Jack relaxed in his chair across the table from Meg the following night, his attention flicking between her animated face and hands as she regaled him with a bad-date story from her past.
They'd finished dinner about an hour ago, and the hotel restaurant was almost empty. Live music drifted through the open windows as a waitress busied herself setting tables for the breakfast shift in the morning. Only one other couple remained, huddled in a corner booth on the opposite side of the room.
The breeze stirred Meg's hair as she spoke, and he remembered it flipping up the bottom of her dress on the walk over here. She'd caught him hanging back to check out the visual then laughed and grabbed his hand, tugging until she brought him level with her again.
At first, Jack thought she was embarrassed, but then she leaned in and suggested he keep his hand on her ass just in case it happened again.
"I don't see the problem," he said, tuning into the conversation. "Sounds like he was a decent guy."
"The man asked me to marry him," she said, raising her eyebrows for emphasis, "on the fourth date."
Jack smiled, understanding how someone might get caught up in the whole Meg experience. "I guess I can't blame the guy. He obviously knew a good thing when he was onto it."
She circled the base of her wineglass with her fingertip, apparently lost in thought. When her eyes met his again, they were filled with pleasure. "Sorry to break it to you, but he never got onto it. I'm not that easy."
"Well, I hate to point out the obvious..."
Meg shot him a scowl, but she appeared to be holding back a smile. "You're different."
It shouldn't please him so much to hear that, but it made him grin. "So, that was five years ago." He rested his elbows on the table and leaned in closer. "Don't tell me that was the last time you had sex?" He'd never dream of asking another woman that question, but this was Meg, and he knew her limits--mostly because he liked to push them as often as possible.
She let out a breathy laugh and toyed with the strap on her dress. "I should probably be offended you went there, but for some reason, I like the fact you're direct. The last time I had sex was this afternoon. You were there, remember?"
Memories flooded him and the surge of heat took him by surprise. They'd spent a couple of lazy hours in the pool before heading back to her room to supposedly rest. As soon as he shut the door behind him, Jack discovered she had other ideas.
She started by dragging him into the shower where she soaped and massaged his body amid a cloud of heat and steam. He lost it and came apart in her hands embarrassingly fast, then again when she worked more of her magic on him in bed. The woman was insatiable. "I'm talking about before that," he said, "before we started this... thing we have going."
Her eyes widened. "You're calling amazing chemistry and mind-blowing sex a thing?"
His mouth tilted at one corner. She was so cute sometimes he could barely stand it. "Mind-blowing?"
She smiled and tipped her glass to finish off the rest of her wine. "Don't be coy. You know you're good."
The laugh he'd been trying to hold back burst free. "You're not so bad yourself. You're also evading the question."
Meg put her glass down and gave him a direct stare. "All right, you want to know the last time I 'slept' with someone?" She made air quotes with her fingers.
Jack wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss the smirk from her lips. He captured her hand instead. "Now who's being coy?"
He lowered his voice and met her eyes, waiting until he had her full attention. Leaning in close enough that their mouths were almost touching, he said in a husky voice, "I'm talking about fucking, Meg. When was the last time you were well and truly fucked?"
The way her mouth dropped open and her breathing turned all ragged nearly snapped his self-control. Her amusement fled, and she stared down at their joined hands, working her bottom lip with her teeth.
Jack rubbed her silky skin with his thumb and watched a shiver pass over her. He should have felt guilty for encouraging the troubled expression on her face, but he was too turned on to think straight.
She took a slow breath then looked up at him and held his gaze. He should have known that she was about to poleax him. "This afternoon," she said. "No one else has ever made me feel the way you do."
He groaned before he could stop himself. It felt as if she'd just kicked his chair out from under him. Jack tightened his fingers around hers as the hunger inside him grew. "Meg, honey, you make me want to bend you over the table and take you right here."
She pressed her lips to his in a short, sweet kiss. "And you make me want to let you."
They'd barely touched, yet she still had his heart pounding and his erection throbbing in his shorts. He'd never known a woman to have such a physical effect on him with words. It should have triggered his usual need to back off and put some distance between the two of them, but he surprised himself by curving his hand around the back of her neck and drawing her closer.
His mouth met hers and relief travelled through him. The kiss began with slow, soft touches, taking the time to explore rather than arouse. Sighs sounded, tongues caressed--hers tentative at first, his demanding more--until finally she shuddered and surrendered to him, seemingly lost in the sensations.
His elbows rested on the table to keep himself steady, while his palms moved to cradle her face and hold her close. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs and breathed her in, reveling in the softness of her.
She moaned deep in her throat and moved her hands to his shirt. Her fingers were about to curl into fists when he realized he couldn't keep this up much longer without doing something wholly inappropriate in public.
Jack reluctantly broke the connection, breathing hard as he pulled back to look at her. The fact that she was shaking and barely able to meet his eyes filled him with longing. He couldn't resist giving her another kiss just to fluster her some more. When he separated from her the final time her gaze swept over his features and her tongue darted out to taste her lower lip.
"I like it when you do that," she finally said, her voice still husky.
He gave her the faintest of smiles. "Do what?"
She glanced briefly at his mouth before meeting his eyes again. "Take over like that. It makes me feel like you can't get enough of me, and then I want to tear your clothes off and get you naked all over again."
He couldn't get enough of her. He hadn't been putting on a show to impress her.
It hit him then that it wouldn't be long before they were parting ways. The idea of waving her off at the airport and never seeing her again caused an ache in his chest, but telling her he wanted to keep seeing her back home didn't sit right either. Not this early in the game.
Jack forced a smile to cover his thoughts. If she picked up on even a hint of what was going through his mind, she'd be all over it. "If you ever want to rip off my clothes, anytime, anywhere, the answer's always going to be yes."
She let out a breathy laugh and grabbed a napkin, twisting it between her fingers. "That's what I like about you," she said. "Well, among other things." Her gaze dropped to his waist, her smile letting him know where her attention would have wandered if the table hadn't been in the way.
Jack's body responded to the invitation in her tone. "You like that I'm open to getting naked? Now there's some news."
She shook her head and looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. "I meant your sense of adventure, the way you take charge with me in the bedroom but don't try to control me anywhere else. I had a feeling you'd be like that, but I've never been with a man who knew how to get the balance just right. I like the way you push me." She paused to draw a breath. "I want you to do more of that."
Jack had to lean in to catch that last part. He wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly and didn't want to get his hopes up too soon, but the flush creeping up her neck looked promising. "Do more of what exactly?" he asked, removing the napkin from her hand so he could play with her fingers.
He wanted to tease away the seriousness that had settled over her but sensed now wasn't the right time to start being a comedian.
"I don't know. Just more of... everything." She nibbled her lower lip and stared at their joined hands. Seconds ticked by while neither of them said a word.
When her eyes lifted to search his again the blush had spread to her cheeks. "I want to do things with you that I haven't done before. Nothing too out there," she added hurriedly. "Just, you know, make some memories I can keep with me when I go back home."
Jack ignored the fact that she was talking like they were never going to see each other again. He reached out with his free hand and trailed his fingertip along the underside of her jaw. Unable to keep his reaction contained any longer, he smiled in admiration. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
She made a little huffing sound that could have been indignation or amusement. "Why do you say that?"
He pressed a soft peck on her lips. "Because you're blushing just at the idea of doing new things."
She looked around the room as if only just noticing they weren't alone, then pulled her hand free and pressed her lips together. He got the distinct impression he'd just said the wrong thing, then she straightened her shoulders and gave him a determined look that told him his guess had been right.
"Forget it. Honestly, it was silly of me to ask. I'm sure I can find another man who'd be interested."
The hell she would. Jack bit back a smile at her obvious attempt to get a rise out of him. God, she made him laugh. "I didn't say no," he reminded her, trying hard to keep a straight face.
"I realize that."
Her attempt to sound all haughty made him want to toss her over his shoulder and take her back to his room. "I didn't say yes, either." He couldn't help himself where she was concerned. Something about her made him want to tease her until she lost it and made him pay. She refused to bite this time, though.
"You're going to do it, though, aren't you?"
