I stared at him for a moment before the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Jax had put a lot of energy into planning tonight—he’d been doing exactly the opposite of ignoring me, and I hadn’t been able to see it because I’d been so worried about the way he’d treated me before the show. Which meant I’d been the jerk, not him.

I took another look at the lavish room and the food before me. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a game. It seemed like he’d tried to make a fantasy come to life. Given different circumstances, an act like this would have made me throw my panties onto the nearest lampshade but things between Jax and me were complicated.

"Jax, I—this is . . . incredible. Really, it is. The room, all of it, it’s amazing," I said softly. "But it doesn’t change things between us. We’re still not having sex."

He brought a hand to my hair and brushed a strand away from my face. The soft touch of his fingers sent a warm shiver through me. "It changes one thing," he said. "I haven’t forgotten what you said when you agreed to sleep in my bed—that we wouldn’t have sex there. Well . . . we’re not there, now."

It was hard to even think with his hand in my hair and his beautiful face so close. I knew I should’ve moved away, but I didn’t. "There’s something you have to understand, Jax," I protested. "Masturbation is one thing. That’s just us getting out our sexual frustrations. But sex, real sex, is something else entirely. Sex changes things."

His dark eyes burned into mine, sending a flutter into my stomach. "So you’re going to miss out on the best f**k of either of our lives, just because you’re afraid of change."

The offer was tempting—especially coming from Jax’s full, luscious lips. But after the talks we’d had, the connection I’d felt with Jax in his room, becoming f**k buddies would almost seem like a step backwards.

"I’m not opposed to casual sex," I said, averting my eyes from his gaze. "But things aren’t casual between us. Not anymore."

He slid a finger underneath my chin and gently moved it upward, forcing me to look at his face again. "Listen to me carefully, Riley," he said. "Casual sex is what I have with groupies. It’s something I haven’t done in a while."

"But what ab—"

"Let me finish." His voice was rough. "Whether you say yes or no tonight, there won’t be any groupies—not as long as you’re around. Since the moment I saw you, I’ve wanted you. No one else."

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I stared at him, wide-eyed and confused. Could he mean it? I felt a tremble of arousal start in my body, something I couldn’t control or conceal. "You mean, since the tour started, you haven’t . . . "

"No," he said, his voice low and dark-tinged. "Not once."

For a manwhore like Jax to ignore the groupies at the crazy shows we’d been to . . . it was one hell of a compliment, if it was true. My mouth felt dry, and it was hard to even speak. Desire, more intense than I’d ever felt, pulsed through my veins.

"I don’t know what to say," I whispered, afraid to give voice to the burning, raging need I felt in my core.

"Then don’t say anything," he said hoarsely. "Give me that after-show kiss you owe me."

My eyes closed and my lips turned upward waiting for his kiss. I felt his mouth just inches from mine . . .

And then felt his lips move to my neck, hovering a fraction of an inch above my skin. His hot breath sent flutters of aching sensation through me, and I yearned for the feel of his lips on my body. I heard a soft sigh, heavy with desire, and only realized a moment later that the sound had come from my own mouth.

I felt Jax’s hand against my bare back, beneath my shirt, and gasped as I felt him unhook my bra. He took his mouth away from my neck and brought his hands to my collar, unbuttoning the front of my shirt. I stopped his hand with mine. "Wait," I said, breathless. "What happened to the kiss?"

"You didn’t say where I could kiss you," he said, trailing his index finger along my side. "I’m still trying to make up my mind." He gently took my hand away, undid the buttons, and slid the shirt off my torso. Already unhooked, the bra fell from my shoulders onto the floor.

I brought my hands to my br**sts to cover myself by instinct, but Jax shook his head and firmly drew them away, leaving me exposed. Bending down until his face was inches from my chest, he turned his eyes upward to look at me.

My ni**les stood erect, almost painful with arousal as Jax’s open mouth moved toward one. His open mouth lingered just above my nipple, almost touching—but not quite. I sucked in air as the aching need between my legs reached a fever pitch.

"Mmm. Tempting," he said. "But maybe . . ."

I felt the soft caress of his fingers on my back, and then there was a sound. My zipper! Before I could say anything, I felt a firm tug, and my skirt fell to my ankles, along with my underwear.

I realized suddenly that I was totally naked in front of him—even though he still had all his clothes on. He dropped to his knees, his mouth inches from my thighs, and my eyes grew wide. He looked up and down my body with a ravenous hunger that frightened me even as it turned me on.

"What are you—"

He brought his mouth to my inner thigh, then slowly moved it upward. "I think I’ve made my decision," he said, his hands caressing my thighs as he looked up at me.

I realized what he meant instantly, and my hand slid down in front of me, embarrassed. "No, Jax, you can’t," I said, hurriedly. "I haven’t showered all day."

His scarred eyebrow raised, and a half-smirk grew on his face. Closing his eyes, he brought his face between my thighs and inhaled deeply. "Good. Better. I like you this way."

I felt a flush spreading through my body and then I felt his lips, pressing against the softness between my thighs. A pang of arousal radiated through my skin as his tongue stroked against me, and I felt myself shudder with lust.

Then he took his mouth away and stood up, licking his lips. "I think I made the right decision about where to kiss you," he purred. Wild with desire, I moaned in a wordless reply.

"Lay down on the bed, Riley," he said, but I felt frozen to the floor, shivering at the absence of his lips.

Did he think that’s all it would take? I looked at the round bed, lit softly in the bedroom a few yards away. "We’re not going to—"




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