The kiss rocked her all the way to the soles of her feet. She managed to resist for all of two seconds before she threw her arms around his neck and dove headfirst into the embrace.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ADAM FINALLY LIFTED his head enough to allow them both to breathe. “I’ve missed you, JoJo.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she confessed, almost unbearably touched by the unexpected admission.
He spoke rather fiercely then. “You said there’s a chance we could have more than great sex. Do you still believe that?”
“Absolutely,” she answered firmly after taking only a moment to recover from her surprise. “There’s been a connection between us from the start, Adam. I’ve never felt that bond with anyone else.”
“Me, either. And no one else has ever scared me quite like you do,” he confessed.
Her smile felt shaky. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should. It means I’ve known from the start that what we had was different. Special.”
“Potentially life-changing,” she said, understanding exactly what he meant.
“Well, yeah.”
“And you weren’t so sure you wanted your life to change.”
“I guess I needed a reason to try,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her cheek. “And then you and Simon showed up, and it didn’t take me long to realize that I would never find two better reasons. I was just too stubborn—and yeah, too intimidated—to admit it at first.”
She stroked his face, savoring his rueful smile. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
A hint of nervousness returned to his eyes. “I still can’t make guarantees,” he warned. “We’ll give it our best shot, but if it doesn’t work out—if you decide this isn’t what you want—or if you have any concerns about how Simon will be affected—”
She nestled into him. “All we can do is give it a chance,” she murmured. “Whatever happens, both of us will do everything in our power to protect Simon.”
“That I can promise,” he said fervently.
Which only reminded her again of why she was so drawn to him. One of the reasons, anyway, she thought as his mouth closed over hers again.
His hands were on her and she pressed closer even as she murmured, “We need to—”
“Later,” he growled, fumbling with the top button of her shirt.
Her hands had slipped beneath his shirt, her palms gliding up his back. She nipped his lower lip. “I don’t think—”
“Good.” He pushed the shirt off her shoulders. “Don’t think.”
His shirt went over his head, landing in an open box somewhere. She kissed his chin, his throat, his scars. “This isn’t—”
“—going to take long,” he said with a rough laugh of apology. “God, I want you, JoJo.”
The couch was covered with books. She pushed him down the hallway and he proved how adept he was at walking backward and still kissing her senseless. He almost stumbled over a box in the bedroom. The contents rattled and he muttered a curse, then laughed when she gave another shove and he tumbled onto her bed.
“After this,” she said, falling on top of him, “we’re going to do a lot more talking.”
The smile he shot her could only be described as piratical. “Eventually,” he promised.
His arms locked around her, gathering her closer. She had no desire to resist, to make an effort to hang on to caution or common sense, to be sensible and responsible and practical. The way she always was, always had been—except with Adam.
Her fingers burrowed into his hair, holding him in place. Not that he was trying to pull away. Her tongue welcomed his, and her vulnerable heart responded to the taste and feel of him. How could she have missed him this much when their time together had been so short?
His right hand slid down her back, traced the curve of her bottom. Liquid heat flooded through her, warming her skin, melting any last qualms she might have harbored. She moved against him, and felt a thrill of satisfaction when she drew a deep moan from his throat.