He nods. “Jared and Dexter. We grew up together, even worked together until I took over here.”
“You gave up another job to take on this place?” I ask in surprise. For some reason, I just assumed he’d always been involved in the business in some capacity or other.
“Yeah. I couldn’t sit back and watch this place go down the financial plughole.”
“What did you do before?”
“I was a firefighter, like Jared and Dex.” My mouth drops open, and Jensen bursts out laughing. “Is that so hard to picture?”
“No, no! Not at all!” I’m quick to reassure him, suddenly bombarded with images of him in full firefighting gear. I wonder if I should tell him I have an out-of-control bush fire in my panties that needs dousing? “It’s just—I guess that’s why you’re so shit at the finance side of things.”
Jensen laughs again, and the rich sound washes over me. The urge to body-slam him to the kitchen floor and suck his face off is growing stronger by the second.
“You’re right. I am shit at the finances. I’ve been bumbling my way along for the last few years, which is why I ended up in this mess,” he says sheepishly. He lifts warm brown eyes to mine. “But every cloud has a silver lining because it brought me you.”
And I’m done. Done fighting this - whatever ‘this’ is between us.
I lick my lips nervously. “Jensen?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?” he replies, his eyes boring into mine as if he knows what I’m going to say.
“I, uh, I think I’d like you to kiss me now.”
Before I’ve even finished speaking, he’s rounded the breakfast bar and yanked me to my feet, folding me against his hard body. In the next instant, his mouth is on mine, his stubble a delicious abrasion against my skin as he kisses me hard and deep. He’s not gentle—his mouth devouring mine with rough, needy desire.
My desire matches his, and I meet the thrust of his tongue with my own, bunching my hands in his shirt to clutch him to me. His hands grip my ass, pulling me closer so I can feel his hardness pressing into my stomach.
“God, I want inside you so bad! Wanna make you mine,” he mutters, sliding his mouth along the sensitive flesh of my neck.
“I’m scared, Jensen,” I whisper.
His head lifts, and he looks at me. “I’d never hurt you, sweetheart. I’d rather die than—"
I place my fingers over his mouth to stall him. “I know. I mean, I’m scared of what I’m feeling. I’m falling for you, but I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want promises you can’t keep. I’ve had too many of those.”
He cups my face in his hands, smoothing his thumbs across my cheeks. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, baby. You say you’re falling for me, but I’ve already fallen for you. You have all the power because I’m in deep here, Poppy. You’re what I want, what I’ve been missing. I just didn’t know it until you literally fell into my arms.”
I feel wetness on my cheeks and suddenly realize I’m crying. “You may be shit with finances, but you’re fucking amazing with words,” I whisper.
“And you’re fucking amazing, period. Gonna show you just how amazing you are,” he mutters.
I squeal as he bends and throws me over his shoulder in a firefighter’s carry, heading for the bedroom…