Page 58 of Dirty Gambit

“Do you need a written invitation?”

Fuck it!

He slanted his mouth over the soft part of hers in a lock contradicting the roaring inferno blazing to life in his gut. It was nothing like the first time in his father’s study. This wasn’t a violent clash of wills. The hunger was there, the gnawing beast begging him to throw her on the sofa and end both their suffering, but the sweet, salty taste of her was too potent. It lured him to sip at her gently, taking his fill of her with slow coaxes. At that moment, they had all the time in the world. Nothing was waiting for them. No problems. No past or future. It was just Lena pushing up on her toes and angling for him to deepen the kiss.

He parted her lips with a flick of his tongue and slipped into the hot cavern to meet hers in a teasing dance. His fingers pushed through the heavy curtain of hair to cradle her skull, keeping her in place.

“Jaxon.” Her breathless gasp ripped at him. It poked the beast with a lit poker. It snarled and thrashed against its binds.

He tore free of her, panting and desperate to dive back in. “I’m about to wreck my aunt’s favorite seat with you. We need to stop.”

“Oh,” was the only indication she gave that she understood just how close she’d come to being mauled by him, yet, she didn’t pull away. He wondered if she could feel the hard bulge of his cock squished between their bodies. She had to. It was practically burning a hole through his pants.

But he blew out a calming breath and dislodged her from his grip. He took a slow step back, hoping distance might save her until her gaze dropped to his midsection in an obvious survey.

“Stop that,” he warned, turning away from her ogling, simultaneously adjusting himself.

Behind him, Lena giggled. The sound was so unique, he actually glanced back. She quickly covered her mouth with her fingertips, but that didn’t hide the glimmer in her eyes.

“Don’t.” he captured her wrist and lowered it. “Don’t cover your smile. I like it.”

The grin slipped into a dark pool of desire and he found her in his arms again, mouth desperate and cutting moving over his. He couldn’t recall who attacked who, but he had her braced against the armrest of Frankie’s favorite armchair, dress bunched around her hips, knees wide around his hips as he fought to liberate her from her panties.

“Shit. Shit!” he muttered with every failed attempt. “No! Stop. Lena.” He risked a hard, commanding kiss to her lips before wrenching himself free of her web. “I am not fucking you in the middle of my aunt’s sitting room. Don’t give me that look. Come on.” He took her wrist and hastily yanked her to her feet. The dress slithered down into place around her thighs. “We both need a cold shower.”

Not waiting for her to seduce him into losing his wits again, Jaxon hauled her from the room and up the winding stairs to the second landing. He veered away from the east wing and led Lena in the direction of the family section.

“This place is enormous,” she observed after the third turn down yet another corridor. “How many people live here?”

“Officially, just Frankie and Henri.” He turned another corner with Lena’s small fingers clasped in his. “But there’s a section for the live-in help towards the back.”

“Why is it so big?”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand the question. “The house actually belonged to my great, great, great grandparents. It was abandoned in the late seventeen hundreds, early eighteen hundreds, back when big houses were a thing and people threw lavish parties and started falling into massive disrepair. My grandparents finally decided to tear it down and sell the land, but Frankie fell in love with it. She says it makes her feel like Scarlett O’Hara.”

Lena laughed. “It’s beautiful, but … big. I always wanted a tiny place, like a cottage deep in the woods with lots of space to garden.”

He glanced back at her. “Do you garden?”

Fine wrinkles formed across her bunched nose. “No, but I’d like to learn. A cottage by the ocean doesn’t sound too bad either.”

They fell into a comfortable silence the rest of the way to his room.

It was larger than his entire studio apartment back in the city. The open concept with crown molding and a wall-to-wall patio was too much for him, but he didn’t spend enough time there for it to be a problem. The room was used two or three times a year during holidays or family gatherings. The rest of the time, it was left to gather dust.

“The shower’s through there.” He gestured to the solitary door across the room, tucked between a sturdy, oak armoire and a matching row of dressers.

Lena hesitated. Her chin lifted and her gaze met his, but whatever she’d opened her mouth to say was pushed aside. She shut it and padded to the door indicated. The brass knob gave easily with a twist and she slipped inside.

Jaxon waited until he heard the rush of water before turning on his heels and heading out to the car. The heap of prehistorical metal was left at the foot of the front stairs, a sore sight his mother would never have allowed near the property. He unloaded their bags. The duffle with the money was discarded just inside the front doors, but the rest, including Jessie’s baby bag, was hoisted up to the room. They were set on the four-poster bed for when Lena emerged. He grabbed himself a few of the spare items he left at Frankie’s from the dressers and padded into his parent’s room across the hall.

Lena was rifling through the bags when Jaxon emerged, freshly showered and shaved. She wore a stunning dress in soft white. The material clung to her full chest and cinched at her waist before drifting in a flurry of material mid-thigh, showing off long, toned legs. It was light. The kind of thing suited for a hot summer. The thin straps hooked over smooth, tanned shoulders, leaving a wide swathe of skin exposed across her chest, back and arms. Her hair hung in dark, damp tendrils down her back and over one shoulder. Her feet were bare.

“Jesus,” he breathed without thinking. He braved an unsteady step deeper. “You look…” Illegal? Gorgeous? Delicious? “Beautiful.”

Lena’s head came up, arms still half buried in the suitcase. Her cheeks flushed. “Thanks. It was supposed to be my on the beach in Mexico dress, but…” she gave a small shrug. “Figured I’d try it on.”

“I like it.”

---