Read Online Temperatures Rising by Brenda Jackson - Free Book Online Page B

talkingso she could feel relaxed with him. And it was working. She sat up in his lap and shared with him how her cousins—Jackie, Reatha and Alyson—used to get into all kinds of trouble with their parents while growing up, and how Warrick was the one who would always come to their rescue. He could tell she was close to her uncle and sensed a special bond between them.
    He couldn’t help but study her while she talked. That she had loosened up was obvious in her face. No frowns. No scrunching up of her forehead. No glaring of the eyes. She had smooth skin, beautiful skin. And her eyes, ears and nose were perfect. Then there was her mouth. He quickly decided not to go there.
    In good time the conversation switched to him, placing him in the spotlight. And he did something with her that he typically didn’t do with other women. He shared a little about his pro career, his retirement from the game, his siblings, his father. He even went so far as to mention that his father was dating the woman who had been his secretary for over fifteen years. A woman everyone knew had been in love with him for years. He expressed just how happy he and his siblings were about the developing relationship and how they hoped to hear something of a planned wedding soon.
    It was only after sharing that bit of news that he noticed just how cozy he and Sherri had gotten together. Sometime during the past hour or so, they had eased into a more comfortable spot on the sofa. He was reclining sideways with his back against the armrest and she was sprawled all over him. Only when there was a lag in conversation did either of them realize it. Sherri quickly made a move to sit up.
    The hand he placed on her shoulder halted her. “Please stay.”
    She held his gaze for a long moment. Somewhere in her house he could actually hear the ticking of a clock, but for them it seemed time was standing still. That realization gaze him pause, and he continued to stare at her with the same intensity as she was staring at him. He became entranced, totally and irrevocably mesmerized, by the look in her eyes. In response, his body started getting hot; his desire was on the rise…as well as a certain part of his anatomy. The need to kiss her, touch her and play out his fantasies—the ones that invaded his nightly dreams—surged in him. But he fought back the temptation, determined to do what he’d promised and let her be in control. He had placed her in the driver’s seat, and he was willing to go wherever she transported them.
    “It’s your call,” he said in a deep, husky voice. “You can play or you can pass. Which do you want to do?”
    She continued to hold his gaze, and then she closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she reopened them, he immediately sensed a change in her and was well aware that she had made her decision. And by the look in her eyes, he had a gut feeling just what that decision would be. Yet his heart appeared to have stopped beating until she spoke aloud to confirm his assumption.
    “I want to play.”
    He simply nodded as intense heat fired up his blood. After inhaling deeply, he said, “Your serve.”
    She slowly raised her body to lean forward, and he could feel the beating of her heart against his chest. Her hardened nipples felt right pressing into him, and her body’s heat was combining with his, causing a frisson of electric energy. Never before had he wanted a woman more, and when she tilted her mouth upward toward his, he leaned in to meet her halfway.
    Her mouth closed over his, and in that moment the full impact of what they were doing blasted through his loins and he felt his arousal pressed solidly against her thigh. If she minded the hard contact, she didn’t show it. She was too busy tangling her tonguewith his and stretching up as far as she could to take the kiss deeper and make it last longer.
    He grabbed her around her waist and gently pulled her body closer. With a compulsive need, he deepened the kiss like it