Seducme Me aka Erotic Invitation

And besides, he understood only too well what it felt like to have a painful childhood affect the present. Of course in Jack’s case at least he had one parent proud of his accomplishments. Hers underestimated a child they ought to be proud of, and created a woman who didn’t know her own worth.

“You’re beautiful.” He could give her an honest infusion of truth in return for the fantasies she’d created for him.

She let out a sigh of disbelief. “I’ve looked in a mirror, Jack.”

Those contradictions again. And the old question-which was the real Mallory.

“Don’t move.” He swung his legs off the bed and headed to the corner of the room where a large floor-length mirror with gilded wrought iron leaves stood. He pushed the mirror into the room and parked it at the foot of the bed.

She eyed the object warily. “What’s that for?”

“Before we get on with the beach theme, I wanted to get some things between us perfectly clear.”

After positioning the mirror, Jack moved behind her and gripping her shoulders, he turned her so she had no choice but to stare into the reflective glass.

“Take a look and memorize what you see. Because next time you doubt, I want you to glance into a mirror and see yourself through my eyes.”

Mallory glanced into the large glass and winced. As if she had a choice whether or not to look with the darn thing in her face.

“Because I see a well-satisfied woman.”

Mallory agreed. In her flushed face, she saw the aftereffects of her orgasm hadn’t diminished. Her cheeks were shaded a light pink, her eyes still bright and alive with sensual awareness.

He walked back to the mirror and turned so he stood with one hand slung over the top of the wrought iron. “But I also see a beautiful woman, inside as well as out.”

A grateful yet embarrassed grin lifted her lips. “You do have a way with words, counselor.”

He shook his head. “Truth is truth. No one’s ever gone so out of their way for me. You’ve done it. Twice.”

“Now that you’ve brought up the other women, there must be someone in your life who’d go out of their way to please you.” Not that she wanted to hear about them in detail, but if she wanted to get to know Jack better, his private life was important, too.

“None that count.”

From his solemn tone she realized their time together meant more to him than a one-night stand and the notion pleased her. “If I can make you smile, that’s enough for me.”

“Which is exactly what I mean. You’re beautiful inside and out. You just gave me proof of the first. And those incredible eyes of yours and well-kissed lips are proof of the second.”

She dipped her head, unable to process the thrill that infused her, enjoyment and gratitude that wasn’t merely sexual or egotistical in nature. “Thank you,” she said simply.

“The pleasure was mine. But not only mine, I hope.” He tilted his head in a cocky move she knew was meant to tease her.

She lifted a shaking hand to her mouth and his darkened gaze followed the movement. The man did know how to kiss. He also knew how to distract her from her plan and somehow this seduction had gotten away from her.

Despite all her preparation, she was the one being pleasured, and falling hard for Jack Latham, a caring man with whom she had no future. She rubbed a hand over her face as she accepted the long-term effects of this night.

She’d never see a beach again without thinking of Jack. Never inhale the warm fragrant scent of coconut oil without remembering how his hands gave her immense pleasure. And she’d never again glance in a mirror without remembering Jack and how he’d attempted to make up for every neglectful thing her parents had done by forcing her to view herself through his eyes.

He’d gone out of his way for her and she wanted to repay him. Besides, she needed to regain control. Of the situation, herself and her rampaging feelings.

“Did you really think I’d let you get away with only half your oil finished?” She reached for the bottle and waved it in the air. “It’s almost time to hit the water.” She gestured toward the sliding glass doors where the outside beckoned.

The sun had dipped well below the horizon and darkness had fallen. She knew from her prior night at the cabin that soon the beach would be completely deserted. They could share a moonlit walk uninterrupted. Or a nude swim, a wicked voice in her head taunted her.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Far be it for me to deny you the pleasure.”

She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated groan. He was incorrigible.

Irresistible.

She crooked a finger his way. “Come here and learn all about that mirror you seem so fond of.”

He met her on the bed with a half jump, half dive, rolled onto his back, arms spread wide. “I’m all yours, sweetheart.”

She wished, she thought, and immediately stifled the sentiment. “On your stomach, head over here.” She patted the end of the bed and he stretched out in front of her. He was tanned and muscular and he beckoned to the feminine part of her she’d spent years hiding away. She swung her leg around and settled herself astride his lower back. She bracketed his waist and his warm body heat shot from her thigh straight to her core.

He let out a low groan. “Is this what they mean by exquisite torture?”

“I suppose it is.” With a laugh, she squeezed her legs tighter.

She’d meant to tease him but ended up tormenting herself instead as a wave of longing swept through her. Each time she and Jack were together was deeper and more intimate than the last. She wondered if the control she so longed for would return, or if it was gone forever, along with her easy acceptance of being the office ice queen.

And of being alone.

She pushed reality aside for the moment. Summoning her courage, she braced her hands on his shoulders and shifted her hips in a circular motion.

Jack clenched his fingers around the comforter beneath him. Feeling Mallory’s legs around his waist in a viselike grip was arousing him beyond belief. Her feminine heat, pressed hot and eager against his bare back, fed the desire. His erection pulsed into the mattress and his heart pounded hard in his chest.

He wanted to flip her over, lift her skirt, and bury himself in her hot, wet body. Problem was, he knew his emotions were too close to the surface and he’d be releasing far more than pent-up sexual energy.

From the moment he’d retied her bathing suit and glimpsed the sweet gratitude and desire in her face, something inside him softened and he didn’t know how to repackage himself and his emotions so he was the Terminator once more. A man who felt nothing and needed nothing from the women in his life.

Seeking a distraction from the intense sensations Mallory aroused, Jack glanced into the mirror. Far from finding the diversion he sought, he found paradise. Thanks to the glass in front of him, not only could he feel the tightening of her thighs and the slight shift forward of her hips, but he could watch it as well.

Her body glistened from the coconut oil. He moved his gaze upward. Dark hair spilled over her shoulders, one long strand stuck against her cheek, and her neck arched-but her eyes shone bright as she watched their movements in the mirror. Actually viewing the play of sexual pleasure cross her face as she rode astride him was carnal, arousing all his baser instincts. And when her gaze met his in the reflective glass, he was lost.

She reached for the bottle of oil and Jack knew he couldn’t handle another massage without embarrassing himself in the process.

“What do you say we go for that swim?” His voice sounded ragged to his ears.

“Sounds great.” She swung her legs to the side, seeming all too eager to scramble off him and escape.

JACK AWOKE with a groan. He stretched, yawned and hit the floor for sit-ups before heading downstairs. But not even the morning sun shining into the restaurant helped to awaken him. Once again, he’d walked Mallory to her door across the hall from his, having separated by mutual agreement after their walk on the beach. His control had hung by a thread and he’d wanted to be with her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.

He should have just ceded control and satisfied the craving only she inspired. After all, what red-blooded man