“Do you like my hair because it’s mine or because of some kind of wolf-fur fetish thing?”
“ ‘Wolf-fur fetish thing’?” His voice was muffled in her hair and he lifted his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re in love with my hair, you’re always sniffing it and you told me not to cut it.” Nikki looked up at him, loving the contours of his face, the curve of his mouth, the raven hair pulled back in a smooth ponytail.
“Oh…well, I like how it smells, I guess. And the color…” His eyes played over her hair, his fingers picking up a thick strand.
“It’s like…spiced rum and fire, but it smells like cloves and roses. Rich and mysterious and…”
“And?” He looked at her with those gray eyes and a little flame ignited low in her belly.
“And it makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.” He held her hair to his nose and closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. “Scent is one of the most primitive senses. It’s tied up in our brains with memory and emotions. And for me, it’s one of the most sensitive. When I smell your hair, or you, it brings up a whole wave of feelings. It turns me on, makes me love you more, makes me want you. And it makes me happy.”
He slid his hands down to her hips, pulling her sharply against him, his h*ps rubbing against hers. “It makes me want to do things to you I’ve never done with any woman before.”
“Other women? How many other women?” She bit her lip. Would he answer? They’d never talked about any other women in his life.
“Other women aren’t important right now. You are…just you. Only you.” He kissed her hard, the flame inside her growing stronger as his lips moved across hers. Screw the other women; none of that really mattered anyway. The only thing that mattered to her now was Jax, here with her.
“Show me, Jax. Show me what you want to do to me.”
He held her just a moment longer and then his mouth descended on hers, devouring her in a kiss that took her breath away. His tongue skated along her lower lip, teasing and playing with her. She opened her mouth to him, her tongue dancing with his, shivers of excitement racing through her body.
His hands were in the waist of her jeans, working the snap and zipper and before she could react, his hands were sliding against her skin, fingers against her ass, groping her curves.
Her own hands were working the snap and zipper of Jax’s jeans, the bulge of his erection making things a bit difficult. She finally had enough room to slide her fingers beneath the fabric, to find his cock, hot and hard. She stroked him slowly, holding him against her body. He moaned against her mouth, flexing his h*ps forward, forcing himself against her hand.
“Do that again…touch me again.” He broke away, his voice husky as he looked down at her hand on his cock. She pulled him free of his jeans, and he watched as she stroked him, her fingers wrapped around his shaft. He was breathing hard, his plundering of her ass and mouth momentarily forgotten. After a long moment he spoke.
“God, I love you, Nikki.” He took her face in his hands, his mouth on hers again. This time he turned her, backing her against the kitchen table. Something fell, glass breaking. Nikki braced her hands on the edge of the table.
Jax had her by the h*ps again and lifted her with ease, setting her ass on the tiny Formica-topped table. She leaned back, hands on the table and he grabbed her jeans, pulling them down her legs.
“How much do you like this shirt?” He stood between her knees, eyes almost glowing in the darkened apartment.
She shook her head. “Not at all. I think it’s Lori’s…”
He grabbed the front of the shirt and in one motion, tore it cleanly down the front, neatly revealing her bra-covered br**sts. He reached for the bra and she covered herself with her hands.
“Not the bra. That’s mine and these things aren’t cheap.”
He smiled and slid his hands behind her, deftly undoing the clasp on her bra while his mouth nibbled her earlobe. She worked her way out of the torn shirt and bra and watched as Jax looked down at her, his eyes slowing moving over her nak*d body.
“God, I want you…” He met her eyes and she gasped. They glinted silver, almost molten with lust.
“I want you too…very much.” She reached for him, hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down to her. He went willingly, his mouth on hers, his hands on her hips.
Then he was pulling her to the edge of the table, fingers on her hips. She spread her legs, opening herself to him, wanting him so badly that she whimpered against his mouth in anticipation. His c*ck brushed against the inside of her thigh, hot and hard and silky all at the same time and it drove her wild.
Jax looked down at her, his forehead resting briefly against hers, his breath already rasping from his throat. Before he took her, he slid one hand between her legs, fingers moving slowly over her, probing her wet folds. She closed her eyes, head tipped back, the sensation of his fingers moving inside her, teasing her, driving her further over the edge. Her gasps and moans only fanned the fire he’d already lit.
She moaned as he pulled his hand away and opened her eyes. He was looking down and watched as he slid his c*ck into her body. He made a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh, and she joined him, a soft cry escaping parted lips as he slid into her.
“That feels amazing.” He looked up, meeting her eyes as she spoke.
“Yeah…you do.” He leaned forward, one hand behind her neck, and kissed her gently. He began moving slowly, gradually pulling her forward with his other hand, until her ass was resting on the edge of the table. Without breaking his rhythm, he slid an arm beneath her leg, moving her about until her calf rested on his shoulder. She brought the other leg up, tipping back on the table. Jax shifted once more, cradling her body with his arms and hands, and she relaxed, letting him hold her weight, suspended as he thrust into her.
It all seemed so easy, so effortless. She was held secure, weightless, feeling every stroke and thrust he made, right to her core. There was nothing she needed to do but relax and let Jax take her on this ride.
And it turned from a gentle slow ride into something more, something wild and fierce and primal. Jax thrust hard into Nikki, his breath rasping from his throat, nuzzling her neck. She had her arms around his neck, her nails digging into the taut skin of his shoulders.
At that moment, Nikki wished she could see them, watch what they looked like moving together. To see Jax as he thrust into her, see how his thighs flexed and the muscles bunched, carrying his weight and hers, what his shoulders looked like with her legs draped over them. She’d never been into those guys who filmed themselves hav**g s*x, but right now, she had the fleeting desire to have a camera running somewhere.
Then everything was driven from her mind as her body took over, the building heat inside her spilling over into a cli**x that took her breath away. She beat against his back, bit his shoulder, cried out and thrashed beneath him. But he held her tight, contained the raging fire that threatened to consume her.
And then he joined her, his body on overdrive, slamming into her over and over, filling her with a heat that matched hers but was so different. Everything was rushing noise and things falling to the floor, the table banging against the wall. She was vaguely aware of an answering knock behind her, dimly realized it was the neighbors, but didn’t even care.
Jax was dripping sweat, his head still on her shoulder, face against her neck. He was breathing hard, his breath stirring the hair by her ear. She held him against her body, feeling his heart beating against her chest, and she turned her head, her breath mixing with his, her mouth on his.
He finally, gradually, pulled away from her, slowly relaxing. One leg was released and she stretched, then the other, the tension of being held letting go in a delicious flow of loose limbs. She would have slid from the table if he hadn’t had one arm still wrapped around her waist.
“You okay?” His voice was honey, and dark spiced rum, murmured in her ear. She breathed a deep sigh that started from somewhere around her toes.
“Yeah. More than okay. Beyond okay.” She looked at him, his heavy-lidded eyes, still hot, still carrying a heavy load of passion.
“Good.” That one word hit her deep, a small wave of happiness expanding outward from her center.
“Bed?” He pulled her upright and she realized they were still in the kitchen in Lori’s apartment, on the table. She’d had sex on uncomfortable surfaces, tables among them, but this had been so all consuming she’d lost track of where they were.
“Yeah. Until Lori comes home. Or we could go back to your place.”
“I think I’d like to ravish you in my own bed, at least one more time tonight. And then again tomorrow. As much as it might be boring to always be there, at least I know no one will wake us up, wanting to kick us out of their bed.”
“But no sleeping late, no more late to work, okay?” Nikki was searching under the table for her clothes, belatedly remembering there was no underwear involved this time.
“Look, I need some other clothes…like a shirt. I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home for a minute.” She left Jax in the kitchen and headed down the hall to the bedroom. She unearthed a t-shirt of her own and grabbed a couple clean pairs of panties and headed back to the living room.
She jammed the panties into her purse. “Okay. If you’re ready, we can call a cab, since I know you didn’t drive here.”
“Already done. They should be here in a minute.” Jax looked around the apartment.
“Are you planning to stay here? Or are you going back to your apartment?”
Nikki shrugged. “I don’t know. After what happened, with Mr. Feldman, I’m not really interested in being by myself yet. This…” She waved her hand around the tiny cluttered apartment. “It’s not where I want to be forever, but for now, it’s okay.” She took a deep breath, meeting his eyes.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
Jax was looking at her and she wasn’t sure exactly what his expression said. But then the look passed and he was steering her toward the door.
“But you did remind me. There’s some stuff at my apartment I want. But I don’t want to go alone. Would you come with me?”
“Sure, yeah. We can go there now, if you want.”
She nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. “Yeah. I would. Thanks. It’s just…too creepy to think about Mr. Feldman, and my apartment…and all of it.”
A blaring car horn interrupted Nikki. Jax had his hand on her back and he guided her out the door. She locked it behind them and they headed out to the street.
“Jax, I have a question.”
“Anything. Just ask.” He opened the cab door, waiting for her to get in. She hesitated on the sidewalk, looking up at him.
“That thing…in the alley. Do you have any idea what it was?”
Jax stopped, looking down at her. “I think I do, but that’s a conversation for another time. We’ll talk about it later.”
She climbed into the cab, wondering exactly what he would possibly tell her.