And once again his lips curved into a wicked smile. Through my lowered lids, I couldn’t see if it was because of my compliment or because he was pulling down my panties, and seeing how wet I was for him.

“No, Brooke.” His electrifying green eyes brushed my breasts, and settled on the small strip of hair between my legs. Even though he wasn’t touching me, I could almost feel him between my legs and the anticipation drove me crazy. “It was nothing compared to the fear I felt when you were gone. Nothing will ever top that fog of dread I fell into when I realized I might come too late...when I should’ve trusted you from the beginning.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“You didn’t know. Trust is earned, isn’t it?” I said gently.

“It is.” His voice was soft like the breeze. “I don’t want to lose you ever again, Brooke. It was hard for me to let you go.” His fingers unclasped my bra and he threw it on top of the pile of clothes to our feet. His hands moved to my breast, and the kneading and light pinching sent warm shivers through my body. His lips trailed down from my neck to my shoulders, resting there, and I could feel his breath on my skin, both his touch and words making me dizzy.

“I wanted what’s best for you, what I thought would make you happy, even though it wasn’t any of my business… but letting you go wasn’t even the hardest part.”

I held my breath and regarded him, listening hard so I wouldn’t miss a word because I wanted to remember this moment forever.

“The hardest part was acknowledging I might never see you again. Realizing how much you mean to me and how much I’d miss your pretty face every morning and night. Realizing all the things I didn’t do with you and might never get a chance to. But I think most of the pain came from the realization that the time we spent together was not enough for me and I couldn’t force you to feel the same way.”

His words were like honey. It was all so sweet, so dark, so unexpected that it shook me to the very core. More beautiful than anything I ever dared to hope for.

“Maybe I missed you, too.” I said, trying to play it cool. “It wasn’t easy on my part, either.” My words were already so choked, I doubted I’d be able to say much more.

Jett helped me into the whirlpool and sat down on the bottom, the hot water barely reaching his shoulders. Realizing my height wouldn’t give me that advantage, I settled for the second upper step next to him, the water barely covering my breasts. The water bubbled, hiding his sculpted body, which was a shame because I couldn’t stop looking at him.

As if sensing my thoughts, he turned to face me. A flicker of mischief played in his eyes and his lips trailed down from my neck to my waiting nipples. His teeth grazed the hard tip of my breast a moment before his tongue flipped over it as I buried my fingers into his hair and demanded more of his mouth’s grazing and flicking. And then the sucking.

Oh god.

Either the temperature in the water just went up, or he got me boiling inside.

“I want to enjoy every minute with you,” Jett said. His eyes bore into me, drinking me in, swallowing me up whole.

“As long as it lasts, huh?” I didn’t remark that was my biggest fear—that we’d be over before we even started.

“And I hope that’s a long time,” Jett whispered.

In one swift motion he inched closer and lifted me up, settling me on his lap with my legs spread around him, the water engulfing my sex, prickling the soft flesh. His erection brushed my lower abdomen impatiently, demanding to be allowed entry.

“One thing’s for sure, Brooke. I won’t let you go easily next time. In fact there won’t be a next time.” His sexy whisper sent a delicious pull between my legs. His hands pulled my hips so close I could feel his large erection against the secret opening between my legs. I felt myself going wet. There was a beautiful deep ache inside me, asking to be stilled.

“You said you couldn’t give me what I wanted today?” Gazing into his impossibly green eyes, I lifted my hips enough to straddle his hard shaft and, as slowly as I could, moved down, every inch sending another delightful contraction through my body. The head of his erection probed my sex, spearing my soft lips, entering me just a little but enough to send a hot wave of pleasure through me. A hard moan escaped his lips as I accommodated more of him.

“That can be negotiated.” Jett’s hands settled on my waist, offering the support I needed. I lowered myself onto him just a little bit more, allowing him to stretch me and fill me, until I thought I could take no more of his size—and he wasn’t even half way in. I rode him, my inside clenching as the slow thrusts rubbed a tender spot. As I moaned louder, his breathing became harder. He took charge, his hand pulling my hips down until I could feel his thick, hard erection going so deep I felt like letting go. With every slide, I rocked my hips, the delicious pain radiating more pleasure, breaking more barriers. His movement reached my core, his hunger for release consuming us both and when we came, I could have sworn the burning fire merged us into one.

Chapter 15

Everything was so bright. The room, the colors, even my dress. I could hear myself laughing and felt Jett’s arms around me as I squirmed against him, unsure whether to free myself or melt into his embrace.

“I’d do anything for you. You know that?” he whispered into my ear. “If you fell, I’d hold you. If you were afraid, I’d wrap my arms around you and take away your fears. I’d die to keep you safe but more than anything I’d do whatever it takes to keep you by my side. For you I’d conquer anything, everything, anytime.”

I smiled against his hot skin and inhaled the fresh, clean scent of his hair. So good. So soft. I felt serene, the world around us forgotten. It was just he and I, and no one else in the world.

Something soft caressed my shoulder. His lips? His hot breath? My hands reached out to touch him—only to feel the cold, empty space next to me.

What the—

Confused, I pried my eyes open and squinted against the unnatural brightness coming from the sun spilling through the windows. My eyes slowly adjusting, I realized Jett’s side of the bed was empty, the sheets crumpled in a heap.

There I had been thinking he was in bed with me, only to find it had been just a dream. I grimaced, disappointed, and jumped out of bed, scanning the room for any message he might have left. Except for the jacket he had tossed over the back of a chair last night, there was no indication of him, nothing to signal last night even took place. Everything was quiet; the lights in the adjacent bathroom turned off.

Where the heck was he? Would he sneak out on me after he got what he wanted?

I grabbed his jacket. It smelled like him: manly, intoxicating. I pressed it against my bare chest and for a moment I closed my eyes to enjoy the images of us kissing—and doing other stuff—flickering through my mind. Either he forgot to take his jacket, or he had left it behind on purpose, which could only mean he’d be back soon. Excitement rushed through me at the prospect of seeing him after everything that happened between us.

The past twenty-four hours were nothing short of mind-blowing. Scary, yes, but still mind-blowing. The date, the car chase, the sex, the fact that I knew so much about him now. No idea what it all meant for us; whether we were back together. But I couldn’t wait to find out. All I knew was that my fears about him were gone, replaced by a firm belief that I had been wrong about him and he had been telling the truth back in New York. I was in danger and he had tried to protect me from whoever had been following us.

Standing in front of the hotel mirror, I stared at my reflection and wrinkled my nose in disgust. My dark, naturally curly hair looked a tangled mess. With my makeup gone, dark circles framed my chestnut eyes and made my skin look a pasty yellow shade. To my utter dismay, I realized I had no fresh underwear or clothes, no makeup to fake a glow, no hairbrush, not even a toothbrush. The only two things available to help me scrub up were the hotel’s shampoo and soap.

At least my cheeks had a soft glow to them and there was a sparkle in my eyes. The signs were there: I was still in love—with Jett.

Sylvie would be so mad.

No doubt the moment we’d be back home she’d try to run an intervention, stating my fixation with him was unhealthy.

However, what she didn’t know was that this love I felt for him, I didn’t seek it out. I had tried to keep my emotional distance, choosing not to let Jett enter my heart. Yet this love—or whatever feeling it was that caused fluttering butterflies and a raging storm inside me—chased me, found me, and finally captured me, holding me tight amidst my fears. The more I fought it, the more it grew. The longer I hid my feelings for him, the harder I fell for him.

I knew I’d tell Jett someday, but we hadn’t reached that point yet. Maybe because there was a tiny fraction inside my mind that kept warning me we might not be meant to be and only time would tell. The best I could do with now was enjoy it while it lasted.

I found a trial size toothpaste and damp hotel toothbrush, which I assumed Jett used before leaving, and brushed my teeth quickly. Jumping into the shower, I let the warm water trickle down my body to soothe the ache in my muscles—courtesy of Jett’s insatiable appetite for sex.

My hands were busy lathering in the hotel’s shampoo when the door cracked open, making me jump.

“Brooke?” Jett asked. He popped his head through the shower curtain.

My arms lowered to cover my chest on instinct, but it was too late. Like a wildfire a grin spread across his beautiful lips and he scanned my body up and down, lingering a bit too long on my covered breasts.

“Hi, beautiful.” His voice was soft as velvet and dark as chocolate. I’d recognize that tone blindfolded. Usually it turned me on; right now I wished I had thought of locking the door. He had seen me naked countless times but never like this: under the bright fluorescent light, with no makeup on, and no bed sheets behind which I could hide. I probably looked like shit and didn’t want him to see me this way. Embarrassed, I retreated to the farthest spot in the shower and shot him a frown.

“Can you wait outside? I’ll be done in a minute.”

That was his clue to leave, but Jett didn’t move an inch. I licked my lips nervously and kept my breasts covered while the hot water continued to trickle down my body.

“You’re so hot.” His tone came low. Scorching. I could say the same thing about him. “You’re even more beautiful than in my dreams.”

I searched his face for any signs that he was joking. His smile was gone, replaced by seriousness. His eyes were filled with passion, mirroring my lust. Slowly—with my gaze on him—he stripped off his clothes until he stood naked in front of me. I tried my best to avert my gaze, but couldn’t. The magnetism he exuded held me tight. He was breathtakingly beautiful—a view I could look at over and over again, just like the most fascinating painting.

His chiseled chest with his dark hair was on full display—all defined muscles and bronze skin. My tongue flicked over my lips as I pried my gaze away from his sculpted chest to the three rows of hard muscles on his abdomen, and finally came to rest on his erection promising to take me to pleasure heaven.