The Dangerous Curves Series

Chapter 29

When he kissed her, the force of her response almost took the knees out from under him, making him glad to be sitting. She surrendered to him, completely; he felt her just put herself in his hands. No fear, no holding back. Sarah just gave herself to him – trusting him – and that touched Jax somehow, made him determined to be careful with the gift that she’d just bestowed upon him.

He held her face in his hands, running his tongue over her lips, probing and teasing. She pressed up against his chest, and those curves felt even better than he remembered. He bit back a groan and tightened his strong thighs, trapping her between them. Not that she was attempting to get away – quite the opposite, actually. She was soft under his hands, her mouth hot on his. He breathed in her sweetness, and wondered why kissing Sarah felt different than kissing any other woman, ever.

Finally, Jax pulled back. “God, Sarah. Where the hell did that come from?"

She smiled up at him. “Too much? Too intense?”

He laughed. “No way, baby. Not anywhere near enough, if you must know… but enough for now.” He stood up and took her hand. “Now, come on. You want a tour of the place?”

“I do.”

They walked through the garage into the house, up a flight of stairs. Sarah looked around at the high ceilings and massive windows. The house was amazing, she thought. Maybe a bit too big for a person living on their own, but it was surprisingly bright and airy, with nice furniture and relaxing, sunny paint colors on the walls.

His bedroom was uncompromisingly masculine, naturally, but he had some art on the walls that lightened it up a bit. He had a home gym in his basement, two guest rooms, a small office. Everything was warm, too, and friendly, which surprised her the most. It felt like a home, not just a house, and she stared at the man in front of her with new eyes.

“What do you think?” Jax asked.

“Honestly? Ummm. Not really what I was expecting.”

“I know, right? I bet you thought I lived in a one-room man-w***e s*x-pad.”

“Well, yeah. Kind of.” She looked around again, noticed the house plants. “How do you maintain your badass street cred after people see this place? It kind of blows the whole scowling biker-bar persona out of the water, doesn’t it, Stud?”

“I don’t bring people here.”

She paused. “Never?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Nobody?”

“Nope. Not women, not even the guys.”

“How come?”

“Like you said, I have an image to keep up.” He shrugged. “This ain’t it.”

“So why did you bring me here?”

“Because you’re different.”

His words smashed her in the stomach, hard, and she suddenly found herself wanting him, fiercely. Yeah, Jax was gorgeous, and whenever he touched her, she dissolved into a puddle of mush. But more than that, she liked him. She wanted to get to know him better, this man who owned a bar patronized by bounty hunters and ex-cons, a man who also had a pale-yellow kitchen and rose bushes in his back garden.

Just who the hell are you, Jax Hamill?

“So,” he said. “One thing you need to know about me is I’m a lousy cook, but I can do a mean barbecue.”

She perked up. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. I sure as hell hope you’re not a vegetarian, Red, ‘cause if you are, your dinner will be salad from a plastic bag.”

“Nothing to worry about. I’m a hardcore carnivore.”

“Thank God.” He opened the fridge. “So burgers sound OK?”

“Yeah.” She totally relaxed now. “Perfect.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Jax nodded at a bottle of wine on the counter. “I know you don’t drink beer or hard stuff, but I don’t have anything like Aidan’s skill at mixing drinks. Is wine OK?”

“Yeah. Great.”

“I got red.” He picked it up, turned the bottle in his large hand. “Made me think of you.”

She swallowed at the heat in those green eyes, then she blinked in horror when she saw the label.

“Jax!” she said. “That’s a four-hundred-dollar bottle of wine!”

He started. “How the hell do you know that? You aren’t supposed to know that.”

“I’m doing all the marketing and promotional materials for a restaurant, remember? Website, business cards, all that stuff?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s an expensive place – Joe Carlisle’s new restaurant, Lemongrass.” She was still staring at the bottle in Jax’s hand. “And I’m designing the menus, including the wine menu. I now know more than I’ve ever wanted to about crazy-expensive wines.”

“Goddammit.” Jax sighed. “I just wanted to get you something nice. I didn’t mean to freak you out.” He grinned, hoping to win her over with charm. “So, you want a glass?”

“Good Lord, Jax, of course I want a glass. When am I going to be offered liquid gold ever again in my life?”

He laughed. “Good. I’ll try some myself.”

She watched him pour the wine, and she took it from him gingerly, not wanting to spill a single drop. She sipped, c****d her head at him.

“Well?” he said. “Did the heavens open and the angels sing?”

She giggled. “It’s good.”

“Yeah?” Jax took a sip himself. “Hmmm. I taste… classic cedarwood with hints of licorice, balanced by notes of spice and tobacco. Maybe a breath of vanilla.”

Sarah gaped at him. “You – what?”

Jax laughed again. “That’s what the guy in the store said when he recommended it to me.”

“Did you roll your eyes?”

“Not to his face.” Jax drank again. “I do taste something spicy, though. You?”

“Yeah, now that you mention it.”

“You think this wine will go OK with burgers?”

“Only if you melt some crazy-expensive cheese on top.” Sarah considered. “Possibly something French.”

“Well, damn. I only have plain old American cheddar.”

“It’ll have to do.” She sighed theatrically. “I’ll lower my standards for one night.”

“Glad to hear you’ll put up with me, doll.”

They grinned at each other again.