Taking A Shot

Jenna tensed during the kill scenes, when the murderer leaped out of the shadows with his knife. She didn’t hide her eyes, though. But by the tail end of the movie her legs were draped over his and she was practically sitting on his lap.

“Are you sure you like horror movies?” he asked when the movie was over.

She reached for her glass of wine and held it while he poured her a refill. “Oh, they scare the hell out of me. I love them. I’ll probably have nightmares tonight.”

He laughed and shook his head. “So you like being scared.”

“With movies, yes. Anything else, no. So don’t get any ideas about lurking in corners or jumping out at me. You’ll give me a heart attack and I’ll throw you out of my house.”

“Noted.” They drank wine and she put in an action comedy next.

“I need to unwind after the first movie. I need something to make me laugh.”

The movie was fun and action filled, with lots of explosions and car chases and great special effects. Jenna did a good job choosing movies. But he had to admit he liked the first one better, mainly because she’d stayed so close to him throughout.

Not that she’d moved all that far away during this movie. He wasn’t as invested in this one, so his attention wandered to Jenna’s legs, the way the jeans fit her like they were glued to her skin, outlining every one of her curves.

He played with her hair, letting his fingers sift through the softness of it.

“Have you always worn your hair short?”

She dragged her gaze away from the television. “In high school I wore it down to my waist. It was a giant pain in the ass to deal with, so when I traveled out of the country I cut it all off.”

He tugged at one of the ends. “This suits you.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“Your face is small, so too much hair would overwhelm you. Plus it makes your eyes stand out, and I can see your earrings. And you have really cute ears. The whole package is sexy.”

She turned her head a little to the side. “Uh, wow. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She handed him her glass and he put it on the end table. Then she climbed onto his lap and he put his hands on her hips, feeling the warmth of her body through her jeans.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I’ve been thinking about this all night.”

She palmed his chest. “Thinking about what?”

“You in this position.”

“You like a woman on top?”

“I like you in my lap.” He flexed his fingers, testing the give and play of her flesh. “I like being able to feel you move against me.”

She slid up his lap until the crotch of her jeans aligned with the quickly tightening bulge in his pants.

“Like that?”

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Exactly like that.”

“This would be a lot more fun if we were naked.”

“No hurry.” He knew she was ready to get started on banishing those demons, but he just wanted to feel her body on his. They’d get to the naked part later. He swept his hands up the side of her ribs and along her back, then drew her against him. Her breasts pillowed against his chest, her nose just inches from his.

He palmed the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. This time, there’d be no one to interrupt them.

The softest sigh escaped her lips as their mouths met, their lips sliding together. He kept it slow and easy to start, his fingers dancing in her hair, holding her in place as he moved his mouth over hers. He swept his hand over her back and turned her so her legs were on the sofa and he had her cradled in his arms.

Then he settled into the kiss, demanding more, sliding his tongue inside her mouth to sweep against hers. She moaned and pushed her body closer to his. He heated, hardened, and snaked his hand down her back to cup and squeeze her butt.

It would be so easy to give her exactly what she wanted—to strip her bare and fuck her—to get them both off and release the tension that drove them both.

But that would be too easy, and he didn’t want anything about this to be easy.

He wanted this to be a whole lot of complicated, so she wouldn’t run off and find some other guy tomorrow.

Why he cared, he didn’t know. He wasn’t looking for a relationship or permanence of any kind. But he still didn’t want Jenna to find it with anyone else. If that made him an asshole, he’d have to live with that.

He laid her head in the crook of his arm and turned her over so he could run his hand over her breasts. She hadn’t worn a bra tonight, and he’d watched her nipples harden every time she got a chill. It had been hard not to reach out and touch them, to scoop a handful of them and tease the puckered crests every time they tightened against her top.

Now he rubbed his thumb over one, then the other, watching them peak from his touch. He tucked his hand under her shirt, her stomach quivering when he palmed it. He smiled down at her, then walked his fingers along her rib cage and laid his hand over her breast.

He loved touching her, loved seeing the spark of passion in her eyes when he rolled his thumb over her nipple.

Jaci Burton's books