“Would you like me to prove it to you?” he asked softly.
He saw anger cross her expression before she said, “The papers think I’m a moron, I know. But you shouldn’t make the same mistake because I’m not. I won’t fall for your game twice.”
“No, you won’t,” Jack agreed. “Mainly because you didn’t fall for anything the first time.”
“Honestly, James, I thought you were busy –” she said and may have intended to say more.
Jack would never know.
Because his hands shot out, closed at her waist and he yanked her body to his.
Then his head descended and his mouth crushed down on hers.
Her h*ps pulled at his hands but his arms wrapped around her and he held her tight against him.
She felt, he noted immediately, better than he remembered.
But he couldn’t taste her.
She wouldn’t open her mouth and she was pressing at his shoulders at the same time she was pushing her weight against his arms.
She tore her mouth from his and snapped, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Proving it wasn’t an act,” Jack replied calmly as she squirmed, her soft body moving against his and Jack remembered how good that felt too.
“By kissing me?” she screeched.
“Poppet,” Jack murmured and when he did, she stilled in his arms. “That wasn’t a kiss.” His hand slid up her spine, her neck and into her hair, holding her head steady. “This,” he muttered, “will be a kiss.”
Then his mouth captured hers again.
She resisted.
He coaxed.
She kept resisting and his arm at her waist slid up her back, his fingers curling around and the tips started to stroke the side of her breast. He felt her stiff body begin to melt at his touch, he knew he was making progress and his lips moved a breath away from hers.
“Open your mouth,” he demanded softly.
She shook her head and he wrapped his fist in her hair, pulling her head back gently.
“Open your mouth,” he repeated against her lips.
She again shook her head.
“Poppet –” he started.
But she interrupted by whispering, “Don’t call me –”
She didn’t finish, as she was speaking, he muttered, “There it is.”
And his parted lips took hers, his tongue sliding inside her mouth.
Jack tasted her and remembered just exactly how much he liked that as well.
Like the first time he kissed her, she responded the minute his tongue touched hers.
Her body melted into his, her hands glided up his arms, one arm wrapped around his neck, the fingers of her other hand slid into his hair.