“We’re good together,” he said thickly. “You’ve got the whole good girl lawyer thing going on, I’m a bit of a badass, yet somehow we complement each other.”
She shivered when he cupped her chin with his big, warm hands and rubbed his thumbs over her lower lip.
“I’m so sorry for the way I acted at your parents’ house,” he murmured, gazing at her with regret. His fingertips grazed the side of her mouth. “And I promise you, I will make a real effort with your family. It took a lot of courage for you to bring me home, even knowing how they would react, and I was too much of an ass to appreciate just how hard it was for you.”
Bree drew in a shaky breath. “What happened last month won’t be the last time, Jake. They’ll continue to be jerks to you, and to be honest, I don’t know if they’ll ever accept you.”
“I don’t care.” Determination hardened his jaw. “All that matters to me is whether you accept me. I won’t bend over backward to gain their approval, but I promise you, I’ll always treat them with the utmost of respect, even if I don’t get the same in return. And if they cross the line the way they did last month, I will find a way to call them on it without dropping F-bombs and bringing up dirty little secrets.”
He stroked her bottom lip again, then outlined the curve of her jaw before lowering both hands to her waist. His touch was warm, gentle, and Bree’s heartbeat sped up from his nearness. “So what do you say, sweetheart? Can we start over?”
Instead of answering, she looped her arms around his broad shoulders, stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. When he deepened the kiss, she parted her lips and lost herself in the sweet sensations of his tongue swirling over hers. By the time she broke her mouth free, she was gasping for air and her heartbeat was out of control.
“Was that a yes?” Jake teased.
The big goofy smile that filled her face would’ve been embarrassing, but she was too damn happy to care. “That’s a yes,” she answered softly. “I would like nothing more than to start over.” She brushed a kiss over his clean-shaven cheek. “I love you, Jake.”
He bestowed her with his own version of a goofy smile. “You do?”
“I do.”
He searched her eyes. “You realize I’m always gonna be a little bit of a bad boy, right? That’s not gonna change.”
“I know.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m more than okay with it. In fact…” She shot him a seductive look. “I’m looking forward to being bad together.”
His sexy gray eyes drifted toward the desk, then back to her. “Ever done it on that desk?”
“Nope.” Her smile widened. “But I’ve always been dying to.”
Jake was already marching across the room. “I’ll lock the door.”
With a laugh, Bree swept her arm over the files cluttering the desktop, sending papers sailing onto the carpet. As her pulse raced in anticipation, she hopped onto the desk and waited for her bad boy to show her that actions did indeed speak louder than words.
About the Author
A RITA-award-nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her web site www.ellekennedy.com or send her a note at [email protected]. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter!