if he refused, she could hardly complain. She had attacked the man, after all.
With his free hand, he swept his thumb over her lips, up over the slope of her cheekbone, then down to the curve of her jaw. It was as if he were mapping her face with his fingertips. “You are so lovely,” he said, his voice deep and gruff. Not his usual cultured tone at all.
He was being kind, and she was grateful for it. “Thank you. I know I’m not—”
“Stop. If you are about to disparage yourself, I do not want to hear it. Not now, not ever, mon ange.”
Her heart tripped over itself in her chest as it expanded and solidified. She wouldn’t be surprised if he could see her heart beating through the layers of clothing. “Mulligan,” she breathed, unable to say more than that one word. She hoped he understood what he was doing to her.
“Jack.”
“What?”
Leaning in, he dragged his nose along her neck, and she heard him inhale. Was he smelling her? “Say my first name when you sigh like that.”
She bit her lip, trying not to smile, and met his eyes through her lashes. “Jack.”
“Perfect.” He gave her a swift kiss. “Christ, you are utterly perfect.”
He took her mouth again, using his lips and teeth and tongue to scramble her brains. She no longer feared herself incapable of passion. Jack had her panting, straining, dying for more. Her breasts were heavy, aching behind her corset, her body straining toward his. Desire pooled between her legs, and she could feel her pulse like an insistent drumbeat in that one spot, calling for attention. Demanding satisfaction.
His hand dropped to her hip, and she nearly vibrated with the need for him to touch her somewhere. Anywhere.
Everywhere.
Since the moment he removed her boot, she’d been thinking about when he might kiss her. For a brief, horrifying minute it had seemed like the night might end with bowling. Thank God it hadn’t. Any embarrassment over throwing herself at him was worth it for this.
Because Jack Mulligan knew how to kiss exceedingly well. The right amount of pressure, not wet or sloppy. Enticing but not overwhelming. A girl might walk through fire for a few moments of recklessness with this man. No matter what happened between them after tonight, she would never regret this.
His mouth drifted to her jaw then along the sensitive skin of her neck. Teeth scraped between hot openmouthed kisses. His hand moved from her hip to cover her ribs. He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder, his breath every bit as labored as hers. “What do you want tonight?”
There was quite a long list, actually. “Must I say it out loud?”
“Yes, you must. I cannot read your mind and I’d rather not guess. I may intimidate others into doing what I wish, but I’d never intimidate you.”
“What do you want tonight?” She sank her teeth into his earlobe and felt a tremor go through him. Nice to know she could affect him, as well.
He kissed her shoulder. “I wouldn’t like to scare you. It’s better if you tell me instead.”
“You cannot scare me. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
“Chérie, I touched my tongue to your skin and you ran from the club like it was on fire.”
“I was merely caught off guard, not scared. Not to mention, you’ve done a lot more with your tongue tonight and I haven’t run screaming.”
“Yet.”
“Jack, come on.” She nudged his shoulder. “I am braver than I appear.”
“Really?”
His voice was laced with sarcasm and she couldn’t tell if he was teasing her. “Indeed.”
“I know you are brave—I knew it within seconds of meeting you—but there is brave and then there is daring. The latter requires fearlessness with a sense of adventure.”
“You think I lack a sense of adventure?”
“I think you are a woman who gives much of herself to others without considering what she wants most.”
He was annoyingly correct. However, considering her wants and desires almost seemed selfish. No one, other than Jack, had ever encouraged her to try. “What I want right now is for you to tell me what you’d like to do, regardless of whether it scares me or not.”
“Do not say I didn’t warn you.” He pressed his tongue in the same spot as the other night, perhaps to test her. She didn’t run this time, merely leaned in to get closer. He growled, his chest rumbling, fingers digging into her sides, and he put his mouth near her ear. “I’d start by leading