Something to Talk About by Dakota Cassidy Page A

could fill those nights with regret and sorrow, or she could fill them with projects and self-improvement.
    “Em?”
    “Yes?”
    “I’m going to do something right now. Something that might piss you off. But I’m gonna do it anyway. Because it’s driving me damn crazy. You’re driving me crazy.”
    Em flinched. Just when you thought your small talk skills had hit a new low, you aimed lower. “I’m talking too much, right? Boring you to death with my enthusiasm over something that obviously doesn’t interest you.” Her heart drove against her chest; embarrassment flooded her cheeks. Good heavens, Em. Will you never learn babbling’s not high on a man’s list of endearing qualities?
    Jax’s breath was on her face, warm, coming in quick bursts, his hard features outlined by the blue glow of the dashboard lights. “Not even close. You’re enthusiasm interests me—makes me want to grab a hammer and start pounding nails. Chew some wood up with my teeth, maybe. Something we both know, and the evidence shows—” he held up his bandaged hand “—I just shouldn’t be allowed to do. That aside, everything about you interests me. And that’s why I’m going to do it. Too soon or not be damned.”
    The words he spoke didn’t quite sink in. She didn’t understand where he was going. She only knew, their lips were so close she was slightly intoxicated by the heady heat between them. “Do...do what?”
    “This,” Jax muttered, gravelly, sexy-low as he cupped her neck and pulled her as close as he could with the barrier of the bulky armrest in their way.
    Em froze—stilled until her muscles ached from the tension.
    He wasn’t going to...
    Her?
    Why would he want to do that with her?

Six
    “K iss you. I’m going to kiss you, Emmaline Amos, and I think I might do it without your permission if you keep holding things up. Interested in knowing why?”
    Jax’s chest constricted when she clammed up. This was the adorably freaked-out Em. He’d had glimpses of this Em all through mattress shopping and right into dinner.
    Every time he’d touched her, even just brushed against her, she couldn’t decide whether to enjoy it or run away from it. “Okay, then, I’ll tell you. Because your mouth is driving me crazy.”
    Her eyes were so wide—so full of disbelief, he almost laughed. Had no one ever told her how damn hot her lips were? Well, he’d just be the first.
    Snap out of it, man. This is not the road that leads to no dating. You have other things to worry about—like Reece. But Em was like kryptonite, and forcing Reece from his mind was easy when he looked at Em’s lips.
    She winced, her beautiful features lining with disgust. “You mean my mouth is big, don’t you? You want to shut me up because I talk too much? I do that sometimes. I forget myself. I’m sorry.”
    Her apology made him chuckle. Whoever had given Em the impression her enthusiasm, her ability to draw you into what brought her happiness, was annoying, made him want to beat the shit out of them.
    Cupping her jaw, he said, “No. I mean your hot mouth is driving me crazy—words and all. I don’t care what’s coming out of them.”
    Letting his tongue finally caress the soft flesh of her lower lip, his gut tightened on impact when he glided over the silky surface, tasting, testing.
    Christ.
    She stiffened beneath his hand, so he eased his grip, caressing the back of her neck, stroking the soft skin until she relaxed. “Is that okay, Em? If I kiss you?”
    “Why would you want to kiss someone like me?”
    She said it like those lips weren’t amazingly kissable. Fuck. Who’d messed with her head like that? Jax nibbled on the corner of her mouth, smiling against it when she shuddered then leaned into him. Just a little, but enough to signal her body language was adjusting to his touch. “The question here is, who wouldn’t want to kiss you? I can’t imagine watching your mouth move and not wanting to kiss you.”
    And then she was