Simply Irresistible

them, and she promptly forgot what she was going to say.

The leather held his body heat, wrapping her in it like a cocoon, and she murmured her thanks. “When I first heard you walk up behind me, I had visions of a wild animal from the cliffs dragging me off to its den to eat me, so I’m glad it was you.”

“What makes you think you’re safer with me?”

A laugh escaped her. “Well, it is true that you aren’t looking so Clark Kent-like right now, not out here in the dark.” Nope, he seemed much more like a superhero, all tall and dark and focused on her. It made it difficult to breathe, in fact. “I need to walk.”

He gave her a single nod.

Apparently that meant he was coming along, because he kept easy pace with her. The back half of the pier was empty except for the occasional bench. There were no stars visible through the clouds, and, other than the pounding surf and gusts of wind, no interruptions. She slurped on her shake, then offered some to Jax.

He searched her gaze a moment, his own quiet and reflective. Then, instead of taking the cup, his hand enveloped her own as he leaned in to draw on the straw. Her fingers itched to run over his stubble to see if it would feel rough or silky. And then there were those sinfully long, dark eyelashes, practically resting on his cheekbones, wasted on a man. But her gaze locked in on the way the muscles of his jaw bunched as he sucked the shake. When his tongue released the straw, she actually felt an answering tug deep in her womb. She must have made a noise, because he sent her a curious glance.

“It’s nothing.” Well, nothing except she was all alone with a complete stranger on the far end of the dark, nearly deserted pier. No one to save her from herself.

“It’s a different pace out here, isn’t it?” he said quietly.

“From LA? A different world entirely.” Her daily drive to work had been like riding the bumper cars at the fair. Funny thing was, she’d never really minded because everything in her life had been like a ride at the fair-fast and just a little out of control. Her commute, her job, her boyfriend…

Especially her boyfriend.

Alex had been all charm and sophistication on the outside. On the inside, though, he’d been a simmering Crock-Pot of negative emotions.

She drew a deep breath recalling her secret shame, that it had taken her so long to realize that she couldn’t change him, that instead she’d slowly changed herself into someone she didn’t recognize.

Standing up for herself when he’d started hitting her had been empowering. Unfortunately, he hadn’t taken it well, and a couple of weeks ago, after months of trying to talk her into reconciling, he’d cornered her in her office at work. She’d taken care of herself, but it turned out that the brass frowned on anyone tossing hot coffee into the lap of their high-powered, expensive entertainment attorney.

Needless to say, Maddie no longer had her crazy daily drive to make.

Her mother had died that same week.

Maddie was working on being okay with all of it, but she hadn’t gotten there yet. Maybe she’d schedule it into her Blackberry.

Jax was watching her, as if something didn’t quite add up. She could have told him not to bother trying to figure her out. No one had managed yet, not even herself.

“You okay?”

“Working on it,” she said and gave him a small smile.

He returned the smile and stepped a little closer to her, which is when she discovered several things. One, she still had to fight her automatic flight response and purposely hold her ground, not taking a step back. Not all guys are capable of smiling, stepping close, and then hitting, she reminded herself. But while her brain knew this, her heart still wasn’t ready to buy it.

Two, and even more unsettling, he smelled good-sexy and alluring. Closing her eyes, she felt her body actually tingle, brought to a hyper-awareness that felt almost foreign as something zinged through her.

Desire. Bone-melting desire.

When she opened her eyes again, he was even closer. His eyes weren’t the solid warm caramel she’d thought but had flecks of gold dancing in them, as well. She could have drowned in all that deliciousness.

Not a bad way to go, she figured-death by lust.

Taking the shake out of her hands, he put it on the railing. “Maddie,” he said. Just that, just her name in a deep voice that promised things she no longer believed in. And suddenly the part of her brain that had dictated the whole giving-up-men thing went on a vacay somewhere on the other side of reality, probably sharing a suite with the same gray matter that thought she could make a go of the inn. So instead of taking a step back, she took one forward and met him halfway on wobbly legs.

And what happened next was the oddest thing of all.

Odd and scary and amazing.

A heavenly sigh drifted past her lips as his arms came around her, and then his mouth touched hers, warm and tasting like the chocolate shake and forgotten hopes and dreams, and then…

And then there were no more thoughts.

Chapter 4

“Never sweat the small stuff.

And remember, it’s all small stuff.”

PHOEBE TRAEGER

Maddie’s eyes had slayed Jax from the very start, but her mouth… Christ, her mouth. The kiss started out gentle, and he’d meant for it to stay that way, but then she pulled back just enough to stare up at him, all flushed and wide-eyed.

Lowering his head, he pressed his mouth to the hollow of her throat. Beneath his lips, he could feel her pulse racing, and he touched his tongue to the spot. At her gasp of pleasure, he made his slow way along her jaw, over warm, soft skin to her ear. When he finally lifted his face to hers, her eyes were huge, a sea of dazed heat as she clearly wondered exactly what he was up to.

No good. That’s what he was up to.

Proving it, he kissed her again, her little whimper for more going straight through him. He heard her purse hit the pier at their feet, and then her arms wound around his neck and she was kissing him, an all-consuming, earthy, raw kiss, and he was a goner. He groaned into her mouth at the pleasure of her touch, at the rush of heat, at the anticipation that swam through him instead of good sense.

Again she tore free of his mouth and stared up at him, eyes feral, mouth wet, breathing wildly. He had no idea what she was looking for, but apparently she found it because she tugged him back down, her fingers digging into his biceps as if she couldn’t get enough.

That made two of them.

He kissed his way down her throat, and she gave a low, sexy gasp when he got to the spot where her neck met her shoulder. Her eyes slid closed, and she shuddered with the intensity. “You taste good,” he murmured.

“Like chocolate-vanilla swirl?”

He lifted his head as she opened her eyes, opaque with hunger and desire. “Like woman.” Her hair was wild, a few curls clinging to her face and dancing in the wind, calling to him. Needing to touch her, he raised a hand to stroke her hair back, and she flinched, hard.

Shock had him going still, fingers hovering near her forehead, but she went even more still. Slowly he lowered his hand. “Maddie-”

With a quick, single shake of her head, she took a giant step back, her eyes shuttered from him. I have to go.”

“Okay.” His brain raced, trying to figure out what had just happened. She’d acted as if he’d meant to hit her,