Free Looking for Love (Boxed set) by Rita Herron Page B

nothing more, not affection or love, no, he wouldn't let himself feel those things.
    They weren't real. After all, he barely knew her.
    Still, a raw ache for her consumed him.
    Then Jenna's soft lips parted, the look of yearning in her expression mirroring his own need, and the air around them became electrified. Music echoed in the background as he lowered his mouth and touched his lips to hers. She lifted her hand and stroked his jaw, then a low moan rumbled from deep in her throat and a small tremor rippled through her body, spiking his passion.
    Unable to resist, he curved his arm around her waist and dragged her into his arms. Zack's mouth caught hers, and he drank greedily, his pulse racing as she met him eagerly. His tongue made a foray of her mouth and she thrust her own at him, tasting his desire and pressing her body into his with such need that he claimed her mouth over and over again. His hands forgot to behave and slid down her spine, massaged her slender waist, pulled her heat into his, and when her hands cupped his backside, he groaned with a primal urge that shocked him.
    Jenna was all softness and sensuality wrapped in a sweet package of passion, and he wanted to tear open the ribbon and rip off the wrapping paper. He eased her against the wall, sliding his hands over her hips. One hand roamed upward to cover the soft mound of her breast. They were so full, so warm and welcoming that he groaned. Then he eased his fingers beneath the satin fabric of her blouse, savoring the touch of her bare skin against his fingers.
    He wanted more.
    She nibbled at his earlobe, and he trailed kisses down her neck, biting at the sensitive skin behind her ear, dipping his head to kiss her throat, then lower to the swell of her breasts. The scent of roses almost overwhelmed him as he cupped her breasts. He lowered his head and the tip of her nipple puckered toward him, straining against the sheer fabric. Abandoning his common sense, he slowly unbuttoned the pearl buttons of her blouse and peeled away the fabric. He heard her quick intake of breath as she threaded her fingers in his hair, angling his face so she could see into his eyes.
    "Zack, we can't," she whispered.
    "Yes, we can. I want you," he said in a husky voice. "You're so beautiful."
    Her eyes grew moist, brimming with desire and emotions that looked so raw and vulnerable that his heart clenched. He kissed her lips, tenderly, sweetly, his fingers stroking and circling her nipples.
    A shudder coursed through her, but she tensed in his arms. "Zack, we have to stop," she said again, more firmly this time. "I... I want more than one night."
    "I might be good for two," he said in a teasing tone.
    But she didn't laugh. "I can't," she said, her voice uneven.
    Tears and emotions he didn't want to deal with laced her voice.
    Emotions he couldn't let allow himself to feel. For loving someone, giving them your heart only brought pain and heartache.
    Nodding to indicate that he'd accepted her request, he dropped his head so his forehead leaned against hers. Their unsteady breathing rattled in the air as he struggled for reason. God knows, he'd lost control already.
    "I'm sorry," she whispered, clamping down on her lip.
    "Shh, don't." He brushed his knuckles across her cheek." I'm the one who's sorry." His heart tightened into a vise and he wanted to give her more, wanted to tell her he could give her more than one night, that he could give her a lifetime just like she wanted.
    But fear and painful memories clogged his mind, and he swallowed, slowly righting her clothes and forcing himself to draw away. That little boy inside him surfaced and he remembered in vivid detail all those other weddings. He'd never forget being the ringbearer for his dad when he was six years old—walking down the aisle holding that tiny little pillow with the gold band in the middle, looking up at his new mom-to-be with such dreams, then hearing only days later that she wanted to keep the housekeeper,