Page 26 of A Taste of Trouble

That made her smile, a real, full smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled. But her vulnerability added another dimension Jake was unable to resist.

“Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever see you again.” Liv scooted away and picked up the brush she'd been using and played with the bristles.

“Why's that?”

Liv let her shoulders bunch up and she shrank into herself. “Because I sort of flipped out on you.”

“I'm not giving up on getting you to go out with me that easily.”

She blushed and her eyes lowered to the floor. There was still time to get her to agree.

“I do wish you would have talked to me.” He had more to offer than just his penis.

She shook her head. “I don't need someone to talk to.”

“Oh, no?” He remembered. She didn't need someone to talk to. She wanted someone to have sex with. “What do you need?” he asked.

How the emphasis of one two-letter word could turn a PG-13 moment into something bound for the NC-17 shelves didn't make sense. But she understood his motive. She heard it loud and clear.

Stop it! You're traveling down a road you can't go down. Turn this around.

Liv swiped her bottom lip, her perfect tongue gliding slowly along the plump flesh. All of a sudden taking the high road was not on his mind at all.

She closed the distance between them before he took his next breath. The next thing he knew, her soft lips were pressed against his, heaven against his own. She pushed into him, her arm wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer.

This was exactly what he wanted. Exactly how he had imagined their first kiss in slow, graphic detail.

Jake grabbed her hip and nudged her closer, and in the next second, rubber gloves were ripped from their hands and she was straddling him. Her hot center pressed against the part of him that ached for her the most. She whimpered when he clasped his hands around her and rocked her body, pushing her against him in a slow, smooth rhythm. Their lips tangled, hard and rough. Liv controlled the pressure, her soft hands gripping his jaw. They were like fire against his cold skin. Despite the temperature of the fridge, their bodies had forgotten the cold.

Her palms slid down to his groin and Jake moaned, loving the feel of her hands on him. But out of nowhere, his mission flashed before his eyes. Jake tensed and pulled away.

“Fast…” he panted, moving her hands away from his lap. “Too fast.”

Liv struggled with his hands, but the grip he had on her wrists was too strong. “I need this distraction.” There was a pleading tone to her voice. Her eyes met his, and all that vulnerability she had tried so hard to hide came pouring out. “Even if for only a minute. Even if for only a night.”

One time. One time wouldn't hurt things.

She leaned forward, her nose rubbing against his in a playful gesture, shattering his willpower.

His hands moved to her hoodie, pulling down the zipper and pulling it away from her shoulders. Her nipples stood at attention under the soft fabric of her T-shirt. He rubbed his thumbs over the stiff peaks and she gasped.

He hesitated, but desire won out. He lifted the hem of her shirt, nudging her arms up to strip it from her body. Her bra was black and see-through, her pink nipples calling out to him. He pushed her back and took one in his mouth, suckling it through the fabric.

“Jake.”

Her body whipped forward and her arms wrapped around his neck, pressing his back into the shelf behind him. It rattled against the wall with the force of her movements.

She rode him, her hips moving vigorously, her lips moving furiously over his. If she kept up the pace, he might just finish in his pants. He pushed forward, trying to prevent her from rubbing, but she challenged him, pushing back, the shelf rattling above them.

Jake clasped his hands on either side of her face. “Slow down,” he whispered.

Her hands moved to his waist, fumbling with the fabric of his clothes, trying to expose him, but he stopped her. That damn guilt had crept its way back into his brain. They had already met under false pretenses. Having sex would only complicate the mission. Not to mention complicate the aftermath when and if she became a client of the firm. It was in both of their best interests to tone it down. “We should go slow.”

“Jake, I want you.” She kissed him softly on the lips, moving to his cheeks, and then his forehead. “Please.”

He groaned when her hand found his length. He grabbed her hands and held out her arms to the side, but it only caused her to push against him harder. Her hands threaded through his, her breasts rubbed against his chest, and her tongue found its way inside his mouth.

“Please,” she whispered.

---