually fell into his lap, women most of all, because he always made sure he held all the cards.