“You okay?”
Oh no, no, no. If he got sympathetic over her emotional overload, she’d turn weepy in a heartbeat, and seriously, that’d add nothing to the awesomely sexual moment. “Of course.”
His big, warm hand moved up and down her back. “You’re really good for him. You know that, right?”
“I’m trying.” Was she good for Jesse too? That thought led to more uncertainty. To change the subject, she leaned into him and kissed his jaw. “You didn’t shave?”
“I was in a hurry to get here.”
“I like it.” His whiskers rasped her fingertips, and she had to cup his face, hold him still for a deeper kiss that turned hot and wet and left her breathless.
Turning her, he lowered her to the mattress, then lifted away. His attention on her mouth, he slipped a hand up under her shirt to touch bare skin. “You want to talk a little?”
“That’s your thing.” She moved one leg up and over his, hooking her heel over his muscled thigh. “This is my thing.”
“Yeah?” He pressed more firmly against her. “What exactly?”
“Wanting you. Needing you.” She nipped his chin. “I swear it feels like forever.”
“Because it has been.” He bent to nuzzle her throat, making her toes curls. “A lifetime.” His open mouth ate gently over her neck, down to the special spot where her neck blended into her shoulder muscle.
More than her toes curled. Her stomach did a flip-flop, her heartbeat breaking into a race. “Jesse.”
Under her shirt, his hand slid up to her breast, cuddled carefully before his thumb finally played over her nipple.
She started to whisper his name again, but his mouth took hers, his tongue stroking deep, and she forgot everything except holding on to him.
For the longest time, that’s all he did, touch her, kiss her. But they were both still dressed, and she moved restlessly against him, trying to get him to hurry it up.
Finally, finally, he levered to the side of her, reached back with one fist and peeled away his shirt.
“More,” she whispered.
He treated her to a crooked smile. “You first.” And with that, he peeled away her shirt. Breathing harder, he stared at her, her breasts and her belly, her legs. “What do you say we lose these shorts too?”
“Sure.” She wanted to be naked with him. “Soon as you take off your jeans.”
He bent to kiss her belly, took a soft bite and sat up. Still looking at her body, he kicked off his shoes and opened his jeans.
When he stood, Tonya fisted her hands in the bedding to brace herself. Jesse still didn’t look at her face. No, his attention remained on her body, totally absorbed as he pushed down his jeans and boxers, taking off his socks at the same time.
Casual as you please, he stood there naked at the side of the bed, one hand blindly digging into the pocket of his jeans until he found a few condoms that he put on the nightstand. Tossing the jeans aside, he parted her legs and stepped between them, trailing his hands up and down her thighs.
Neither of them said anything as he opened the snap on her shorts, eased down the zipper and curled his fingers into the waistband.
At last his gaze lifted to hers. “You’re okay?”
She nodded and helped him by lifting her hips while he slowly tugged down the shorts. He’d left her in her panties, which didn’t mean he’d left her much. The lacy, barely there underwear didn’t conceal as much as they...decorated.
“Damn.”
Tonya licked her lips. “You like them?”
“Yeah.” But he eased them down too, all the while looking at her. Releasing a big breath, he murmured, “Like you naked even more.”
Yes, she knew she wasn’t a troll. But Cissy hadn’t been a troll either and yet men had always—
“Shh.” Jesse came down beside her, turned her into him and whispered, “You, me and a bed. That’s all that’s here, Tonya.”
How had he known the direction of her thoughts? “Finally.”
“Finally.” He put his mouth to her forehead, the bridge of her nose, her cheekbone. “It’s been a long time coming, but I won’t rush you.”
“You haven’t.” She nestled closer. “And I don’t want to wait.”
“Okay then, kiss me.”
She tried to make it a scorcher, hot enough to get him rushing just a little.
Instead, with one arm under her head, he kept her close, and with the other he explored, his hand cuddling her breast, fingers tugging on her nipple, before petting over her waist, down her spine and to her bottom. He lifted her leg over his hip, leaving her open for him.
Making a small, rough, hot sound of appreciation, Jesse teased between her legs, over her sex, briefly pressed his two fingers into her, and then used her own wetness to stroke higher—over her clitoris.
Shocked by the intensity, she tried to free her mouth to gasp, but he didn’t let her. He took her groan, returning it with a satisfied, “Mmm,” rumble of pleasure.
When he was damn good and ready, he freed her lips to kiss his way down to her breast. “I owe Brick big-time.”
That made no sense to her. Arching against him, she breathed, “Why’s that?”
He licked her nipple, suckled for a heart-stopping second, then blew against her. “He gave you to me as a gift.”
As he sucked her in again, she sank under sensation...until his words registered.
Wait, what?
Grabbing his shoulders, Tonya pressed him back. She could still feel his breath on her now-wet nipple, and he again had two fingers buried into her, stretching her, filling her, making clear thought more than difficult.
When she said nothing, he licked her again. “You’re wondering about the whole Brick/gift thing, right?”
Eyes closed, breath suspended, she nodded, and given that his fingers were now slowly stroking in and out, she considered that a major accomplishment.
As if making love to her didn’t affect him at all, Jesse spoke calmly. “Brick was after Merrily, making moves, and then he met you. Most guys would do an about-face for you. You know that right?”
No, she refused to answer that.
“They would,” he assured her. “But Brick was already in it for Merrily. Hook, line and sinker. So he asked me out here with a trumped-up excuse of needing help with a door and promised me a really awesome ‘gift’ if I played along.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.” He kissed her hotly. “I wanted you the second I saw you.”
Threading her fingers into his sun-streaked hair, Tonya admitted, “I wanted you too.”
“Took me a while to figure that out though. You were friendly enough in a group, or as long as we were talking weather or improvements on your house. Anything personal, you turned cool as a cucumber.”
He meant cold. And withdrawn and distant...a total drag.
Apologetic, she hugged his head to her breasts. “I’m sorry. You scared me, Jesse. This scared me.”
“You didn’t think you should risk getting involved.”
It was love she hadn’t wanted to risk. “It didn’t seem fair when my life remained up in the air, the future so uncertain.”