Free Make Me Melt by Karen Foley Page B

like to be with you...to hold you inside me,” she whispered.
    He was way out of his depth, with no lifeline in sight, but he suddenly didn’t care. If this was what drowning was like, he’d die a happy man.

6
    C AROLINE WANTED TO weep with relief when Jason gave a small groan of defeat and bent his
head to cover her mouth with his own. Like the day before, the kiss was deep and
carnal, and it sent a dark thrill of longing through her. He tasted like
bourbon, and Caroline found herself leaning into him, inviting him to explore
her more fully. He angled her face for better access, sliding his tongue past
her teeth to lick the damp recesses of her mouth and feast on her lips.
    Caroline moaned, and then he was scooping her onto his lap, so
that her legs dangled over his thighs and his arms cradled her against his
chest.
    Pulling slightly away, Jason gazed down at her. “This is
crazy.”
    Winding her arms around his neck, Caroline pushed her fingers
through his hair and drew his head back down until their lips were only
fractionally apart. “Completely,” she agreed.
    “You should probably go to bed,” Jason breathed.
    “Yes, most definitely.”
    She kissed him, a fusing of lips and tongues, and Jason groaned
again, feeling his body tighten in response. She shifted on his lap, her supple
bottom pressing into his arousal. Turning, Jason lay her down on the cushions of
the sofa and eased himself down beside her without ever breaking the kiss. She
murmured her approval and urged him closer.
    She felt so good in his arms, and although there was a part of
him that knew what he was doing was a bad idea, he couldn’t bring himself to
stop. She arched against him, and he felt her tug the hem of his shirt up. When
she smoothed her palms over his back and explored his skin, he pulled back
enough to search her eyes.
    “Are you sure about this?” His voice was a husky rasp.
    She wet her lips, and her fingertips pressed into his spine, as
if she was afraid he might try to leave. She kept her voice light, but Jason
could hear an underlying tremor, as if she couldn’t quite conquer her own
nerves.
    “I’ve been trying to get you into bed for twelve years,” she
said. “So, yes, I’m sure.”
    Jason couldn’t suppress his amused smile, because the truth was
she’d avoided him like the plague for the past twelve years. Even when she’d
graduated from college and he’d driven up from San Diego to attend her
graduation party, she hadn’t approached him. At that point, he hadn’t seen her
in a couple of years and he’d been blown away by her blond good looks and her
air of confidence. She’d finally grown up, and he’d wanted nothing more than to
ask her out, but she’d been surrounded by a group of young men, all vying for
her attention. Her parting words from that long-ago night had come back to
him.
    By the time your conscience decides I’m
old enough, I’ll have had a dozen other guys.
    He had no idea if she’d made good on her threat, but he’d
backed off and had left the party without speaking to her.
    “That’s not quite how I remember it,” he replied with a tender
smile. “But as long as you’re sure...”
    Without giving her a chance to protest, he pushed to his feet,
pulling her with him.
    “Where are we going?” she asked, letting him lead her through
the darkened house toward the staircase.
    “I am not going to make love to you on a couch,” he said,
leading her up to the second floor. He flashed her a quick smile. “At least not
the first time.”
    In the upstairs corridor, he glanced at her closed bedroom door
and then moved past it to the room where he always stayed when he visited the
beach house. The room where Caroline had asked him to be her first. He knew he
was years too late, but there was a bittersweet satisfaction in being back here
with her.
    He stepped inside and drew her in behind him, kicking the door
closed with his foot and locking it. Colton was asleep downstairs, and