Happy with his reaction, but wanting him as needy as he’d made her, she unfastened his shorts and dived beneath the fabric to locate skin. A curse escaped him when she sent his clothes to pool at his feet. She grasped him firmly.
Abandoning his own exploration, he pulled her hands away and carried them around to his back. His mouth settled on hers again, this time stealing her breath and her sense of equilibrium. She was spinning. Twirling. Lost in the universe. Only Jason’s mouth on hers, his arms banding her body to his, gave her any sense of reality.
This is what she’d been missing on the couch in his den and on the deck in California. The line between friend and lover wasn’t just blurred, it was eradicated by hunger and wanton impulses. Hesitations were put aside. There was only heat and urgency. Demand and surrender.
Her back bumped against something. She opened her eyes as Jason’s lips left hers.
“I need you now,” she murmured as he nibbled down her neck.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
Her knees wouldn’t survive the climb. “I can’t make it that far.”
“What do you have in mind?”
His kitchen table caught her eye. “How about this?”
Her knees had enough strength to back him up five feet. He looked surprised when she shoved him onto one of the four straight-back chairs.
“I’m game if you are.”
She hadn’t finished shimmying out of her skirt when she felt his fingers hook in the waistband of her hot pink thong and begin drawing it down her thighs. Naked, she stared down at him, her heart pinging around in her chest.
There was no turning back from this moment.
Jason’s fingers bit into her hips as she straddled the chair. Meeting his gaze, she positioned herself so the tip of him grazed her entrance. Looking into his eyes, she could see straight to his soul. No veils hid his emotions from her.
She lowered herself, joining them in body as in spirit, let her head fall back and gloried at the perfection of their fit.
*
He’d died and gone to heaven. With Ming arched over his arm, almost limp in his grasp, he’d reached a nirvana of sorts. The sensation of being buried inside her almost blew the top of his head off. He shuddered, lost in a bewildering maze of emotions.
“This is the first time,” he muttered, lowering his lips to her throat, “I’ve never done this before.”
She tightened her inner muscles around him and he groaned. Her chest vibrated in what sounded like a laugh. With her fingers digging into his shoulders, she straightened and stared deep into his eyes.
“I have it on good authority,” she began, leaning forward to draw her tongue along his lower lip, “that this is not your first time.” She spoke without rancor, unbothered by the women he’d been with before.
He stroked his hands up her spine, fingers gliding over her silken skin, feeling the ridges made by her ribs. “It’s the first I’ve ever had sex without protection.”
“Really?” She peered at him from beneath her lashes. “I’m your first?”
“My only.”
The instant the words were out, Jason knew he’d said too much. Delight flickered in her gaze. Her glee lasted only for the briefest of instances, but he’d spotted it, knew what he’d given away.
“I like the sound of that.”
“Only because I am never going to get anyone but you pregnant.”
Her smile transformed her from serene and mysterious to animated and exotic. “I like the sound of that, too.” This time when she kissed him, there was no teasing in her actions. She took his mouth, plunged her tongue deep and claimed him.
Fisting a hand in her hair, Jason answered her primal call. Their tongues danced in familiar rhythm, as if they hadn’t had their first kiss over a decade before. He knew exactly how to drive her wild, what made her groan and tremble.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she whispered, her breath hot in his ear. “You’re my first, too.”
Incapable of speech as she explored his chest, her clever fingers circling his nipples, nails raking across their sensitive surface, he arched his brow at her in question.
“I’ve never had sex on a kitchen chair before.” She rotated her hips in a sexy figure eight that wrenched a groan from his throat. “I rather like it.”
Pressure built in his groin as she continued to experiment with her movements. Straddling his lap, she had all the control she could ever want to drive him mad. Breath rasping, eyes half-closed, Jason focused on her face to distract himself from the pleasure cascading through his body. In all the dreams he’d had of her, nothing had been this perfect.
Arching her back, she shifted the angle of her hips and moved over him again. “Oh, Jason, this is incredible.”
“Amazing.” He garbled the word, provoking a short laugh from her. “Perfect.”
“Yes.” She sat up straight and looked him square in the eyes. “It’s never been like this.”
“For me, either.”
Deciding they’d done enough talking, Jason kissed her, long and deep. Her movements became more urgent as their passion burned hotter. His fingers bit into her hips, guiding her. A soft cry slipped from her parted lips. Jason felt her body tense and knew she was close. That’s all it took to start his own climax. Gaze locked on her face, he held back, waiting for her to pitch over the cliff. The sheer glory of it caught him off guard. She gave herself completely to the moment. And called his name.
With his ears filled with her rapture, he lost control and spilled himself inside her. They were making more than a baby. They were making a moment that would last forever. The richness of the experience shocked him. Never in a million years would he have guessed that letting himself go so completely would hit him with this sort of power.
Shaking, Jason gathered Ming’s body tight against his chest and breathed heavily. As the last pulses of her orgasm eased, he smoothed her hair away from her face and bestowed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“I’m glad I was your first,” she murmured, her slender arms wrapped around his neck.
He smiled. “I’m glad you’re my only.”
*
Taking full advantage of Jason’s king-size bed, Ming lay on her stomach lengthwise across the mattress. With her chin on his chest, her feet kicking the air, she watched him. Naked and relaxed, he’d stretched out on his back, his hands behind his head, eyes closed, legs crossed at the ankle. An easy smile tipped the corners of his lips upward. Ming regarded his satisfied expression, delighted that she’d been the one to bring him to this state. Twice.
While her body was utterly drained of energy, the same couldn’t be said for her mind. “Now that we have that out of the way, perhaps you can explain why you’ve been avoiding me for two days.”
Jason’s expression tightened. “Have you talked to your sister?”
“Lily?” Ming pushed herself into a sitting position. “We had brunch before I came here. Why?”
His lashes lifted. “She didn’t tell you.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “Tell me what?”
“About her and Evan.” Jason looked unhappy. “They’ve been seeing each other.”
“My sister and your brother?” Ming repeated the words but couldn’t quite get her mind around the concept. “Seeing each other…you mean dating?”
Her gaze slid over Jason. Two weeks ago she’d have laughed at anyone who told her she and Jason were going to end up in bed together. The news of Evan and Lily was no less unexpected.
“Yes.” He touched her arm, fingers gentle as they stroked her skin. “Are you okay?”
His question startled her. But it was the concern on his face that made her take stock of her reaction. To her dismay she felt a twinge of discomfort. But she’d be damned if she’d admit it.
“If they get married we’ll end up being brother and sister.” She was trying for levity but fell short of the mark.
Jason huffed out an impatient breath. “Don’t make light of this with me. I’m worried that you’ll end up getting hurt.”
Ming’s bravado faded. “But it can’t be that serious. Lily is moving to Portland. She wouldn’t be doing that if they had a future together.” Her voice trailed away. “That’s why she’s leaving, isn’t it? They’re in love and my sister can’t break it off and stick around. She needs to move thousands of miles away to get over him.”
“I don’t know if your sister is in love with Evan.”
“But Evan’s in love with her.”
Jason clamped his mouth shut, but the truth was written all over his face.
Needing a second to recover her equilibrium, Ming left the bed and snagged Jason’s robe off the bathroom door. She put it on and fastened the belt around her waist. By the time she finished rolling up the sleeves, she felt calmer and more capable of facing Jason.
“How long have you known?” Ming heard the bitterness in her voice and tried to reel in her emotions. Evan hadn’t exactly broken her heart when he’d ended their engagement, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been hurt. She’d been weeks away from committing to him for the rest of her life.
“I’ve known they were going out but didn’t realize how serious things had gotten until I spoke with Evan last night.” Jason left the bed and came toward her. “Are you okay?”