Page 34 of False Start, Real Passion

Jaxon shakes his head, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. But we both know the truth.”

He’s right in front of me now, close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss. The air between us crackles with tension, hot and heavy with unspoken desires.

“The truth is...” My voice comes out a whisper, trembling slightly. “The truth is, you drive me absolutely crazy, Jaxon Reid.”

“Thought so.” He steps forward, his hands braced on the wall behind me, caging me in. His blue eyes bore into mine, stripping away every defense I’ve so carefully constructed.

I swallow hard, my pulse pounding in my ears. He’s so close, his scent enveloping me—a heady mix of cedarwood and pure, unadulterated male. It’s intoxicating, maddening.

“But it’s not real!” The confession bursts from my lips, raw and honest. “It can’t be.”

His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking beneath the stubble. “Why not?”

“Because...” I falter, my resolve crumbling under the intensity of his gaze. “Because you’re you, and I’m me, and this...this is just a job.”

His eyes flash with something dark and dangerous. “The hell it is.”

And then he’s kissing me, hard and desperate, his lips claiming mine with a hunger that steals my breath. I melt into him, my fingers tangling in his hair, my body molding to his like it was made to fit there.

The fight dissolves, replaced by pure, scorching heat. Jaxon’s hands are everywhere, skimming over my curves, setting my skin on fire. My own hands are just as greedy, exploring the hard planes of his chest, the ripple of muscle beneath smooth skin.

“Jaxon…we…”

“Shhh.” The heat of his breath on my skin sends a jolt of electricity through me. I try to steady myself, but it’s no use. My body was betraying me; every nerve on fire with a need to stay as close to him as possible.

We stumble backwards, a tangle of limbs and gasping breaths, until the back of my knees hit the couch. Jaxon lowers me down, his body covering mine, and I surrender to the delicious weight of him.

“Tell me to stop,” he says. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll stop.”

Fuck no. I do not want it to.

Clothes hit the floor, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left between us but skin on skin. His mouth trails hot kisses down my throat, my collarbone, lower still, and I arch into his touch, a moan escaping my lips.

In this moment, there’s no more lies, no more pretenses. Just two people, stripped bare in every sense of the word, finally giving in to the irresistible pull between them.

He lays me down gently on the couch, his eyes never leaving mine. And as he moves over me, inside me, I know with bone-deep certainty that this is more than just a job, more than just a fling. This is real. Terrifyingly, thrillingly real and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to the way things were before.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” he murmurs against my collarbone.

“Jaxon, we can’t. We…”

“Shhhh.”

I gasp as his mouth finds my nipple and his tongue swirls around the sensitive flesh.

When I finally surface from the depths of oblivion, the room’s bathed in soft morning light. The sheets are tangled around my legs, and the other half of the bed is empty. Relief and confusion warring in my dazed mind.

Sitting up, I take in my surroundings, memories of the night before flooding back in a hot, blush-inducing rush.

Jaxon’s place.

Jaxon’s bed.

Jaxon’s satisfied, sleepy grin as he’d collapsed next to me hours ago.

Oh, shit.

I swing my legs out of bed, wincing as my muscles protest. I glanced at the red imprints on the pristine white sheets, evidence of our passionate night.

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