Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (24 page)

“What?” She jumped to her feet. “No! This is not about you, itʼs me! Iʼm the one who―”

“Who what?” He turned around to face her, his eyes burning through her. “Who what, Sara?” he repeated slowly, his tone low and disquietingly calm in contrast to the fire clearly raging inside him.

She inhaled sharply. Exhaled slowly. “Iʼm not…very good at this.”

“
This
being?”

“This!” She huffed, swinging an arm toward the bed. Her gaze dropped. “Sex.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Jack cocked a brow. “And you know this because?”

“I know it.”

He gave her a long stare. Rubbed the back of his head. “Youʼre not making any sense, Sara. Youʼre not telling me youʼre a virgin, are you?”

“No, I…” Heat flooded her cheeks. Her mouth dried, and she licked her lips nervously. “Iʼve been with a man before, but it didnʼt go, ah, very well.”
The understatement of the century!

“Hmm.” Jack took a step toward her. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“Itʼs true! He told me.”

“Who?”

“My ex.”

“Heʼs a dumbass.”

“That he is.” Sara snuck a tentative look at him. Amusement was unmistakable on his face, which embarrassed her even more. “He was right about this, though, so I understand if you might not want―”

Her words choked in her throat as Jack slid a hand into her hair and slammed his mouth to hers. Sara moaned in protest. Her hands slipped up to his chest in an attempt to put some distance between them. Then again, maybe she could wait a second or two before pulling away. After all, this had to be the most mind-blowing kiss in the history of mind-blowing kisses! Jackʼs tongue brushed against hers in a sensual dance that made her hands fist and clutch at his shirt, pulling him closer to her instead of pushing him away.

“
This
is how much I want you, Sara,” he whispered, rocking his hips against hers so that there would be no mistaking his intentions.

Her legs went so weak that all she could do was slide her arms around his neck and sink into him with a surrendering sigh as his hand started wandering the length of her body. Sara arched into him with a moan when his hot palm cupped her breast, his thumb brushing over her taut nipple. God, the man was good!

Sensing her abandon, Jack took her mouth again as he backed up against the bed, then eased her onto it. The sun was rising now, but the storm was in full force, and only a dim thread of light filtered through the curtains, caressing Saraʼs body and giving her an almost mystical light. “You really are beautiful,” he said hoarsely.

Even as she blushed, Sara relished the pleasure of his smoldering, appreciative gaze staring at her as if she were the most beautiful thing heʼd ever seen. And while she knew that she could never compare to the other gorgeous women heʼd been with in the past, she no longer cared. Right now Jack wanted her and her only, and she was determined to savor the moment. Memorize it. Treasure it.

“You, too,” she replied sincerely, letting her eyes roam over his lean, muscular body. Her pulse raced out of control, and her womanʼs heart filled with pride and excitement at the thought that this incredible man was about to make love to her.

If that alone wasnʼt enough to send her brain haywire, any coherent thoughts vanished from her mind completely as Jack lay beside her and brought his mouth down onto hers for another long, deep, mind-blowing kiss. She closed her eyes with a sigh, pressing tighter into him. His body was so hot and strong that all she wanted to do was rub against him. She was going to die if he didnʼt touch her immediately.

Jack cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking her jaw with his thumb as he deepened the kiss. Ever so slowly, his fingers slipped down to her throat, trailing across her chest and lower still. Anticipation made her suck in a ragged breath, and an electric jolt slammed through her body when his thumb finally started tracing hot, lazy circles around her nipple. When he rolled over it, it puckered into a hard little peak beneath his gentle strokes.

He pushed back slightly and lifted his head, his eyes dark with desire. “Iʼve been dying to do this,” he whispered, leaning down and closing his mouth over one taut bud.

Sara bit back a moan and threaded her hands into his hair just as he swirled his tongue around her nipple. So lost was she in the web of desire he was skillfully weaving around her that she barely felt his hand move along her ribcage and spread across her stomach. Before she knew it, his fingers slipped beneath her waistband, pulling down the panties in one smooth move. For a moment or two, she forgot to breathe.

“Itʼs okay, baby,” Jack whispered, trailing soft kisses along her neck as his hand slid between her thighs. “Weʼll go real slow.”

Sara wanted to protest, tell him that she didnʼt want slow, but his hand felt so good that she found herself unable to speak. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to grind desperately against it as he nipped at her earlobe. “Jack…”

“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” His fingers softly traced her outer lips. “Do you like this?”

Once again, she tried to answer him, but her mind was a muddled mess, his touch was sending her into sensory overload. Heck, she would have begged him to continue had she been capable of finding her voice. Jack brushed his mouth across hers just as he found and slowly stroked her clit—then he stopped and pulled away to search her face, as though seeking her final permission. When Sara arched into him in mute assent, he slipped a finger deep into her.

It was almost his undoing.

“Dear God, baby,” he hissed, starting to move in and out of her slowly. She was so wet, so tight that his erection strained painfully against his briefs. Damn, but every muscle in his body ached with the need to thrust deep inside her, feel that clench around him. He wanted to give her pleasure sheʼd never forget, lose himself in her until there was no room left inside her for any other man.

Jack drew a sharp breath, trying to regain control. Seriously, he needed to calm down. But how was he supposed to be patient and take it slow when Sara was so incredibly warm and soft under his touch? So sweet and innocent, yet so sensual and responsive, and so ready for him? Her generous abandon hit him like a blow to the chest.

Shifting slightly to the side, he gazed down at the amazing woman in his arms. She was the most beautiful thing heʼd ever seen, lying there with her eyes closed in pleasure, her kiss-swollen lips slightly parted. He bent his head and briefly brushed his lips over hers before moving down to nuzzle her neck, the sensitive spot where it met her collarbone. He loved the sweet, delicate smell of her skin. He loved her soft moans of pleasure. Hell, he loved just about everything about her….

Sara groaned, pressing tighter into him and parting her thighs farther to allow him deeper access. She knew she was being shameless, but she didnʼt care. All that mattered to her right now was the hard, solid pressure of Jackʼs body against hers, his scent seeping into her senses, his hot mouth on her skin, and―
oh!
―his hand doing those perfect things to her. She couldnʼt help it. There was something in the way Jack touched her, as if he knew exactly what she needed, that was melting her from the inside out. She had never felt like this before, so helpless and powerful at the same time. So inflamed, so feverish, so…alive. She let out a gasp of breath as he slid another finger inside her, thrusting back and forth at the same time as his thumb stroked her clit in a slow, circular motion.
Ohgod, ohgod, ohgod!

“Let go, sweetheart,” he breathed softly into her ear. “Iʼll catch you.”

His deep voice poured like liquid fire through her whole body.
Iʼll catch you.
Was she supposed to fall? Because she was falling, all right. Freefalling, in fact—and from heights she had never known existed. And she didnʼt mind, because she knew that Jack was there to catch her, just as heʼd promised. Those were her last coherent thoughts before her mind went totally blank. Sara gave a broken cry as a shattering climax shook her entire body, and the whole world as she knew it exploded into a million pieces. Restless waves of pleasure washed over her, again and again, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck.

He held her tightly against him, whispering sweet nothings in her ear until she stopped trembling and relaxed in his arms. Only then did he slowly withdraw his fingers and slide on top of her. She barely noticed him yanking his briefs off before he tipped her chin up and claimed her mouth in a hard, possessive kiss. A kiss meant to mark her soul deep. A kiss that nearly drove her over the edge again.

“Look at me, love,” he breathed on her lips, brushing a damp, wayward strand of hair away from her forehead.

Still lost in the haze of pleasure fogging her mind, Sara struggled to force her heavy-lidded eyes open. It took a few moments for them to focus, but a jolt shot through her as she met his blazing emerald gaze.

Never breaking the eye contact, Jack started easing into her. He struggled to hold back as he slowly slid inside her soft, slick warmth. Took a deep, steadying breath. Then drove into her with one smooth thrust. Her arms tightened the grip around his neck, and a gasp escaped from her as she pressed her face against his throat.

Jack froze.
Shit!
“Did I hurt you?”

When she tilted her head up to meet his gaze again, her eyes were glittering with tears—but they were glazed with so much adoration it knocked the breath right out of his lungs.

“No.” Sara closed her eyes with a soft smile. “Itʼs…wonderful.”

She writhed, trying to move her hips, but he clasped them to his and held her still, giving her time to get used to his size. It nearly killed him. His whole body was screaming with the ferocious, primitive urge to thrust into her. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

His words, combined with their painful tone, made Sara gaze up at him again. His jaw was tight, his muscles tense, and the burning desire in his eyes had turned them a few shades darker than usual. Thatʼs when she realized just how desperately he was struggling to hold back for her. But she didnʼt want him to hold back. She wanted him, and she wanted him completely.

“Then take me, Jack.” She stroked his back and arched her body in an instinctive, mute invitation. “Make me yours.”

That did it. A low, feral growl formed in Jackʼs chest as she felt his restraint break.

“You
are
mine, Sara. Youʼve always been,” he whispered, pulling out slightly and pushing back in, finally filling her completely. She couldnʼt help it. She cried out as he repeated the slow movement again and again, thrusting and withdrawing rhythmically, sliding deeper and deeper inside her with each stroke. But soon that wasnʼt enough, either. She needed more, she thought confusedly, wrapping her legs around his waist to match his movements. Her fingers dug into his back when he responded to her plea and plunged harder, faster into her.

“So good. So damn good.”

As Jack suddenly crushed his mouth to hers in a long, hungry kiss, Sara knew she was lost. His passion ran her over like a wild, reckless train that she couldnʼt, didnʼt want to stop; like a tornado, it shattered the last threads of her defenses and swept away all coherent thoughts from her mind, leaving her completely helpless and melting against him.

“Jack,” she barely managed to choke out. She didnʼt even know what she meant to say. Nothing and everything. She felt woozy. Her body was on fire, her head spinning. His deep groan was almost a growl, an exquisite vibration against her skin as he kissed the side of her neck and slid his arms around her shoulders, burying his head in the crook of her neck. He held her tight against him as he moved deep inside her, each thrust sending her higher and closer to the brink.

It was perfect. Just perfect.

With a strangled cry of pleasure, Sara let him lead her to heaven.

Chapter 18

Snuggled beneath Jackʼs hot body, Sara slowly started drifting back to consciousness. She tried to flicker her eyes open, but even that simple action felt like the hardest task in the world. She felt limp. Sated. And happy as hell.

She glanced at the pale sunrays softly spilling through the curtains and wondered what time it was. Not that she really cared, anyway—certainly not enough to turn around and check the clock on her nightstand. She couldnʼt move, nor did she want to.

Stroking his back, she held him protectively to her chest. She could feel his solid weight on top of her, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his heart thundering against her. And knowing she was the cause of that powerful beat made her feel exquisitely feminine. She was
Jackʼs
woman now. Heaven help her, but her heart ached a little as she cupped his nape and softly kissed his scruffy cheek.

The long, shaky sigh that escaped from her made him lever himself up on his forearms. “You all right?” he whispered, his voice deliciously hoarse, his breath still uneven.

“Hmm.”

“Iʼm crushing you.”

Sara wound her arms around his waist to keep him in place. “I like it.”

Jack shook his head, his usual smirk back in place as he tilted her chin up with his forefinger and dropped a kiss on her lips. “I feel like a thousand pounds on top of you.”

“Hmm. Whoʼd have thought a thousand pounds on top of me would feel so good?”

Laughter vibrated through his chest then, so deep it tingled all the way down her spine. Okay, this was getting plain ridiculous. How could she possibly be turned on again just by the sound of his laughter? He was still inside her, for Godʼs sake!

Before she knew it, he slid an arm around her waist and rolled over on his back, inverting their positions.
Hmm
. Okay, this wasnʼt too bad, either. Sara nestled closer to him, her head on his chest, her hand over his pounding heart. She all but purred in his arms when he laid a lazy kiss on her temple.

“Youʼre so damn tiny,” he mumbled sleepily.

“I am not! Youʼre the one who’s huge…
everywhere
.” She giggled as she adjusted against him, her head on his chest as she glanced down at their entangled limbs. “Oh God, I totally forgot about your knee! Are you okay?”