She’s curvy, petite, and completely fuckable.
Jared felt a low, reverberating sound rising up in his throat. He didn’t like her making derogatory comments about herself. It pissed him off, especially since he didn’t think he’d ever been this drawn to a woman. He maneuvered her against the brick wall, trapping her body with his, which was probably a mistake. She smelled like fresh rain and vanilla, a scent that made his dick harder than he thought was possible. He raised a palm to her cheek and ran it down her silky, wet skin. “You’re soft and sweet, exactly the type of woman a man wants beneath him naked,” he told her bluntly. Her scent was driving him mad, and his control was definitely slipping. In his current state, he was having a very hard time not telling her that he desperately wanted to be the man on top of her, sinking his aching cock into her sweet, soft body.
Jared’s gaze locked with hers, and just for moment, there was nobody in the world but the two of them, their connection profound and unbreakable. Damned if he didn’t want to take her hard against the brick wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, and pound into her until they were both sated.
I have to fuck her or I’ll never get over this insane need. Somehow, he had to get her in his bed and have her until he got bored. Generally, that was directly after the first sexual encounter. His desire usually faded immediately after he bedded a woman, his interest gone.
Mara flushed bright pink as she stared up at him, shaking her head slowly. “You don’t have to charm me,” she informed him as she inched her way down the wall and away from his body.
“I’m not trying to be charming,” he rasped irritably, damning his reputation to hell right at the moment. He might like women, but he was never, ever charming. He laid out the score before he ever fucked a woman, the deal struck before their bodies hit the bed. Women always wanted something from him, and it was never him or his body. It was always monetary in some way, although he’d never had a woman leave a session of hot sex unsatisfied. He made damn sure he got them off before he fucked them.
“I think you are charming when you want to be,” Mara mused as she moved to the edge of the awning, looking like she was contemplating whether or not she wanted to sprint across the street to her shop. “Beatrice and Elsie told me you were a very sweet boy. That’s definitely a compliment coming from those two, and a testament to how charismatic you can be. I have a feeling it comes naturally to you.”
“Then you don’t know me,” Jared grumbled, not happy that the two elderly women, the town gossip and the matchmaker, had referred to him as a damn boy. He liked Elsie and Beatrice, enjoyed listening to their stories and banter. But that didn’t prove that he was the least bit amiable. Truthfully, he was usually an asshole. But he couldn’t be that way with two aged women like Elsie and Beatrice. The pair of old ladies amused him, and even he wasn’t that big of a dick.
Mara turned back to him. “You’re right. I don’t know you. And I have no right to make any assumptions. I’m just trying to tell you that I’ve enjoyed our few conversations and I already like you. You don’t need to throw me false compliments. I appreciate your concern about my home. I really do. I guess I’m just not used to it.” She hesitated before adding, “Not from a guy, anyway.”
Holy hell. Did she think he was trying to blow smoke up her ass when he told her that he found her attractive?
“Get used to it. I’m going to help you whether you want my help or not. You need it.” He clenched his fists to keep from reaching out to snatch her up and hold her damp body against his until flames of desire dried them and set them both on fire.
Every instinct he had was clawing at him to comfort her or fuck her, but his brain knew that she’d run like hell if he tried to do either one of those things. Besides, what the hell did he know about comforting anybody? His experiences with women were like business arrangements. He’d learned a long time ago that it was better that way.
“Why do you even want to help me?” Mara looked up at him, wide-eyed and curious. “We aren’t exactly friends. You hardly know me.”
“I plan on getting to know you extremely well,” he informed her calmly, even though he was picturing her naked beneath him, screaming his name as she climaxed. Hell yeah, he wanted to know her . . . intimately. His fixation with her wasn’t going to go away until he did.