Next to You by Julia Gabriel Page B

lines with her finger.
    She spun back around and pushed him back into the cushions of the sofa, then straddled his lap. “So this pretty face? Is covered with skin from my ass.” Her eyes burned into his wary, uncertain ones. “So when I tell someone to kiss my ass—"
    Jared pulled her into him, his mouth crushing hers hot and fierce. He kissed her hard for several minutes, then slowly peeled his lips off hers. “You have a very pretty ass.” As if to punctuate what he was saying, his hands slid down onto her bare bottom. “So I’m not surprised they used skin from here.”
    Phlox moaned as he squeezed her cheeks, kneading them beneath his strong fingers. Her moan grew louder when he dipped his head to her chest and ran his tongue over the swell of her breast. His hands left her ass and reappeared higher, unhooking her bra. He slid the pale blue lacy fabric off her shoulders and arms.
    Phlox quickly cupped her own hands over her breasts. A frown creased Jared’s mouth and forehead. She wanted to slow things down for a minute. Slowly she slid her hands along the underside of her breasts, revealing a long thin scar on each.
    “I had the best medical care money could buy,” she said as she ran her thumb along one scar. “But that doesn’t get rid of all of the scars.” She reached out and caressed his cheek. “I know we don’t know each other that well, Jared, but I’m guessing these aren’t your worst scars.”
    He closed his eyes and leaned into her palm. Phlox felt the release of tension rolling off his body.
    “Please don’t stop,” he groaned. “That feels so … damn … amazing. No one ever touches me.”
    She took his hand and placed it on her breast. Her nipple hardened as he rolled it beneath his finger and thumb. Without opening his eyes, he leaned in and kissed the nipple. Phlox arched her back, pressing herself against his mouth.
    “Let’s go upstairs.” His words vibrated hot against her skin.
    In her bedroom, she stood a few steps away from him while he undressed. She wanted to do nothing that would spook him and send him running away from her. When he got down to just his boxer briefs, he looked over at her. She realized she was still wearing her thong. She hooked her fingers in the elastic and stripped it off. His underwear quickly joined hers on the floor.
    His eyes ran up and down her body.
    “I want to touch you everywhere,” he said. “I hardly know where to start.”
    She touched her lips. “Start here. Kiss me.”
    Before she could even register the movement, he closed the distance between them and scooped her up in his arms—effortlessly, the way he had the day she fell off the porch. He lowered her onto the bed, his body following right behind. She pulled his head down to hers and looked deep into his blazing eyes. Whatever doubts he’d had the night before were gone now. They had passed some invisible rubicon, leaving them with no graceful way out of her bed.
    Jared kissed her, hard and searching, a confirmation of what Phlox felt. There was no way back at this point. He might have been resisting his attraction to her before, but he was too much of a gentleman to stop now. She didn’t know much about Jared Connor, but she was certain of that much. He was a good man.
    His breath tasted of smoky coffee and spicy wine. She could barely breathe as she felt his hands dig into her hair and his hips settle tantalizingly over hers. She was so ready for him. He wanted to touch her everywhere and she wanted to just skip over all the preludes and pull him inside her. The last time she’d had sex was before the accident, and the feel of his skin on hers was awakening old memories.
    His lips nuzzled her neck, making everything inside her go smooth and liquidy. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he trailed hot kisses over her sternum on the way to her breasts. His hands cupped her breasts and he pressed a gentle kiss on each one. “Please don’t get implants. These are