Page 77 of Look What You Made Me Do

“And what about you?” His gaze dropped to her mouth again and she swayed a little. “What do you need?”

The air in Ella’s lungs felt as heavy as wet sand at his blatant invitation. She needed only one thing in this moment but if she cracked that seal for a third time, she was worried she’d never be able to slake her thirst and her needs had to come second for a little while longer.

There was a school to save.

Giving a husky little half-laugh, she waved dismissively and said, “That doesn’t matter right now.”

And she actually believed it for a split second. Until Jake snagged her hip and dragged her flush to him, all his heat and hardness pressing into her and she barely stopped herself from whimpering.

“Ella.” His rough whisper drew her nipples to tight, aching points. “It’s okay to want things for yourself. To be selfish every now and then.”

Raising his hand, he gently tucked a strand of hair that had worked loose from her ponytail behind her ear, firing off a swathe of goosebumps down the side of her neck. She shut her eyes at the gentle touch, feeling it everywhere.

“Damn it,” he muttered and groaned a groan so low and rumbly it was practically subterranean. Her eyes fluttered open to find him staring at her mouth like he was starving for it and she was suddenly ravenous, too. “I wish I didn’t want to kiss you so much.”

Ella wished she didn’t want to kiss him either but suddenly that’s exactly what they were doing, his lips hot on hers, her breasts squashed against his chest, her arms snaking around his neck. Passion exploded full roar between them as the kisses deepened and they pressed closer, the long, hard thickness of him grinding into the apex of her thighs setting her instantly aflame, making her dizzy with need.

Too damn dizzy. He filled her up too much. Made it hard to breathe. Hard to think.

She broke off, dragging in much-needed air, her heart pounding like a massive sub-woofer at a rock concert. His mouth was wet, his pupils so dilated there was only the thinnest rim of green iris as he closed in again.

“Wait.”

Her pulse thrummed as she held herself back from him. As much as was possible anyway with their thighs pressed so intimately and his aroma – beer, lime and pheromones – drowning her good sense. But she was determined to finish business before she got to pleasure.

“Ella?”

His voice was a ragged pant and it was gratifying to see him looking just as sucker punched as her.

“I take it this is a yes? You’ll coach the team.”

“Yes.” He huffed out a pained laugh then reached for the hem of her blouse and yanked it over her head in one swift movement. “Paradise,” he muttered, staring at her pink bra before sliding his hands to cup her breasts, kneading them, lowering his mouth to the swell of her cleavage.

Ella dragged herself back from melting into a puddle on the floor. “Wait,” she said again, pulling his head up.

“What?” he demanded, his breathing hard.

“We’re supposed to be keeping this professional.”

He snorted. “Fuck professional.”

Then he reached for the twinkling diamante clasp in the depths of her cleavage, flicking it with an expert twist of his hand. Ella looked down as her breasts sprang free.

“Is there some place you go to study that?”

“University of life.” He traced the ridge of her collar bone with his index finger. “Got myself a PhD.”

The finger headed south over the swell of a breast to the rapidly hardening nipple which shot a bolt of pure, unadulterated need right between her legs.

Oh God.

“Jake,” she whispered, grasping his shoulder as the whole room tilted. She had to keep her head here. Be the responsible one. “I’m serious about the professional thing.”

“Fine,” he muttered as he bent his head and his lips followed the path of his fingers. “Tomorrow.”

And, as his mouth closed over one taut, achy, flushed tip, Ella figured she could be professional tomorrow, too.

The dogs greeted them enthusiastically as she and Jake walked up the front path the next afternoon. Cerberus almost wriggled out of his skin, he was shimmying so much, and Ella watched as Jake gave the dog – his dog – some extra love. It had been a tumultuous twenty-four hours but suddenly things felt like they were back on track.

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