Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
His eyes go a little bit soft at the edges as he looks at me, and he smiles in this devastating way that sends electricity coursing down my spine.
“Hey,” he says. “You look incredible.”
I actually make a noise. A noise. Like a cartoon kitten.
“Uh. Hi,” I manage. “You look really—” I have to pause and look him up and down. “Wow. I mean. Good. You look good.”
Jack steps closer, crowding the threshold with six-and-a-half feet of homicide detective. For a second, I think he’s going to wait for me to move aside. But instead, he puts a hand against the frame, leans in, and kisses me.
It isn’t a “nice to see you again” kind of kiss. It’s a “I’ve thought about this all day and I’m not waiting another second” kind of kiss. His hand cups my jaw, thumb tracing the curve of my cheek, and the second his mouth touches mine, my knees actually go a little soft. I make a sound in the back of my throat that is only technically human, and he swallows it whole.
The kiss is firm, controlled, like he’s making a statement. Then his tongue teases the seam of my lips, and my brain turns to pixelated goo. I let him in, arms going up automatically to his shoulders, and the sensation is so intense I almost forget we’re standing in my open doorway and my cat is bearing silent witness from the windowsill.
Jack’s hand moves from my jaw to my hip, fingers splaying against the fabric of my dress, and I feel it all the way to my toes. He breaks the kiss, just barely, and his lips brush against my ear when he speaks.
“I’ve been thinking about doing that again since Tuesday,” he murmurs. His breath is warm, his body even warmer, and for a second I imagine skipping dinner and just dragging him to bed. “We need to leave before I’m tempted to skip the meal and head straight for dessert.” Wow. He really freaking just read my mind.
I blow out my breath as my heart goes ninety miles an hour. “I’m all for starting with dessert.”
CHAPTER SIX
JACK
I freeze as her, “I’m all for starting with dessert,” comment detonates somewhere in my solar plexus. My first instinct is to drag her straight to the bedroom and take her up on the offer. The urge is so bad it vibrates through my bones. But then I see her, really see her, and it stops me cold.
Her eyes are wide and shining, pupils blown so dark the brown has vanished. I want to drown in them. She’s still catching up to what just happened—one hand pressed to her mouth, the other braced against the door like she needs to steady herself. My own hands are fisted at my sides, every muscle in my body straining with the effort not to touch her.
That little black dress clings to her like a second skin, outlining every soft curve and subtle dip. Her curls are a wild halo around her face. With her cheeks flushed, and lips still wet from my kiss, she’s the sexiest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen.
My cock is so hard, it’s painful. I have to clear my throat twice before I can trust myself to speak. “You keep talking like that and we’re not going anywhere near a restaurant tonight.”
Her eyes flick to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “Is that supposed to be a threat or a promise, Detective?”
I grip the frame harder, like it’ll anchor me to reality. “You don’t want to test me, Poppy.”
She licks her lips, slowly. My brave little kitten isn’t so shy now. “Maybe I do.”
Fuck. She’s making it so hard for me to do the right thing. I drag in a slow breath, forcing my heart rate back into something that could pass for normal. “I want to do this right.” My voice comes out low and rough, more order than offer. “First I’ll feed you dinner, then we can decide where it goes from there.” For me, I already know where this is headed. Poppy Lane stole my goddamn heart the first time I laid eyes on her. Now, I just have to make sure she feels the same way.
I want to haul her back inside and pin her to the wall, but I manage to keep my shit together long enough to get us to my SUV. My hands shake on the steering wheel the whole drive, and all I can think about is bending her over the first flat surface I see.
We pull into the restaurant’s side lot, and I’m out of the car before she even unbuckles. I open her door, palm her waist, and help her down. Poppy stares up at me, cheeks flushed, lips parted. Heat shoots through me at the feel of her body so close to mine. Her little dress clings to her curves, and my brain short-circuits.