He wouldn’t have let that happen, of course. Not without putting up one helluva fight. And certainly not with what he could only assume to be a hefty price on her pretty little head.
But Poppy hadn’t run. Instead, she’d grilled him like a pro, and he’d answered every single question truthfully and without hesitation. Even now, even knowing what a closed-off asshole he was…
She still wants me.
Jax wrapped his other arm around her waist, his fingers inadvertently slipping beneath her top’s silky-smooth hem. They brushed against the skin at the small of her back, the heat there radiating from his hands to his very soul.
Poppy opened her mouth wide, an invitation for him to enter. More than willing to oblige, Jax tilted his head to the side and did the same.
A guttural moan traveled between them as his tongue met hers in an explosion of passion. She tasted of sweetness with a touch of mint, the latter probably from having brushed her teeth before bed.
Poppy’s fingernails dug into the skin at the back of his neck, the pleasurable pain sparring Jax into action. Placing his hands on her hips, he hoisted her off her feet and into his arms.
In what he assumed was a reflexive move, her legs wrapped around his waist as her hands slapped down onto his jacketed shoulders to keep from falling. He wouldn’t let her fall.
Not fucking ever.
Jax continued to devour her as he turned them around and pressed her up against the nearest wall. Poppy’s long hair fell in waves, blanketing them as they continued partaking in their erotic feast.
His cock ached to the point of pain as it pressed against the inside of his zipper. Body desperate for relief, his hips thrust forward of their own accord. Despite the denim barrier, he could feel the heat radiating from her core. And when a tiny mewling sound escaped from the back of her throat, Jax thought—
Mine!
It was a ridiculous thought. One he’d revisit at a later date. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Like making sure the woman in his arms felt alive.
Using his weight and one arm to keep her steady, Jax slid his right hand down her narrow waist and around the luscious curve of her thigh. Poppy moaned again, the sound one he already knew he’d never get tired of hearing.
In fact, he wanted to hear it over and over, again and again. And again.
With that thought in mind, Jax moved his hand lower. So low, his palm slipped beneath the edge of those tempting shorts. Sliding up and around, he didn’t stop until his fingertips found her most intimate spot.
Poppy sucked in a sharp breath, but she never wavered from their kiss. Her earlier words rang through his mind as she took the kiss even deeper than before.
One harmless little kiss. Just enough to make me feel alive. You can understand my need to feel that right now, can’t you?
Jax did know. More than she’d ever be able to understand.
Nearly dying did all sorts of funny things to a person. The fear, the adrenaline, the relief when one realized they’d been granted a second chance at life… All those things swirled together inside a person’s soul, and the outcome was often an almost heightened, euphoric state.
Some people stopped and really took stock of their lives up to that moment. Others went to the nearest bar and drank themselves into an oblivion. And sometimes an adrenaline rush like the one Poppy had experienced a few hours before created an animalistic need to mate.
In other words, nearly dying had caused the woman in his arms to become very, very horny.
Don’t worry, Kitten. I’ve got just the fix for that.
Taking things a step further than one hot-as-fuck kiss, Jax found the elastic edge of her panties and slid his fingers beneath it. Poppy gasped against his mouth, her body jerking from that first intimate contact.
Jax wanted to give thanks to the gods when he found her sex swollen and drenched with desire.
She kissed him with wild abandon. Licking and sucking, her tongue swirling around his as if she couldn’t get enough. As if she needed more.
Knowing just the cure for what ailed her, Jax slid his middle finger into her molten core. He swallowed her moan, the sound mixing with his own as he began moving his hand in a slow, torturous rhythm.
“Jax,” Poppy breathed his name against his lips as if it were a blessing.
Little did she know a guy like him was more of a curse.