It Was Only a Kiss - By Joss Wood Page 0,36

pull into his spot outside the kitchen door, she put down her tea and walked to the door. Luke’s smile widened as he saw her standing in the doorway and Jess felt her breath hitch.

It was frightening to realise how good it felt to be back.

Luke jumped down from his seat and, leaving the door open, took two strides to reach her. He cupped the back of her head in his large palm. His mouth covered hers in a long, slow, deep kiss that melted her organs from the inside out. Jess responded without thought, draping her arms around his neck and pressing up close to his body.

Hot, randy, slow, sexy, tender... How many ways could this man kiss? Jess held the back of his neck and thought that she could read his mood in his kisses almost as well as she could in his eyes. In this one she tasted fatigue...and a layer of stress. Happiness that she was back, relief that she was in his arms and, as always, the pulsing heat of desire. Kissing him in return, she rubbed her hand up and down his back, instinctively trying to ease the stress from his muscles, arching her own back to tell him silently that she wanted him as much as he seemed to want her, trying to tell him that she was thrilled to be back at St Sylve, with him, in the strong circle of his arms.

God, this was getting far too deep, too quickly. She should pull away, take a breath...

Luke read her mind and yanked his mouth off hers.

Jess licked her lips and tasted him there. ‘What?’

Luke stepped away and put an inch of air between his thumb and index finger. ‘I’m this close to yanking you into the back seat of my car and whipping your clothes off.’

Jess thought that she could go for that. It was crazy, it was wild, it was... Luke slammed the car door closed and she came back to her senses. Impossible.

She hauled in a breath and found her voice. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi, back. Good to see you.’ Luke ran his thumb across her lips before placing his hand on her lower back and ushering her into the kitchen.

Jess wrinkled her nose when she heard her mobile ringing in her pocket. It was Lee, the five-hundredth cousin once removed, the man her mother had set her up with. They exchanged pleasantries and Jess was deeply conscious of the sardonic look in Luke’s eyes. His eyes narrowed and his eyebrow lifted.

This was stupid, Jess decided. He knew and she knew that she wasn’t interested in anyone else but him, so she quickly ended the conversation with Lee, declining his invitation to dinner as politely as she could. Trying to use him as a distraction was so high school and, frankly, beneath her.

She raised her brows at Luke. ‘Satisfied?’ she asked.

‘Marginally. Take me to bed and I will be.’

Heat arced between them. She could so easily sleep with him and damn the consequences...

Owen rapped on the frame of the kitchen door and ambled inside. ‘Hey, Jess, good to have you back.’

Jess returned his greeting and was amused when his eyes didn’t connect with hers. He was too busy looking for Ally.

‘Ally around?’

Jess grinned. ‘Up the stairs and to your left.’

Owen didn’t need to be told twice. His long legs took him across the kitchen in a couple of strides and then he was running up the stairs. They heard a feminine squeal, a large thump, the slam of a bedroom door...

Jess shook her head. ‘You do realise that she’s going to gobble him up and spit him out?’

‘He won’t have a problem with that.’ Luke sent her a direct look. ‘You ready to gobble me up and spit me out yet?’

He said it with such a mixture of humour and hope that Jess had to smile. ‘Nope. Sorry.’

‘Ah, well.’

Jess leaned back against the counter and cocked her head. ‘So, how was filming today?’

‘Long and tiring. I walked up and cycled down the mountain most of the morning,’ Luke replied. Gloria, one of his dogs, whined at the door, and Luke looked from her to Jess. ‘The dogs want their walk. Want to join us?’

Jess lifted one shoulder before nodding. ‘Yes, let’s do that.’

Luke lifted the heavy jacket of his she’d taken to wearing at St Sylve off the hook at the door and helped her into it. Opening the door for her, he waited for her to walk out before closing it