Page 72 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

He winced. “I do. Let’s say things have…changed.”

Neither of them said what they were thinking. Jameson let her have the space. Things had turned fast between them, and she needed to get her footing. Even he felt a bit topsy turvy with how close he suddenly felt to her in such a short time, and it had all started out not liking each other.

Yeah. Things had definitely changed.

“I’ll walk you to the car.”

Devon hooked Bear to the leash and stood. Jameson offered his hand. Her fingers entwined with his as they threaded their way to the back door and down the stone path. The graveledparking lot was empty. Darkness enshrouded them by the empty tennis courts. The Physick Estate behind the restaurant glowed with holiday lights. The winter air was cold and sharp and still. Thick clouds blocked the moon.

Bear trudged beside. “When do you want to drop him off tomorrow?” she asked.

“Eight am, okay?”

“Yes.” She turned to face him, her back to the car. “Thank you for dinner. It was amazing.”

“Thank you for joining me. I enjoyed cooking for you.”

Underneath his polite words, Jameson’s entire body throbbed with need. Her cheeks were flushed with cold. Her hair surrounded her like a silk curtain, and those big green eyes stared up at him, filled with a mysterious myriad of emotion he craved to figure out. The scent of florals and pine drifted to his nostrils.

“See you tomorrow,” she said.

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

She twisted to open the car door. His feet were frozen to the ground, his fingers clenched into tight fists. His heart beat savagely in his chest and he tamped down hard on his animal need to touch her.

The door opened.

They moved at the same time.

Jameson stepped forward and she kicked the door closed, turning right into his arms. He gave a low growl of satisfaction as her warm, soft body crashed against his, and he cupped her chilled cheeks, stamping his mouth over hers.

Politeness and hesitation fell away. Tonight, the kiss was raw and passionate and bold. She opened beneath him and demanded more, wrapping her arms around his neck tight, hanging on. His hands drifted to cup her rear, squeezing the full globes and lifting her to meet his hungry mouth. The kiss wasdeep and long and dirty, and Jameson reveled in every single second.

He backed her up against the car. She gave a sexy little moan and he captured it, his tongue tangling with hers, his hands urging her legs to open so he could step between them and feel more of her. Sparks caught fire. He was hard and aching, and his head spun with a need that clawed from his gut to claim her. To give her pleasure. To fuck her so well and so long, all she could do was cry his name.

The primitive roar of instinct to imprint himself on this woman he held took him off guard.

He ripped his mouth away from hers, his breath ragged as he stared at her in the trickling moonlight.

Lips swollen and damp, she blinked up at him, obviously as foggy as him. Her pupils were dilated black with desire. Jameson ruthlessly tamped down the wild need inside, his grip gentling as he tried to regain his sanity. This was too much. Too much...

Messiness.

But God, he wanted it. Wanted Devon Pratt.

His fingers practically shook as he carefully tucked some flyaway strands behind her ear. Slowly, she began to rouse from the buzz. “Well, that’s twice you managed to surprise me.”

He kept his words light though his insides were raw. “Ditto, flower girl. But you deserve a hell of a lot more than being laid out on the hood of the car.”

A sexy smile tugged her lips. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Not a bad idea for another time. Good night, Jameson.”

This time, she opened the door, slid into the driver’s seat, and took off.

He stared at the taillights with a stunned expression that felt frozen to his face.

That woman had game.

Oh, he was toast. He was already half in love with her and it made no sense.

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