Desiree Holt

His scent drifted past her nose, musk and citrus and the clean smell of the rain. Her wolf sense of smell went on high alert. She tried to inch away from him but he had her trapped between his body and the counter.

Oh my God! His body!

Just as she had imagined it. Lean, hard, muscled, with thick curls of dark hair covering his chest and narrowing to a point beneath the top edge of the towel. And his face. Lines of exhaustion carved into the rugged planes and accented the sensuous mouth and the slightly crooked nose. But the eyes dominated everything. God, she could get lost in those dark, whiskey-colored eyes fringed by thick lashes.
Alexa had to stop herself from licking her lips.

He’s not for you.

But oh, how she wanted him. In her heart as well as her bed. Most definitely in her life.

He’s not for you.

The words echoed again in her head.

“You must be exhausted,” she murmured, searching for conversation. “Your clothes should be dry in a minute. Why don’t you take your coffee to the table and sit down?”

“I like the view better from here.” His voice was like warm syrup sliding over her.

“Jesse, I—”

“You what?” He set his coffee mug on the counter and leaned forward, his hands on either side of her. “Do you know how many times I’ve watched you out there in what passes for the backyard here? Seen you in those shorts and t-shirts that hug this round little body? How many times I’ve stood and talked to you hoping you wouldn’t notice what a hard-on you gave me? How many nights I’ve dreamed of taking your body into my bed and doing the most exciting things to it? With it?”

“Y-You have?”

“Sitting in your house eating dinner with you and watching television has been an exercise in self-control worthy of an award. You have no idea how I’ve been fantasizing about you.”

She placed her palms on his chest and realized instantly what a mistake that was. Electricity sizzled through her fingertips and shot its way through her body. Her nipples, already hard, were now like tiny granite pebbles. Liquid dripped from her cunt and trickled down the inside of her thighs. Embarrassed, she squeezed her legs together.

“Don’t fantasize about me, Jesse. There are things you don’t know.”

Don’t give me the chance to love you.

His eyes were like twin flames, all signs of teasing gone now. “Afraid of me, Alexa?”

His words sent shivers skittering along her spine. She swallowed twice before she could answer him.

“W-What should I be afraid of?”

“Maybe this.”

He bent his head and captured her mouth with his, a soft kiss that gradually turned hard and demanding. His tongue swept the warm, wet cavern of her mouth like a flame, scorching her everywhere it touched. His hands held her firmly against him, crushing her breasts against his bare chest. The length of his erection pressed into the softness of her belly.

The kiss was endless, stealing her breath and ramping up her heart rate. When finally he lifted his mouth from hers, she felt as if a tornado had struck her and left her still swirling in its wake.

“Is that what you’re afraid of, Alexa?” His voice didn’t sound any steadier than she felt. “Time to stop being scared. I want you and I know you want me. What are you running away from?”

Oh, God, Jesse, if you only knew. You’d be the one running.

But her feet wouldn’t move and her mouth wouldn’t work. She just stood there, silently begging for more. And he was about to give it to her.

“Which way?” he asked, lifting her in his arms.

She was confused. “For what?”

“Your bedroom, darlin’. For what I want to do we really need a bed.”

A tiny puff of breath escaped her lips. How had this gotten this far out of control so quickly? “Last door down the hall.”

Reaching to pick up his wallet, he carried her to her room with long strides. She barely had time to draw a breath before he had her robe untied and on the floor. His eyes darkened almost to chocolate as he raked them over her nude body.

“Magnificent,” he breathed. “But then I knew you would be.”

He cupped her breasts with his large, warm hands, weighing their fullness, squeezing them gently. When the pads of his thumbs rasped over her already sensitive nipples, she couldn’t help but gasp.

“Like that, do you? How about this?”

He bent his head to capture a breast in his mouth. His tongue pressed the nipple against the roof of his mouth. One hand molded to her other breast, pinching that nipple in a steady rhythm.

Alexa’s legs trembled and her knees wobbled. She was glad when Jesse carried her to the bed. His mouth still sucked her breast. Teeth gently nipped at the tip, followed by his tongue soothing the bite places. His hand continued to pull and tug on her other nipple.