Free Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis

woman continually did. “What?”
    “I just need to make sure,” she said. “Because if you promise me, then I know I can’t hurt you. And I don’t want to hurt you.”
    There was an endearingly earnest—almost desperately so—look in her eyes that made his chest feel too tight.
    “Sophie.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
    “No, you have to promise ,” she said with a level of urgency that had him cuddling her to him and giving her what she wanted.
    “I promise,” he said.
    “You promise not to fall for me,” she said seriously. “No matter how lovable I am?”
    He wanted to smile at that but didn’t want her to think he was making fun. She wanted his word, and he could give it easily enough, confident that as adorably sexy as she was, he could refrain from falling for her, since his heart felt dead in his chest. “I promise.”

Chapter 7
    J acob’s words relieved Sophie so much that she nearly collapsed. There was freedom in knowing that this thing between them couldn’t go anywhere.
    Except hopefully to bed.
    He was on leave, and his time here wasn’t his own. He was working lake patrol shifts and he was here to make things right with his family. He was too busy for a relationship, other than a sexual one.
    It’d been a long time since she’d felt like a sensual creature of any kind, but need and hunger were rolling through her now, nudging at her good spots. And actually, it was more than nudging. It was washing over her in waves. Need. Hunger. Desire .
    And best yet, she saw the way Jacob’s eyes had darkened, the way the same need and hunger she felt had tightened his body.
    Still not speaking, he caressed the hair falling over her temple, drawing his finger slowly along her jaw to the corner of her mouth. He paused and then once again leaned in.
    She didn’t hesitate to press in to him, or to moan when he kissed her again. He kept things gentle, his hands warm at her back, his lips caressing hers.
    But she didn’t want gentle. Little shocks of need were racing through her, and she leaned in to him, finding his hard body in complete opposition to the softness of his touch. She could feel how restrained he held himself and wanted to rip at that tight control, unleash the power he was so clearly working hard at keeping reined in. “Jacob.”
    “Yeah?”
    She bit down on his lower lip and then slid her mouth slowly across his.
    He pulled his mouth away a fraction and stared into her eyes. She stared back, seeing the reflection of her own heavy-lidded expression. His eyes darkened, flamed, telling her he could read her like a book, which made her stomach clench with excitement. “You in a hurry?” he asked, voice low and sexy as hell.
    “Yes!”
    He flashed a smile and then kissed her again, this time deeply, hungrily. The night, the moon, the stars, everything spun around her in a delicious whirl.
    It was the alcohol, she told herself, but she knew that wasn’t it.
    It was Jacob, and right then and there her entire belief that this kind of chemistry didn’t exist went up in smoke—just poof, gone.
    And she was okay with it because, holy cow, this crazy heat had a lot going for it. As long as they were doing this, she could let herself go just a little bit. Because lust was okay. She could handle lust. Was handling it just fine, as both of her hands were full of Jacob. She wanted to touch everywhere: his broad shoulders, the biceps that were hard as rocks, his chest so warm and solid and pressed to hers. God. God, she couldn’t get enough, and she was thinking of ripping her clothes off when he used the hand he’d entwined in her hair to pull free of her.
    “What?” she gasped.
    He stared into her eyes. “Just making sure we don’t take this further than you bargained for.”
    A sexy, alpha gentleman. She’d never wanted anyone like she wanted him. Slowly she shook her head.
    “No, it’s not more than you bargained for?” he asked. “Or