Jack planted one hand on the building beside her head, trapping her between him and the Dumpster.
"You always were a bad liar." He lowered his mouth to hers and said just above a whisper, "You can deny it allnight, but I know what you want, Daisy."
She put her hands on his chest to stop him and instantly knew it was a mistake. Through the soft denim of hisshirt and the hard muscles of his chest, she could feel the strong beating of his heart. It warmed her palms andspiked her blood pressure at her wrists. She turned her face to the side so she could breathe, but she couldn'tquite bring herself to lower her hands. Not just yet." I don't think you do."
He placed his fingers on her jaw and gently turned her face back to him. "You want me to take you home, ortake you to the backseat of my car, or take you right here against this wall." His lips touched hers, and herbreath caught in her throat. "Just like old times."
Her finger curled into his shirt and she held on.
Oh, yes. She wanted that very much, but she wanted chocolate cake every day too. 'That would be bad, Jack."
"No, Daisy. That would be good."
For one brief second, it occurred to her that she'd had the same thought not long ago. Then his lips brushed hersand she shuddered. She couldn't help it. Neither could she seem to help what followed. Her palms slid up hischest, over his shoulder, then back down to his flat stomach and the waistband of his jeans. His face was soclose, his nose touched hers. She couldn't see his eyes dearly, but she could feel his hot gaze on her. Then hekissed her. A gentle press of his lips that she felt in the backs of her knees and the soles of her feet. She openedher mouth beneath his and his tongue touched hers, warm and wet and that's all it took to trip her senses intooverload. Heat and need and greed rushed through her, too much, too fast, and she couldn't stop it. All she coulddo was hold on.
His pectoral muscles bunched as she slid her hands back up his chest to his shoulders. He fed her passionateopen-mouthed kisses, and she devoured them, kissing him back. Undiluted lust twisted her stomach into knotsand burned her up inside, urging her to touch as much of him as possible. To eat him up and worry about itlater. He tasted so good. Like a warm healthy man. The kiss turned wild as she moved her hands over hisshoulders and back, ran her fingers through his cool hair, and unfastened the pearl buttons on the front of hisshirt.
He pulled back and looked into her face, his breathing hard and fast as if he'd just jogged five miles. "Daisy," hewhispered and buried his face in the side of her neck. A deep moan vibrated his chest, and he slid his openmouth to the side of her throat. His hand slipped to her waist then over her belt around her hips. His fingerspulled up the bottom of her dress. His bare hand touched the top of her thigh, and slid to her behind, cuppingher through the thin layer of her silk panties.
"Someone might see us," she warned, her voice a thin, lame protest.
He pulled her to her toes and his voice was a husky rasp when he asked, "Would you care?"
She guessed not because she pulled the front of his shirt wide and placed her palms on his flat stomach. His skinwas hot to the touch and slightly damp, a toxic sheen of desire and testosterone that seeped through herfingertips, traveled up her arms and went straight to her head. His warm wet mouth sucked the hollow of herthroat and her eyes drifted shut. It had been so long since she'd felt the push and pull of sex. The feverish rushand carnal ache. She felt it now, tugging her under until everything else was a blur.
He coaxed her leg around his waist, and the hard ridge of his erection pressed into her crotch, through the layersof his clothes and her thin panties. He grabbed her other thigh and lifted her up the wall until both her legswrapped around his waist. Until his heated gaze met hers, then he shoved his pelvis against her.
"It's been so long," she moaned.
With his free hand, he popped the snaps down the front of her dress. His gaze held hers as he asked, "Howlong?" The backs of his fingers touched the swells of her breasts, the satin of her bra, and her cleavage. Thebodice of her dress fell open and he lowered his gaze to her demi bra. Without looking up, he asked again,"How long has it been for you, Daisy?"
Every sensation in her body seemed to radiate outward from where their bodies touched. She ran her handsacross his naked chest and combed her fingers through the short dark hair. "What?"
"How long has it been since you've had sex?"
She hadn't meant to make that particular confession out loud. "Awhile."
He pushed his palm flat against her breast. "How long's awhile?"
It was too late to take it back now. "Two years."
His fingers pressed into her flesh that rose above her bra. "We can't take this any further right here."
She moaned low in her throat and squeezed her thighs tighter. His knees buckled and he planted his hands onthe side of the building by her head to keep them from falling. He moved his feet farther apart and brought hiserection hard against her.
"I don't have a condom on me or in my car." He kissed her forehead. "Come home with me, Daisy."
It had been so long since she'd had to worry about condoms. Not since before she and Steven had tried to haveanother child and discovered that he couldn't. A long time since she'd had to worry about pregnancy or anythingelse. Over fifteen years since she'd been with anyone but Steven. With the last rational part of her brain, sheknew she couldn't do this. Not with Jack. Not here. Not at his house. Not anywhere. "I can't do this with you,"
she said before she made the second biggest mistake of her life.
He kissed the side of her neck. "Sure you can."
"No, Jack." She lowered her feet to the ground and dropped her hands to her sides. "I'm not going to have sexwith you."
He took a step back into the gold pool of light from the building and ran his fingers through the sides of his hair.
He closed his eyes and pulled air deep into his lungs. "God damn you, Daisy," he said, his voice a rasp of lustand anger. "You're still as big a tease as you ever were."
"I didn't come here to tease you or have sex with you." His naked chest was too dose, and the light from thebuilding shined across his moist skin. She pressed her palms against the building behind her and fought the urgeto reach out and touch him. To push her face to his chest and lick him like a Dreamsicle. She raised her gaze tohis face. "I told you why I'm here."
He looked at her, his green eyes glittered with frustration. "You still think we can talk?"
"No, not tonight."
"That's what I thought," he said as he wiped her red lipstick from the corner of his mouth.
"Tomorrow."
He laughed without humor. "Daisy, if you show up at my house tomorrow, I'm going to give you what youreally want," he said evenly as he buttoned his shirt. "Guaran-Goddamn-teed."
She frowned and didn't have to ask what he was talking about.
He told her anyway. "I'm going to fuck you till you faint," he said, then he turned and walked away.
She watched him leave, his broad shoulders disappearing as he moved down the side of the building toward thefront. Within seconds, darkness swallowed him up and all she could hear was the thud of his boots and the humof insects. She knew she should be outraged. Disgusted. Horrified. Relieved that she'd come to her sensesbefore they'd had sex. Yes, she knew she should feel all those things, and maybe she would tomorrow. Buttonight... tonight she felt none of those things. Beyond frustration, with lust pounding though her veins, she wasmore curious than anything. Was it possible to have sex until you fainted?
And if so, did Jack know from experience?
Chapter Nine