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."Jessica nodded as she glanced around the studio apartment."I didn't realize there was a kitchen up here.""It used to be a rental when we were small.But as the family expanded, and the kids grew up, my parents started to use it as an extra bedroom.I coveted this apartment for years.But being fifth in the lineup of kids, I was stuck in the house while Burke and Aiden and later Drew had all kinds of crazy parties out here.""That sounds like fun.""I'd see hot girl after hot girl coming down the driveway," he joked."Your brothers are not bad looking, I have to say.""Only my brothers?""You know what you look like," she retorted."And if you don't, I'm sure one of the many beautiful girls who come to your concerts could tell you.So, Nicole and Emma didn't try for the apartment?""I don't know if they wanted to live here, but I suspect my father wanted the girls in the main house.""Makes sense.Well, you're here now.You can live out all your teen fantasies," she teased."Don't tempt me."She caught her breath at his words.And just like that he'd changed the air from comfortable to tense."Sean," she began.He didn't know where she was going with that sentence, but judging by the look in her eyes he wanted to go with her.She licked her lips, and the swipe of her tongue made his body hard.Who the hell was he kidding? He couldn't do this.He couldn't spend the night with her and not make love to her."I should stay in the main house," he said."No.I don't want to be alone.""Jessica—""We can do this," she said cutting him off."We can be friends.It will be fine."He wanted to agree, but he had a feeling that her definition of fine was vastly different than his."Can I use the bathroom?" she asked."It's right over there."He was grateful for the respite.He needed a few minutes to pull himself together so that things really would be fine between them.Chapter TwentyWhile Jessica was in the bathroom, Sean kicked off his shoes.Then he grabbed a blanket off the shelf in the closet and tossed it to the sofa, along with one of the pillows from his bed.He forced himself not to think about the night ahead—Jessica curled up in his sheets, her beautiful dark hair spread across the pillow, her body soft and warm, her lips so inviting.Damn! It was going to be a long night.He sat down on the sofa and picked up his guitar.He needed a distraction and music had always been able to take him somewhere else.He strummed a few random chords, trying to get his mind off Jessica, but he was still fighting the desire when she walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.He tried not to look at her.But he could hear her—even the soft swoosh of her breath turned him on."Will you play something for me?" Jessica asked a moment later.He cleared his throat, still not looking at her."Sure.What do you want to hear?""Moonlight Girl is one of my favorites."He looked down at his guitar and then played the opening chords.He'd written Moonlight Girl when he was twenty years old, and over the years it had been one of his most popular songs.He could hear Jessica scoot backwards on the bed, settling against his pillows, but he forced himself to concentrate on the song."She came out of the shadows, her face kissed by the moonlight," he sang."She pulled him out of the dark, gave him hope and a spark for a life and a love that would last forever."The girl in the song had never really had a clear face to him, but as he finished the last few words, he lifted his gaze and looked across the room at the beautiful dark-haired, dark-eyed woman on his bed, and her face became clear.He hadn't known who he was writing about back then.The moonlight girl had been a fantasy of a love that had yet to come.Had it come now?"That was wonderful," she said."Did you write that song for a girlfriend?"He shook his head."No.""Really? It sounded like you were inspired by someone.""Maybe tonight I felt inspired," he said quietly.The smile on her face faded."It's not fair, you know.""What's not fair?""That you can seduce me with a song.""It's not fair that you can seduce me with your eyes—your beautiful, expressive eyes that show every emotion."She stared back at him."What emotion do you see now?""Desire, attraction, uncertainty.""My eyes told you all that?""Am I wrong?"She slowly shook her head."You're not wrong.Play me something else.""What do you want to hear?""Do you ever play classical music?"He was surprised by the question."As a matter of fact, I do.What do you like?""I used to dance to Bagatelle No.2 by William Walton.""One of my favorite pieces," he said, taken aback."Really?" she asked, her gaze meeting his."Yes.It's haunting, evocative.""Like you're dancing in someone's dream," she finished."Or playing the score," he countered.She smiled."I see everything through movement.""And I see the chords.I have to warn you I'm a little rusty on this kind of complicated piece." He got up and exchanged his guitar for another."The strings on this will sound better." He settled back on the couch and started to play.He had a few missteps in the beginning, but as he went along, the music came back to him.He'd spent a year training under a superb classical guitarist and he'd forgotten how much he loved playing compositions that took the guitar to another level, turning the instrument into a miniature orchestra.When he finished that piece, he played another and another, letting the music surround them with its power and emotion.Finally, his fingers came to rest and he looked across the room.Jessica had been so quiet, he'd wondered if she'd fallen asleep.But she wasn't asleep, and she was no longer sitting on the bed; she was walking toward him.His heart leapt into his throat.She stopped in front of him, her gaze full of purpose.She took the guitar out of his hands and placed it on the ground.Then she sat down next to him."Jess," he began."No talking." She put her fingers against his lips."We're done with conversation."His pulse began to race.He wanted to ask her if she was sure she wanted to do this, but as she drew her thumb across his mouth, all questions faded from his mind.He didn't want to talk any more, either.Nor did he want to think about all the reasons being with Jessica was a bad idea.It seemed like an excellent idea right now, and she seemed to feel the same way.Her hand drifted across his cheek, sliding through his hair, and down to his neck.Then she put her other hand on the opposite side of his face and moved even closer.Her breath teased his face—a tantalizing torture.Then she finally pressed her mouth against his.It might have been the absolute best kiss of his life.He loved the fullness of her lips, the scent of her skin and hair that enveloped him in a perfume that was all Jess—only Jess.He let her lead, enjoying her slide from tentative to certain as she grew more comfortable in the kiss, as she teased his lips apart, and let her tongue tangle with his.She was such a mix of sweet and sexy, hard and soft, cynical and optimistic, a woman who had seen hard times and yet still seemed innocent.She deserved the best of life and the best of him, and tonight he was going to give her that.He put his hands on her waist, his fingers moving under her top to find hot, bare skin.She pressed her breasts against his chest as her arms moved around his neck.He slipped his tongue between her lips, deepening their connection as his hands slid up her abdomen.He could feel her tense, but when she shifted, it was only to give him more room to touch her, and he grabbed the opportunity, moving his hands up to her breasts.He was shocked and thrilled to find out she wasn't wearing a bra.His hand covered one breast, and she let out a small moan of pleasure.The sound made him even harder.There was no more going slow, no more patience for exploring [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]