anything.â
âScratches?â
His mouth quirked sensually. âOn my shoulders. Small half moons right where a woman usually holds on tight when sheâsââ
âSo.â Interrupting seemed the safer course. âYou probably werenât involved in a scuffle, then.â
He shook his head. âLetâs talk about what mightâve happenedâ¦after.â
Would his possibilities mesh up with her suspicions? Likely. âAfter what?â
He pointed a finger at her. âMaybe you donât understand how it is for me, how itâd be for any guy, but especially for me since Iâve been hot on your tail for a while now.â
The things he said, and how he said them, were both insulting and somehowâ¦flattering. âJacksonâ¦â
âTo make sure there arenât any misunderstandings, let me clue you in, okay? Iâve got a bad case for you.â
âSexual chemistry. I know. Youâve told me.â Last night it had felt like more, but last night didnât exist for him.
âCall it whatever you want, doesnât matter to me.â
Sadly, what they called it mattered a lot to her. âI see.â
âDonât go twisting my words, okay?â Jackson thrust out his chin. âBottom line is that I have to know what we did. All of it.â
âI already told you.â
âWe had sex, yeah. Got it. But that could mean a whole range of things. I need the particulars, like if it was nice and slow, or fast and furious.â
Oh. She peeked at him. âBoth?â
He went still, then clasped his head and groaned again. In a croak, he asked, âGood old missionary, or did we mix it up a bit? Bedroom or living room?â
The first time had been in his bed. Then his shower. And later in the hall, against the wall. âAll of the above.â
His nostrils flared. âHow many times did I have you, anyway?â
She bit her lips then ventured⦠âAll night?â
Jerking away, he stalked three steps, then rushed back to her. âLights on or off?â
âOn.â Heâd insisted, but at that point, she hadnât cared. She had enjoyed the concentrated way heâd looked at her, and sheâd wanted to see him, too.
Not only had she forgotten any shyness over her nudity, sheâd also forgotten about the past, about men whoâd taken her and looked at her, handled her like property. WithJackson, sheâd overcome a lot of hang-ups. Maybe too many, considering the night had been built on fraud.
His expression a mix of pleading and demand, he grabbed her shoulders. âDamn, baby, I need to see you again. All of you. I need to know how you sound when youâre excited, and when you come.â His busy fingers went to the shoulder strap of her sundress, touching almost idly, playing with it as if it tempted him greatly. âI need to taste you, smell youââ
Stunned, flustered and a little turned on, Alani grabbed his wrist. She hated to disappoint himâand herselfâbut she saw no other choice. Not right now. âJackson,â she said gently, âyou canât seriously expect me to put aside everything that happened and justâ¦â
âPick up wherever we left off? Yeah.â He searched her gaze. âGod, yeah.â
â Not happening.â But he looked very endearing in his need. No one had ever wanted her the way Jackson Savor did.
He also looked ready to collapse. Worried for him, she touched his jaw and forced her mind onto more immediate matters. âHave you eaten?â
He scowled. âNo. Screw that.â He drew himself up. âYou think I could wake up with you naked, soft and smiling one minute, pissed off and storming out the next, with no clue why or how, and Iâd just go about my day?â
Yes, well, that did sound absurd. âSorry.â
âAfter you left, I suffered through a cold shower, choked down three