Nobody But You
Page 23

 Jill Shalvis

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It’d been a long time since she’d felt like a sensual creature of any kind, but need and hunger were rolling through her now, nudging at her good spots. And actually, it was more than nudging. It was washing over her in waves. Need. Hunger. Desire.
And best yet, she saw the way Jacob’s eyes had darkened, the way the same need and hunger she felt had tightened his body.
Still not speaking, he caressed the hair falling over her temple, drawing his finger slowly along her jaw to the corner of her mouth. He paused and then once again leaned in.
She didn’t hesitate to press in to him, or to moan when he kissed her again. He kept things gentle, his hands warm at her back, his lips caressing hers.
But she didn’t want gentle. Little shocks of need were racing through her, and she leaned in to him, finding his hard body in complete opposition to the softness of his touch. She could feel how restrained he held himself and wanted to rip at that tight control, unleash the power he was so clearly working hard at keeping reined in. “Jacob.”
“Yeah?”
She bit down on his lower lip and then slid her mouth slowly across his.
He pulled his mouth away a fraction and stared into her eyes. She stared back, seeing the reflection of her own heavy-lidded expression. His eyes darkened, flamed, telling her he could read her like a book, which made her stomach clench with excitement. “You in a hurry?” he asked, voice low and sexy as hell.
“Yes!”
He flashed a smile and then kissed her again, this time deeply, hungrily. The night, the moon, the stars, everything spun around her in a delicious whirl.
It was the alcohol, she told herself, but she knew that wasn’t it.
It was Jacob, and right then and there her entire belief that this kind of chemistry didn’t exist went up in smoke—just poof, gone.
And she was okay with it because, holy cow, this crazy heat had a lot going for it. As long as they were doing this, she could let herself go just a little bit. Because lust was okay. She could handle lust. Was handling it just fine, as both of her hands were full of Jacob. She wanted to touch everywhere: his broad shoulders, the biceps that were hard as rocks, his chest so warm and solid and pressed to hers. God. God, she couldn’t get enough, and she was thinking of ripping her clothes off when he used the hand he’d entwined in her hair to pull free of her.
“What?” she gasped.
He stared into her eyes. “Just making sure we don’t take this further than you bargained for.”
A sexy, alpha gentleman. She’d never wanted anyone like she wanted him. Slowly she shook her head.
“No, it’s not more than you bargained for?” he asked. “Or no, you want to stop?”
“If you stop, I’ll cry.”
He looked at her for a beat and then easily lifted her up and deposited her on the instrument panel, which put them face-to-face.
And body-to-body.
Mmm, yes. She spread her legs and he stepped between them. She wanted him to shove her dress up to her waist and admire the last pair of pretty undies she had before laundry day tomorrow. She wanted him to dip his fingers beneath the lace and remind her of all she’d been missing since she’d stopped loving Lucas, since she’d shoved her feminine, sexual side deep down and refused to let it out.
But he didn’t. Instead, he slowed the kiss, gently turned down the power of his sexuality and brought her slowly back with him, calming her—not easy since she could hear herself breathing like she’d just run the entire length of the mall to get to the opening of a Macy’s shoe sale. Her entire body yearned and burned and ached.
But though he was still touching her, it was the kind of hold that wasn’t going anywhere, and suddenly she felt…exposed. She shoved him, and he immediately took a step away, looked into her eyes.
The bastard even had the nerve to smile. “Yeah, you’re back.”
She crossed her arms.
His mouth quirked as he turned and started to walk away.
She stared after him, still breathing heavily, still aroused beyond belief. “Hey!”
He turned away, hands in his pockets, the night breeze plastering his shirt to his torso like a second skin.
“I suppose you think it’s funny, leaving me in this state?” she said.
His mouth curved, but his eyes were serious. “You think you’re the only one feeling it?”
This had her pausing. “I don’t know. What state are you in?”
“State Wrecked,” came his quiet answer, and then he was gone.
She was still standing there contemplating what had just happened when her cell buzzed an incoming call. Seeing it was her sister, Brooklyn, she blew out a breath and answered as casually as she could, considering she was in, as Jacob had so helpfully noted, State Wrecked. “You okay?”