Chapter 18 #2
His gaze searched mine. “Do you feel this too? This thing between us?”
A breath shuddered from me. “I feel something. I’m not sure what.”
His fingertips tightened on my hips, but then he pulled his hands away and shoved them into his pockets.
“I’ve been struggling to keep my hands to myself.
I want to touch you so badly, but I know we are in a precarious position, and I never want you to feel pressured.
If this is too much—if I’ve crossed the line—tell me now.
If you need space from me, then we can pretend we’ve had a fight and ask if you can sleep in one of the spare rooms.”
My knee jiggled slightly. That would be the sensible thing to do.
The proper thing to do. Especially since I wasn’t sure of his motives.
But I’d tried to be proper for so long and I wanted a break.
For once, I wanted to act young and dumb in a way that I’d never been able to as a kid in the public eye.
“I don’t feel pressured,” I whispered, as if speaking too loudly might make the conversation more real and rob me of my courage. “You really want me? This isn’t just about the act?”
He nodded. “It’s like you’re a drug, and the more I have, the more I need. But this isn’t about me. It has to be your decision.”
A sense of power flowed through me. Perhaps I should have been disturbed by him talking about me that way, but instead, I was thrilled. No one had ever needed me like that. It heated my blood and made me itch to touch him.
I rested my palms on his chest and slowly stretched onto my tiptoes to press my lips to his.
The kiss started out chastely, the same as every one we’d shared before, but then he grabbed me by the hips and backed me up against the nearest tree, angling his head to get deeper.
He didn’t push beyond that, and I knew that if I wanted it to go further, the onus was on me to take it there, so I flicked my tongue against his lips, dipping it between them when they parted on a gasp.
My head swam. There was something intoxicating about being the subject of desire for a man like this.
His tongue stroked mine and one of his hands smoothed up my back between my shoulder blades. The other one ventured into the dip above my butt, providing a shield between my back and the rough bark.
He rubbed against me, and I wriggled my hips, needing to get closer when I felt the bulge in the top of his thighs. He groaned and tore his mouth from mine, kissing down the side of my neck, sending shivers through me.
“You’re incredible,” he mumbled, his words muffled by my skin. “All of the good things that have happened lately are because of you.”
My thoughts were fuzzy. “What are you talking about?”
He nuzzled the crook of my neck. “I’m captain because of you. I’ve been able to help the team because of you. I—”
I stiffened and pulled back, my internal alarms blaring. “Wait. Is this because of who my family is? Because none of that is about me.”
I didn’t mind pretending with him as long as I was in on the deception. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if he decided it was in his best interest to fool me, too, and make me fall for him for real.
“No, baby.” He shook his head. “It’s about who you are, not who you’re connected to.
You’re incredible and so easy to like. Drew and I finally found some common ground because we both care about you.
” He chuckled low in his throat. “I had no idea that he would appoint himself the protector of your good name, but he did. We feel… Well, we feel like an actual team. And I… I’m happy. Because of you.”
Something eased inside me, and I laughed. “I think you’re giving me a little too much credit.”
“I’m not.” His gaze caught mine and held. “You are amazing, Jane.”
I swallowed past a lump in my throat, unable to speak. Was that really what he thought of me?
Austin had never been easy to read, but I saw nothing but the truth in his expression.
“Can I make you feel good?” he asked, cupping my face in his hands.
“Here?” I squeaked, looking around.
“We’re in the dark. We’re far enough away that no one will see or hear us. Let me make you feel even a little bit as good as you’ve made me feel.”
“Okay,” I whispered, hoping I wouldn’t regret this.
He sank to his knees in front of me, undid the button of my jeans, and lowered my fly, then he eased them down my thighs and mouthed me over the fabric of my panties.
My fingers twined through his hair, silently encouraging him. There was a flash of self-consciousness as he pulled down my panties, but he murmured words of reassurance, telling me how pretty I was, how sexy, how much he wanted me.
I could hardly believe it.
This gorgeous, talented man—one whom thousands of women lusted after nationwide—wanted me.
Plain Jane.
It defied belief.
Yet with how tenderly he looked at me and the emotions that shone in his eyes as he gazed up to watch my reaction as he tasted me for the first time, there was no denying it.
He ran his tongue along my center and the vibrations from his groan made my clit throb. He slid it deeper, tasting me more fully, and I had to rest my weight against the tree to support me as my legs trembled.
“You can’t make too much noise,” he said softly, pressing kisses to the inside of my thighs. The scrape of his stubble on my sensitive skin was exquisite.