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She wanted this chance to know this man, who was more than she expected him to be. And as his head came down to hers, she realized he wasn’t her proof-she-was-over-Malcolm man. He was a man she wanted just for himself. And that should have scared her more than it did.
JARED HAD NEVER TASTED anything sweeter than Annie. He knew kissing her was a mistake. She brought out things in him that he didn’t want to admit were a part of him. And she wasn’t going to play it light.
That was why he had been unable to resist her lips. He wanted to see what kissing an honest woman would taste like and it was sweeter than he’d guessed. Annie wasn’t pushy in her embrace. She savored the kiss and let him set the tone.
He fought against taking it too far too fast, because a part of him wanted to get to that point where he’d stop thinking and just react to her.
But he didn’t want to be on autopilot. He smoothed his hand down her back to her hips, and held her in his arms. He wanted to remember every second of this embrace. Wanted to remember the way the breeze stirred the long strands of her hair, wrapping them around his neck, and the way her body moved against his as she leaned close for support.
She wasn’t aggressive, but at the same time wasn’t shy, either. She just took her time with the kiss as if they had all night. As if time could stop in this one moment.
He pulled back, dropping soft kisses on her lips, afraid to completely break the contact, but knowing he had to before things got totally out of control and he took this embrace where he wanted to.
He tucked her head against his shoulder and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He tried to breathe deeply to regain his control, but every breath he took was filled with Annie, a mixture of the scent of her shampoo and something more elusive, some essence that was just her.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly to her. He heard her say something, but the words were lost in the front of his coat.
“What?”
“I like you, Jared.”
She made him feel good inside and he didn’t want to examine that. There had been few people in his life who’d liked him just for who he was. Was Annie one of them?
He told himself that it was just the kiss and the hormones talking, but for once he was going to accept the words at face value.
“That’s nice,” he said, trying for a light tone.
She glanced up at him, feminine knowledge in her eyes and…something else. Something he couldn’t name but it made him feel…ah, hell. They needed some space. Some distance. He needed to cool things out and get her out of his head.
Except he liked the way she felt in his arms. He liked…he just plain liked the excitement she brought out in him.
“I’m not good at relationships,” he said, wanting to be honest.
“How do you mean?”
“I have a problem with staying power,” he said.
“So don’t expect too much from you?” she asked.
Hearing those words, the very ones he wanted her to understand from him, on her lips, made something tighten in his stomach. “Yeah…yeah, that’s what I was saying…but…”
He couldn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to sound like some kind of wuss. God, this was why his dating track record was full of women who were more into serial dating than commitment. Women like Annie came along once in a lifetime and that freaking scared the crap out of him. He’d built his life by always keeping moving, always going forward, and at this point in time he really wasn’t ready to slow down.
She took a deep breath. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Was that what I was doing? Warning you?”
“I think so. And you should know…”
“What?”
“I’m not good at trusting men,” she said.
“Why not?”
She shook her head. “I can’t get into that tonight.”
“No pressure. This is just our first date.”
“First date? Are you planning to ask me out again?”
He let his hands slide away from her body and took her hand in his. He wanted to ask her to go to Tucker’s after-party, but had the feeling that wasn’t the best idea. He needed a breather.
“Will you be in Fontana next weekend?”
“I will be.”
“How will that work with your job?”
“I’m doing a special project.”
They reached his car and he unlocked the door and seated her.
“Tell me about your special project,” he said, once he had the car in gear and they were headed back to Daytona.
“It’s a book about the Jenner family. Dave’s going to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship this year.”
“Some of the other drivers might not agree with that,” Jared said, thinking to himself that Tucker had a pretty good shot at winning.
