Love Required (14 page)

Taking a chance, he moved his attention from her scar to her lips. They were parted as she took in a shaky breath before running her tongue along the bottom one. Leaning closer, he gently kissed them. Nothing demanding, just letting her feel the warmth of his lips against hers. He let himself enjoy a few decadent moments before pulling back. Unconsciously, his hand moved to her cheek, and his thumb rubbed over the rosiness there.

Capturing her gaze, he let a small smile spread across his face. Their breaths mingling in the small space between them, he continued to stroke her cheek. “I’m sorry you had to leave Idaho … but I’m really glad you picked San Diego.”

She answered with a smile of her own and whispered, “Me too.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JASON was reluctant to end the evening, but knew it was inevitable. After that kiss, he was struggling to keep himself in check. Or maybe it was because of her story. Probably a combination of both. What he did know, without a doubt, was that if he ever came face to face with Tori’s ex, it would take a significant force of nature to prevent him from crushing the man’s windpipe with his bare hands.

Standing, he pulled her up with him. They turned and silently made their way back toward his car. He lifted their linked hands and crossed his over her head, resting his arm across her shoulders, bringing her body flush against his. When she looked up and gave him a shy, unguarded smile, he kissed her forehead.

Even though every cell of his body was laced with testosterone, he was content with this simple gesture. For now. A kiss on the forehead was something he’d done countless times, but never to a woman who wasn’t part of his family. Jason knew Tori was someone special—worth something more. Sighing his contentment, he turned his attention toward the path in front of them, shortening his long stride to allow her to keep up.

When their destination came into view, she let go of his hand. He sadly went to remove his arm when her other hand reached up and held on to it. A second later her arm snaked around his waist until her hand rested firmly on his hip. He knew he probably looked like a grinning fool, but he couldn’t help it. He liked having her pressed up against him. A lot.

When they arrived at his car, Tori stopped and turned to him, blocking the door. Their hands were still locked together, and her other one was now resting on the front of his hip. Her gaze was locked on his chest, and she looked as if she wanted to say something, so he remained silent. Waiting for her.

“Um, I just wanted to say thank you. I mean, I appreciate you listening to me tonight …” her words trailed off, sounding uncertain.

Dropping her hand, he gently tipped her chin up, as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Pulling her softly against him, he waited until her eyes met his. When they did, he tried to convey as much sincerity with his gaze as he said, “No, Tori. It’s me who should be thanking you. I can’t imagine telling that story was an easy thing for you to do, but I’m happy you trust me enough to share your painful past with me.”

Pausing, he smiled. His hand moved in circles on the small of her back. With each passing moment, he wanted to touch her more, but he was focused on easing the uncertainty he heard in her voice. Continuing, he said, “I’m also certain there is more to that story than what you offered, and you should know that at some point, when you share that part with me, I will listen to as much as you want to tell me. But know this Tori, you
will
tell me all of it. Not because I insist, but because you will
want
to share it all with me. It’s my intention to make sure you are comfortable and have no reservations about being near me.”

She shook her head slightly before whispering, “I don’t have any reservations about being near you, Jason.” She paused, and her eyes dropped back down to his chest, even though he still held her chin in his hand. When she found his eyes again, she smiled. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I’m comfortable with you, more so than I think I should be. And honestly, that scares me a little bit.”

“
It
scares you, but I don’t?” he asked in clarification. Without all the details of her past, he could only assume the worst. The scar on her face painted a very vivid picture in his head of what she might have gone through. He could only hope his imagination was overreacting.

Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head with determination, “Oh, no. I’m not scared of you. I’m scared of how easy it is to share things with you. I’ve only ever told my story to Tessa, and that was because I needed someone to know. Just in case …”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, Tori,” Jason insisted as his arm instinctively tightened around her waist. He didn’t even want to fathom what ‘just in case’ could mean. Jason didn’t want their evening to wrap up on thoughts of her past—he wanted to lighten the mood.

“That’s something we can talk about another time. ‘Cause there will be another time, right Tori? Or do I need to hold your spare tire hostage a little longer?”

She smiled at his teasing, and a moment later, with a glint in her eye, she said, “Just be prepared, if one of my tires suddenly has a cluster of nails sticking out of it … I will have no idea how that happened.”

“And you know who you’ll be calling to take care of that for you, don’t you?” he said, as his hand moved from her chin, sliding slowly across the soft skin of her jaw. She nodded slightly, and then there were no words, only need. His hand continued its venture toward her hair and buried itself within the thick, silky strands. Tilting her head, he heard her quick intake of breath as his lips descended to capture hers. Making sure to be soft and gentle, he moved his lips hesitantly. When he felt her lips soften and her body press into him, his reluctance dissolved.

TORI was overwhelmed with the hunger that swamped her senses the moment Jason’s lips touched hers. It was a need so strong, she feared its dominance over her … for about a second. She knew the moment his resistance registered in her mind, that this gentle man wouldn’t harm her. Physically at least. She was comfortable with him; he was safe. Her body already identified this and was trying to convince her mind. Pulsating with the desire to feel him, she let go. Falling into an abyss of want that was foreign to her, her mind and body went to a place she had never been—a place she never wanted to leave.

She pressed her body harder against his, wanting to feel the strength in his frame—seeking the comfort of his embrace. He answered her body’s call, and his hold tightened as he moved them back, against his car. When his tongue slid along the seam of her lips, her hunger intensified. A groan vibrated up her throat and escaped as she parted her lips, wanting to taste him as he had tasted her.

When their tongues met, tentatively sliding against each other, she relished in his tenderness. But her body wanted more. It needed more. It was like it had been starved for years and was finally getting a taste of what it had been searching for, what it needed to survive. Even if she thought she was going to drown in the sensations he evoked, she knew that survival was no longer possible without what she was feeling.

Digging her fingers into his back, she held herself to him with one hand, while she flattened the other against his abdomen and began sliding upward—feeling him, learning him, wanting more of him. As she passed over the muscles of his chest, they tightened and bulged beneath her hand, and she felt him suck in a breath against her lips. Pausing her perusal, she let her hand hover over his chest; she could feel the tension rippling through his muscles. Testing the firmness, she dug her fingers in, kneading his muscle with her fingertips.

Jason groaned as he pulled his lips away from hers. She could feel their breaths mingling in the small space between them. Opening her eyes, she found his eyes locked intently on hers. Hunger and desire shining back at her from their depths. With a shaky breath, he pleaded, “Please … do that again.”

So she did. Her fingers digging in, she watched the hunger in his eyes intensify. She felt his body tighten against hers. His breath, choppy against the skin of her face as his body enjoyed her touch. It was empowering to have a strong man react so profoundly to her touch. It fueled her desire to provoke it more. Moving her hand higher, she met his neck, letting the tips of her fingers flirt with the bare skin above the collar of his sweater, the warmth invading her and radiating up her fingers into her hand.

Their gazes remained locked as she watched him react to her touch, getting drunk off the power of it. Jason then took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, saying, “I love the feel of your hands on me. When they touch my skin, I feel like I’m on fire.”

His words set
her
on fire. Sliding her hand up and around his neck, she pulled his lips back down on hers. He groaned into her mouth as she opened to him, wanting another taste. When his tongue slid against hers, she wondered if he was still going to be gentle. But just as soon as she thought it, his grip on her hair tightened, and his lips pressed firmly against hers. He was in control of the kiss and was going to take what he wanted. She was thankful they wanted the same thing, so it was freely offered.

Responding to his grip, she thrust her tongue more forcefully against his and demanded him to take. And he did. Together their tongues dueled as they fought to taste each other, to seek out more of what was fueling the fire raging between them. Adding another level of stimulation to her already sensitive skin, his lips melded with hers as the softness of his beard tickled her skin. Wanting to feel more, she brought her hand from his neck and cautiously rubbed her fingertips over his cheek. For a moment, Jason’s movements got more demanding, before he slowed the kiss down, gently sucking on her tongue as he retreated. With one last taste of her bottom lip, his lips pulled away from hers completely, leaving them swollen and tingling with cold.

Together, they stood there, foreheads pressed together, hands on each other, just trying to catch their breaths. She didn’t want to move—afraid to open her eyes—thinking it was a dream she would wake up from and be robbed of the intoxicating sensations pulsing through her. His voice invaded her ears, commanding her to open them and hope the vision of masculine beauty in front of her was still there.

“Damn, Tori …” he said on a sigh. “Oh, what you do to me.”

She let out a shaky laugh as she finally opened her eyes to take him in. His eyes still radiated hunger, but there was also satisfaction there—the look of a man who had just taken what he wanted. A shiver stole through her body at the thought of being captured by Jason. And here he was talking about what she did to him?

“I could say the same thing to you. You’re gonna have to scoop me up and deposit me in the car after that. I fear my legs are inoperable now,” she admitted. Her hand was still on his cheek, and as she marveled in the physical attraction she felt for him, she couldn’t help but run it up and through his hair.

When he groaned, his eyes rolling closed as he leaned into her hand, he said, “I think I’m gonna have to scoop you up now. Because if you keep doing that, I’m liable to do something less than honorable to you, right here in a public parking lot.”

He punctuated his statement by securing her body against all the hard points of his. And she felt
all
of them, perfectly. It might not have turned her on in the past, but that wasn’t the case now. She had a feeling that when it came to Jason, he wasn’t going to be the rule … he was going to be the exception. 

Tori was certain she smiled the whole way home. She had never been as grateful for automatic transmissions as she was then since it allowed Jason to hold her hand without interruption. Even though her nervousness about the rest of the evening were beginning to surface, she just sat and continued to absorb the warmth infusing her.

When they got home, Tori was quick to dismiss Tessa under the guise that Jason was staying. It wasn’t true, but she would use that to buy her some time. She was certain her phone would be flooded with messages before she even woke tomorrow.

Once Tessa was gone she excused herself to peek in at Lexi, asleep in her crib. When she came back out, Jason still stood by the door, hands in his pockets, making her tiny space look even smaller. There was silence for a moment, and Tori realized that she wasn’t sure what to do next. She had told herself that the night wasn’t going to end with sex, but her resolve seemed to be wavering, even though she didn’t think she was ready for that yet.

Thankfully, Jason took that decision away from her, reaching out his hand, beckoning her to him. Silently she wondered if he remained in the doorway since she hadn’t invited him to sit. Moving to him, she placed her hand in his, “I’m sorry for being so rude, would you like to have a seat?”

There was a moment of hesitation where she wondered if he’d see that as more than an invitation to sit, before she quickly dashed it away. He smiled as he gently pulled her against him, resting his hands on her hips. Her hands found his chest as she looked up at him, admiring his strong features, becoming almost entranced by them. “I had a really nice time with you tonight, Tori.”

Answering with a smile, she felt herself lean into him more. “I did, too. Thank you … for everything.”

His hands moved around her waist, holding her against him. Being that close brought her a comfort she had longed for, but never knew she could have. “You’re very welcome. Thank
you
for sharing with me.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that, still a little embarrassed by sharing her story with him. He must have noticed the blush she felt because he let out a small chuckle as one of his hands reached up to cradle her face. His thumb stroked the warmth over her cheekbones while the rest of his fingers caressed the skin of her neck. It was yet another sensation she had missed out on, because she’d never longed for a man after he merely touched the skin of her neck.

Standing in silence, they each took in the other. She wanted to kiss him, but was content just absorbing his touch on her face. After a few moments, he said, “I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask if I can see you on Friday. You said you were off then, too, yes?”