Read Online The Pleasures of Winter by Evie Hunter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Evie Hunter
Ads: Link
tucked her into the hammock beside him, determined to ignore her warmth and softness against his body, but the faint tremors that wracked her played havoc with his good intentions. He pulled her tightly to him. ‘It’s OK, baby. It’s over.’
He held her, rubbing her back gently, allowing her to recover from the fright in her own time. He ruthlessly clamped down on those impulses that made him want to distract and comfort her in a completely different way.
For what seemed like an eternity, she shook in his arms, her curves pressed against him, her scent teasing his nostrils. He wrestled his demons, the part of him that wanted to drag her underneath him and unleash a different kind of adrenalin high on her unprepared body.
Then she tipped him over the edge. Abbie put her arm around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him. It was a light, fleeting kiss that even he recognized as thanks, but his inner beast didn’t care.
At the first brush of her lips against his, he took over, pulled her harder against him, and plundered her mouth. This wasn’t a gentle getting-to-know-you first kiss, it was possessive and raw. She had offered and, by god, he was going to take. He kissed her ravenously, unable to get enough of the taste of her.
She moaned, a tiny sound at the back of her throat, and it was like a flame to tinder. His control exploded. Heplunged his tongue into her mouth, dominating her, giving her no room to retreat. She was his; he had won her by right of conquest. And when Abbie touched her tongue tentatively to his, he was lost.
He slid his hand from her back around to cup the fullness of her breast. She was so soft. Shoving his fingers under her shirt, he could feel the silkiness of her skin. He would never get enough of this.
He kneaded her breast gently and ran his thumb over her nipple. It tightened to a hard point that grazed his palm. She moaned again, twisting to press it more firmly into his hands. Oh god, she was as aroused as he was. He shifted, allowing her to feel his erection. Her hips bumped eagerly against his.
‘Hey, Jack?’ Kev’s voice in the darkness was like being doused with cold water. ‘Do those big snakes of yours climb trees?’
Abbie stiffened.
It was a moment before Jack could force his vocal cords to work, and collect his thoughts enough to answer. ‘Not as far as I know.’
‘As far as you know? Man, you don’t know that they can’t? Oh fuck!’ Even Zeke managed a drowsy protest.
The moment was ruined. Abbie had moved as far away from him as she could get in a hammock. With a bit of coaxing, Jack thought that he could bring back that passionate woman who had kissed him so eagerly, but the interruption had given him a chance to remember why that would be a really bad idea. She might kiss like a dream and smell like distilled sex, but Abbie Marshall was still a reporter. He mustn’t forget that.
She turned her back on him and clung to the edge of the hammock for the rest of the night. It was just as well.
I kissed Jack Winter. Oh sweet god, I can’t believe I actually did that. Not only that, but I started it.
That was one headline she definitely didn’t want to see. She took a deep breath. It was a one-off. She was traumatized by the killer snake. She would have kissed anyone, and it wouldn’t matter. The kiss could almost be considered medicinal.
She tried to ignore the small teasing voice that reminded her that she hadn’t kissed Kevin or Zeke. Who was she trying to fool? Since the moment she had laid eyes on him, Abbie hadn’t been able to ignore the sexual magnetism of Jack Winter. She had never felt anything like it.
She was a journalist – used to staying detached in extreme situations – so she had tried to treat him as an interesting phenomenon, worthy of study but not important to her. And she had tried to distract herself with the hour-by-hour struggle to get through the jungle. She had even tried to channel every feisty, independent heroine she
He held her, rubbing her back gently, allowing her to recover from the fright in her own time. He ruthlessly clamped down on those impulses that made him want to distract and comfort her in a completely different way.
For what seemed like an eternity, she shook in his arms, her curves pressed against him, her scent teasing his nostrils. He wrestled his demons, the part of him that wanted to drag her underneath him and unleash a different kind of adrenalin high on her unprepared body.
Then she tipped him over the edge. Abbie put her arm around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him. It was a light, fleeting kiss that even he recognized as thanks, but his inner beast didn’t care.
At the first brush of her lips against his, he took over, pulled her harder against him, and plundered her mouth. This wasn’t a gentle getting-to-know-you first kiss, it was possessive and raw. She had offered and, by god, he was going to take. He kissed her ravenously, unable to get enough of the taste of her.
She moaned, a tiny sound at the back of her throat, and it was like a flame to tinder. His control exploded. Heplunged his tongue into her mouth, dominating her, giving her no room to retreat. She was his; he had won her by right of conquest. And when Abbie touched her tongue tentatively to his, he was lost.
He slid his hand from her back around to cup the fullness of her breast. She was so soft. Shoving his fingers under her shirt, he could feel the silkiness of her skin. He would never get enough of this.
He kneaded her breast gently and ran his thumb over her nipple. It tightened to a hard point that grazed his palm. She moaned again, twisting to press it more firmly into his hands. Oh god, she was as aroused as he was. He shifted, allowing her to feel his erection. Her hips bumped eagerly against his.
‘Hey, Jack?’ Kev’s voice in the darkness was like being doused with cold water. ‘Do those big snakes of yours climb trees?’
Abbie stiffened.
It was a moment before Jack could force his vocal cords to work, and collect his thoughts enough to answer. ‘Not as far as I know.’
‘As far as you know? Man, you don’t know that they can’t? Oh fuck!’ Even Zeke managed a drowsy protest.
The moment was ruined. Abbie had moved as far away from him as she could get in a hammock. With a bit of coaxing, Jack thought that he could bring back that passionate woman who had kissed him so eagerly, but the interruption had given him a chance to remember why that would be a really bad idea. She might kiss like a dream and smell like distilled sex, but Abbie Marshall was still a reporter. He mustn’t forget that.
She turned her back on him and clung to the edge of the hammock for the rest of the night. It was just as well.
I kissed Jack Winter. Oh sweet god, I can’t believe I actually did that. Not only that, but I started it.
That was one headline she definitely didn’t want to see. She took a deep breath. It was a one-off. She was traumatized by the killer snake. She would have kissed anyone, and it wouldn’t matter. The kiss could almost be considered medicinal.
She tried to ignore the small teasing voice that reminded her that she hadn’t kissed Kevin or Zeke. Who was she trying to fool? Since the moment she had laid eyes on him, Abbie hadn’t been able to ignore the sexual magnetism of Jack Winter. She had never felt anything like it.
She was a journalist – used to staying detached in extreme situations – so she had tried to treat him as an interesting phenomenon, worthy of study but not important to her. And she had tried to distract herself with the hour-by-hour struggle to get through the jungle. She had even tried to channel every feisty, independent heroine she
Similar Books
