“Damn straight we’ll see.” He jerked his head playfully. “I’ll prove it to you.”
I rolled my eyes and he pressed his warm mouth against mine, his tongue parting my lips. I jerked away. “If this is your way of proving it…”
His mouth instantly found mine again, the heat between us hot enough to start a fire. The taut muscles of his abs pressed tightly against my stomach. I found myself suddenly aware of his fingers and their location against the small of my back, pulling me against him. His body grew harder with every moment that passed and my defenses lowered.
I maneuvered my hands underneath his shirt and ran my fingers along the curves of his back. His skin was smooth and soft, yet hard and muscular. I found myself unable to stop exploring as I caressed every inch I could reach of his warm skin. Feeling his body this way sent excited tingles shooting throughout my entire body. He pressed the hardness in his jeans against me and I struggled to catch my breath. And even though I wasn’t ready to be one of Jack Carter’s conquests, I found it difficult to resist him when I was this turned on.
Melissa cleared her throat. “Jesus, you two. I feel like I should leave a tip after watching that.”
I peeled my tingling body away from his and wiped at my bottom lip, lust blurring my vision.
“We take quarters.” Jack smirked before leaning in for one last peck.
Melissa’s face contorted with confusion at the inside joke I realized I’d never shared with her. “Whatever. I have to finish my homework. Hurry up and make me some food.”
Jack impressed me by not only helping cook dinner, but cleaning up as well. He attempted to swat me with the dish towel a total of twelve times. It annoyed the hell out of me, but I’ll admit I also found it endearing. I shook my head absentmindedly, lost in thought.
“What are you shaking your head at?” Jack asked, leaning his hip against the counter.
“I was just thinking about us.” I flashed him a reassuring smile as I placed the towel back around the handle of the stove.
“Oh, yeah? What about us?” He took a step toward me.
I put my hand up to stop him. “Just about how differently I feel about you today versus when we met at the party that night.”
“And how do you feel about me today?” He grabbed my hand and tucked it behind my back, pulling my body against his.
“Well, I don’t hate you today.” I smiled, my heart rate picking up speed.
His lips moved toward my face, brushing against my cheek without stopping. “You didn’t hate me that night either,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear.
Excited chills replaced my will to playfully fight back. I pushed him and spun on my heels away from his hot body. “I have to get ready for bed.”
“I’ll come with you,” he called out to my retreating back.
I stopped and turned to face him, my eyes narrowing. “No, you will not.” I pressed my hand firmly against his hard chest. “You’ll stay right here until I’m done. Go watch SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight or something.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
His face softened, a half smile appearing. “Okay, Kitten. You get ready for bed and I’ll wait here.”
I assumed he thought I was up to something, but the truth was I had no intention of doing anything sexual with him tonight. I wasn’t ready and before this night was through, I was going to have to admit that to him. It was a conversation I dreaded having. I washed the makeup off my face, brushed my teeth, and slipped into my pink tank top and white boxer shorts before reentering the living room.
“You can come in now,” I announced from the doorway.
Jack’s gaze slid over my body, then he pushed himself up from the couch and sauntered toward me, a smile plastered across his cheeks. “Night, Melissa.” He smacked my backside with his hand and steered me toward my bedroom.
“Stop it, brat!” I shouted as I ran into the bedroom. I watched as he closed the door behind him and then reached into his overnight bag.
“I brought you something.” He pulled an empty mason jar from his bag and handed it to me.
I turned it in my hand, my eyes narrowed in confusion before reading the handwritten note stuck to the opposite side: Kitten’s Quarters. I laughed out loud before placing the jar on top of my dresser.
“These too.” He pulled out the bag of quarters from our first date, the sound of them clinking against one another taking me back in time.
“Cute.” I smiled as he poured the contents of the bag into the jar.
“You owe me a lot of touches, Kitten.” His lips pursed together, his tone teasing.
“Apparently. Who knew you could be so clever?”
“Everyone except you,” he answered in that cocky tone so uniquely his.
“Oh, here we go,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Kitten.” Jack’s brows pulled together, his voice stern. “What did I tell you about the eyes?” He took two steps toward me and our faces nearly touched. He brushed his hand along my cheek before placing it behind my neck and pulling my mouth to his. His tongue parted my lips and entered. His hand followed the lines of my curves until stopping on my hip with a firm grip. My eyes rolled behind closed eyelids as I lost myself in his touch.
And as quickly as it began, he pulled away, a satisfied smirk plastered all over his face. He bent down near his overnight bag and pulled out a leather pouch filled with his things. “Is it okay if I jump in the shower?”
“Of course. There’s a towel under the sink.” I smiled, still trying to catch my faltering breath. My eyes refused to look away from him as he ripped his shirt off and dropped it to the floor near my sink. His tanned, well-defined arms caused my insides to stir. He unzipped his shorts before stepping out of them and promptly pressed his body against the counter as he reached for the toothpaste. I forced myself to look away before I started actually drooling at the sight of him in nothing but some well-fitting boxer briefs.
Staying strong tonight might be harder than I thought.
When the shower turned off, he opened the door, my green towel wrapped tightly around his waist. Beads of water dripped from his wet black hair as coils of hazy steam swirled around him.
“Kitten, can you throw me a pair of briefs?”
I tossed off the covers and crept out of bed toward his duffle bag. I opened the flap of fabric and noticed dress shirts, ties, and slacks. “What’s with all the dressy clothes?”
“We have to dress up whenever we travel.”
“Seriously? Why?”
“Because, Kitten, it’s the rules. We have to look presentable. And we’re a professional college baseball team. We have to make a good impression.”
“Huh, I guess that makes sense,” I said, before rooting around for his briefs.
He laughed. “It’s a hell of a lot better than a bunch of rowdy guys in t-shirts and baggy shorts.”
“That’s true!” I rooted around in his bag and grabbed the first pair I could find. “Here,” I said, throwing the undergarment toward his feet.
“Thanks, babe,” he responded before allowing the towel to drop to the floor. I felt my jaw drop right along with it as my eyes refused to look away. My insides flushed with heat as he turned his head to face me. He smiled confidently before reaching for the briefs and slipping into them.
Holy shit. This night might kill me.
“Like what you see?” Jack teased, his eyebrow cocked as he slipped into bed next to me.
“Why don’t you just date a mirror?” I shot back, his cockiness forcing my defensive nature to re-emerge.
“For starters, I can’t have sex with a mirror.” His mouth formed into a slight smirk that made me want to smack him. Before I could respond his mouth was on mine, his tongue minty from my toothpaste.
My tough defenses faded as the warmth of his skin penetrated my thin clothing, his lower body grinding against mine. The feeling of his hardness working against me caused a slight moan to escape from my lips.
“I want you, Cassie.” Jack touched his lips against my neck. His tongue was warm on my skin as he licked his way up toward my ear, his breath raspy and hot. “I want you,” he whispered breathily before nibbling on my earlobe, the grinding between my legs continuing.
“Jack.” I spoke his name between breaths. “Jack, stop.” He stopped moving and I felt his heart thumping rapidly against my chest. His thumb rested on the side of my face as I lost myself in the brown of his eyes. “I’m sorry. I want to…just not tonight.”
I braced myself for his reaction, unsure of what it would consist of. In the past, it royally pissed guys off if I’d asked them to stop. They acted as if it was their God-given right to have sex with me, whether I was ready or not. Guys seemed to change into different people whenever their dicks were involved.
All warmth left me as Jack rolled onto his side, his body still facing mine. “It’s okay, Kitten. I don’t want to do it if you’re not ready.” He leaned toward me, his lips pressing against the tip of my nose.
“Thanks.” I smiled, grateful he didn’t seem angry.
“But you’ll be ready soon, right?” He couldn’t keep a straight face as the words left his lips. “I’m kidding. No pressure.” He smiled, his voice reassuring and calm.
I smiled in relief at his understanding as he reached for me. He hugged me tightly before placing my head against his chest, both arms wrapped around me. “Would it help if you knew I was falling in love with you?”
I tore myself from his grip, my eyes locking on his. “Don’t fuck with me, Jack Carter.”
He stifled a laugh as he reached for me. “I’m not.”
I leaned down to kiss him, my emotions tangling up inside me. “Say it,” I begged as my tongue swept across his bottom lip.
“So much for no pressure,” Jack teased, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Say it,” I begged again.
“I,” he hesitated before looking me square in the eyes, his head nodding, “I love you.” He pulled at the back of my neck, his mouth devouring every part of mine.
“Jack.” I breathed his name as I melted into him, my legs wrapped around his waist. And just like that, those three little words had changed me. Desire overwhelmed me as I longed to be connected to him in every possible way. I wished for the space between us to disappear as I inched my body closer to his. “I want you.”
He pulled back slightly. “We don’t have to do this, that’s not why I said it,” he said, running his fingers down my back.
“I know it’s not, but I want to.” I was actually surprised at myself, my pelvis grinding slowly against his as my desire grew.
“You sure?” He searched my eyes as he asked one last time.
“You trying to talk me out of it?” I teased and rolled away from him.
His eyes widened as he watched me scoot out of my boxer shorts, revealing the light blue thong hidden underneath. He tossed my shorts onto the floor before leaning over and tenderly kissing the top of my foot. He knelt down and worked his hands and mouth up my calf to my thigh, not an inch of skin left untouched. I practically vibrated with excitement and need, but allowed him to continue to explore.