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Mitch’s senses felt as though they’d been supercharged. Everything within him was tuned to Jodie. The soft touch of her slender hand in his, the subtle scent of her fragrance, the rapid beat of her pulse under his thumb as he caressed her wrist—it all wove together to form a maelstrom of sensation that engulfed him. Through it all, his heart pounded out one word—a rhythm that was driving him insane—need, need, need, need... He was a monster, consumed by desire, driven by lust and out of his mind with need.
He led Jodie through the busy bar to the quieter restaurant area on the other side of the building, passing the stairs to the hotel rooms above the pub. The chatter of the townsfolk and the soft thud of music was nothing more than white noise. All of Mitch’s attention was centred on the woman at his side.
As they reached the dark wooden stairs, Jodie tugged on his hand to make him stop. Mitch turned to her, keeping hold of her hand, afraid she might run.
“Name.” She turned her face up to him. “I don’t even know your name.”
Just the sight of her flushed cheeks and desire-darkened eyes was a sucker punch that nearly brought Mitch to his knees. As though acting on its own, his hand reached out to cup her cheek. Her skin burned under his palm.
“Mitch Harris.”
She nodded and a tremble went through her. Mitch knew it wasn’t from nerves.
“Do you feel it too?” Her words confirmed his thoughts.
“Yeah.” There was an electrical storm building between them. Mitch had never experienced anything like it.
Jodie took a shaky breath before letting it out slowly. “This is crazy.”
“Yeah,” Mitch whispered.
It wasn’t only crazy, it was inevitable. Before even he knew what he intended, he was backing her into the alcove under the stairs. Her fingers flexed in his but she didn’t stop him. Her eyelids lowered and she pulled that lush bottom lip between her teeth. Mitch barely contained a groan at the sight. He released her hand to cup her face—one palm on her cheek, another curved around the nape of her neck. Her back was pressed to the wall, her breathing was fast, her heartbeat loud.
He stared into eyes that were mesmerising pools of desire and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. He gave her every opportunity to protest, to tell him no, to tell him he was going too fast. Instead, she licked her lips and held her breath as she stared at his mouth. He felt her hands slide under his jacket and her fingers curl into his shirt, holding him in place.
“Yes?” He breathed the word against her lips.
“Yes.” It was barely a sigh.
This time Mitch did groan. A split second later, his lips touched hers. Lightning struck. A jolt of pain that turned to pure, unadulterated pleasure. His lips brushed hers, once, twice. Satin-soft and full. Temptation in flesh. Jodie’s fingers tightened against his back, tugging him closer still. Body pressed against body. Hard against soft. Heat melding into heat. Heartbeats merging.
Mitch’s tongue slipped out to caress the spot she’d bitten earlier. Soothing. Tasting. A tiny gasp opened her mouth for him. Mitch took the invitation and swept his tongue in to meet hers. There was a groan. Her? Him? He couldn’t tell. He was flying. Free-falling through time and space with Jodie. Mitch angled his head and took the kiss deeper. Her taste was sugar and sin. An instant addiction. Mitch tugged the ponytail holder out of her hair and wove his fingers into the silken mass, holding her head exactly where he needed it to be.
The world had gone. There was nothing but Jodie. Nothing but this. Them together. His whole body vibrated with need for this woman. His woman.
“Get a room!” someone shouted. It sounded as though it was coming from far away.
There were giggles. And then other noises began to intrude—voices, glasses clinking, the low thrum of music. The world came into focus and he was suddenly, and rudely, aware of where they were standing.
Reluctantly, Mitch fought his way up from the daze of seduction that had engulfed him, to lean his forehead against Jodie’s. They clung to each other, gasping for air. Mitch struggled to think straight, when all he wanted to do was carry on where he’d left off and never stop.
“Do you have one?” Jodie’s voice was husky with need and Mitch felt a surge of pride and possession the likes of which he’d never felt before.
“Have what?” he managed to say.
She nudged him back so that she could look up into his eyes. Man, she was beautiful.
“Do you have a room in this hotel?”
The question stunned Mitch before a surge of hope hit him hard. “Yeah.”
She nodded, as though to herself, as her eyes closed briefly. When she looked back up at him, there was only resolve in them. “Let’s have our drink in your room.”
Mitch forgot how to breathe. He had to fight the need to rush her straight up the stairs. He took a minute, needing to be certain this was what she wanted.
“You’re sure, baby?”
“Yeah.” She let out a long breath. “This is nuts, but...” She hesitated, searching his face for confirmation. “But I need this.”
A whole brass band blasted in the back of Mitch’s mind. “I need you too.” It was no less than the raw, brutal truth.
His body was tense with the effort it took to control himself and the situation. Mitch took a step back, reached for her hand and headed for the stairs. He tried not to rush, not to push, but the drumbeat of his heart wouldn’t be silenced. It was a scream throughout his body—need, need, need... It was as though he was possessed. If this was lust, then he’d never experienced it before. This was something else, something that knocked him on his ass, stole his sense and made a slave of him.
As he glanced at the woman beside him, he knew exactly what to call this new experience. There was only one word for it. One word that could describe the power of what he felt for Jodie.
It had to be love.
––––––––
Jodie wasn’t sure how they made it to Mitch’s room, but suddenly they were there and he was unlocking his door. It swung wide, showing a tasteful room decorated in cream with a red tartan accent. A room dominated by a huge bed.
Mitch tugged her hand to get her attention, making her realise she’d been staring at the bed. “You don’t have to come inside. We can go back downstairs, order some food, get to know each other.”
She was pretty sure he broke out in a sweat just making the offer. No, Mitch Harris wasn’t going to get out of this now. She’d been his prey downstairs. Now it was his turn to be hers.
She reached up, cupped the back of his head and tugged his mouth down to her. With a growl of approval, he wrapped his arms around her. Their kiss was a desperate battle. Not for dominance, but for fulfilment. Something inside Jodie could only be eased by Mitch. She knew it as surely as she knew her own name.
She was vaguely aware of the door slamming shut before her back pressed against it. Lips. Tongues. Teeth. Hands clawing at clothes. Her tank top was yanked over her head and went flying. Mitch’s shirt buttons popped off when she ripped it open. Her teeth sank into the tense muscle over his heart.
“Hell yeah.” His head fell back.
Jodie smiled against his skin, the salty taste of his flesh an aphrodisiac. She hooked her ankle behind his knee and toppled him to the floor. They landed with a thud. Jodie sat astride the man.
“Bit of warning next time?” He didn’t sound like he minded the harsh landing.
He did an ab curl, reaching behind her and unclasping her bra. Jodie arched her back, grabbing handfuls of his hair and guiding him to her breast. She felt him smile against her nipple before he sucked it deep.
“Yes!” Jodie felt herself go liquid.
Strong hands pressed against her back kept her upright as her eyes closed. All she had to do was concentrate on the feeling of him suckling her. It was heaven.
“Harder,” she ordered.
He did as he was told, adding a tiny nip of his teeth. Fireworks went off behind her eyelids, and she felt like she was floating away. She wasn’t even aware she was moving until her back hit the thick carpet. She forced her heavy eyelids open to see Mitch scramble out of his trashed shirt and knotted tie.
Yum. Jodie reached up to run her nails down his abs. Each ridge perfection. Her fingertip traced over a puckered scar low on his abdomen, but there was no time for curiosity, because he was kissing her. His kiss went on forever, until her lips felt bruised and swollen and the room began to spin. Then he moved down her body, trailing tongue and teeth. Tasting, biting, kissing. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more of him.
She wrapped her legs around him, pressed up off the floor and flipped them so that she was on top. Her breasts were instantly in his hands as they explored each other. He was a work of art. Every promise his body had made while fully clothed, was kept now that he was naked. She looked down at his trousers. Nearly naked.
Jodie leaned back on her heels, making him whine in complaint. She smiled and knew it was wicked. Fast fingers unfastened his trousers and unzipped him. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of the trousers and his underpants and dragged them both down to his thighs.
He sprang free. Long, thick, hard. A delicious temptation. She bent her head to taste him. One lick was all she managed before Mitch’s hands clamped on her hips and she was moving again. She found herself on her back on the soft bed. Mitch kicked off the rest of his clothes and pounced on her, making fast work of removing her jeans and panties. They went flying over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving her body.
Before he could climb onto the bed with her, she was on her knees. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her mouth on his. She swallowed his groan of approval as his hands explored her body. They soothed, teased, tantalised until she was breathless for more. He crawled onto the bed, pushing her down beneath him. Jodie slung a leg over his hip as her hand worked between them. She held him. Hard. Yet silken soft.
Damn, she needed him.
She pressed her hips up and angled him into her. His arms and legs locked, keeping him above her, just out of reach.
“I want to taste you first,” he said. His eyes so dark they were almost black.
“Later.” She tumbled him onto the bed beside her and straddled him.
A second later she was sinking onto him. His hands clasped her hips. His neck arched. A low, guttural cry came from his throat. And then his heels dug into the bed and he pushed up into her. Jodie lost all sense of time. Her world had reduced to this man and how he made her feel.
He cursed, threaded his hand through her hair and pulled her down for a punishing kiss. His other arm kept her in place as he pummelled into her. It was too much. Jodie felt everything within her coil tight and then explode. She shattered above him as Mitch chased his own release.
As they floated back down to earth, Jodie found herself lying on top of Mitch, her cheek to his chest, his heartbeat a drum in her ear. His big hand soothed up and down her back.
In that moment, Jodie wished it wasn’t just a one-night stand. She wished Mitch wasn’t a tourist who’d go back to America as soon as his vacation was over. She wished he was hers and they could keep exploring each other until exhaustion claimed them completely—say, in twenty or thirty years.
The desire to keep him was so strong that she almost forgot she’d learned her lesson where men were concerned. They might say they liked a strong woman, but once the dust settled, they just felt intimidated. And Jodie was tired of being to blame for someone else’s damaged self-esteem. She was better off on her own. It was good Mitch didn’t live in Invertary. It was good that there was a limit on their time together. She was perfectly fine with the fact he’d be gone soon. Honest.
Jodie shifted her position and licked across his chest. There was no doubt in her mind that she’d miss him once he was gone. But first she would enjoy their time together. No matter how short.