If Ellie was able to get enough oxygen to her brain, she might have bristled at the use of the word ‘like’. Particularly after she blurted the other ‘L’ word. She also knew Jack well enough to know arguing semantics would only spotlight her slip-up. Instead, she chose to let it slide and nestled into his broad chest. Distraction and diversion. Ellie’s mind whirred as she tried to formulate a plan.
“Changes things a bit, though,” he murmured, resting his chin atop her head.
“What?”
“Well, you know, it just changes things….”
“How so?” She tried to pry her cheek from his chest, but he held fast.
He chuckled and ran a lazy hand the length of her spine. “Well…I have to admit, after eight weeks apart I was kind of hoping for a fast track. Gonna have to check things a bit….”
“Check things?”
“Of course, I could always try for a daily double. I’m afraid I might turn out to be a bit of a morning glory.”
Ellie planted both hands on his shoulders and pushed back, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. “A morning glory?”
“Runs all out in the first race, slows down later on,” he explained.
“Are you using horseracing terms on me?”
Jack’s boyish shrug only enhanced his sheepish smile. “It is Derby day.”
Ellie gaped at him for a moment, her brows reaching for her hairline. “You’re a horse’s ass.”
He laughed as he gathered her to him again. “Even money on that bet.”
She squirmed—a desperate attempt to break away. “Would you stop that?”
“Not by a long shot.”
“Jack!”
“Ellie,” he returned in an even voice, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth.
“I hate you,” she muttered.
“No, you love me. I like that you love me.”
The unequivocal statement irked her, but his bland follow-up made her nostrils flare. She snorted and sputtered. “I—I…You suck!”
“Why, yes, I do,” he drawled, a devilish gleam in his eye. “I also kiss, lick, and bite. A superfecta, you might say.”
“You might say that.”
“I’d also say you’re the prettiest filly this side of the Mississippi.”
Ellie stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Too bad you live on the other side of the Mississippi.”
“Not for long,” he answered with a grin. “Chicago is much closer to Louisville then Oklahoma City, remember? I’m closing in, Ellie. Soon you won’t be able to outrun me.”
“I wasn’t trying to outrun you.”
“Because you love me.” His hands smoothed the curve of her hips, dipped at her waist, and skimmed her ribcage, nearly encircling the breadth of her. “Seems I have the inside track.”
Ellie did her best to hang on to her temper. His too-easily-drawn conclusion rankled. Another step back gave her six inches more space and a healthy dose of perspective. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the tiny muscle twitching at the corner of his jaw, the rise and fall of his chest, and the fingers of his right hand curled into a snug fist. He wasn’t nearly as cool as he wanted to be.
Anger fled and irritation took off close on its heels. A slow smile nudged her cheekbones, and desire flared in his eyes. Ellie blinked—a deliberate lowering of her lashes that allowed her a moment to gather her nerve. Certainty flowed through her veins, prickling her skin with a hot flush. It was time to go all out, go for the win, and claim her prize.
She kicked off her sky-high pumps and gazed up at him, meeting his stare head-on. The muscle in his jaw took another leap, and she was fairly certain she saw his left eye twitch. To test the effectiveness of her plan, she trailed her fingertips along the ruffled neckline of her pale pink dress, coming to a halt at the deep vee between her breasts. Ellie lowered her lashes and shot him a coy smile.
“So, what’s your strategy, Morning Glory?”
Jack’s breath escaped in a rush. His eyes darkened and Ellie tasted the tang of bittersweet chocolate melting on her tongue. “Aw, hell, El,” he groaned and shot out of the gate.
A fraction of a second later she was wrapped in his arms with her head tipped back as far as it would go. He kissed her hard and hot, staking his claim. A moan tangled in her throat. Jack teased it free, running the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips. His hands raced over her body, tracing her lines, hugging her curves, and urging her to become one with the hard planes of his body.
She tore her mouth from his. “Jack,” she gasped, gulping precious oxygen.
His lips found the pulse throbbing in her throat. “Too long.” His raspy words vibrated through her, carried by the hot rush of blood in her veins.
“Way too long,” she concurred in a whisper.
He sucked gently, teasing her tender skin with his talented tongue. Jack cupped her bottom in his large hands, lifting her to her toes and groaning when her stomach cushioned the hard ridge of his erection. “I wanna go the distance,” he growled against her ear. “I don’t want to race. I want…I want it to last, but oh God, Ellie….”
Ellie slipped her fingers into his soft, wavy hair, clinging to him as she recited her mantra. “We have all night and all day.”
Jack raised his head and stared straight into her eyes, his chest heaving as if he’d just run a mile. “It’s not enough. I hate leaving you. I hate the phone. I want you.”
“I want you, too.”
His fingertips teased the line of her zipper, trailing fire the length of her spine. “I’m gonna do my best not to scratch,” he promised in a low, husky voice.
“You really should see a doctor about that.”
Jack shook his head. “No, I mean, I won’t blow it. I’m in this race.”
“I know what you meant. It’s not a race, Jack,” she whispered, brushing her thumb along the taut line of his jaw. “I’ll let you in on another secret.” Ellie drew a deep breath. “When it comes to you, I’m a sure bet.”
Jack cupped her cheek in his palm and kissed her slow, deep, and soft, his lips moving over hers with infinite tenderness. Ellie’s lips parted and his name escaped on a sigh. She closed her eyes and pressed into the warmth of his caress. He brought his other hand up and kissed her again, his thumbs stroking the tender skin under her jaw.
Their tongues tangled in a duel of desperation. The faint stubble on his chin abraded her cheeks and chin. Ellie moaned her approval when his fingertips traced the zipper again. He lifted his lips from hers and said in a raspy whisper, “Your dress is pretty, but you’re beautiful. That’s why it has to come off now.”
“I understand,” she answered breathlessly.
The teeth of the zipper groaned with relief. Jack brushed the filmy fabric from one shoulder and rained kisses on the pale freckles speckling her too-fair skin. The silky material slid from her body, pooling in a pastel puddle at her feet.
The combination of cool air on her skin and the searing heat of Jack’s fevered kisses proved too potent. Ellie moaned. Her fingers teased the skin exposed by the open collar of his shirt. She pressed wet kisses to the hollow of his throat and nipped at his neck, imprinting him with her joy. Jack’s guttural grunt made her smile.
“You feel so good. Too good,” he rasped. Jack traced the satin strap of her bra, bracing the small of her back with one hand as he walked her toward the bed. When the backs of her knees hit the mattress, she sank like a stone.
Jack followed her down, kissing her with abandon and blanketing her with the warmth of his body. He drew back and she blinked up at him lazily. His answering grin broke everything wide open.
Ellie wrapped herself around him, binding him to her with her arms and legs. Bourbon and mint lingered on his tongue. Jack shifted, ducking his head to kiss her neck. Damp, hot kisses and long, languorous licks, followed by tiny barrages of bites. She arched into him, demanding more. He tried to move to his side but she held fast, unwilling to loosen her hold now that she had him where she wan
ted.
Jack chuckled. “Ellie, I can’t move.”
“Don’t want you to move. Ever,” she added stubbornly.
“Not at all?” he teased, pressing his bulging fly to the thin silk of her panties.
She gasped. Her thighs tightened around his hips and her hands slid to the nape of his neck. She wove her fingers through the thick golden-brown waves and gave a little tug. “Well, maybe you can move a little.”
Jack laughed at the infinitesimal amount of leeway she granted him, his eyes bright with delight. He kissed her again then tested his new boundaries. She gave about an inch but nothing more. “How am I going to touch you?”
She looked down at their bodies pressed together and said, “You can touch whatever you can get without leaving me.”
He smiled gently and brushed her hair away from her face. His finger traced the whirling shell of her ear. “I’m not leaving you,” he promised. When she stared at him solemnly, he nodded an acknowledgment. “Even when I have to go, I’m not really leaving you, Ellie.”
“Feels that way.”
“For me, too.”
It was all too much for her to resist. Sincerity rang true in his voice. The intensity of his stare bore into her and plumbed the depths of her heart and soul. His weight, deliciously unyielding, pinned her to the bed. Ellie squirmed beneath him and a strangled groan rose from his throat. The reins slipped from her hands.
He trailed soft, coaxing kisses along her jaw. Ellie’s hands fell to his shoulders and Jack smiled as he kissed her throat. “I have to taste you,” he breathed into her skin. “All of you.” Her hands clenched his biceps and he slid down to outline the edge of her bra with the tip of his tongue. Fleeting strokes teased the swell of her breast. “Need you,” he whispered.
The words shivered across damp skin. “Oh, you have no idea.” Ellie ignored the blush heating her cheeks and reared up, grasping his head and pulling him in for a blistering kiss.
Jack broke the kiss and laughed saying, “Oh, I bet I do.” He reached around her and unhooked her bra, drawing the lacy cups away, slowly unveiling her. “I bet I do.”
He nuzzled the underside of one breast, drew her nipple into his mouth, and laved. His deep hum of pleasure shot fire through her veins. Ellie’s hands fisted in his hair as she sank back with Jack latched onto her breast, sucking hungrily. She cradled his head, urging him on by raking her nails against his scalp.
And then he was gone. Her eyes flew open and her lips parted to protest, but she found him staring at the rosy buds of her nipples. A sigh hitched in her chest. Desire pooled low in her belly, churning, bubbling, and boiling for him. Jack grazed one beaded tip with his palm then covered her breast. The tips of his fingers bit into her soft flesh. The rigid bud of her nipple unfurled, blossoming in the heat of his palm. He glanced up at her, his dark eyes filled with the wonder of rediscovery, and a jolt of panic surged through her.
What if this didn’t last? What if they weren’t separated by hundreds of miles, jam-packed days, and long, lonely nights? Would he still want her like this if he had her every day? Would her heart still skitter and skip in her chest each time she saw him? How would she survive when it was over?
Jack dipped his head, a wicked smile lighting his face. He captured her nipple, torturing her flesh into tight peaks once more. He looked up. The bottomless depths of his brown eyes drew her deeper and deeper. White teeth sank into taut flesh and Ellie’s hips jerked in response.
“Oh!”
He held the turgid point between his teeth. The implied threat coupled with the dark promise reflected in his eyes made her quiver with want. She began to rub against him shamelessly. Jack flashed a gratified smile and abandoned her breast, ignoring her grunt of protest when he slid lower.
****
Making love with Jack never failed to inspire a little shock and awe. The man was a full frontal assault on the senses. He worshipped her body, mapping each peak, dip, and curve with his hands. The tip of his tongue teased her flesh, tracing lazy circles on her stomach. Soft, grazing nips followed by deep, ardent suckling. Ellie groaned as he licked around her navel, gazing up at her through heavy-lidded eyes. She choked on a giggle when his tongue dipped into the sensitive indentation for a taste. His chuckle was muffled against her belly, but the vibration of it shot sparks straight to her core. He inhaled deeply, drinking in her scent as he nuzzled the triangle of silk covering her mound.
She sighed. “I need you.”
He slid down then paused, obviously distracted by the teeny, tiny thong she wore. “Hmmm.” He ran a finger under the string on her hip and said, “This is nice.”
“You like?” she asked with a grin.
“Very much.”
His teeth scraped her hip. Ellie closed her eyes and shuddered as she felt the thin elastic string pull away from her skin. His breath fanned hot and moist over her hip and thigh. Ellie moaned and arched off the mattress. When she lowered her hips, she found him grinning at her from the foot of the bed, the thong dangling from his teeth. She laughed appreciatively and he let it drop to the floor.
She shot him a sultry smile. “I’ve been saving it for you. And the dress.”
“Thank you.”
Jack punctuated his heartfelt gratitude by nipping her calf. Long, strong fingers closed over her knees, parting her, baring her to his eager gaze. She wet her lips and let them fall open, trailing tempting fingers along the curve of her stomach and between her breasts. “You’re very welcome.”
Slow, sensual kisses traveled up her legs. He stroked the tender skin behind her knee with his tongue and sucked the sensitive skin inside her thigh with his eager mouth. Her legs quivered, convulsing with the need to wrap around him and pull him closer. Jack nuzzled the soft curls covering her sex, and she almost flew apart.
Ellie moaned, a ragged, demanding exhalation. His tongue teased at her folds, coaxing her to open for him. She jerked, arching her back and surging against his mouth, but he drew away with a throaty chuckle.
“Want me, Ellie? Want this?” He pressed in closer and teased the sensitive flesh with deliberately lazy strokes.
Ellie clutched at the comforter and blew out a breath. “You know I do.”
The man proved smart enough to give her exactly what she wanted. She fell back, thrusting her hips up to meet his questing tongue. He seemed hell bent on tormenting her, pleasuring her, and driving her straight out of her mind. Ellie closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to fight the sensations building within her, unwilling to let it end. She squeezed his shoulders, a frown marring her brow when she came up with a handful of crisp, pressed cotton instead of warm, smooth skin.
“Um, Jack?” she called, panting softly.
Jack raised his head and smiled. “Yes, Ellie?” he asked with mind-boggling calm. She gaped at him for a beat too long, and he lowered his head again, thrusting his tongue into her and stroking hard and fast.
She tugged at his shoulders, ready to rip his sleeves from the seams if that’s what it took. “Jack.” She gasped. “Jack, please.”
“Please what?” he replied, undeterred by her appeal.
“You’re wearing too many clothes.”
He glanced down, his eyebrows lifting in surprise as he took in his fully clothed state. “I’ll get to that,” he promised vaguely.
He raised her hips and pressed his mouth to her once more. He tasted her, drawing her hypersensitive flesh onto his tongue and suckling gently. He squeezed her ass and thrust his tongue into her again. Ellie cried out and he growled his approval as he raised his head. Her arousal glistened on his cheeks and chin, slicked across parted lips. “I could do this all night,” he rasped. “Jesus, Ellie, you’re so damn sweet.”
He ducked his head again and Ellie clawed at his hair. Desperation edged her voice. “Jack?”
“Nuh,” he grunted.
Lips, teeth, tongue… She was unraveling fast. Ellie tugged on his arms. “I need you to stop.”
“But I want….�
�� he began to protest as she tugged harder.
“I want, too,” she said breathlessly. Jack sat back, his long legs folded under him and the tail of his shirt straggling from the waistband of his jeans. He was too damn irresistible. “I want you naked. I need to feel you. I want to taste you too. I’ve missed you so much.”
His eyes darkened to ebony. Ellie sprang forward, her breasts swaying against his chest as she clutched the back of his head and pulled him down for a deep, heated kiss. The tang of her own arousal made her head swim. The lure of hard, hot muscle hidden beneath his shirt made her greedy. She fumbled with the buttons, freeing one then two before yanking the tails free of his jeans. Rumpled cotton bunched under his arms. She broke the kiss just long enough to divest him of the shirt then attacked again.
Jack’s booming laugh spurred her on as she twisted, forcing him down on the bed with the sheer force of her feminine wiles. Ellie smiled her gratitude and attacked his belt buckle. His shoes fell to the floor with dull thuds. The faded denim hit the carpet with a muffled shwoosh, his socks and cotton boxer-briefs hopelessly tangled in the bunched legs. Her smile widened as she drank in the sight of him. Long, lean muscles rippled beneath taut, tan skin.
“You’ve been outside,” she murmured, tracing the line below his navel where his skin faded from warm honey to buttermilk.
Jack glanced down, a smile tipping one corner of his mouth. “We’ve had some nice days.”
Ellie pressed her palms to his rippling abs. “Been working out, too.” She teased the line of soft hair trailing down his belly with one fingertip.
He wet his parted lips. “Had a lot of long, lonely nights. It was either work out or risk going blind.” He flashed a naughty smile and waggled his fingers. Threading them through her hair, he stared straight into her eyes. “I couldn’t take the chance of not being able to see you again.”
Ellie flashed a sly smile and took him in hand, tracing tantalizing circles on his velvet skin. “Missed me too, huh?”
Unforgettable Heroes Boxed Set Page 110