She should walk away. Stop this now before anyone gets hurt. It was the right thing to do. But the devil would reserve a special place for her in hell because she wasn’t strong enough. It was selfish and greedy, but she couldn’t let him go. Not yet.
Overwhelmed with the need to touch him, Jessa put down her silverware and moved around the table. Before he could move, she straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He spent all his time taking care of other people, who took care of him? Who did he talk to when things got tough? Did he have anyone to lean on?
Jessa wanted to be that person. Even if it was only for a short time.
“What’s this?” Laughter tinged his voice and she heard his fork drop a second before he enclosed her within his arms.
She reveled in the warmth of his skin against her face. So alive, so vibrant and strong. She needed every inch of his body touching hers. To pretend, for one moment, that they could be more than a passing fling. That they could see where this attraction between them would lead. She tugged on his T-shirt, arching away from him to remove it.
“Princess?” He released her long enough to raise his arms so she could finish what she’d started.
Her eyes teared up as she tossed his shirt aside and ran her palms over his chest.
He pinched her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Hey, now. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She was being a silly, hormonal girl. She swiped at her eyes and laughed. “I have this uncontrollable desire to get you naked.”
“I’m all for getting naked.” His large hands enclosed her wrists, staying her. “But why the tears, Jess?”
“I don’t know, Garrett,” she lied, not wanting to ruin the moment. “I just want to be with you.”
Chapter Ten
There was no way he could deny her. Not when she looked at him like that. Her beautiful blue eyes glistening with unshed tears he didn’t understand.
God save him from a woman’s tears. It was the one thing guaranteed to have him in knots, desperate to either run or, in Jessa’s case, soothe her sadness into something much more pleasurable.
Garrett switched hands, holding her wrists in one while cupping the back of her neck with the other. Her skin was hot, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. He moved his fingers into her hair, the silky strands teasing him with their softness. Unable to control the urge to taste her, he tightened his grip and pressed his lips to hers.
He loved that she opened without so much as a nudge on his part. She offered her mouth much like she’d offered her body, trusting him to take her where she needed to go.
She moaned into his kiss as her nails dug into his biceps, as if she needed to attach herself to him.
“Take your shirt off, baby,” he mumbled between kisses, moving from her mouth to her ear.
She shivered as he suckled her lobe, teasing the sensitive skin until she squirmed on his lap. He released her wrists and eased her back. “Now, Jess.” His voice rasped with need as his cock swelled to a painful degree.
She stripped the garment over her head and tossed it in the general direction she’d sent his shirt flying.
He stood, lifting her with him. His hands gripped her ass, his fingers so close to the intimate folds of her *, her heat burned him.
“Don’t make me wait, Garrett. Here. Now.”
The sadness he’d seen in her eyes vanished, replaced by a need he was sure matched his own. He carried her to the end of the table and placed her on the edge, away from their dinner.
“You sure you want to do this here?” He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts.
“No waiting. Not even to get to the bedroom.”
His cock throbbed, mirroring her impatience. He jutted his chin. “The shorts and panties have to go. I want to see every beautiful inch of you.”
He heard her slight intake of breath a moment before she lifted her hips and shimmied her shorts off her hips.