Page 35 of The Beauty and the Boxer
She smiled for a moment, before her eyesdrifted away, instead landing on his shoulder. When she spokeagain, her voice was barely above a whisper.
“But would you hurt me?”
A fierce, determined desire flamed in hischest at her question. Hurt her? Good god, no, that would be thelast thing he ever wanted to do, yet he knew why she asked.Someone, this man she had once fancied had hurt her and he felt theimitable need to seek him out, whoever he was, and tear him apartfor ever inflicting pain on this woman.
“I would never,” he spoke, his voice harsherthan he meant for it to be, as his fingers dug into her hips,“never hurt you, Meredith.”
Staring up at him, he noticed a longing inher eyes. He knew he should pull away, that their time together hadcome to an end, but for the life of him, he remained still and heldhis breath as she leaned a fraction towards him. Was it possiblethat she felt the same indescribable yearning to be close to oneanother?
“I believe you.” A pride Jack had never feltswelled within him when her eyes dropped and she continued. “May Iask you a question?”
He could sense she had something importantto say. Jack gave her a short nod, unable to speak as he was waryhe might say something that would deter her
She exhaled slowly. Her two-tone eyes madehim feel suddenly hungry.
“Why did you kiss me the other night?”
Jack stared at her, unsure how to answer,except to be honest. When he spoke, his voice was far gravellierthan he’d have liked.
“Because I wanted to.”
“Do you think…” She hesitated. For a moment,he didn’t think she would be able to finish, but she took a deepbreath suddenly and pushed through. “Do you think you would do itagain?”
A deep satisfaction rolled through him,excitement snapping through his veins as his fingers moved up toher waist. She wanted him to kiss her again and damned if he didn’tfind her gentle question as wildly erotic as he did earnest.
Leaning forward, he sought her lips, histongue sweeping into her mouth without preamble as he pulled herinto him, his one hand going up to the back of her head. He heldher to his mouth as he devoured her, meeting her own intensecraving. When had they both become so desperate for the other? Itseemed that the last few weeks apart had only heightened theagonizing pull he felt deep in his chest, that only tortured himwhile in her presence.
Her hands crawled up his arms, the gentlescrape of her fingernails raking against his coat. He suddenlywanted to be without the damn jacket and having rarely stoppedhimself from doing exactly what he wanted in any given moment,Jack’s hand came up to his lapel and pulled it back over hisshoulder. To his surprise, Meredith’s hands moved beneath his coat,pushing at the fabric as he shrugged it off.
Once free, his hands came quickly back up toher face, stroking the smooth skin of her cheek as his other traceddown the column of her neck. She smelled like rain and tasted likeapples, noting that all his senses were filled with her and heliked it. For someone who had often kept his focus on severalthings at once, to be completely consumed by her wasintoxicating.
Jack’s hands moved down her body as thepressure of his kissing increased. He wanted to drink her in, totaste every inch of her as his mouth moved down, littering herchin, cheeks, and neck with kisses, before moving back up, takingher mouth again.
Meredith’s mouth found his ear and shewhispered his name, which sent a deep shiver down his spine as hehardened. He hooked one arm around her back, pulling her softcurves against his hard form and found her mouth again. Meredithswayed as Jack took a step forward, pressing her back against oneof the stall doors and he briefly thought about taking her rightthere.
God, he could, if she would let him. Allreason had gone from his mind as he lifted his hand, grazing thesides of her torso. Meredith’s hand came over his and he was sureshe was going to push his advance away, when her fingers suddenlywrapped around the back of his hand and pressed against herbreast.
Fucking hell. He was rigid at the feel ofthe soft weight, guided by her hand. Was there anything moreexciting than when a woman took charge? He couldn’t think ofanything if there was, but then he couldn’t think of anythingexcept the sweetness of her mouth and wondering if she tasted thesame all over.
“Damn it, Meredith,” he breathed against hermouth, breaking their kiss. “You taste too damn sweet.”
Meredith’s brow cinched together, her eyesshut tightly as she reached around to the back of his head andguided him back to her mouth. She was going to be the death of him,and he would oblige her gladly.
Jack’s hand pulled at the lace collar of herdress. This ridiculous gown was a damned cage that he couldn’t getthrough it. Meredith arched her back under his touch.
“Bloody lace,” he murmured into her mouth ashe kissed her.
Her hand came up and tried to pull at thecollar, eventually loosening it beneath her own clever finger work.It floated to the floor as he pressed his leg into her skirts.Instinctively, her legs moved to accommodate him and while hisarousal had increased, a small, nagging thought persisted in theback of his mind.
Meredith didn’t know about these sorts ofthings. Did she?
Whether she did or not, Jack tried not tocare. Her own history was not his and it mattered little if she hadslept with one or a dozen men, for he had never been with a womanwho hadn’t. But if she was innocent, he couldn’t well ruin her in astable.
Jack moved his head to the side, breakingtheir kiss. Breathing heavily as he held her body against his, hetried to steady his pulse. It was almost painful to stop, but thenshe tried to pull him back.
“Meredith, wait,” he said as she tried tokiss him, her eyes closed so tightly that she appeared almost inpain. “Meredith?”
She paused, sensing his hesitation, but shedidn’t open her eyes. In fact, she looked almost frightened. Jackfelt himself become instantly worried and he tried to soothe hertension.
