swift motion, he lifts me by the hips and settles me on his lap, so I’m straddling him.
We join hands and sit here, smiling at each other.
“Better,” he says. “Now, do you have any other questions?”
“A million,” I say as our fingers move and dance against each other’s. “First kiss?”
“Amanda Baker, during a game of Spin the Bottle.”
“Same! Robbie Donnelly. Horrible kisser. I felt like my mouth was being swallowed by a frog. Quite possibly why I wasn’t eager to kiss just any guy all through high school.”
“I have a question for you. Why did you study accounting in college?” he asks.
“I’m really good at numbers. I like them actually. Spreadsheets are kind of a turn-on for me. A good calculator is gold. I’d much rather get a nice Montblanc pen than a diamond tennis bracelet.”
With a laugh, he kisses my hand. “Told you. Nerds are so sexy.”
I hit him in the arm, and he tickles my sides, making me laugh. I’m in a fit of giggles, bending to the side as his hands move up and down my torso. I lean forward and bury my head into his neck.
“You have a great laugh,” he says.
“Good thing I’ve found a guy who can make me laugh.”
He brushes my hair off my face and tucks it behind my ear. “You know I’m your guy, right?”
I nod and rest my head against his hand.
“It’s you and me, Amelia. Just us.”
“Together.” The grin on his face says he’s happy with my response, but then he looks away. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” he lies.
“I know that look, Jesse. You think you’re protecting me, but you have no idea how well I know your body language. You promised you wouldn’t keep secrets from me. Don’t go back on it.”
“You want my truth?” he asks. “I’m worried because I don’t know what will happen to us when this is over. At the end of the day, I’m a special agent, and you’re the daughter of a mobster. He’ll never approve of me. And in my line of work, I can’t keep you.”
My heart falls at these words. He’s not saying anything I didn’t already know. I’d be a fool to continue this relationship with him, if you can even call it a relationship. Whatever it is, it’s dangerously wrong, and still, I can’t help but want it … even if it’s only for a short time.
“Let’s not worry about what will happen tomorrow. One day at a time, right? That’s what you said, and that’s what we’ll do. And tonight, I want nothing more than to be with a man. A strong, protective man who is so damn good. I want that goodness buried deep inside me. Can you give me that?”
Fire and desire blaze in his eyes. His lips part, and his chest puffs as I release my hands from his and slowly unbutton his shirt. When it’s undone, I push it off his shoulders, forcing him to sit up fully so I can remove it completely.
My mouth lowers to kiss the spot above his heart before I rise to my feet and slowly unzip my dress, letting it pool to the floor.
I’m standing here in my bra and underwear, exposed to him in offering. He doesn’t hesitate as he stands and takes me in his arms and kisses me senseless.
“I need you to know if I could keep you, I would,” he speaks into our kiss.
“I know you would. And I’d forsake my family to have you as mine.”
He stops and looks at me as if I’d just saved his life. “You really mean that?”
“On my life,” I swear and watch as the intense suit of armor he wears fades, leaving a man totally vulnerable in its place.
I undo my bra and toss it onto the couch, and then I shimmy out of my panties while he undoes his belt and removes his pants and boxers. A condom is slid on, and he resumes his place on the couch with me climbing on top of him.
His mouth is on my breast, sucking on a pert nipple, licking and nipping, while he rubs his hand over the neglected one. I gyrate my hips over his sleeved cock and am drenched from the friction.
I move swiftly and slide him deep inside me. He curses sweetly against my mouth, and we grip on to each other, my hand clenching on to the back of his hair, his holding my head, firm yet gentle. With an arm