“No,” she said quickly before she lost her nerve. “What I mean is, can I make dinner for you? Just you and me at my cottage.”
Something changed about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it but whatever it was filled the very air. It made it smooth, silky, thick, like velvet trailing across her skin.
“I’d like that,” he said softly.
Belle nodded again then swallowed before she went on, “My cottage is a short walk from here. You just –”
“I know where you live, Belle,” he cut in, surprising her with this news. “Do you have enough to do here to wait for me to come and collect you?”
She nodded yet again. “I always have enough to do.”
He moved into her space and said, “I’ll let you know when I’m close.”
“Okay,” she whispered, liking the idea of knowing when Jack was close but not as much as liking it when he was close.
“I’ve got to go,” he told her but he sounded like he didn’t want to. In fact, he sounded like he really didn’t want to and Belle felt that trill shoot up her spine.
She nodded once again but he didn’t move.
She waited.
He still didn’t move.
This went on for a while.
Finally, she asked, “I thought you said you had to go?”
“I’m waiting for my kiss.”
A dozen trills shot up her spine and her scalp tingled so much she thought her hair would stand on end.
She was getting there. She’d even met his eyes and asked him to dinner.
She couldn’t kiss him.
The last time she’d kissed him, it led to an orgasm on his couch.
Then she thought about him flying to God knew where. No co-pilot. Maybe ending his flight in a fiery crash somewhere remote where it would take days of concentrated search efforts (with dogs) to reach his beautiful but broken body.
She hated to admit it, even though she just took one, it was time again to take another risk.
So that’s why she leaned into him, put her hands to his chest, slid them up so they were around his neck and she went up on tiptoe as she pressed her chest to his.
He helped, his hands coming to rest lightly on her waist and tilting his head down so she could put her mouth on his.
Then she kissed him, softly at first, pressing further and opening her lips just a little bit.
He helped again, opening his mouth over hers.
So, timidly, she slid her tongue inside his mouth and touched it to his.
The second she tasted him, his arms wrapped tightly around her, hauling her against his body and up, taking her to the very tips of her toes (and beyond).
Then his head slanted and Jack took control of the kiss.
From there, it went wild and hot and nearly out-of-control.
It was fantastic.