Bursting With Love (20 page)

“I’d love that. You’re so different than you were when I met you. Has something changed?” Her eyes searched his for the answers.

“Everything has changed,” he said honestly. “You sparked something in me that made me want to live again, Savannah. We haven’t really had the time to talk about what’s been going on, and there’s a lot I want to share with you.” He looked at their uneaten food. “Do you want to eat?”

She shook her head.

“Want to take it home for later?” he asked.

She shook her head with a different kind of hungry look in her eyes.

Jack knew that the minute they got inside Savannah’s apartment, he wouldn’t have a chance in hell of staying away from her sweet lips, much less the rest of what was beneath that body-hugging fabric, and he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t stop taking her every chance he got and treat her like she deserved to be treated.

“It’s a beautiful night. Want to go on a carriage ride through the park?”

Her eyes lit up. “I haven’t done that in years.”

“It’ll be a first for me.” He put his hand on her lower back, and as they walked toward the park, Jack thought about how many firsts he’d already experienced with Savannah and about how many more were yet to come.

SAVANNAH SNUGGLED AGAINST Jack’s side. She loved being wrapped in his muscular arms, and as she watched Jack’s sharp edges soften, she felt like the luckiest woman on earth.

“I can’t believe you’ve never done this,” Savannah said.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t done, and I can’t wait to do them with you.” He kissed the top of her head.

The
clop-clop
of the horses provided a gentle cadence to their ride through the park. The last time she’d ridden in a carriage was with Matt, and they’d spent the whole time talking about kids—and how he never wanted to have any. The carriage ride with Jack was softer, more intimate than it had been before. She felt the gentle sway of the horses’ gait, and if they did nothing else that night, just went home and went to sleep, she’d go to sleep happy and content.

“I emptied Linda’s closet and gave her clothes to her sister, Elise,” Jack said.

His confession came out of left field and his words were tentative, as if he were testing the waters for her reaction.

“Oh, Jack.” She sat up so she could look into his eyes. “You kept them for all this time?”

He nodded. “I rarely went into the bedroom after her accident. It was too difficult to face. But after we came back from the mountains, I realized that I’d been hiding from it all, and I knew it was time.”

“I’m sorry, Jack. I hope I didn’t push you in that direction.”
But I’m glad you’re moving forward
.

“You have yet to push me to do anything, but being close to you was the catalyst. It was the nudge that I needed. I’d been feeling a little trapped within my own mind, and I didn’t know how to break free. But that all changed when you and I came together. And as hard as it was to do, it was also freeing.”

“That’s good, then, right?”

Jack took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Yes, very good. At some point I would like to show you where I live, but I’m just not there yet.”

“You’re doing so much all at once, Jack. There’s no rush.”
You’re the most honest man I know, and I love that
.

“Thank you for understanding.”

The carriage slowed as they rounded a turn, and Savannah loved that Jack’s attentive gaze never wavered.

“When I saw Ralph, we talked briefly about you, and he gave me his blessing.” Jack laced his fingers into hers. “I never expected to want to be with another woman, and I certainly never thought about telling Linda’s father and sister about caring for one. I’m glad we’re together, Savannah, and I’m glad they know. I don’t want to hide from anything ever again.”

Savannah held her breath, contemplating telling him about Elizabeth’s confession. He was pouring out his heart to her, and she owed him the same honesty. “Jack, Elizabeth knows Linda’s family.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You knew?”

“
You
knew?” she asked.

“No, but Ralph told me this morning.”

“Elizabeth told me when we were up there. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I wasn’t sure how, or even if, I should. You seemed so angry.” She touched his chest.

He kissed her forehead. “So you planted that bobcat in the woods and took advantage of me?” he teased.

Just thinking of the bobcat sent thrill bumps up her arms. “That was the plan,” she said.

His eyes darkened, and a serious look moved across his face. “I also called my sister.” He shrugged. “It’s a start.”

“Jack,” she whispered. She could only imagine how difficult this whole process would be for him, and he was trying to take it all on at once. “You’re moving so fast. Doesn’t that worry you at all?”

He nodded. “I moved fast when I cut them off, and I feel like I can’t move fast enough to repair the damage.”

JACK FOLLOWED SAVANNAH up the stairs to her apartment, and when they reached the landing on her floor, his chest constricted with the memory of Connor taking her in his arms. He shook his head at how he’d reacted, though he knew that if it were to play out before him again, he would probably react in the same way.

He admired her figure from behind and had to run his hands along her hips as she dug in her purse for the keys. He followed the lines of her body to her shoulders and gathered her hair in one hand, exposing the curve of her neck. He lowered his lips to her skin and wrapped his other arm around her slim waist.

“Mmm.” She arched her head back, and he kissed his way up the back of her neck, pressing his hips into her from behind. Feeling all of her luscious curves against him heightened his yearning. His hands slid up her ribs and over her breasts.

“Jack,” she whispered.

He turned her in his arms and kissed her, swallowing whatever words were falling from her lips. He pressed his body in to hers, her back against the door, and he deepened the kiss, knowing he would never tire of kissing her. She reached up and put her warm hands on his cheeks, and when they pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily.

“We should go in,” she said, though she made no move to open the door.

“’Kay,” was all he could manage. Damn, he could take her right there in the hall, and the look in her eyes told him that she wouldn’t mind it at all. When she reached around his hips and grabbed his ass, he practically tore the keys from her hands and unlocked the door. They stumbled into the apartment, kissing between each hurried step. Jack reached back and pushed the door shut behind them. Savannah adeptly unbuttoned his shirt, slipping her fingers beneath the fabric in between each button.

He scanned the apartment, his eyes settling on the hall that led to Savannah’s bedroom. Savannah followed his gaze.

“We don’t have to go to the bedroom, Jack.” She touched his cheek.

“Why are you so good to me? So patient?” Jack was used to being the alpha male in every aspect of his life, and as he looked down the hall, he realized that while he thought he’d been manly—running away to live a solitary life—he’d really been just the opposite. Men didn’t hide from their fears. They faced them.

“You’re a good person. Why shouldn’t I be good to you? You just need time to heal.”

“Savannah.” He searched her eyes, wondering how he’d gotten lucky enough to have been the one she wanted. Savannah deserved more than making love on a pullout couch.
The hell with it
. He took her hand and pulled her down the hall to the bedroom before he lost his nerve.

“Jack?”

He couldn’t answer. It took all his concentration to walk through the door. The first step caused his chest to constrict. In the next breath, her scent filled his lungs. He saw Savannah everywhere. In the colorful scarves that hung from her mirror, which he could think of several things to do with that had nothing to do with cold weather. Shoes lined up by the height of their heels. The black leather boots shot a new adrenaline rush through him. The open lingerie drawer revealing a hint of satin and lace. He nearly groaned aloud as he turned toward her, wondering what she had on beneath her sexy little dress. As he drew his eyes up, over her breasts, her neck, and her lovely face, he saw the love he felt reflected back in her eyes. The constriction in his chest eased. This wasn’t just a bedroom. This was Savannah’s oasis. He took her hand, and as she took a step forward, their love filled the space where his anxiety had been. Jack slipped his arms from his shirt, and when Savannah’s hands traveled up his abs and over his pecs, he wondered if she could feel his love for her in every beat of his heart, the way he could see the love she had for him in the way she looked at him.

Savannah freed him from his jeans and drew them down to his ankles. “My turn,” she said as she lifted each of his feet from his pants, leaving him in just his boxer briefs, his erection straining against the waistband.

My turn
. The way she said it, as if each word dripped with prurience, made him ache for her. Every time they were together was more intense than the last. All evening he’d waited to cast away that little black dress and those four-inch heels, and there he was, standing in his underwear while she was still dressed like a little vixen. How could he possibly deny her intentions this time?

She ran her hands down his neck, pressing hard against his Adam’s apple before dragging them down his chest and lingering over his nipples. Jack gritted his teeth, fisting his hands to keep from throwing her on the bed and having his way with her. He closed his eyes, sucking in a quick breath as she took his nipple roughly between her teeth, then pressed her tongue against it to calm the sting. Her other hand groped his pecs as he might caress her breast. Behind his closed lids, he focused on her touch, and when her hands left his body, he listened to her heavy breathing fade. Her scent surrounded him, and just as he was about to open his eyes, her hands found his stomach, her fingers running along the ripples of his muscles. Then her tongue followed the same path up and across his abs, then lower, along the edge of his waistband. Jack swallowed hard and opened his eyes. He looked down just as she positioned her thumbs above his belly button and pressed her hands into him as she dragged them up his ribs and over his chest while grinding her hips into his. He grabbed her ass and pressed her harder against his erection, then lowered his lips to hers and took her in a tempestuous kiss that sent his mind spiraling out of control. His hands roved her back, then grasped fistfuls of her hair.

“Yes,” she cried.

He couldn’t stop himself. His teeth sank into her neck, and she cried out again.

“Ah, Jack. Yes.”

He kissed the area he’d just bitten, groping her breasts through the fabric of her dress and feeling her taut peaks beneath. He lowered his mouth, taking her breast through the thin material. She buried her hands in his hair and pulled him harder against her chest. Jesus, forget slow. Forget letting her take control. He was a goner. He pushed up her dress, revealing her lacy thong.

“Sweet Jesus, Savannah. You’re so damn sexy,” he groaned.

She ran her tongue over her freshly kissed lips, and he pressed his chest to hers, pushing her back until she was against the bedroom door. One rough kiss and the door clicked shut. Savannah grabbed the sides of his head and pushed him down. Jack gripped her hips hard, running his thumbs over the soft skin beside her navel, then plunged his tongue deep into it. Savannah writhed beneath him. She was so sensual. Her skin was hot against his tongue, and as he kissed his way lower, he rubbed her through her panties.

“Angel, you’re so ready.”

He looked up, and she met his gaze with her eyelids at half-mast before taking his hand in hers and bringing it to her mouth. She licked his fingers front and back, then took them in her mouth and sucked, rolling her tongue around them. Jack’s groin tightened, and by the time she drew them from her mouth and pushed his hand down between her thighs, his hand was trembling with need. He lowered his mouth to the lacy fabric and licked her through the damp cloth, then slipped his fingers beneath the tiny swatch of fabric and followed the wet path inside of her. Savannah sucked in a breath.

“More, Jack.”

More
. That’s just what he wanted.

“More. Jack,” she demanded.

He ripped her thong from her body, and as she stepped from it, she wrapped one long leg over his shoulder, opening herself to him. Jack looked up at her, still needing her to know how much he cared.

“Angel,” was the only word he could find.

“Please.” She widened her stance.

Jack gripped her ass with his left hand and pulled her forward as he lapped at her sweetness and thrust his fingers inside her. She pressed her hips against him, filling the bedroom with her sexy little moans. He moved his mouth to the inside of her thighs and licked a path to the crease beside her sex.

“Jack.” His name was one long exhalation. “More. More, Jack.”

Damn, she was so hot, so hungry for him, and he for her. He lifted her up, placing her other leg over his other shoulder, then settled his mouth over her center.

Savannah dug her fingers into his scalp. “Yes. Yes.”

Her voice sent a thrum of excitement through him, and when she spread her legs farther apart and pushed his hand lower, he knew just what she wanted. He teased that pucker of skin until she rocked her hips, pulsing against his mouth, and let out a loud pleasure-filled cry.

“Oh God, touch me, Jack. Touch me more.”

He was on the verge of coming, and as he lowered her trembling legs and her high heels landed on the hardwood, he stroked her with his hand, taking her up and over the edge again. Her thighs tightened as he slid his fingers deep inside her.

“Jack.” She clenched her teeth, then pulled him up to his feet. Her body trembled as she kissed him greedily before she dropped to her knees and yanked his briefs to the floor.

“No, Savannah. I’m too ready.”

She looked up and him and licked her lips. “Good.”

“I want to be inside you.” He respected her too much to do what she wanted, but as she licked him from base to tip, he could barely restrain himself.

“You will.” She took him in her mouth again, her tongue circling the tip, her hands stroking his shaft. She moaned, and it vibrated against him.

“Savan—”

She grabbed his hips and pulled him deeper into her mouth, drinking him in as he gritted his teeth and thrust forward as each magnificent shudder tore through him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d come as hard or as long. When the clutch of the climax released his muscles, he looked down at Savannah licking the last drop from the tip.

Jack pressed his palm against his forehead and pushed his hair back, unable to believe what they’d just done—or how incredibly good it felt. Savannah rose to her feet and pressed her lips to his. He tried to resist, given what she’d just done, but his need for her was too great, his love too immense, and when his tongue met hers, all he tasted was sweet Savannah.

SAVANNAH DREW BACK from Jack, wanting more of him. She reached between his legs, expecting to find him flaccid and sated.

“I’ve never done that before,” she admitted. She took him in her hand, and his body responded instantly, swelling to its impressive length once again. Jack breathed hard. His blue eyes were black as night.

“Why now?” he finally asked.

She shook her head. “I have no idea why you stir naughty thoughts in me.” She licked her lower lip. “But you do.” She looked down at his naked body, then at her minidress, still bunched around her waist, her high heels planted firmly on either side of Jack’s feet.

His eyes followed hers, and when he spoke, his deep voice rumbled right through her. “I need to be inside you.”

“Please.” She heard the ache in her own voice.

Jack’s piercing stare held her in place as he lifted her dress over her head, then raked her body with a licentious leer. She’d never stood naked in heels in front of a man before, and she was surprised that she didn’t feel the need to cover her body. She was so comfortable with Jack that when he took her breast in his mouth, she moaned loudly, uninhibited, which she’d already learned always weakened Jack’s desire to move slowly with her.

He buried both hands beneath her hair and cupped her head. “You know just how to destroy my good intentions.”

He covered her mouth with his, and she loved the urgent roughness of the kiss. She moaned into his mouth, hoping to work him up even more. He swooped her into his arms, heels and all, and laid her on the bed. Then he pushed her legs apart with his knees, and before he drove into her, he looked deeply into her eyes.

She grabbed his hips.
Hurry. Hurry
.

And finally, thankfully, he penetrated her deeper than ever before, driving her up on the mattress, dominating her with his strapping, taut muscles and potent stare. She closed her eyes, and in no time at all, Savannah’s body rocked with another powerful orgasm. Her body squeezed against him, drawing him deeper inside.

“Open your eyes, angel.” His voice came through the darkness.

ANGEL. I LOVE that.
Her eyes fluttered open, but the pleasure was too intense and they closed once again.

Jack covered her mouth with his, pressing her into the mattress beneath his slick body, and when he finally released her, she was breathless.

“Open your eyes.”

She did, and his smile stole her next breath. His muscles glistened with sweat, and he never missed a beat, keeping up the rigorous pace as she lifted her hips to meet each of his mighty thrusts.

“God, I love you,” he said, then kissed her quickly before his own release took hold and slammed his eyes shut, straining the muscles in his neck and arms as he groaned his way up and over the peak and then came down upon her, panting and sated. His cheek rested upon her breast, his hand found her cheek, and a contented sigh slipped from his lips.