“Let me.” She shoved his hand away and quickly finished for him. With his shirt open now, his chest was a work of art, muscled and bronzed. She itched to touch him, to put her hands exactly where he wanted her to. She inhaled, and as she released a breath, she spread her palms over his hot, moist skin. From the contours of his waist up his torso to where crisp chest hairs tickled the underside of her fingers, she savored each inch of him.
A guttural groan exploded in the room, and she wasn’t sure if she’d made that sound, but one look into Zane’s eyes darkened by desire and she knew it wasn’t her.
He was on fire. His skin sizzled hot and steamy, his breathing hitched and all of that combined was enough to blanket her body with burning heat. “We can’t,” she said softly.
She had to say it. Because of Janie. Because of Steven. She and Zane were both trying to heal, but none of that resonated right now. None of it seemed powerful enough to derail the sensations whipping them into a frenzied state.
Maybe this was what both of them needed.
One night.
His mouth claimed her again as he lay down on the bed, tugging her along with him. She fell beside him. Promptly he snaked his arm under her waist and flipped her on top of him.
She had his answer. Yes, they could.
His good hand cupped her cheek, and his eyes bored into her. “Don’t question this, Jess. Not if it’s what you want right now.”
That was Zane. The man who didn’t plan for the future anymore, the man who’d said it was better sometimes not to know where you were going. And Jessica certainly didn’t have a clue what her future held or where the heck she was going from here.
But she knew what she wanted tonight.
How could she not? Her breasts were crushed against Zane’s chest, her body trembling and so ready for whatever would come next. Zane was a good, decent man who also happened to be sexy as sin but he had also been her sis— She stopped thinking. Enough. She might talk herself out of this. “It’s what I want.”
He gave her a serious smile and kissed her again, his lips soft and tender, taking his time with her, making her come apart in small doses.
In the moment, Jessica gave herself permission to let go completely. He pushed the straps down on her dress and her breasts popped free of restraint. Zane caressed her, running his hand over her sensitive skin, lightly touching one wanton crest that seemed made for his touch.
A deep moan rose from her throat. She closed her eyes and enjoyed every second of his tender ministrations. “You have a beautiful body, sweetheart,” he said, then rose up to place his mouth over one breast, his tongue flicking the nub, wetting it in a flurry of sweeps. He moved to the other side and did the same, a little more frenzied, faster, rougher. She squealed, the exquisite pain sending shock waves down past her belly.
Zane reacted with a jerk of his hips. “Get naked for me, Jess.”
She pulled her dress over her shoulders, and he helped as much as he could to lift it the rest of the way off. She gave it a gentle toss to the floor and straddled him, bare but for her panties, and looking into eyes that seemed distant for a moment. “Are you sure about this?” he rasped, his brows gathering.
He was giving her a way out, but she was in too deep now. Her body hummed from his touch and the promise of the pulsing manhood beneath her. She wanted more...she wanted it all.
She was the new Jess.
“I’m sure, Zane.”
He nodded and blew out a breath in apparent relief, but there was something else. A part of him seemed undecided. It was only a feeling she had, a vibe that worried her in some small part of her consciousness. Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think.
The new Jess wasn’t a thinker. She was a doer.
She bent to his mouth, her sensitized nipples reaching his chest first. He bucked under her. “Oh, man, babe.” She smiled at him and opened her mouth, coaxing his tongue to play with hers. His strokes made her dizzy, and her desire for him soared. She was almost ready. She reached for his zipper.
“No,” he said. He gently rolled her to her side and leaned over her. “There might be something I’m good at with my left hand.”
A smile broke out on her face, but Zane wiped the smile away the second his fingers probed inside her panties. He cupped her there, and a melodic sigh escaped her throat. He kissed her, swallowing the rest of her sounds as he stroked her with deft fingers. Her body moved, arched, reached as he became more and more merciless. “Zane,” she cried.
She climbed over the top immediately, her limbs shaking, her breathing quickened and labored. A drawn-out, piercing scream rang from her throat. She was cocooned in heat. Zane held her patiently while her tingles ebbed and she came down to earth.
“Reach over to the bed stand, sweetheart,” he said as she caught her breath. “Dig deep in the drawer.” He nuzzled her ear and said softly, “It’s been a while.”
Seconds later, with a little of her help, he was sheathed. She reeled from the passion she witnessed in his eyes. It wasn’t lust, but something more. Something she could feel good about when she remembered this night. They were connected, always had been, and right now all things powerful in the universe were pulling her toward this man.
“Ready?” he asked.
As she nodded, boldly she lifted her leg over his waist to straddle him. Both of his hands came around her back, encouraging her to lean down. She did, and he pressed a dozen molten kisses to her mouth before he set her onto him.
Instinctively she rose up, and he helped guide her down. The tip of his shaft teased her entrance, and she closed her eyes.
“So beautiful,” she heard him say softly as he filled her body.
They moved together as one, his thrusts setting the pace. Her heart beat rapid-fire; she was in the Zane zone now and offered to him everything he wanted to take.
He was all she could ever hope for in a lover. His kiss drove her crazy, and he was more adept with one good hand than the men she’d known in the past who’d had the use of both. He explored her body with tender kisses and bold touches, with harmonious rhythm and unexpected caresses. He was wild and tender, sweet and wicked. And when he pressed her for finality that he seemingly couldn’t hold back another second, her release astonished and satisfied her. “Wow,” she whimpered, her body still buzzing. She lay sated and spent on the bed.
“Yeah, babe. Wow.” Zane sighed heavily, an uncomplicated sound telling her how much pleasure she’d brought him. She wasn’t sorry. She had no regrets. But then, she hadn’t let her mind wander since she’d entered Zane’s bedroom. She didn’t want to think. Not now.
Zane wrapped his arm around her, tucking her into him, and soon the sound of his quiet breaths steadied. With all that he’d consumed tonight, there was no reason to hope that he would wake soon.
She closed her eyes, savoring the safety and serenity the night brought to her.
* * *
Zane’s eyes snapped open to the ceiling above. It was funny how the crater-like texture seemed odd to him this morning. He’d never noticed it before. Back home, solid wood beams supported the house. The rich smell of pines and oaks and cedar lent warmth and gave him a true sense of belonging. He missed home, longed for it actually, but how in hell could he complain? He lived in a rich man’s paradise, on a sandy windswept beach with dazzling pastel sunsets and beautiful people surrounding him.
He didn’t have to look over to know Jess wasn’t beside him on the