“Hales? You here?” I call from the front hall.
I make my way to the master bedroom to find her rummaging in the closet.
I sneak a look at her cute ass in those jeans as she arranges clothes on hangers. Her hair’s up on her head in a bun, and I’m wondering if I can tug it out with one hand or if it’ll take two.
“I’m not sure about this ‘living in a hotel’ thing,” she tosses over her shoulder, oblivious to my thoughts.
“You were the one who wanted to sell your house. If you want to buy something new, we can swing it. Unless you’d rather sleep on the bus.”
“Definitely not. And since you’re keeping your house in Dallas, it seems crazy to have two.”
I grin. “Hales? I know people with ten.”
She shudders.
“Where’s Annie?”
“Out getting ready for dinner. With Tyler.”
My interest is officially piqued. Anytime my kid is safe and out of the house and Haley is here, I start to think of some really great ideas.
My gaze drops to the computer on the bed. “You were coding late last night. And again today.”
“Mhmm.” She turns back to me, lips curved in a knowing smile. “We have this new app—”
I cut her off with a kiss. “You can talk nerdy to me when my tongue’s inside you.” Without letting her go, I grab her computer and set it on the bedside table none too gently.
Her mouth falls open and I know she’s going to protest before she says a word. “Jax, we have an hour before the dinner meeting to talk about growing Big Leap Studio. Serena set it up, and the kids will be there, and—”
“And I’m not spending the hour between now and then hearing you talk about whatever you’re working on with Carter.”
I topple her onto the bed and she gasps, laughing. “I do not talk about Carter.”
“You’re not going to. That’s why we’re going to have this conversation when my tongue is inside you.”
“Good luck with that,” she says, but it’s breathy. “It’s going to take more than your sweet talk, Jax.”
“I know.”
I strip her shirt over her head, take a second to appreciate the satin of her bra underneath, then reach for my guitar case next to the bed. With a few quick moves, I unhitch the strap from the guitar and hold it out.
Her mouth forms an O. “What are you doing?”
“Wrists out.”
“Tell me this isn’t ending in a dungeon.”
“No dungeons. Just you and me.”
She complies, and that alone has me hard. I wrap the soft, wide strap around her wrists and pin them over her head. “Better.”
“If you say so.” The edge in her voice tells me she’s nervous. And excited.
I fucking love making her that way.
There’s nothing to prove with this woman, but I’ve got two years to make up for.
I take my time, skimming my hands over her curves. Unbuttoning her jeans and tugging them down so she’s in her underwear. Haley squirms but doesn’t move her hands. I hold her hips down on the bed.
Shit, I want to eat her alive.
“What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly.
I strip my shirt over my head, her dark eyes watching every move. “What does it look like?”
My jeans next. And my shorts.
She wets her lips. “I want to touch you.”
“No.”
Surprise has her blinking. “Jax?”
“Hales. Don’t make me tie you to the bed.” I shift over her, avoiding touching her flushed skin except where my lips meet her ear. “Because then we definitely won’t make dinner.”
I couldn’t care less about dinner. She’s a fucking buffet, and I want to savor every bite. So I do, starting with her lips.
I kiss her, my fingers threading in her hair. Her arms reach up, but I push them back down so all she can do is writhe against me.
Damn, I like that. My cock twitches against her thigh.
“Tell me how good it feels.” I move down to her neck, her shoulders. Light kisses punctuated with the scrape of teeth that make her shiver.
“It would be better if you were inside me,” she murmurs.
I suck her hard nipple through the thin lace of her bra, and she jerks against me. “That’s the point,” I groan.
“Of what?”
“You. Like this.”
“That you have to tie me up so we don’t both get what we want?”
I grin, because I love how smart and direct she is. Hell, I love everything about her as she lies on my bed, flushed and wanting and so damned real it makes me ache to think of her as mine. “Exactly.”
My hands move down, my mouth too, covering every inch of her. Memorizing her body. Until I’m between her thighs, and she moans when my tongue swipes over her clit.
“Jax.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Some people say don’t meet your heroes.” She pants the words. “I respectfully disagree.”
I chuckle as I move up her body, my gaze moving from her chest to her flushed face to the binding on her hands. I stroke a finger up her arm, and she shivers. I press the strap into the mattress over her head, and her chest rises.
“Me too. I love you, Hales.”
“I love you, Jax.”
I plunge into her and I’m lost. I pour everything I have, everything I am into her.
Because the thing is, she’s already all of it.