reached for the same piece of paper at the same time, and their fingers brushed by accident. It felt as if he’d been hit by lightning. Jake’s whole body quivered, and his control finally snapped; he twisted round to face Lydia, slid his hands into her hair, and brushed his mouth against hers.
The lightest, sweetest, gentlest kiss.
His lips tingled where they’d touched hers, and he was about to kiss her again more thoroughly when his common sense kicked in.
What the hell was he doing? Apart from the fact that he was setting himself up for being sued for sexual harassment, he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t give in to his body’s urging. He’d promised himself that he’d be sensible about this, that he’d ignore the attraction.
He was about to loosen his hands, move away and apologise, when he felt a soft kiss pressed against his mouth.
Lydia was kissing him back.
Jake’s control splintered again, and he responded, nibbling her lower lip until her mouth opened, letting him deepen the kiss and explore her mouth more intimately. His hands glided down her back to her waist; right now, he needed to touch as well as taste. He untucked her shirt from the waistband of her skirt and slid his fingers underneath the cotton so he could splay his palms against her back. Her skin was warm and smooth and soft, and it made him want to explore further. He moved his fingertips in tiny circles against her skin, and she murmured something against his mouth.
The tiny sound broke the spell and he stopped, pulling away from her and staring at her, aghast. Lydia—the cool, calm lawyer he’d worked with all week—looked completely dishevelled. And it was all his fault.
Ah, hell. What had he been thinking?
‘I’m sorry, Lydia,’ he said. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’
Her eyes were wide and worried as she looked back at him, but she didn’t say a word.
He raked a hand through his hair and stared at the table. ‘I apologise. I can assure you that I don’t normally leap on my colleagues like that—and it certainly wasn’t the reason why I brought you to Norway.’
‘I know.’
There was the tiniest, tiniest quiver in her voice, which made him look at her. Her mouth was lush and reddened with his kisses; he just about managed to drag his gaze to her eyes, and then he realised that she was staring at his mouth again, too.
So it really wasn’t just him. She wanted this, too.
He needed to talk to her about this. To do the honourable thing—explain that he couldn’t offer her any more than a fling.
But then she reached up with a shy smile. Pressed the flat of her palm to his cheek, and rubbed the pad of her thumb along his lower lip. Automatically, his mouth opened; he drew her thumb into his mouth and sucked. Hard. Her pupils grew huge and her mouth parted, and Jake was lost.
He released her thumb, cupped her face with both hands and lowered his mouth to hers again. She tasted like heaven; her mouth was warm and sweet and giving, and he just couldn’t get enough. He wanted everything she was offering, and more.
Kissing her made his head spin, and the next thing he knew they were standing by his bed. He had absolutely no idea whether they’d walked there or whether he’d gone caveman and carried her there.
But what he did know was that this was absolutely mutual. Because she’d untucked his shirt and her hands were underneath the soft cotton, her fingertips teasing her skin just as he’d teased hers earlier.
His blood felt as though it were fizzing in his veins, her touch made him so hot.
‘If you want me to stop,’ he said, his voice shaking slightly, ‘you need to tell me now.’
‘Don’t stop.’ Her voice was practically a whisper, and as quivery as his own, and her pupils were enormous. She was just as turned on as he was, needed the release just as much as he did. She was with him all the way. So he could do exactly what he’d wanted to do for days.
He undid the buttons of her shirt, taking it slowly and stroking tiny circles on her skin with the tips of his fingers as he revealed it. He could see from the way her nipples hardened, visible through the cream lace of her bra, that she liked it. Good. Because he loved the warmth and softness of her skin beneath his hands, the way her body responded to his touch.
He bent his head to kiss the curve of her neck, tracing a path of kisses along her collarbones and lingering in the hollows. That soft floral scent he’d noticed back in London, warm and sweet…‘You smell gorgeous,’ he murmured. ‘What is it?’
‘Gardenia.’
‘It’s fabulous.’ Tomorrow, he’d buy her more. He’d run a deep, foamy bath scented with the stuff, and make love with her in it. He undid the buttons at her wrists, then slid her shirt from her shoulders. He traced the lacy edge of her bra, then rubbed the pad of his thumb against her hardened nipples; she dragged in a breath and tipped her head back, offering her throat to him.
‘Jake. You’re driving me crazy,’ she whispered.
‘You’re driving me crazy, too. I want to touch you, Lydia. See you.’ He paused. ‘Taste you.’
‘Yes.’ The word was almost a hiss of pleasure, and colour bloomed in her cheeks. Colour that he was going to make, oh, so much more intense when he made love with her. And they were both going to enjoy every second of it.
‘I need to touch you, too,’ she whispered.
Within limits.
He’d stop her before it got…complicated.
He slid one bra strap off her shoulder and kissed the bare skin. ‘I’m in your hands, min kjære.’
She undid the buttons of his shirt, her fingers hesitant at first and then more confident; once she’d bared his chest, she splayed her fingers across it. ‘You’re perfect.’
He smiled wryly. ‘And you’re good for my ego.’
Her hands drifted lower, over his abdomen, and he felt a kick of excitement as she undid his belt.
Funny, it was like being a teenager again. The sense of urgency, the need, the feeling that he was somehow stepping into the unknown. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that.
Certainly not with Grace.
But it was pointless feeling bitter about it. Practically anyone would’ve done the same, in his ex-fiancée’s position. And she’d done him a favour, really—she’d saved him from future heartache, because he wasn’t going to let anyone into his heart again. Wasn’t going to let anyone close enough to reject him the way Grace had.
This was one night out of time.
Getting the mutual attraction out of their systems.
Tomorrow, maybe everything would be back to normal and he could be sensible again. Tonight, he was going to give in to the need that was driving him crazy, and lose himself in Lydia.
He quivered as she undid the button of his trousers, lowered the zip infinitely slowly and trailed one fingertip along his erection through the soft cotton of his underpants.
What it would feel like, to be skin to skin with her…
But she was getting a little too close for comfort. Gently, he locked his hand round hers. Stopped her. ‘I’d rather you didn’t.’
She flushed. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not usually this…’
She broke off, but he could guess the rest. Uninhibited. Reckless.
Now she was embarrassed, clearly believing that he thought she was easy.
Oh, hell. He hadn’t thought that she might take it that way; he’d just wanted to avoid an awkward explanation. ‘It’s not that, min kjære.’