Page 108 of Second Chance Saloon

Laughter tickled her throat as they snuck into the hotel, hand in hand, Mitch pressing a finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet, but his cheeks dimpled too. She wasn’t even sure why they were trying to be stealthy. Perhaps she should care what the staff thought about her, but she hoped they either didn’t give a damn or were ambivalent toward her. Besides, Rea knew something was going on anyway. There was nothing illegal or outright wrong in two consenting adults hooking up, was there?

Jackie leaned on the cool paneled inside of the elevator. “I’m glad you became a vet and not a thief. You’d never be able to steal anything.”

He dragged her to him by the pockets of her dress, brow raised. “Probably true.”

Her breath caught, her tongue pressing against her teeth. A quick glance at the digital display told her they were a mere three floors away from their floor. She locked her gaze with his. “So, Mitch from Portland. What are you going to do to me once you get into my room?”

“Anything you want me to.”

“That might not be a wise declaration to make.”

“I don’t care. Tonight, you can have anything you want.”

The elevator pinged and the doors opened with a flourish.

Jackie cocked her head, grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the corridor. “Remember later on, when you’re having midnight regrets, that you signed up for it.”

Mitch grabbed her ass, his fingers leaving imprints in her skin through the dress and swimsuit fabric. “No regrets, love. Not tonight. We can overthink again in the morning.”

She only had a second to nod jerkily, before his mouth captured hers. Thoughts and reason scattered to the melody of rapid-fire heartbeats as her hand dived into her pocket, found the key card and opened the door. Stumbling over the threshold, slamming the door … all that was instinct.

He pushed her away, ripping his T-shirt over his head like he couldn’t wait to rid himself of it. His hands paused on the waistband of his shorts. “Enjoying the show?”

Jackie crossed her arms, lip between her teeth. “I’ll enjoy it even more when you’re fully naked.”

The button on his shorts popped open, followed by the characteristic sound of an unraveling zipper. Eyes not leaving hers, he dragged the material over his thighs and let his shorts drop to his feet. He stepped out of them, kicking his shoes off.

She swallowed, blinking. That view, she had missed. “Not wearing boxers underneath was a good choice.”

Mitch prowled forward, his hand clutching the top button of her dress. “Such a shame you’re wearing that damn swimsuit. Otherwise, it’d bring back memories.”

Her chest seized up. “Of our first time.”

Hands on her waist, he guided her toward the wall and pushed her against it. “You remember.”

Blood pounded in her ears. Her eyes fluttered closed. “Of course I do. I could never forget, even if I wanted to.”

His fingers wrapped around her wrists, bringing them up over her head and pinning them to the wall. He leaned in, his lips dropping a featherlight kiss on her neck. “Is this okay?” he rasped into her ear, teeth nipping her earlobe.

She bucked forward, her hips grinding into his. His hard cock pressed against her thigh, and she gulped, growing wetter than she already was. “Yes. Carte blanche.”

He drew back, hazy lust replaced by a fully awake, level-headed one. “You’re sure?”

She nodded, throwing her head back to expose her neck to him. “I’ll tell you if I want to stop at any point.”

Jackie wasn’t sure what surprised him: the fact that she wanted to go in without a handbrake or the fact she remembered the phrase they used to say when they wanted to experiment. It referred to anything and everything, from having sex in the bathroom at Betty’s Hens Saloon, to doing a sixty-nine on a blanket by their lake. It meant no inhibitions, gave the other person free rein to do whatever they wanted, with an understanding that if either of them wanted to stop at any point, they’d use their safe word.

“Fuck, Jackie. You know exactly the thing a starving man needs to hear,” he mumbled into her open mouth, kissing her like he’d dropped a heavy weight on the gas pedal in a sports car and cut the wires from the brakes.

A growl raised deep in her chest and died in her throat as he kissed her harder, one hand tightening the grip on her wrists, the other ripping the buttons open.

He drew back, his fingers grazing the swell of her breast. “This fucking swimsuit has to go.”

Jackie half-chortled, half-moaned, the heated need pulsating in her center too urgent to wait. “I agree. Let me.”

He released the hold on her hands, stepping back an inch and watching her intently.

Ice grabbed her lungs, her head swimming with the lack of oxygen.