Page 48 of Play For Keeps

He laughs softly. “I don’t think you understand how nervous you make me. It’s like I forget how to think when I’m around you.”

I smile at him, taken aback by his confession. Just hearing him admit that I make him nervous makes me feel calmer. I am suddenly hyper-aware of Jake’s proximity. Lust and need begin to override my fears, and I feel an overwhelming urge to give in and kiss him. His gaze pins me to the door, the hand on my lower back tightening as my body responds to him like it always does.

I’m falling.

Jake’s eyes focus on mine, a deep, vibrant green. Heat expands through my center when he studies my lips reminding me there is definitely no shortage of chemistry between us. His fingertips ghost down the delicate skin at the back of my neck, making me arch into his touch. I swear I hear myself whimper. There’s a pulse between my legs that throbs.

Jake moves closer. “Is Birdie in her room?”

“She’s staying with my parents tonight.”

There’s a beat of silence. I draw in a breath, and goosebumps spread across my skin. Adrenaline spikes through me to my core. With every second he searches my gaze, my resolve crumbles a little more until I’m… done.

“When are you going to kiss me?”

Jake eye’s flare. Dammit, will I ever get used to the intense way this man stares at me. He glances at my mouth, as he runs a hand to my throat. In what feels like tortured slow motion, he tilts my head so his mouth is inches from mine, so close I can feel his breath on me.

“Kiss me again, Jake. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss,” I plead. He pulls back slightly with a teasing smile before the hand that is wrapped around my throat glides to the nape of my neck, and he finally gives me what I’ve been aching for.

His mouth crashes against mine in demanding, needy kisses, and my lips open in eager desperation. This kiss is what I’ve been dreaming about, waiting for. Lust consumes me. His hand tightens on the back of my neck, holding my mouth firmly to his as I open for him, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. Stroke by perfect stroke, his tongue teases mine, kissing me like he’s just as desperate as I am for this. As if I’m all he’s ever wanted.

Holding my body tight to his, he consumes my mouth, hungry for my kisses, his hand in my hair. I sigh against his lips, and he swallows the sound, my skin flickering to life like fireflies on a summer night. My body hums as Jake deepens the kiss.

He surprises me when he nips my bottom lip with his teeth. I whimper, loving the way he makes me feel. Jake is in control; he’s taking what he wants. He’s rough, and that’s something I’ve been craving for a very long time. Almost as if he can hear my lust-filled thoughts, Jake takes hold of the roots of my hair, tugging the strands. I whimper at the mix of pleasure and pain, hoping this is just the start of so much more to come. Desire floods my veins; my nipples tighten and I’m breathless when he rolls his pelvis into me and I feel the hard outline of his erection pressing against my most sensitive spot.

“Do you believe me now?” he asks, his voice low and rough. My hips roll over the length of his hard on, making me want him more than I thought was possible. I want him naked. I want his skin against my skin.

I nod because it’s all I’m capable of. My nerves are short-circuiting, and any restraint I showed when Jake knocked at my door is long gone.

My skin erupts in tingles when Jake sweeps my hair over my shoulder and sucks on my neck. His mouth is warm and wet, and it feels so good. I roll my hips over his stiff cock again, back and forth, over and over, chasing the friction I’m so needy for. I’m already so close, but it’s not enough. I need more.

“You are going to ruin me.” He murmurs.

“And I will be destroyed.”

I am never going to forget tonight. Never, as long as I live. Men like Jake are the reason romance books are written. It’s moments like this where two people give in to their every want and desire without caring about the consequences.

“You make me so fucking hard. Feel what you do to me.” A moan escapes my lips as I grind over his length. I feel dizzy in the best way, limbs trembling, so close to coming and we haven’t even taken off our clothes yet. I’m dangerously close to going over the edge when his lips brush across my jaw line, stopping at my ear, and he whispers in a breathy voice, “I want to strip you naked, Ev, and fuck you with my tongue.”

I am already imagining it, vibrating from the inside out at his filthy words. I had a feeling I’d like to be dirty talked. I was pretty sure it would turn me on, and I can confirm that yes, I have a new kink. I’ll be putty in his hands if he tells me that I’m a good girl.

Jake wraps a strong arm around my thighs, and without warning, lifts me over his shoulder. I gasp at the loss of friction between my thighs. “Jake!” I squeal, smacking his back, all plains of hard muscle.

“I told you what I’m going to do to you,” he says as he carries me down the hall. “And I want to see you splayed out on your bed, legs spread wide while I feast on you.”

Jake tosses me on my mattress, and I look up to see him standing at the foot of my bed with the hem of his T-shirt in his hands. His dark eyes linger on me as I slowly inch towards the headboard, leaning against the mound of pillows, waiting to watch him strip. Will he take everything off or just his shirt? Either way, I’m ready for the show, my tongue wetting my bottom lip. Jake’s eyes travel over the wetness on my lip before he lifts his T-shirt over his head.

Jake is all taut muscles and golden skin, and I don’t know where to look first—his broad shoulders, his six-pack that tapers into a delicious V between his hips, or the black ink covering his upper arm and part of his chest. The mystery of his tattoos is finally revealed. I take them in, lingering on the most striking one: a large clock with roman numerals. Jake is all muscle and golden skin.

I can’t stop staring at a shirtless Jake Matthews.

“Tell me you want this,” he says in a strong, low voice, eyes roaming over me like he’s a man who knows what he wants. “I want to hear you say it. Tell me that it’s me that you want.”

Leaning up on my forearms, I murmur a breathy yes, then say the words that will change everything. “I want you to make me yours.”

“Mine.” He says, crawling onto the bed until he’s hovering over top of me, his arms braced on either side of my shoulders. His hand slides over my abdomen to my chest, pinching my nipple through the thin fabric of my tank top while he kisses me. My skin erupts in white-hot heat, already addicted to his touch.

“You like it when I touch you, don’t you?” My head tips back with a needy moan when his lips suck on my throat. “Like right here… kiss… and here, when I play with your tits... kiss.” He pinches my nipple again through my T-shirt. “How about if I kissed you here?” His hand slides between my legs, over my jeans. “Would you like it if I put my face between your thighs?”

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