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But he wasn’t going away.

“Reagan, I know you’re in there,” he shouted as if to prove her point.

Squaring her shoulders, telling herself he didn’t deserve to see her at her best, she jerked open the door and forced a scowl to her face.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Jackson looked good enough to eat. His jeans rode low on his hips but hugged his muscular thighs. His arms were raised with his hands braced against the door frame. His T-shirt stretched across his chest, the sleeves almost bursting at the seams as his biceps flexed. His hair spiked in several directions. His dark eyes smoldered as they swept over her from head to foot and back again. His grin spread wide across his face, and even teeth flashed at her.

Before he could answer her question, she glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing’s changed.”

“Nope. Nothing’s changed at all.”

She turned her back to him and crossed the living room to put distance between them. “I see your shoulder is healed.”

Jackson crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the frame. “Time and physical therapy work wonders. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“No.” She looked back at him. “You never said why you’re here.”

“I’m here for you.”

He pushed off the door frame, closed the door behind him, and leisurely approached her. When she moved out of his path, he shifted his stride. She stopped when her back bumped against a window. Jackson closed the distance but didn’t touch her. He didn’t have to. His nearness was enough to heat her blood and make her heart race.

“Why?” she blurted, hoping to drive him away so she could breathe. “Why me?”

“I don’t have an answer. I just know it has to be you. You’ve gotten under my skin, and time away from each other hasn’t stopped that. I’m here to ask you to take a risk, Reagan. I’m all in if you are.”

“What does that even mean?”

His hand caressed her cheek before cradling her face. “It means I can’t stop thinking about you. Tell me you’ve been able to stop thinking about me, and I’ll leave. You won’t ever see me again.”

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to leave.”

His head dipped until their foreheads touched. “What do you want, Reagan? I sure as hell hope it’s the same as what I want.”

Her anger, her fear, and her resolved left her. Her tongue snaked out to lick her dry lips. She didn’t answer him. Leaning forward a bit, she touched her mouth to his in the gentlest of kisses that sent an explosion of desire spiraling through her. When she broke the contact, she gazed into his eyes and was pleased to see the lust swirling in their depths.

Her hands buried in his hair and pulled him to her. This time the kiss was anything but gentle. Their lips smashed together, parting enough for their tongues to tangle in a dance of exploration. Their bodies fused together. His arms circled her waist until his hands met between her shoulder blades. Her hands slid from his hair to clutch his shoulders. The kiss left her weak. Her knees buckled, but he held her too tight for her to fall.

Suddenly she was being lifted as if she weighed nothing. Jackson carried her over to her couch. He broke their kiss long enough to settle her in his lap with her legs straddling her thighs. She leaned in to continue their kiss, but he moved his head.

“Before this goes any further, you have to say it out loud. I told you what I want. Now I need to know what you want. I need to hear the words, Ray.”

Be bold.The words tumbled in her mind over and over until her mouth curved into a smile. She placed her lips next to the shell of his ear.

“I want…sex. With you. In my bed. I want you naked, and I want you to make me orgasm as many times as you think you can. If you’re not up to the task, then we need to end this before it goes too far.”

A laugh burst from his throat, and she could tell from its strangled tone that she caught him off guard. And she liked it. She kissed his ear lobe and continued to drop kisses along the line of his jaw, on the spot between his lips and his chin, and down his neck until she reached the neckline of his shirt. She raised her eyes to look at him coyly.

His expression lost all mirth. His eyes were hooded, and she was captivated by how he watched her.

“Jackson?”

“I’m up to the task, baby. But we’ll get to the bed eventually.”

The slow seduction turned hot and frantic as they scurried to remove their clothes. Once they were skin to skin, the exploration began. Jackson cupped her breasts in his hands, marveling at how they fit in his palms. They were firm, but soft, the nipples plump and responsive. The rough pads of his thumbs brushed over them, and the sensitive nubs hardened, beckoning the touch of his mouth. One hand kneaded her breast while he sucked the nipple of the other between his lips. He started a cycle of ministrations, rotating between nipping with his teeth, soothing with tongue and sucking hard enough to make Reagan gasp.

Not to be left out, she grinded her hips against him while holding his head against her chest. The sensation of his mouth on her breast sent shock waves rocketing through her body. Her breathing came in labored pants, and she lowered her head to touch her lips to his hair. Her hands roamed, sliding over his shoulders to caress the rippling muscles of his back. Then she reached under his arms to reach around his waist and pinch the tops of his sexy ass, the only parts she could reach from their seating position.