Page 35 of Separate Lives

“God Jess, you’re the most irritating person I’ve ever met.” His voice had a dangerous edge to it that only contributed to highlighting her already buzzing senses. “You accuse me of being a conceited bully who always wants to have things done his way, but you are no better than me by being a stubborn, self-righteous bitch,” he said, stopping to stand beside her, towering above her from his amazing height, forcing Jess to confront him with her head bent backward.

Lost in the stormy depths of his eyes, in the raw passion chiseled there, Jess squeaked with surprise when Reece suddenly made his big move. Like in a 1930s movie with her as the helpless heroine, and him as the rough rake, Reece braced one hand behind her neck and guided her around the table, crashing her body flush against his, keeping her in place with his other large, strong hand firmly planted on the small of her back.

Jess’s heart raced, pumping blood to her temples, making her ears ring. Her body, like that of a well trained acrobat, promptly molded to his. Her thigh was pressed against the unmistakable proof of his arousal.

“But damn if I can stop myself from wanting you, and not only in my bed,” Reece growled, and without giving Jess the time to grasp the full meaning of his words, his mouth descended upon hers, sending all coherent thoughts haywire. Hungry for him, Jess crossed both arms around his back and attacked his mouth, sharing his enthusiasm.

Groaning his approval, Reece gentled his kiss, worshipping instead of plundering her sweet, giving mouth, teasing the smooth surfaces inside it with the tip of his tongue, encouraging Jess to discover him. Lips barely touching, their tongues danced, exploring and tasting the other. The hand he had firmly planted on the small of her back joined the other in the knee-weakening exploration of her hips then cruised up her sides to rest beneath the gently swelling contours of her breasts. His thumbs idly brushed back and forth over the soft skin of her underarms.

Her knees buckled under her, unbalancing them, but that didn’t stop Reece’s administrations. Ripple after ripple of desire made her hot, and heavy, and achy between her thighs. Unable to sustain the pressure of his lenient torture any longer, Jess tore her mouth free from his. Struggling to catch her breath, she looked into the dark, aroused depths of his eyes, knowing they must reflect her own. He, too, was having a hard time recovering his breath.

Her heart faltered. The ravaged expression reshaping the contours of his face, his black tousled hair, those sensual lips that could unleash an inferno inside her with the merest touch, were too strong a temptation to resist. Moaning her surrender to the overwhelming desire she felt for him, Jess became the aggressor, literally jumping on Reece, wrapping her legs around his hips.

Taken by surprise, he lost his balance, and walked backward, trying to regain his footing, towing Jess with him.

“Good Lord Jess, you taste like heaven,” he groaned, still holding her securely against his front, walking away from the kitchen with the futon in mind.

Reality, the reason they were there, and possibly some oxygen, filtered though her hazed senses. Shooting her arm forward, Jess grabbed hold of one corner of the table they’d just eaten on, successfully halting their progress.

“Dishes…Table…,” she mumbled as a means of explanation.

Reece pulled his head back, looking at Jess with confusion.

Leaning her forehead against his, she tried to explain why she’d stopped them.

“I’m sorry,” she began with a high pitched voice she didn’t recognize as her own. “I can’t.”

“Could have fooled me,” Reece rasped, frustrated, but let her slide down the length of his body, until her feet touched the floor. Taking a step back, feeling suddenly cold, but needing to put some space between them to restore reason, Jess took a deep breath and raised her troubled eyes to his. His stare was thunderous.

“You came here claiming we need some time alone to get to know each other, but it won’t work.”

Giving her his back, his only answer was to return to the tiny kitchen, where he started to mindlessly tidy up the countertops. Jess didn’t follow him.

“Look what happened just now. We can’t share a room for more than a few hours without going for each other’s throats, or for each other’s mouths.”

“That’s not my problem,” Reece retorted, turning to face her, leaning his bottom against one of the counters. Legs crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his middle, he looked at her with insolence.

“What do you mean?”

“That you my dear, are the one who has a problem with that. I never made a mystery of my attraction to you, or of the fact that I’m willing to spend the rest of my life with you. You Jess, on the other hand, were the one who flew off the handle when you learned we were married,” he taunted, leaving the counter and walking towards her. “I would’ve gladly remained your husband, but after some harebrained tirade about the freedom to choose–“

“It’s not harebrained,” she interrupted. “That’s the problem with you. You don’t take into serious consideration what I say.”

“Why? Doyoutake into serious consideration whatIsay? You pursued a divorce full force, threatening to damage my career in order to get those damn papers signed. And you didn’t even have the heart to grant me the only request I made, that you be present. It wasn’t too much to ask now, was it Jess? I was prepared to go along with your request and step out of your life, but you flat-out refused to see me.”

“I didn’t refuse to see you. By the time you made your request, I had already left Chicago.”

“But didn’t your attorney tell you I would only sign the papers with you there? Mine assured me he had passed on the request to yours.”

“After I signed my half of the papers, I needed some time alone. My attorney had assured me my presence wasn’t necessary when you signed, so I didn’t check my email for several days. Then I felt sick, and I didn’t see your request until you came here.”

“Had you seen it, would you have granted it to me?” he challenged.

“Probably no,” she honestly answered. “Then, like now, I didn’t want to see you.”

“Then, like now, you were drooling all over me.”

Jess didn’t rebuke. He was right. Though he ignored her inner turmoil, the war she was constantly waging between reason and passion where he was concerned, he was right.

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