Page 47 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“That’s incredibly sexist.”
“Is it?”
“You know it is,” she said, gaping at him.“You’re trying to get a rise out of me.”
“You should smile more.All women should.”
She shoved at his chest in mock outrage, which played right into his hands.He captured her wrists to prevent her from doing it again.Then she was trapped against him, her mouth inches from his.She didn’t move when he dipped his head to kiss her.Instead of sealing the deal, he stayed achingly close, just a breath away.Natalie knew she shouldn’t be encouraging him.She’d told him she wasn’t ready for a relationship; letting him kiss her would send mixed messages.It would also wreak havoc on her senses.She already felt off-balance, unsure how to proceed with him.
He wasn’t a stranger anymore, but he wasn’t exactly an open book.He wasn’t the kind of man she could hook up with once and forget about.He was sleeping on her porch.She couldn’t avoid him in the morning.
All of the reasons to pull away from him raced through her mind.She was wary of the direction they were headed and the sense that he wasn’t quite what he seemed.At the same time, physical sensation overwhelmed her.He smelled like the woods after rain, and she could feel heat radiating from him.She hadn’t touched a man’s body in so long.She hardly remembered the encounter with Wade, which had passed in a drunken haze.Going to bed with Jason wouldn’t be like that.It wouldn’t be fast or forgettable.
She was aware of his hard chest beneath her palms and his strong hands shackling her wrists.His hold was firm but gentle.She shivered at the thought of those big, capable hands moving over her naked body.Her pulse drummed a wild beat against his thumb, and their breaths mingled.She could have broken free with a tug.She could have said “no” or “don’t.”Instead, she lifted her lips to his in invitation.
He must have been waiting for this signal because he took it immediately.He used a light touch, brushing his mouth over hers.There was something erotic about his deliberate slowness.His patience inspired the opposite reaction in her.Heat tingled across her skin and pooled in her belly.
She found herself pressing closer, squirming against him.Her lips parted for his tongue, but he didn’t introduce it.He inhaled a sharp breath and released his grip on her wrists to give her more control.She twined her arms around his neck and thrust her fingers in his hair.He seemed to like this because he made a huffing sound against her mouth.She licked at him delicately.
That finally broke him out of gentle mode.With a low groan, he wrapped his big arms around her and kissed her with toe-curling thoroughness.His tongue plunged into her mouth, hot and deep.She moaned in pleasure, returning his kiss with equal enthusiasm.He tasted like salt and mint and some unnamable masculine spice.She melted into him.
His hands slid beneath her cardigan, stroking from her waist to her back and down again.Her skin tingled at the contact, and her breasts plumped against his chest.
She wanted to touch him too.Her hands left his hair to explore the bunched muscles of his shoulders.When her fingers found the buttons of his borrowed shirt, she paused.He broke the kiss, breathing hard.Her mouth felt wet and swollen, her nipples tight.She wanted to strip him out of that shirt and pull him on top of her.
That couldn’t happen outside, of course.Although it was dark, the light from the window illuminated their bodies.Even a heavy petting session would be ill-advised, and she couldn’t remove any clothing.She was a single mother with a young son.Giving the neighbors an eyeful wasn’t on her agenda.
A truck rumbled down the street, punctuating her concern.Jason went still at the sound.He positioned his body in front of hers protectively, as if he expected another attack on her person or her property.The truck passed by without slowing.It wasn’t Billy.
Jason didn’t resume kissing her.He sat forward with his elbows on his knees.He seemed rattled by the encounter.He avoided her gaze, as if he was afraid a glance might set him off again.She adjusted her cardigan over her heaving breasts and taut nipples.The cool night air caressed her overheated skin.She was uncomfortably aroused, and she felt alive in a way that she hadn’t in a long time.
“Did you mean what you said earlier about sleeping inside?”she asked.
He gave her a hungry look.“Are you inviting me in?”
“No.I was just wondering.”
“I would come in and go to bed with you.I wouldn’t sleep.”
She chose her next words carefully.“I made a mistake with Wade.”
“I’m not Wade.”
“I know you’re not.I’m just trying to explain.With him, it was more about missing Mike than wanting him.I actually called him Mike on accident.”
Jason winced at this admission.
“It was awkward for both of us.”
“Did he finish?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
It wasn’t fair to criticize Wade’s performance, so she made a noncommittal sound.“The important part is that I felt bad afterward.”
“I’ll make you feel good,” he promised.
