Then he kissed her again. He touched her breast, not as
a doctor's impersonal touch, but that of a lover. Meg felt a
coiling fear begin in his stomach and spiral upward. She'd known no
man except Arlo and he'd been brutal. In all those years since,
she'd sworn that no man would ever get close enough to hurt her
again. Yet here she was, acting like a wanton in Jess's arms.
"Jess, I don't want..."
"Yes, you do." His disarming smile turned
into a thoughtful frown. "You're not afraid of me, are you? Is Zach
a brutal lover? Is that why you're so skittish? I promise you, Meg,
I will give you nothing but pleasure. I'd never hurt you. You
believe me, don't you?"
Meg thought about it a moment and decided
that if she could believe any man it would be Jess. If only he
wasn't such a ass about her and Zach. She didn't believe Jess would
knowingly hurt her but he was a man. Arlo had been full of
promises, too, but he'd hurt her terribly and would have continued
to do so if she hadn't had the gumption to do something about
it.
"I believe you wouldn't knowingly hurt me,
Jess, but that doesn't change things."
"Are you denying you want me? Or are you
worried about betraying Zach?"
Meg flushed and looked away. Never had she
experienced the kind of unfulfilled longing that Jess's kisses
roused in her. She'd had so little experience with men that those
feelings frightened her.
"I'm not sure what I want, Jess. And for your
information, since Zach and I aren't lovers, I wouldn't be
betraying him."
Apparently Jess perceived her answer as
permission to proceed, for he swept her off her feet and into his
arms.
Her voice rose on a note of panic. "What are
you doing?"
"Taking you someplace where we can both have
what we want. You're contrary as all get out, Meg, but that only
makes you more desirable in my eyes."
He strode to her room and shoved open the
door with his shoulder. Then he let her slide slowly down his body.
She felt his arousal and fear shuddered through her. She couldn't
let him do this.
He kissed her again, and Meg's wits flew out
the window. A moment later her foggy brain registered a new
feeling, one that made the breath catch in her throat. His hands,
his large capable hands, were everywhere, touching, caressing,
arousing. When he cupped her between her legs, panic rose thick and
hard inside her, and she pushed against his chest.
"Stop! This is going too fast. I'm not sure
this is..."
Jess's hands fell to his sides. "You're
right. I'm too damn eager and I should know better. We'll do this
your way, love. Slow and easy."
"That's not what I mean."
"I know what you mean," he said as he tangled
his hand in her hair, easing her head back.
Meg shuddered as he kissed the tender flesh
beneath her ear, the wildly thudding pulse at the base of her
throat. She murmured something incoherent and clung to him. He
found her breasts, kneading them gently through the material of her
bodice. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she stifled a
moan.
He plucked impatiently at the offending
garment. "This will have to go."
He released the buttons holding the bodice
together and stripped it down her arms, taking her chemise with it.
Meg's hands flew up to shield her breasts. Jess pulled them down to
her sides.
She held her breath as he studied the
puckered scar above her right breast, touching it gently with his
fingertip. Was it so ugly?
"The scar detracts nothing from your breasts.
This isn't the first time I've seen them, you know. They're
beautiful. I couldn't tell you that as a doctor, but as a man, I
can say all the things I've been thinking since the first time I
undressed you.
"Your body is perfect. Strong, athletic, yet
soft and feminine and alluring." He rubbed her nipples with his
thumbs. "I want to touch you all over."
Meg stared into the torrid depths of his
glittering eyes and felt her heart pounding violently against her
chest. She wanted him. The unexpected truth came to her in a
blinding flash when she looked into
a doctor's impersonal touch, but that of a lover. Meg felt a
coiling fear begin in his stomach and spiral upward. She'd known no
man except Arlo and he'd been brutal. In all those years since,
she'd sworn that no man would ever get close enough to hurt her
again. Yet here she was, acting like a wanton in Jess's arms.
"Jess, I don't want..."
"Yes, you do." His disarming smile turned
into a thoughtful frown. "You're not afraid of me, are you? Is Zach
a brutal lover? Is that why you're so skittish? I promise you, Meg,
I will give you nothing but pleasure. I'd never hurt you. You
believe me, don't you?"
Meg thought about it a moment and decided
that if she could believe any man it would be Jess. If only he
wasn't such a ass about her and Zach. She didn't believe Jess would
knowingly hurt her but he was a man. Arlo had been full of
promises, too, but he'd hurt her terribly and would have continued
to do so if she hadn't had the gumption to do something about
it.
"I believe you wouldn't knowingly hurt me,
Jess, but that doesn't change things."
"Are you denying you want me? Or are you
worried about betraying Zach?"
Meg flushed and looked away. Never had she
experienced the kind of unfulfilled longing that Jess's kisses
roused in her. She'd had so little experience with men that those
feelings frightened her.
"I'm not sure what I want, Jess. And for your
information, since Zach and I aren't lovers, I wouldn't be
betraying him."
Apparently Jess perceived her answer as
permission to proceed, for he swept her off her feet and into his
arms.
Her voice rose on a note of panic. "What are
you doing?"
"Taking you someplace where we can both have
what we want. You're contrary as all get out, Meg, but that only
makes you more desirable in my eyes."
He strode to her room and shoved open the
door with his shoulder. Then he let her slide slowly down his body.
She felt his arousal and fear shuddered through her. She couldn't
let him do this.
He kissed her again, and Meg's wits flew out
the window. A moment later her foggy brain registered a new
feeling, one that made the breath catch in her throat. His hands,
his large capable hands, were everywhere, touching, caressing,
arousing. When he cupped her between her legs, panic rose thick and
hard inside her, and she pushed against his chest.
"Stop! This is going too fast. I'm not sure
this is..."
Jess's hands fell to his sides. "You're
right. I'm too damn eager and I should know better. We'll do this
your way, love. Slow and easy."
"That's not what I mean."
"I know what you mean," he said as he tangled
his hand in her hair, easing her head back.
Meg shuddered as he kissed the tender flesh
beneath her ear, the wildly thudding pulse at the base of her
throat. She murmured something incoherent and clung to him. He
found her breasts, kneading them gently through the material of her
bodice. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she stifled a
moan.
He plucked impatiently at the offending
garment. "This will have to go."
He released the buttons holding the bodice
together and stripped it down her arms, taking her chemise with it.
Meg's hands flew up to shield her breasts. Jess pulled them down to
her sides.
She held her breath as he studied the
puckered scar above her right breast, touching it gently with his
fingertip. Was it so ugly?
"The scar detracts nothing from your breasts.
This isn't the first time I've seen them, you know. They're
beautiful. I couldn't tell you that as a doctor, but as a man, I
can say all the things I've been thinking since the first time I
undressed you.
"Your body is perfect. Strong, athletic, yet
soft and feminine and alluring." He rubbed her nipples with his
thumbs. "I want to touch you all over."
Meg stared into the torrid depths of his
glittering eyes and felt her heart pounding violently against her
chest. She wanted him. The unexpected truth came to her in a
blinding flash when she looked into
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