Free Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis Page A

long cuts from the broken plate. He probed them both while she hissed out a breath. “No glass,” he finally said, reaching for the Band-Aids. “All you need is a little TLC. . . .” He covered the wounds and then, because he couldn’t seem to help himself, he bent over her and did as he’d been dying to, and kissed the spot.
    She gasped and rolled painfully to her side, her hair in her face, her eyes wide. “What was that?”
    “I was kissing it all better. Did it work?”
    “I . . .” She blinked and slid her hands beneath her to cup her bottom. “Yeah.”
    Both cami straps had slipped down now. Her breasts were full, pressing against the thin material, her nipples two hard, mouthwatering points. Her gently curved belly was rising and falling with each breath, of which she took many. Her panties were snug, the effect being that the satin did little more than outline her every dip and nuance, and if he thought he’d wanted to nibble her ass, it was nothing compared with this particular area.
    “Jacob?”
    With difficulty, he lifted his gaze to her face.
    “You really are different,” she whispered.
    “From . . . ?”
    “Me.”
    That tugged a laugh out of him. “Yeah, and trust me, I’m very grateful for those differences.”
    “No, it’s just that you were right before. The guys I usually fall for are the male version of me.”
    He paused as that sank in. “Are you falling for me, Maggie?”
    Now it was her turn to pause. “I didn’t think it would be possible.”
    “Because we’re so different.”
    “That’s right.”
    He felt himself go very still. Shit, he’d really been an idiot. Standing, he walked out of the bedroom, away from the gorgeous creature in silk, so he could think a moment. And what he thought made him very unhappy. All the alluding to Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong, the times she’d mentioned their differences . . . While he’d been enjoying those differences, she’d been thinking he was a step down for her. A big step. How it’d never occurred to him, he had no idea, but—
    “Jacob.”
    She’d followed him into the living room. He let out a breath and stared out her window into the dark night. “I realize I don’t have the fancy degrees or the high-paying job, but I don’t like the idea that you’re just slumming with me.”
    “No. No, you misunderstood. We’re different, yes. As in I’m anal, single-minded to the point of obsession, and frankly, socially handicapped.”
    He turned to face her but she held up a hand before he could speak. “You, however . . .” she continued softly, “you’re tough and confident and funny and effortlessly sexy. I’ve never been with a guy like you, Jacob, and now I know I shortchanged myself. That’s what I meant before. Yes, I’ve been interested in you since I first saw you again on your ladder in a pair of worn Levi’s, looking in charge of your world, and yeah, that’s extremely shallow of me, but it’s so much more than that. I love the way you think, how you always say what you mean, no guesswork. What you see is what you get with you, and that’s . . .” She searched for the words. “Incredibly appealing.”
    “I’ve been interested in you since I first saw you again,” he said. “Before I even knew it was again. ”
    She looked surprised. “Really?”
    “Yeah, really. You were wearing a black skirt and a white blouse, with a peekaboo hint of lace beneath. And fuck-me heels.”
    She choked out a laugh. “I was not. They were higher than my usual, but I had a meeting that day and was looking for power.”
    “You got lust.”
    “My hair was out of control.”
    “It was up in some complicated twist and you had a few strands of hair falling out the back, dangling against your sweet neck. You were late, you were rushing, and you looked like a hot mess. Emphasis on the hot. But even then it was your brain that attracted me most. I love watching you think, Maggie.”
    “Do you know what I’m thinking now?” She