“I said that wasn’t so bad.” His voice rumbled in his chest even as his whispered the words.
Summer felt the words as much as she heard them.
“Damn straight it wasn’t so bad,” she whispered back, debating how difficult it would be to topple him down onto the bed with her. “In fact, that was downright fantastic.”
The distinct sound of a smothered laugh drew her attention from the logistics of maneuvering a six-foot-plus man into bed. Her gaze landed on a mouth suppressing a smile.
“I meant that you aren’t so bad, Summer. As in, maybe you’re not quite the bad girl you think you are.” He twined his fingers through hers.
Ah. She’d rather forgotten that conversation and her last-ditch effort to scare him off before his kiss had rocked her world. In the past, she’d chosen quick liaisons with no-commitment men who were willing to follow her lead. While those relationships hadn’t been overly fulfilling, they’d at least taken the edge off her sensual longings and allowed her to pretend she was in control.
But Jackson had a way of taking charge that unsettled her even though her body was already responding.
“Maybe kissing wasn’t such a great way of showing off my wild side.” Or maybe underneath Jackson Taggart’s oh-so-refined suit beat the heart of a tattooed thrill seeker.
Then again, maybe he was nothing like any guy she’d ever been with and she was totally out of her depth.
“Or maybe you’re just not giving me enough credit for being able to take whatever you dish out.”
A little thrill of a different kind skipped through her. Not that she would let it sway her decision. “I’m sure you could handle it. I’m more concerned that your public won’t be able to.”
“Then again, maybe you’re just scared to take a chance on me.” He leaned closer to look her in the eye, the challenge simmering in his words. The man looked mighty at home framed in the background of shirred burgundy velvet that covered the walls of the sensuous bordello.
Damn. How could she be so transparent to this guy? She hadn’t been accused of being scared of anything since—well, since she’d been old enough to armor herself with wild clothes and crystal talismans. Her mystical image combined with a few random outrageous acts had always made people keep their distance.
Until now. She sniffed, hoping she could regain lost ground. “Hardly.”
“Prove it. Go boating with me tomorrow.” He called her on the bluff.
She shouldn’t be surprised. Jackson had skillfully outmaneuvered her from the moment he’d strolled into the bordello in his deceptively buttoned-up suit.
“Boating?” Could she help it if her ears perked up a bit? She’d decided to quit her gypsy lifestyle and hang out in southern Florida on a permanent basis just because of the beach.
“No better place to improve your outlook than skimming over gulf waters. You Aquarian types ought to appreciate that.” He tugged the leather thong around her neck, dislodging the silver pendant with the water markings of her astrological sign from the narrow valley of her cleavage.
Did he realize how the action teased her breasts?
She gazed up at him and found heat smoldering in his eyes. Of course he knew what it did to her.
Still, she had no clue how to conduct a real relationship, and Jackson didn’t seem to be interested in a one-night conflagration. What man wasn’t interested in easy sex? Not that she had a vast amount of experience in that particular arena, but growing up in communes had given her a lot of knowledge.
She had to admit, a man who could deny immediate sex for the sake of something more possessed an admirable amount of control. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of sexual prowess a man with so much control might possess.
Still…
No matter how intriguing that particular thought might be, Summer knew she couldn’t give him what he wanted.
Even if she wanted to venture into real-relationship terrain, a public figure on the verge of a big career move was definitely not the right kind of guy to play trial and error with.
Her errors would be dissected on the six o’clock news.
“Come on, Summer.” He whispered the words in her ear like a devil perched on her shoulder. “You can’t let a straight-laced attorney one-up you in the thrill-seeking department. You’re risking your reputation as a wild woman.”
She had to smile. “Who’d have thought South Beach’s golden boy would turn out to be such an instigator?”
“Can I take that as a yes?”
No. No. No. Definitely not.
“Yes, on one condition.” Damn it, how had she blurted that out? She hadn’t consciously made up her mind when the words were tumbling from her lips. But then, her impetuous nature had brought her as much good luck in life as bad. She owned a quarter of the controlling shares of Club Paradise thanks to following a whim.
As long as she kept an upper hand in this relationship, she would be okay. And her condition would provide that edge she needed to stay in charge.
“Name it.”
Reaching up to his neck, she loosened his tie and then carefully unfastened the top button of his perfectly pressed shirt. She could do this seduction thing, couldn’t she? Surely she could find a way to rattle Jackson’s oh-so-admirable control.
Allowing her voice to hit a breathy note, she gazed up at him. “You let me teach you how to go a little wild.”
Maybe part of her hoped he’d back down. That way she’d never have to risk having a good time with a man all wrong for her. Of course, that was the same part of her that also wished they could have just slept together tonight after that amazing kiss. They could have taken the edge off all those lusty feelings zinging back and forth between them without the messy complications bound to follow in a relationship.
To his credit, Jackson never even hesitated. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Summer. And lucky for us I just happen to know the most legally binding way to seal the bargain in the absence of a notary.” His hands materialized on her shoulders, the hardened palms providing a pleasing rasp against her skin.
“You do?” She was too busy worrying about whether she’d just made a crazy decision based on physical attraction to follow Jackson’s thinking.
But as his gaze narrowed to her mouth and he loomed closer, Summer realized what he had in mind.
And maybe it wasn’t too late to tumble all gorgeous six-foot-plus of Jackson Taggart into bed tonight.
HER KISS seared his insides. Hell, his outsides were pretty much on fire, too.
Must. Not. Hit. The. Sheets.
Jackson clung to the thought as Summer tugged at his shoulders and wriggled her way toward the lush red satin bed.
He never should have indulged in another kiss. He’d only wanted a little taste of her to tide him over until tomorrow and make her anticipate their day together.
But she’d thrown herself into the lip lock with no restraint, and now she proved to be every inch the bedroom goddess he had pegged her for when he first spotted her in the lounge tonight.
If he allowed her to woo him into her bed, his gut told him she’d skate out of their date tomorrow and he’d never have the chance to learn anymore about her.
Damn it, he wanted more from her than that.
He wanted to see what she had in mind for teaching him how to go wild. No doubt, he’d