Page 38 of Dangerous Lover

This was something Caroline was simply going to have to control. The man was no fool. He was observant and perceptive. Her skin was like a beacon signaling what she was thinking and feeling. She was remembering the sex and it was out of her control. Amazing. Normally Caroline had massive amounts of self control and was always very cool and in command, the complete mistress of herself with men.

Jack apparently was the exception.

Well, she was going to have to learn fast how to deal with her wayward thoughts because Jack was going to be coming in very soon and she had to be able to deal with him without turning red every other second.

Half an hour later, Caroline had showered quickly and cleaned up after last night’s dinner.

In the shower, she had resolutely thought of her bank account, the boiler and the last payment for Toby’s funeral which was due and would wipe her out financially for a couple of months. All things guaranteed to depress her spirits.

She needed that, because when she started washing herself, she was constantly reminded of how she’d spent the night. Washing herself between the legs had required particularly disheartening thoughts because before she soaped up, she could smell Jack and sex in the steamy cabinet and she could stillfeelhim between her legs, where she was slightly sore.

So while she dressed, went downstairs and proceeded to clean up, she was giving herself little pep talks about how she could remain cool when Jack walked back in. She could, she definitely could, why?—

“Hello.”

Oh God, all it took was one word in that deep voice and her stomach muscles clenched and every ounce of blood that wasn’t pooling between her thighs was rushing to her face. He’d come in so quietly she hadn’t even heard him, which was a miracle considering the garage door’s hinges needed oiling.

“Hi.” Caroline winced inwardly. Her voice sounded strangledand her face could probably substitute a stop light.

Jack was standing very still, just inside the door, the accumulated snow on his clothes starting to melt and drip onto the floor. They stared at each other, Caroline feeling flushed and awkward.

What was this? What kind of morning after were they having? A thank-you-for-the-bang-ma’am-and-I’ll-be-moseying-on-up-to-my-room-after-breakfast kind of morning? Was it a one night stand, what they’d had? Were they starting a … arelationship, and how awkward would that be with a boarder?

It was only when Caroline saw that his hands were almost blue from the cold that she flushed even more deeply, only this time with shame.

Manners and concern for others had been drummed into her from childhood and here she was, dithering about how she should react to Jack, while he waited patiently, hungry and tired. He must be freezing, he hadn’t had breakfast yet, he’d done her an enormous favor, and she was obsessed with what to call what they were doing

Caroline held out a hand. “Let me take your jacket, it’s dripping. You must be freezing! Go on up and take a shower and when you come down, I’ll have a nice hot breakfast waiting for you.”

He walked up to her, calmly, so close she started to take an instinctive step back before she stopped herself.

He looked down at her, smiling slightly. He’d noticed her instinctive movement. Damn the man, he noticed everything.

“Sounds great. I’ll look forward to that, but first—” He bent down and covered her mouth with his. He didn’t touch heranywhere but with his mouth, a source of infinite pleasure and warmth. Cold was coming off him and his clothes in waves, but he seemed to be able to infuse warmth in her through his mouth alone. His tongue stroked hers lazily, as if he had all the time in the world.

Kisses have a development, just like novels or movies. They usually start out slow and then rise to a crescendo, usually becoming harder, more penetrating, involving the body and not just the mouth. In Caroline’s experience, kisses led to sex or at least the promise of sex.

This was the first kiss she’d ever had that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. It just sort of meandered pleasantly all on its own. His tongue and lips plucked at hers, over and over, as if he’d be perfectly content to stay there all day, kissing her gently, touching her only with his mouth. It was a summer’s day by the riverbank kind of kiss, completely different from the intense sex of last night.

It was easy to drift with a kiss like that, lightly skimming the waves of consciousness. Caroline stopped being conscious of breathing or of standing slightly on the balls of her feet to reach his mouth.

It was Caroline who bumped it up to the next level, or at least tried to. She wanted a deeper taste of him and rose even higher on her feet, clutching his jacket. The shock of encountering patches of ice on his jacket brought her back to reality with a thump. She lowered herself back on her heels and stepped back. They looked at each other. He had a slight flush along his high cheekbones and his mouth was wet.

Caroline didn’t dare look down.

Dazed, she said, “You, um, need to get out of that jacket right now.”

“Here.” Jack unzipped the leather jacket and handed it to her. He had a faint smile on his face, or at least the grooves in his cheeks were deeper than usual. “And at this point, I’m really looking forward to that breakfast.”

She stood, holding the jacket that felt like a block of ice.

“Caroline?”

She started. “Oh! Um, go on up, now. Take your shower.” She made shooing movements with her hand.

Jack inclined his head gravely, turned around, and took the stairs three at a time.

Caroline stood and watched him go up. She shouldn’t. She knew that. It had been bad enough standing staring like a dummy when he’d smiled. Sort of smiled. When he lost that grim look, he became incredibly attractive. Her heart had definitely thumped.

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