He turned his head toward her. Before he could speak, her lips were on his.
His body froze. He was scared to touch her, fearful if he did it would send her away. But he also didn’t want to pull back, because fucking hell, JJ was kissing him.
“Is this okay?” she asked, her lips gliding over his again.
Baz rolled to his side, brushed his fingers along her cheek, and kissed her, this time taking control. And when she sighed into his mouth, his synapses fired, his body flaring to life.
Kissing JJ was unlike anything Baz had ever experienced.
He’d had that same thought the first time their lips met and perhaps every time since.
This woman … she didn’t hold back in anything that she did. Jessica James was the type of woman who forged ahead, clearing a path in the process. He should know. He’d been bowled over by her on more than one occasion.
“I need you, Baz,” JJ said, part groan, part whisper.
“JJ,” he mumbled against her lips, sliding his thumb along her jaw. “Are you sure about this?”
“Not even a little,” she blurted.
Another thing he loved about her: she was brutally honest.
However, the comment didn’t inspire confidence.
“Please,” she said, her lips gliding over his. “Let’s not think about it.”
His conscience was niggling at him in warning. Baz knew the right thing to do would be to hold JJ, to comfort her without giving in to his baser needs. Too bad he’d stopped listening to his damn conscience lately. No way could he deny her.
JJ kissed him again, and this time he realized she didn’t hold back, her tongue lapping at his, her palms gliding over him roughly, as though she needed something more than he was giving her.
“Please, Baz. Touch me.”
She didn’t have to tell him twice.
He ignored the urge to slow things down, deciding they would do this at JJ’s pace. Fast and furious. That was the way she operated and sometimes it was hell to keep up. But this … this he could manage and he did. Their clothes did a vanishing act all their own, tossed haphazardly around the room as they fumbled for one another.
Baz kept his hands on her, loving the feel of all that smooth, silky skin against his palms, her soft moans as he touched the right places.
“We’ve got all night,” he whispered when she whimpered, rutting against him.
“Then we’ll do it five more times,” she said on a rush.
Five? Who did she think he was?
“It’s been … months, Baz.”
“Trust me, I know.” As soon as the words were out, he prayed she didn’t think about the last time he’d had sex. Even if he couldn’t remember much of that night, it hadn’t been quite as long for him.
“Condom,” she said, nipping his lower lip.
Right. Condom.
He fumbled for his wallet on the nightstand. As would be the case, it fell to the floor, requiring him to pull away to retrieve it. But he finally managed to get the condom, only to have JJ yank it out of his hand.
Baz rolled to his back as JJ straddled his hips. She wasn’t gentle when she rolled it over his iron-hard length, dragging a ragged moan from him.
“Did I hurt you?”
“Not even a little.”
He’d barely gotten the last word out when JJ sank down on him.
“Fuck,” he groaned as her silky heat surrounded him, her hair tickling his shoulders as she loomed over him.
God, she was so fucking hot like this. Out of control, desperate.
With his hands on her hips, he guided her as she rocked forward and back, her tight sheath dragging more ragged moans from his chest. Pure, unadulterated pleasure rocked him as she rode him like they’d been made just for this.
When she sat up, arched her back, Baz cupped her breasts, teased her nipples, admiring her sensual sounds, while mentally, he was hanging on for dear life, praying she was not going to regret this tomorrow.
“Baz… yes.” She sighed and whimpered, clearly chasing that elusive release.
Rather than let her take all the credit for the hard work, Baz pulled her down to him, rolled them both so that she was under him. He didn’t separate their bodies, sliding his arm beneath her, holding her tightly as he pumped his hips, driving into her hard and deep.
She bit his lower lip, crying out as they soared higher, aiming right for the precipice.
Baz pulled back so he could meet her gaze, stared into her eyes as he continued to drive into her.
“Oh, God, yes.” JJ’s knees clamped on to his hips as she met him thrust for thrust. “Don’t stop, Baz. God, don’t stop.”
He gritted his teeth, impaling her deeper, faster, until her pussy squeezed his cock as she cried out his name again and again.
It was then that he let go.
As he came, he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before she realized what they’d done.
Baz woke, having rolled over to find JJ’s side of the bed empty. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him that night was fading away, but it wasn’t quite morning.
And he was alone.
He should’ve figured as much. Last night had been incredible, which meant JJ was likely coming up with a million excuses as to why what they’d done was wrong, and so many more about why they couldn’t be together.
But JJ was in for an argument because Baz had spent the past few months coming up with reasons why they should be together, and he was more prepared than ever to fight for what he wanted. Sure, there was another obstacle they had to deal with, but Baz loved her enough to make it work.
Baz managed to sit up, shook the rest of the exhaustion from his brain as he pulled on his shorts. He padded barefoot down the short hall to the living room, finding JJ sitting on the couch in the dark. She was wearing his shirt, one shoulder bare, her long, silky hair hanging over her shoulders.
He looked around, ensuring no one else was moving about. From the sound of it, the rest of the house was still asleep.
When JJ looked up at him, he saw her fear, felt his heart clench in his chest.
Her gaze swung away. “I don’t know how to do this, Baz.”
Well, at least she hadn’t called him Detective.
Hoping she would elaborate, Baz stepped around the coffee table, took a seat beside her, but not too close.
“Ever since that night…” She held her knees tighter. “Ever since then, I’ve been scared.” JJ paused, shook her head. “No, terrified. I don’t want to be alone, terrified someone’s gonna hurt me again.”
He didn’t move, didn’t speak, wanting her to continue.
“I hate it. I hate what it’s turned me into.” JJ glanced over at him. “I’ve got no one.”
“You’ve got me, JJ. You’ve always got me.”
“And you’ve got Molly.”
Baz sighed, hating that those few words diminished everything they’d ever had.
“You know it’s not like that.”
“I do know that.” She was still watching him. “I do. But even if we had a second chance…”
Hope burned hot in his chest.
“Even then, I’ve never had a successful relationship in my life, Baz.”
He wanted to tell her that wasn’t true. To remind her of her relationship with Brantley, a friendship that had survived time and distance.