Tempting Jason Read online

  She nodded, and followed him, hands on his arm, not about to stay anywhere he wasn’t. Jason was strong and obviously unafraid, and she was not about to let him get away.

  He stopped in the doorway of her very dark bedroom, and she tentatively peered around his very large, safe-feeling body.

  And then she saw the movement outside the window. She gasped and pointed. He stood completely still, looking towards the window as she ducked back behind him. After several seconds, he turned and faced her.

  She grabbed his arms. “What do we do now?” she whispered in a hoarse voice.

  He didn’t whisper. “Are we speaking of before or after I call and yell at your brother for scaring the hell out of you?”

  “Shh!” She put her finger to her lips. “Are you crazy?”

  He sighed as he reached behind her and flipped on the light. “It’s a tree limb, Heather.”

  She blinked several times, trying to digest his words. Instantly, she started feeling the embarrassment of her own stupidity. “It can’t be.”

  “It is.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Quite.”

  She blinked several more times. “Oh.”

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Maybe he was only trying to calm her down with the tree thing. “Are you calling the police?” she asked earnestly.

  “No,” he said giving her a look. “Your brother.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Don’t do that.” Then she frowned. “How would you explain being here?” In fact, she wanted to know herself. “Why are you here?”

  He put his phone back in his pocket, and let out a breath. “We need to talk.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her body. “About what happened earlier, I assume?”

  He didn’t so much as blink. Damn, how she hated how hard his face was to read. “Exactly.”

  His eyes drifted towards the bed, a sure indicator he wasn’t feeling cool and collected even if his exterior seemed to show that he did. When his eyes returned to hers, he said, “I think we should take this talk to the living room.”

  She marched towards the bed, sat down, and curled her legs up beside her, careful to keep the robe in place. She wanted to allude to an invitation, but not offer herself up on a platter. He still needed to work for it.

  “I’m comfortable here.” She arched her brows. “Go ahead.” She paused a split second. “Talk.”

  He stood completely, utterly still. It was as if he was a stone statue. “I’m going to the living room, where I’ll be waiting to talk to you.”

  Then he actually had the nerve to turn and walk out of the room. She sat there stunned for long moments. Now what? Did he expect her to follow him as if she was taking orders?

  Not happening. No way. So where did that leave her? Her mind was racing with possibilities. She could drop the robe and walk out there naked. That drew an instant no. She didn’t have the courage, and it sent the wrong message. She wasn’t the sluttish type. She was…well…a woman who—oh, God, she had never let herself go there—but now, seeing him again, she knew. She was in love with Jason. Okay, so she had gone there before, but she always talked herself out of it later.

  Now, there was no question.

  Which meant she wasn’t about to let him walk away from her. So think, woman, think!

  And then it came to her. She knew how to handle him. A smile turned up the corner of her lips as she put her plan into play.

  * * *

  Jason paced the living room a full fifteen minutes before he finally cursed brusquely and marched towards Heather’s bedroom.

  He found the door open, and the lights out. What the…“Heather?”

  Nothing. Not a peep. A rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins as fear crept into his heart. What if there really had been an intruder?

  Urgency laced his voice. “Heather?”

  Moments passed as he prepared to act. He reached for the light switch. “I’m here.”

  His hand froze. “Where?”

  Two beats. “In bed.”

  Shit. What was she trying to do to him? “I thought we were going to talk?”

  She didn’t answer. “Heather?”

  “Hmmm.”

  “We were supposed to talk,” he said, irritated at both her and his own thoughts. Heather, in bed, her soft curves invitingly pressed between the sheets...

  Damn. He was hard just thinking about it, like some randy teenager. “You scared the hell out of me,” he complained, meaning it.

  “Don’t yell at me, Jason,” she called through the darkness. “I’m sleeping. Go home.”

  “I didn’t yell, but I am irritated.” He flipped on the light switch, determined to get control once again. Whatever game she was playing, he was losing. “We need to talk.”

  She sat up the instant the light came on, sheet hugged to her body. “Go home, Jason.”

  His was already walking towards her, intending to demand they clear the air. “You knew I was still here, but you went to bed.”

  His eyes fixed on that sheet and then traveled upward to her creamy-white, bare shoulders. A mass of her lush, red hair fell in silky waves down her back. Her green eyes were fixed on him, angry and alive with her emotions.

  Full realization hit him as he reached the edge of the bed. “What are you wearing, Heather?”

  Her lips were parted, and he could have sworn they trembled just slightly. “You really want me to answer that, Jason?”

  He swallowed, trying to calm the pounding of his heart with mind power. It wasn’t working. After all his years of combat, it was this tiny, delicate redhead who threatened to steal his composure.

  They stared at each other, the intimacy of passion thick with each passing moment. They both knew she was naked. “I can’t do this. We can’t.” His voice was hoarse with desire, and lacking in conviction. He wanted nothing more than to take what she offered.

  This woman, the one he had wanted for so many years, was the temptation of his lifetime. And she was naked, a mere few inches from his touch.

  She moved then, rising to her knees and dropping the sheet. “I want you, Jason.”

  His eyes stayed locked with hers, and he grasped for control. But he was a mere man, only human. His eyes lowered to her full, perfect breasts. Tantalizing rose-colored nipples, plump and already pointed with arousal, begged for his mouth.

  And he damned sure wanted to take them in his mouth.

  But he wanted what he shouldn’t. His best friend’s sister. An internal battled raged between his common sense and the things this woman did to him. His body was hard with desire, but it was more than simply physical need.

  Heather called to him in so many ways.

  “Touch me, Jason.”

  And those were the words that sent him over the edge.

  Chapter Five

  Jason’s knees hit the mattress as he knelt so that he faced her. As much as he wanted to touch her with hungry hands, to ravish and devour the focus of his need, he held back. It took effort to harness his desire, but he knew it would be worth it.

  This was too important to rush. He wanted to savor each moment, and make it last.

  This had been in the making for so very long. He had wanted her. She had wanted him. Gently, his fingers touched her cheek.

  “Jason.” Her whisper was etched with a silkiness that spoke of desire. Her lashes fluttered to her cheeks as her hand covered his.

  God, he had waited his entire adult life to hear her say his name that way. Both his hands found their way into her hair, his palms framing her face.

  Their eyes met and held. There were many years of friendship and understanding between them. It changed what he knew as intimacy, and in fact, seemed to redefine its meaning.

  There was something far beyond physical desire that moved between them. He felt it from head to toe, in every inch of his body. It was lust, hunger and hot sexual heat, yet it was also tender, gentle, and giving.

  It defied reason while it
pressed him forward with a growing ache to be skin to skin with her, touching her, tasting her, burying himself deep inside her.

  Lowering his head, the need to kiss her consumed like a fire raging inside. It made him want to take her mouth, hot and hard. But he found himself merely brushing his lips over hers, loving the soft wetness as they trembled beneath his own.

  His eyes shut, forced closed by the pure ecstasy of the moment. Gently he moved his mouth against hers; once, twice, three times. He tasted her sweetness, needing it like a drug.

  Needing her.

  When he slid his tongue between Heather’s teeth, she whimpered. Her hands went to his wrists, tightening around them. He intentionally kept his body away from hers as he held on to what little control he still maintained.

  Her tongue eagerly swept a trail along his, wearing down his willpower. She moaned into his mouth. The sound was like a seductive play on his nerve endings, zapping his remaining control.

  Giving into the passion that burned inside, he deepened the kiss, pulling her close and pressing her breasts against his chest. He tasted her with the hunger of a starving man, and she met his need with a passionate response like none he had ever experienced.

  They clung together as if they wanted to be under each others' skin. His hands traveled her bare back, loving the soft, silky feel against his palms. Sliding his hand between their bodies, he found one of her breasts and gently kneaded it.

  Again, she whimpered.

  He swallowed the soft, sexy sound like a reward that only made him hungrier for her. He wanted more and more, his body growing harder with urgency. He tweaked her nipple, and she rewarded him with another soft sounds of pleasure.

  She tugged at his shirt. Helping her efforts, eager to feel her body naked against his own, he pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor.

  Like a ravenous animal, her hands touched him, fingernails scraping his nipples, mouth pressed against his chest. His hands went to her hair as she flattened her tongue on his nipple.

  This time he moaned, low and deeply felt as pleasure danced along his nerve endings.

  Her exploration continued with her hands moving up and down his sides as her lips, tongue, and even teeth tempted and teased. As much as he loved what she was doing, he needed to kiss her again.

  Urgently, in fact.

  His hands closed on the side of her head, urging her to look up at him. He saw the question in her eyes, but didn’t answer with words. Instead, he kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, his tongue stroking hers. He lingered, drawing out the kiss with sensual moves that allowed him to savor her.

  Her hands went to his pants, and he again was more than willing to oblige. Jason reached down and undid his button, but the shock of her hand cupping his erection made him freeze.

  There was no doubt he grew in her hand, the pure and simple heat of lust making him press against her palm. “Damn, woman,” he murmured against her lips. “You’re killing me.”

  She laughed, soft and sexy, nipping at his lips even as she moved her hand against his erection. “Good.”

  He looked at her, eyebrows raised in mock astonishment. “You have an evil side, I see.”

  “No,” she said. “I waited far too many years for this. It’s just good to know you want it, too.”

  Her words went straight to his heartstrings. In some far corner of his mind, a flash of concern touched him. He shouldn’t be here, with her. But common sense didn’t seem to apply. Instead, he wanted her to know how badly he wanted her, both now and in the past.

  His hands went to her neck, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “You know I wanted you too, right, Heather?”

  “Yes,” she mouthed, barely making a sound with the word. Then in a hoarse whisper, she added, “Deep down, I always knew.” A devilish half-smile appeared on her lips. “But you could prove it by getting rid of your pants now.”

  He laughed, amazed at the wild array of feelings Heather evoked in him. As hot as he was, he would never have thought he could laugh.

  No wonder no other woman had ever been able to compare to her.

  He knelt down and started unlacing his boots. Without warning, Heather maneuvered off the bed. Her full breasts shifted with the movement, drawing his hungry stare.

  Surprising him, she reached out, touched his hand. “Let me,” she said, referring to the laces.

  His brow inched up in silent question, but he let his hands fall to his sides. There was a unique intimacy to her actions. Perhaps because she was naked. He was struggling to keep his hands to himself. His eyes took in the full view of her curvaceous body with admiration.

  It felt like a lifetime before she finished unlacing both boots. Her eyes lifted to his, and her hands settled on his knees. “Take them off.”

  He wasn't thinking about his boots. He was thinking about her breasts pressed against his knees. Unable to resist, he reached around his legs and rolled her nipples in his fingers.

  She moaned, and tilted her head back slightly. “Stop,” she said with a tremble to her voice, as she dipped her chin and pinned him in a sultry stare. “I can’t function when you’re, um, oh, doing that.”

  He wanted to know how turned on she really was. “Doing what, baby?” Jason asked, kissing her ear and cheek, and then her mouth.

  “I’m trying…” He never found out what she was trying to do because his actions froze the words on her lips.

  His fingers were on her thighs, walking their length with intentional slowness, teasing her, and enjoying his power over her. “I need to know how hot you really are.”

  “Jason—“She whispered only his name, stopping as his index finger found her slick readiness.

  He let out a low growl. “God, baby, you are so damn wet.”

  Two fingers stroked her, while his other hand gently inched her legs farther apart. She fell backwards and caught herself on her hands. The action thrust her perfectly peaked nipples in the air.

  So fucking beautiful. Squatting didn’t allow him to reach her easily, so he moved to his knees. He wanted to lean over her body and touch her nipples with his tongue.

  But her wetness called to him with a stronger force, drawing his eyes to the red triangle between her thighs. Long, sexy legs spread wide, she was deliciously open to him. He was damned thankful for turning on the lights. No way would he want to miss seeing every inch of her.

  His fingers explored her, spreading her wetness around her body, and gradually working his finger a little inside her…but just a little. He wanted to make this last. Her head was dipped backwards, her hair draped behind her. She looked like a sexy poster designed to his exact taste.

  “Jason.” It was some sort of plea. For both pleasure, and rescue from his scrutiny.

  He looked up to find her looking at him, a hint of embarrassment in her face. “Oh, baby,” he said tenderly, reaching for her, and pulling her towards him. One of his hands inched into her hair, framing her face. “You’re beautiful. I love looking at you.”

  She shut her eyes, and then opened them again. “I guess I’m just a little nervous.”

  “Why?” he asked feeling a hint of urgency. “Do you want to stop?”

  Her hand tightened on his arm where she held it. “No, it's not that. I…I guess it’s just, well, with you things seem so much more...” she paused a minute, “I don’t know...important, intimate.” Her eyes flashed with some emotion. “All kinds of things.”

  He understood exactly what she meant. Years of being friends and wanting more made this a unique experience. But a damned good one.

  “I know.” Lightly, he brushed his lips across hers. “I know.”

  There lips were almost touching, breaths intermingled. “You do?” she asked in a hushed whisper.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Jason kissed her then, or maybe she kissed him. He wasn’t sure. It felt like he was sinking into a haze of need so quickly, he couldn’t quite decide what was what.

  “You’re amazing,” he said as hi
s tongue dipped into her sweet temptation of a mouth. God, she tasted good. Addictive. Sinfully so.

  She pressing into him, arms wrapped around his neck as she sank into the kiss. Her breasts brushed against his chest, and he felt the hard little pebbles of her nipples. He felt the throbbing of his erection with renewed power. Raging heat threatened to consume him. Damn, how he wanted her.

  Here.

  Now.

  Always.

  The word hit him like a ton of bricks. Damn it, he loved Heather. Always had, always would. He kissed her with the passion of the words in his head, stroking her tongue with sensual play.

  “You feel so good,” he told her, kissing her, and then adding, “I need you, Heather.”

  She answered him with not only her words, but her body. Kissing him back with a sizzling fierceness. As if she was afraid it would be their last kiss. “I need you, too, Jason.” She pulled back enough to look at him, breathing labored, hands on his shoulders. “I have for a long time.”

  His eyes shut with the impact of her words. They had denied themselves so long. She was the answer to that small void he had always felt inside. Only as of late, it hadn’t seemed so small. It was as if their time had been coming, and his heart knew the truth.

  She stroked his cheek. “Jason?”

  Heather was a part of his future, and the truth of his existence. His second half. They had parted physically, but never emotionally.

  When his eyes opened she was staring at him. Anticipation filled those beautiful green eyes as if she was afraid he might turn her away. And no matter what the consequences, he couldn’t walk away from her again. Not after tonight. Not ever.

  “I’ve wanted you a very long time, too, baby.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Too long.”

  They both reached for his pants at the same time, and laughed as their hands collided. But the laughter lasted mere moments, replaced by mutual hunger. Their eyes locked, heated with their shared passion.

  The need to feel each other as close as possible was a silent understanding. He pushed to his feet, eager to discard the only barriers left.