He chuckled as he moved around the pool table. “You’re right.” He stood in front of her, his face unreadable since the light was over the pool table and his height caused his face to be cast in the shadows. “Second lesson for the day. Take advantage of all situations that come to you.”
She hesitated, trying to regain control of her body but her hands were now shaking and she wasn’t sure what she’d been about to do. Looking around, she blinked, then glared at the obnoxious man. “You’ll pay for that,” she groaned.
His grin widened. “I’m counting on it, actually.”
She shook her head, trying to focus on the table, the position of the balls…anything but Jack. But his touch was too much. As soon as she pulled back, she knew that she wasn’t going to make her shot. Unfortunately, the momentum was already there and she couldn’t stop the swing forward. The white ball actually popped into the air, dropping with a loud thunk without even touching another ball.
She stood up, glaring at him as he laughed softly, moving behind her once again. “I guess it’s finally my turn,” he whispered in her ear.
She shivered and thought that this would be the perfect time to melt into the floor.
Jack’s hand slid across her back as he moved into position. Within three minutes, all of the striped balls were sunk and the only ball left was the white ball, one of her solid balls and the eight ball.
Rachel swallowed painfully, seeing what he was about to do and she panicked. Never had she ever been so bold but this was a competition and she hadn’t ever been someone who was willing to lose. So instead of standing beside the table with her mouth hanging open like she’d been doing for the past several minutes, she did something she’d never done before. Leaning over the pool table, she pretended to examine the angle of his shot. She also knew that her silk blouse would billow ever so slightly. She didn’t think that she was giving him any intimate view, but she knew the moment he glanced up that her tactic had worked. She would have smirked with success, but she was caught in the heat of his gaze. She didn’t even know that he’d hit the ball, unaware of how the ball scratched, bouncing into the corner pocket. All she knew was that Jack was looking at her with a heat so hot in his eyes that her heart started racing, her face heated up and every cell in her body caught fire from his look.
“I’m sorry,” she said, not sure if she was apologizing for him missing his shot or the teasing.
Emerson tossed his pool stick down on the table, abandoning the game and walked over to her. With a swift move, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, one hand diving into her hair to hold her head where he wanted it, and the other arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her against his hard body. “No you’re not,” he came back a moment before his mouth covered hers.
Rachel was so lost, she couldn’t even tell if she was standing or sitting. Maybe even lying down, but she didn’t care. At this point, the only thing that mattered was Jack’s hands on her, his mouth teasing hers and his body that was so incredible. Had it only been a few hours since the last time he kissed her? Impossible. Her body instantly knew exactly what to expect. What to demand!
Emerson couldn’t believe how much he wanted this woman. Taking her hand, he pulled her out of the back room, slapped a hundred dollar bill on Dennis’ bar and continued out the door. When they were standing in the cooler night air, he pulled her into his arms once again, feeling her body wrap around his as much as she could. She was like some sort of fantasy that he couldn’t get enough of and he wanted to devour her.
Lifting his head once more, he noticed the mirrored heat in her eyes. “Not here,” he growled and pulled her to his truck. Lifting her up, he placed her carefully on the seat of the old truck but didn’t stop there. He couldn’t. His fingers had felt that soft bottom and she was finally at his own height, much easier to kiss and he didn’t hesitate in any way.
Rachel couldn’t catch her breath! And if she were able to think, she probably wouldn’t care. She just wanted Jack to continue to touch her. His hands had lifted her onto the seat of his truck but then lingered. She shivered as his hands smoothed down her legs, lifting them higher and then she jerked when his hands slid underneath her skirt, moving upwards very slowly. She didn’t want slow! She wanted him to rip her clothes off and make love to her. Never had she wanted anything like this before but if he didn’t move faster, she might just scream out her frustration!
He started to pull away but she grabbed his shoulders, unaware that her eyes were wild with need. “Please don’t stop,” she gasped.
He groaned and bent low to kiss her. “We can’t do this here, Rachel. Give me five minutes and we’ll be back at my place,” he told her urgently, then bent to kiss her again, just to muddle her mind a bit more.
When he pulled away this time, he gently placed her legs so they were forward in the truck then slammed the door, walking quickly around to the driver’s side.
Rachel watched him, her mind whirling with all the crazy things that popped into her head. Now that he wasn’t kissing her or touching her, she could think more clearly and she accepted that she wanted this man. He was somehow different from anyone she’d ever met before. And shockingly, even though she’d met him only earlier today, she was going to go through with this. She’d always thought she’d be in a long term relationship, not necessarily marriage but in love with someone, before she took this monumental step. But no one had ever affected her like Jack did. And she was being daring this weekend. She was stepping out of her comfort zone and doing things that she wouldn’t have dared last year. This was it, she thought as he slid into the driver’s seat. Yes, she was going to make love with Jack. And it was going to be fabulous.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, pulling her across the cracked leather seat, right back into his arms. “I want you, Rachel, but I want you to be sure.”
She snuggled up against him, her hand reaching out to caress the roughness of his cheek and smiled. “I’m very sure,” she said. It wasn’t love, she accepted. It was desire and it was intoxicating. And for the first time in her life, she understood why other women had sexual flings. She was about to venture into her first and it was with a man who fascinated her beyond words. “Take me away from here, Jack.”
Jack would have corrected her about his name if she hadn’t slipped her hand into his shirt and driven him crazy with need. Those soft, seductive fingers, moving across his chest made his body harden to a painful state. He thought about pulling her hands away so he could focus on driving, but he was loathe to lose her touch for even a moment.