Page 51 of Jack of Hearts
Her eyes were locked on his, her pupils dilated, their color reminding him of a stormy green sea. She licked her lips, drawing his attention to them. He stepped forward, crowding her, and still keeping her eyes on his, she backed up. So, she wanted to play. Another step toward her, one back from her, and then he did it again and again, until she was up against the wall.
“Where to now?” he said as he put his hands against the wall, caging her. When her gaze darted to the left, he laughed. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not running away.” He pushed his body hard against hers, rocking his hips. “Feel that?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Do you want it?”
She nodded.
“Say it. Tell me you want it.”
“I do. I want it.”
A moan slipped out of her when he rubbed against her again, and the needy sound almost sent him over the edge. He angled his head and covered her mouth with his. The taste of her exploded in his mouth as their tongues slid over and around each other. He could get insanely drunk just from tasting her. Trailing his thumb down the column of her neck, he kept going until he came to the top button of her blouse. He slipped his hand underneath the soft material, spreading his fingers over her left breast, caressing the silky skin above her bra.
She lifted a leg, wrapping it around his thigh, and he reached down, pulling her other leg around him. He moved his mouth to her earlobe, nipping it with his teeth. “Now I’ve got you right where I want you, wrapped around me.” When she tugged on his T-shirt, he leaned his torso back, letting her pull it over his head.
It didn’t take him but seconds to have her blouse off, and he took a moment to appreciate the sexy bra. “Beautiful,” he murmured. The creamy skin rising above the red lace beckoned him, and he lowered his mouth, skimming his tongue and lips along the top of the lace.
Alex chuckled against her skin when she dug the heels of her boots into his thighs. “I never thought riding boots were all that sexy, but combined with this little skirt, and those beautiful legs of yours showing in between ... I’ve changed my mind about that. But it’s time for them to come off.”
“Okay.” She nestled into him, burying her face against his neck.
“Hold on.” With her wrapped around him, he walked them into his bedroom. “Down you go.” He lowered her onto his bed. When she reached for a boot to remove it, he brushed her hands away. “Allow me.”
After he’d taken off her boots and socks, she wiggled her toes. “Ah, nice.”
“Yeah?” He danced his fingers over the soles of her feet.
“Ack!” Laughing, she tackled him, landing on his chest and taking him down. As they rolled around on the bed, trying to tickle each other, giggling like six-year-olds, Alex realized two things. First, he was turned on, which made this the most unusual foreplay he’d ever participated in. Second, he was ticklish. Who knew?
For a few minutes, he lulled her into thinking she was his equal as they wrestled each other, then he attacked, pinning her under him while he captured her hands in one of his, holding them above her head.
“Now what you gonna do?” he said, pinning her legs under his.
“Surrender?” Her grin said she had no problem with that.
Her fiery red hair was spread over the pillow, and the laughter in her eyes faded, replaced by desire as they stared at each other. He didn’t know what it was about her that was different from the women he’d been with before, but whatever it was called to him in a way that made him want her in his life. Maybe forever.
Unless the lie—the one that sat on his chest like a boulder—of who he was held so much weight that it would crush this thing growing between them. He knew by now that she wasn’t involved with her cousin, and he believed he could trust her. It was killing him, this keeping something so big, something she deserved to know, a secret.
“Madison ...”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Mmm?” Madison said when Alex hesitated. He hovered over her, holding his weight on his elbows, intensely staring at her, but she was having trouble concentrating with his bare chest in front of her face. She lifted her hand and trailed her fingers across his shoulders and down his arms, feeling his muscles flex under her palm. Lord, she liked touching him.
He closed his eyes, breaking the connection between them, and gave a shake of his head. “Nothing.” His eyes blinked open, smiling. “I was just thinking that you still have too many clothes on.”
“So do you,” she said, not pressing him, although she wondered what it was he hadn’t said. His expression had been too serious, and the way he’d said her name had been hesitant, almost as if ...
He covered her mouth with his, and her thoughts slipped away. For a man, he had soft lips, but his kisses were a mix of gentle and demanding. It was dizzying the way he took possession of her mouth. His tongue slipped in when she parted her lips, and he explored every crevice before tangling their tongues.
Their breaths mingled until she didn’t know which was his and which was hers. She slid her palms down his sides, doing her own exploring, his skin quivering under her fingers.
He pushed away, settled on his knees, and stared down at her. “Too many clothes,” he grumbled, making her laugh.
She loved that about him, the way he was both playful and intensely sensual. It was novel. Not that she had a lot of experience with men and sex, but the few she’d been with had pretty much dived in, got what they wanted, and then rolled over and gone to sleep. She thought Alex might be right when he said it was possible they could set his bed on fire.
