Page 48 of Second Time Around

He glanced down and saw her gazing at his butt. “Ahem,” he said. “Eyes up here.”

She jerked her head up and met his eyes, which were dancing with amusement.

“Caught ya.”

“Well, it was right in front of me!”

“So, you just had to look?”

“Oh, shut up.”

He chuckled, secretly thrilled that she’d been ogling him, even if it was just his butt. Besides, it was fair game since he’d done the same to her.

“Like you didn’t cop a peek at mine too,” she accused.

“I admit it, and like I said before, you look fabulous.”

He turned to face her, temporarily forgetting about the plate he was supposed to get down. She eyed him closely, and the air stilled.

“So do you,” she said on a sigh.

He questioned whether he’d heard her right, but then she confirmed it.

“It’s not fair, you know.”

“What isn’t?”

“That you still look this good after all these years.”

She’d said something similar in the parking lot when he’d changed her tire, but tonight it sounded different. She was still holding back, but she’d softened some and lowered her defenses, at least for the moment.

He took a step closer, but she held her ground. Then he slowly reached out and cupped her cheek. Surprisingly, she didn’t bat his hand away. Instead, she leaned into it and gazed up at him with a mix of emotions crossing her pretty face.

“Jenna…”

“No, don’t say anything. You’ll ruin it.”

He swallowed hard as she moved forward until her chest brushed his. Am I dreaming this? Does she want me to kiss her?

He was afraid to move, speak, or do anything that might spook her.

Then she placed her hands on his chest, gently, almost like she was afraid to touch him. He looked down at her manicured fingernails, purple to match her shoes, and waited to see what she’d do next.

She slowly slid her hands up and twined them around his neck while going up on her tiptoes at the same time. “I’m wondering if you still kiss as good as you look,” she whispered.

Oh God. She does want me to kiss her. Talk about pressure! He wouldn’t let her see him sweat, though. Placing his hands on her hips, he gently but firmly pulled her forward until their bodies were flush.

“Try me,” he said.

Suddenly her mouth was on his, and they went from zero to one hundred in five seconds. Their kiss was fueled by anger, frustration, uncertainty, and desire that exploded and rocked his world.

Her hands threaded into the hair at the nape of his neck, while his roamed up and down her back. In the meantime, their tongues tangled, almost like they were fighting for dominance. Now that their passion had been unleashed, it burned hot and threatened to consume them both.

The whole scene felt surreal, yet it was familiar too. They’d always had sizzling chemistry, only now it felt even more intense, urgent, and demanding.

He sucked her plump bottom lip between his teeth, and she moaned, so he did it again. Then he paved a trail of kisses down her chin, her throat, and into the crook of her neck. She dug her purple fingernails into his shoulders and tipped her head back on a sigh.

His adrenaline spiked, knowing she wanted this as much as he did, and her sounds spurred him on.