CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
How many times and how many ways had he pictured this playing out? A hundred? More? He loved how Jess’s hair hung loose to just below her shoulders, the way the lighting in the hallway gave her a warm, seductive glow. He loved how long her legs looked and the way her denim shorts rested low on her hips, baring a little midriff. Her ivory shirt draped just right over her breasts, and Gage couldn’t help but notice her nipples beneath the fabric. She wasn’t wearing a bra. The sight was enough to drive him out of his mind. But nothing sent him over the edge like the way Jess was looking at him.
Undress me, her eyes, not to mention two very attentive body parts, said. Like the way I want to undress you. Now.
And if that didn’t get him moving in all the right directions, nothing ever would. He closed in, pushing her against the wall with the length of his body, making sure she had no doubt of the effect she had on him. His mouth found hers and she greedily kissed him back, a soft groan escaping her mouth as her hands traveled across his abs and back. He reached down to cup her perfect ass in his hands, pulling her even more tightly to him.
Jess responded by pressing her breasts against him.
The girl was torture. And yet, he wanted to be sure, wanted her to be sure. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared, but Jess… Jess was different.
He kissed her ear, her neck. “Are you...”
Jess grinned up at him, then she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs gracefully around his waist, positioning herself against the front of his shorts.
“Shut up,” she said breathlessly. She kissed him harder, more intently, biting lightly at his bottom lip.
God, how he needed her. The feel of her against him was enough to make him want to groan out loud. He turned and carried her back into his room. Jess untangled herself from him, setting her feet down on the floor. Gage closed the door behind them as Jess tugged forcefully at the band of his shorts, pulling him to her once more.
She leaned into the wall as Gage pressed himself against her, harder than ever this time, kissing her and letting his hands travel down her shirt, reaching underneath it and up to her breasts. He took them in is hands, his thumbs brushing her hardened nipples.
Jess pushed him away, and he was about to complain until she tugged her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor. He grinned, taking in the sight of her. She came to him again, running her hands through his hair, down his shoulders and arms, then slowly over his chest and abs before traveling further south. His heart thudded hard as first her lips and then her wet, warm tongue brushed his chest. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as a low growl escaped him. Damn, the girl was on fire, and Gage was more than enjoying the heat.
He fumbled with the button on Jess’s shorts, and finally managed to unzip them. She helped him slide them over her hips and then stepped out of them, wearing nothing but pink cotton panties.
Gage walked her backward to the bed, his eyes holding hers as he pushed her onto it, then eased himself on top of her. Jess wrapped her long legs around him once more and arched her hips.
“I’ve been waiting for this, Jess.”
Jess smiled at the low rasp of his voice as he said her name. She wanted to spin him up, tease him as much as he’d teased her, not just now, but over the past week and even before, when thoughts of him had begun to invade her dreams.
His mouth was warm, delicious and kissably soft while the feel of his body against hers sent waves of heated desire through her midsection…and lower. The heat of his breath against her neck, the touch of his hands as he explored her body, was almost too much.
Jess had been daydreaming of this, but never had she expected it to feel as good as it did at this very moment. And oh, God, if she thought Gage could do wonders with his hands, his mouth and tongue were even better. She reached down to his shorts, sliding them over his hips, taking in the sight of him. Was there anything about him that wasn’t sexy as hell? Suddenly, she didn’t want to tease anymore, didn’t want him teasing her, either. Yet, that’s what he did as he tossed his shorts from the bed and positioned himself between her legs, pressing hard against her panties as he went back to kissing her. She struggled against him, thinking that he was going to make her beg. He kissed her throat, her chest, her stomach as he slid off her underwear.
Omigod! He’s amazing!
“Gage...”
He looked at her and he was wearing that damned cocky grin of his. Then her breath caught as his eyes held hers and the grin faded from his face.
In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the house, the ghosts, the experiment. Just his groan of pleasure as he entered her for the first time.
Telling Bryan they’d needed more time had been a good move. Jess couldn’t help but stare into Gage’s eyes, hoping this night would never end. After their first frenzied rush, Gage had made sure to take things more slowly the second time, his touches soft and tender, fueling her need for him and sending chills along her skin at the same time. Nothing could have been sweeter, more passionate.
And oh! What moves the boy had.
He paused, pushing up off her a little. His eyes were closed and jaw set as he attempted to adjust his breathing. The feel of him inside her and the small beads of sweat on his skin only ignited her further. She wrapped her hands around his hips, urging him on until they were both over the edge in ecstasy.
He kissed the tip of her nose before rolling off her. He might not be long-term boyfriend material, but Gage was a god in his own right, and certainly in Jess’s mind.
After a few minutes, he tucked an arm under her and stared into her eyes. “So, we live about an hour and a half away from each other. That’s not so bad.” That devastating grin that turned her inside out spread slowly over his face again. “That is, if you ever needed anything.”
Jess laughed and gave him a playful shove. Gage not only knew the right moves, he knew the right words. That was a dangerous combination. Too dangerous, actually. She’d dated his type before. The after burn had turned her off from dating for a while. Still, her hand rested against his chest, wishing that there might be a time when all this was done and she could make such a call.
“Careful,” he said, still grinning, gorgeous hazel eyes flashing. “Bryan’s due back any minute.”
“You’re incorrigible,” Jess said, grinning back. She ran a finger along his abs. The house wasn’t the only thing around here that was addictive. “Yeah, I’d like us to stay in touch.”
“You know it’s inevitable.”
Jess laughed. “What’s inevitable?”
“Me,” he said simply. “I’m going to win your heart yet.”
“Uh-huh, right.” There was no way she was going to let him know that, in part, he already had.
He kissed her softly. When they broke apart, he brushed back a strand of her hair. There was tenderness in his eyes at first, and Jess thought she just might get lost in them. But Gage being Gage, that grin crept back and tenderness was replaced with mischief. And that she could always get lost in.
“We still have a couple of weeks.” He kissed a trail down her neck to her breasts.
Oh yeah, Jess thought. This experiment had just gotten a lot better.