Page 49 of Idle

“Even I was shocked. I mean, I knew he was a jerk, but not a full-on asshole like that. I don’t know how Mary Ellen can deal with him.”

I allow my hand to slide up and down his arm. “I’ve talked with her. My guess is she won’t for much longer.”

His head drops down, following my hand on his body. He swallows. “Good.”

“I want you to know that I’ll never accept a date from him again. I had decided this before his disgusting performance at dinner. And we never did anything more than the kiss you witnessed.” I look down. “It was wrong. We were all wrong.”

The air charges.

I’ve never taken the lead in any sort of sexual encounter in my life. Men always do that. Right now, though, I have the sense Jesse isn’t going to make a move on me. Is it because of Bo? Unlike with the uncivilized cowboy, I have felt a spark between my partner and me since the beginning, regardless of what I denied to Mary Ellen.

I wet my lips. “I had a great time with you today on the High Line. Thank you for that.”

He shifts in his seat. “You’re welcome. It was fun.”

My hand drifts higher on his chest, my fingers tracing the red mark Bo put there. Looking into his hazel eyes, which appear more khaki than green right now, I ask, “Does it hurt?”

His head shakes. “No.”

“That’s good.” With our gazes locked, I lean forward and place a light kiss on the red mark. His body shudders at my contact.

“Paige?”

We’re alone. No cameras are around—unless I count the “hidden” ones. Right this second, I don’t care about them. Shifting closer to his body, I lean into his face. “Jesse.”

“We shouldn’t.”

My palms slip to his shoulders. “Why not?”

He doesn’t move. “Your brother and Xander—”

I don’t want to be talking about my family right now. No, our mouths should be doing more important things. “What do Theo and my cousin have to do with us?”

He swallows, his throat capturing my attention for a moment before I return to his eyes. They’re so expressive, I can almost read him like a book. A very interesting, complicated romance. Maybe involving a billionaire and a nurse. I digress.

“They told me to stay away from their baby sister.”

His words land like a flame. What business do they have interfering with my love life? It’s not like I warned Madison or Amelia against them. I stick my chin upward. “Is that how you see me? As a baby?” I shift my hips, causing his eyes to flare. I’m sure of his response but want to hear it anyway.

“No.”

“Are they here now?” I place both of my palms on his cheeks.

“No.”

I pause for a moment, giving him one last opportunity to bow out. When he doesn’t, I close the gap between our lips. His are as soft as I imagined. Full, but not too much. I slide my hands around his neck and fuse our bodies together.

After a second, he joins me in a kiss so explosive, it’s like I’ve never been kissed before. Our lips meld, over and over. I trace the seam between his lips, and he opens for me. Sliding inside, I thrill at the touch of his tongue on mine.

Lifting my leg, I slip it over his lap and sit on his thighs all the while rubbing my chest into his. I’ve never been the aggressor before, and can’t for the life of me figure out why. This is like pure heaven. I grind on his growing erection, savoring the way he hits me in exactly the right place.

“Paige,” he moans.

Between kisses, I reply, “Right there with you.”

His hands cover mine. I reach for his lips again, but he pulls his head back a fraction. “No. Paige. Stop.” His words don’t compute. He cups my cheeks and prevents me from moving forward. “We have to stop.”

I stare into his khaki eyes. His pupils have dilated to take over more than half of the iris. “Why? No one’s here.”

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