Gimme Some Sugar Read online

“I’m no expert, but it looks to me like even ambitious girls can go directly to jail.”

  “Eight, nine, ten . . . haha, that’s Boardwalk, my friend. Pay up,” Carly crowed, giving Jackson a firm nudge with her bare toes. He groaned and shook his head in disbelief.

  “You’re kidding, right? When did you put a hotel on the damned thing?” Jesus, she was absolutely relentless.

  Who knew it would be such a freaking turn on?

  Carly arched a brow at him, giving up a tart smile. “I used the money I took from you when you landed on Saint Charles Place last go-round, remember? That’ll be two grand, please. Cash only.”

  Well, crap. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think I’m toast.” Jackson reached out to count his dwindling stack of bills, knowing he was going to come up short. “I only have fourteen hundred. Looks like you win.”

  Not that he was surprised. Aside from her little stint in jail, Carly had run the board from Baltic to Boardwalk for the last hour and a half, and the three glasses of wine she’d had in the process only served to heighten her good-natured trash talk as she proceeded to wipe the floor with him.

  “I told you not to mess with me,” she said with a hot little smile, starting to pick up the houses and hotels from the board and put them back in the box.

  Just because she’d won didn’t mean he was going to let her have her way entirely. After all, a man had his pride.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Jackson reached out and caught her midscoop, curling his hand around her wrist. “Loser picks up. House rules.” The firm push of her pulse danced against his fingers, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

  “It’s my house, remember?” What her words lacked in heat, her body made up for in spades. He let his hand sweep around the thin curve of her wrist before letting it go.

  “Yeah, but it’s my game. Plus, I insist.”

  Her eyes glittered darkly against the glow of late-evening sunlight setting in the windows behind her, but she didn’t argue. Throughout the course of the game, they’d talked about various safe topics, like music (she liked classic rock), sports (he’d have to overlook the Islanders thing for now), and hobbies (she kept meaning to give yoga a try). But the whole time, he’d been unable to shake the little voice in the back of his mind, the one that made him think he was surely going nuts because they’d had dinner together right on this very spot not even two hours before.

  Feed her.

  “So are there house rules that say I can’t put away the leftovers, too? Sitting here doing nothing isn’t really my speed.” Carly’s velvety voice jarred him out of his reverie.

  “Fair enough,” Jackson said, shaking off his weird inner voice in favor of the here-and-now. “But only because there are no dishes to do.”

  Packing up the rest of the game in a couple easy moves, Jackson joined her in the kitchen a minute later. The overhead light illuminated the room with warm coziness, making her look even more at ease in a space where she clearly already belonged. He watched Carly’s relaxed gestures as she popped the tops closed on the cardboard containers, straightening everything into an orderly row.

  “So do you create all of your own food experiences?” He’d intended the question as casual conversation, but was startled to realize he’d been thinking out loud more than anything else.

  “I cook every day, if that’s what you mean.” Her bare feet whispered over the floorboards, making a soft shush-shush sound as she made her way to the fridge with the cartons.

  Jackson measured her with a steady glance, finally giving voice to the thought that had been niggling at the back of his mind all night. “I was curious if anyone ever cooks for you.”

  Carly shrugged, and the rustle of her hair over her shoulders sent up the intoxicating scent that went straight to his gut. “You brought takeout.” She gestured to the food as she put it in the refrigerator.

  “True. But I didn’t make it.” As soon as the words left his lips, the meaning behind them seemed to uncoil in his brain. He really hadn’t fed her after all.

  “I taste lots of things that other chefs make, but that’s mostly to tweak them.”

  “That doesn’t count. I’m talking about somebody making something just for you. You know, giving you the whole experience.” Something in Jackson’s chest thumped to life at the wide-eyed flash of Carly’s stare, and his words felt reckless as they formed in his mind. “When was the last time someone fed you rather than the other way around?”

  “I don’t know.” Carly’s words escaped her on a murmur barely louder than a whisper. The innuendo threaded through the air like a provocative suggestion, so heady that Jackson could imagine its flavor in his mouth, so seductively good that he wanted Carly to taste it too. She looked up at him, her pretty brown eyes brimming not just with want, but with need.

  This woman was starving for something, and he wanted to give it to her.

  “That hardly seems fair. Maybe we should fix it.” Jackson closed the space between them with a bold step, guiding her back against the refrigerator, so close he could feel the hot exhale of her breath as she released it on a sigh.

  “How . . . how would we do that?” Carly pressed her palms against his chest, sending a shot of lusty energy all the way through him. He lowered his mouth to her upturned face, brushing his lips along her jaw and down to the sweet skin of her neck.

  “Do you want me to show you?” He pulled back to look at her, putting the slightest space between them even though his body screamed in protest. No matter how badly he wanted her, he wasn’t about to start something she didn’t want him to finish. Carly stared up at him, her gaze dark and unwavering, as she whispered her reply.

  “Yes.”

  In one swift move, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, lifting up to meet his mouth with hers. Jackson responded with seamless ease, parting her soft lips as he kissed her, teasing her tongue with light, tentative strokes. Carly arched up into him, wordlessly demanding more, and it forced a groan from his chest.

  “If you keep that up, your kitchen’s never going to be the same.” He cupped the back of her neck to expose the golden-brown curve of skin leading down to her shoulder.

  “I do my best work in the kitchen.” The rasp of her voice, thick with desire, and the suggestion that went with it made Jackson bite down on his lip to keep from ravishing her right there against the appliances. He dug deep, steadying his breath with considerable effort.

  “The bedroom might be better suited for what I’ve got in mind. You asked me to give you the whole experience, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  As she crossed the threshold of her darkened bedroom with her heart slamming against her breastbone like it was considering a jailbreak, Carly was absolutely certain of only one thing.

  Propriety and progression could take a hike. She wanted Jackson Carter so bad she could taste it.

  “Carly.” He stepped in and wrapped an arm around her ribcage, bending to capture her mouth in a scorching kiss. His tongue slid over hers, tempting her mouth open with relentlessly tantalizing dexterity that made her wonder what else he could do with it.

  “Oh, God,” Carly breathed, realizing belatedly that the oath was out loud. Jackson trailed kisses to the rim of her ear, then the sensitive skin just behind it. She let out an involuntary moan, and he pulled back to let his mouth hover over the warm spot beneath it, blowing on her damp skin with just enough pressure to elicit another heave of her chest.

  Jackson’s lips parted into a smile over her neck. “You’re not making it easy for me to take my time, you know.”

  Carly’s cheeks flushed, but only some of the heat was from pleasure. “Sorry,” she breathed into his shoulder. Those wanton sighs probably had been over the top, but he felt so undeniably good that they’d escaped without her permission. She pressed her lips together in a vow of silence.

  He took a step back, and her body betrayed her by shivering at the loss of contact. Muted light f
rom the kitchen filtered down the hallway in faint strands, creating just enough illumination that she could make out the intensity of Jackson’s stare. His blue eyes glittered over her face.

  “No apologizing. I like it when you talk to me, remember?” He traced two fingers across her bare collarbone, the skin beneath them tightening in awareness and want. The callused edges of his fingers created just enough friction on her already aching body to draw a whimper from her throat, and he hooked a thumb beneath the strap of her tank top to slide it from her shoulder.

  “Jackson.” Carly whispered his name with a throaty breath. Even in the low, barely-there light, she could see the wicked intentions in Jackson’s half-smile. Dropping his hands to hers, he led her through the golden shadows to her bed, sitting on the edge to face her. The gleam in his eyes became downright intoxicating as he opened his knees to make room for her body, wrapping his thick arms around her and trailing kisses along the soft cotton covering her belly while she stood weak-kneed in front of him.

  “Keep talking.” He edged the hem of her tank top over her belly button, following the path of the material with his tongue, and Carly reached down to curl her fingers over the rise of the fabric.

  “I want this off.” The words flew, uncensored, from her brain to her mouth, but Jackson didn’t give her any time to feel self-conscious about it. He wrapped his fingers around hers, guiding her shirt up.

  Kissing the exposed skin of her belly, Jackson murmured, “Anything else?” The rub of fabric on her tight, aching nipples was nearly excruciating, and Carly gave a sharp exhale as he lifted her top all the way off her shoulders.

  “This too.” Carly ran her fingers under her breasts to the front closure of her bra, and once again, Jackson’s hands met her halfway. He ran his hands over the thin, white satin, cupping her breasts with firm fingers and sending a hard thrill all the way through her. Without pause, he slipped his thumbs over the hard peaks of her nipples, stroking her with slow attention, and Carly gripped the breadth of his shoulders in approval.

  She arched into him, his breath heating her already sultry skin, and he opened the clasp between her breasts with a swift twist. He laved attention first on one breast, then the other, with both his fingers and mouth. Every tight ministration, every gentle touch that followed, shot rising heat to the juncture between her thighs, until Carly was certain she wasn’t going to be able to trust her legs to hold her up.

  As if he could read her mind, Jackson cradled his palms around her back, teasing the hollow of her shoulder blades as she arched into the warmth of his mouth. Hooking a leg around her body and using his hands for leverage, Jackson swung her to the bed, facing her side to side for a surprisingly tender kiss.

  “You’re driving me crazy,” he murmured, breaking from her mouth to return his focus to her breasts, flicking his tongue over the bud of one nipple while she groaned in encouragement.

  “I think you’ve got that backwards.” Carly laced her fingers around the back of his head to hold him fast. Oh, God, if he didn’t stop, she wasn’t going to stop, and that meant . . .

  She was on the cusp of the very first orgasm she hadn’t had to work for.

  Jackson lifted his head, his mischievous grin as palpable as his touches. “Backwards can be fun, too.” He ran a fingertip around her navel before placing a kiss at the top of her breast. Something raw and desirous sprang all the way through her, filling her in a needful rush, and she scooped her hands beneath his arms to pull his mouth back to hers.

  “I like you here.” Carly slipped a hand to the tight press of their side-lying bodies and skimmed her palm down Jackson’s chest, resting her fingers on the waistband of his well-worn Levi’s for just a second before yanking his shirt over his head. The sweet friction of skin on skin sent a shockwave through Carly, and when Jackson hissed out an audible breath, a wave of pleasure coursed through her on its heels. Emboldened by his response, she brushed her hands over the hard muscles in his chest, exploring the fold of his shoulder and neck with her greedy kisses.

  Jackson threaded his fingers through her hair, tightening them as her kisses migrated lower. “Carly,” he ground out, his voice a husky demand. She longed to trail her hand up the hard line of his thigh, to make him say her name with that reverent, needful tone over and over. She dipped her fingertips low against the inseam of his jeans, brushing them slowly to the top of his button fly. Her movements were heavy with desire, and she stroked him with one hand while working the buttons on his jeans with the other.

  “I thought I was supposed to be giving you the whole experience,” Jackson bit out, catching her hand in his.

  Carly raised her eyes to meet his heavily-lidded gaze. “You did say that backwards could be fun,” she pointed out, borrowing his maddening smirk.

  She barely had time to register the provocative smile Jackson dished up in return before his arms were around her, rolling her body away from his with just enough force to make her both breathless and wildly turned on. Gripping her hips from behind and propping her on her side with his chest to her back, he slid a hand over the seam of her jeans to tease her with a hot, unyielding stroke.

  “Do you want to find out?” With his arm slung low over her hips from behind, Jackson freed the button on her jeans, guiding her zipper all the way down. The tip of his tongue edged over the slope of her shoulder, and the brazen heat of his mouth made quick work of Carly’s control. She bucked backward into his hips, pressing her backside into his rock-hard erection with a moan.

  “Yes. God, please yes.”

  Jackson didn’t hesitate, lowering her jeans until the only thing between his hands and the slickness of her core was a pair of dark red panties.

  “No white cotton today?” He settled behind her, rubbing his thumb over the waistband at her hip.

  “No.” Carly flushed with embarrassment. She’d had to rip the price tag off the ones she was wearing, and they’d been in her drawer for over two years. Comfortable or not, no way was she going to risk another sighting of those horrible granny panties. Jackson snaked his arm around the curve of her waist, delving past the front of the waistband to slide his fingers against her sex, and everything but pure, uncut lust disappeared from Carly’s brain.

  “These are just as hot. In fact,” Jackson’s hand moved sinuously around her hip and down the outside of her thigh. “I think you should keep them on.”

  In a flash just as fast as the one that put him behind her, Jackson scooped Carly’s legs apart to hook her ankle around his knee. Pressing his chest in a tight fit to her back, he reached around her again, his fingers coaxing aside the seam at her inner thigh to push into her aching core.

  “Oh.” Carly’s gasp shuddered through her, reverberating in her chest before escaping from her lips. Jackson cupped his palm against her, alternately testing her depths and teasing the sensitive skin above in flawless rhythm. Every cell in her body sizzled to life, demanding more, and he wordlessly delivered, playing her as if she were a priceless instrument.

  Carly rocked against him in time, each thrust like a tightening of strings, as he coaxed her closer to release. The rasp of his fingers dared her to climb higher still, until with one last sweep and thrust with his hand, she finally tightened around him to tumble over the edge of her orgasm.

  When Carly’s reckless cries subsided into heavy breathing, Jackson shifted her to face him, placing the soft hint of a kiss on her mouth. The tenderness of the kiss did nothing to offset the raw desire already burning back to life in Carly’s body, and the familiar need swirling through her core surprised her. With still-trembling hands, she reached down to free the rest of Jackson’s clothes while he slipped her panties from her hips. Still facing her, Jackson ran a hand down the curve of her breast, skimming the flare of her body to rest on her hip.

  “You are unbelievably sexy,” he said in a gruff voice, thick with want. “But we don’t have to do this.”

  Carly lifted her gaze to his, eyes wide with shock. Even though he was b
arely visible in the deep shadows of the room, she recognized the desire banked in his eyes, and it filled her yet again with certainty.

  “Oh, yes we do.” She leaned in close, placing her lips on his and her hands on his body, down the hard line of his chest and past the corded muscles of his belly. She followed the fine dusting of hair from his belly button, trailing her palm lower until she reached his cock, stroking him slowly. Nothing had ever felt so sinfully delicious and yet so right at the same time, and Jackson exhaled a hot breath into her hair.

  “Christ, I can’t think when you do that.” He arced into her palm with a groan. “Come here.”

  Carly didn’t stop her ministrations, using her free hand to guide Jackson onto his back while still caressing him firmly with the other. “You’re awfully bossy in bed.”

  In one deft move, she slung a leg over his lap to straddle the cradle of his hips, resting her body low over his belly. She leaned forward, letting the tips of her breasts brush against his hard chest, and his mouth stole the groan from her lips as they kissed.

  “That’s creative,” Jackson grated as he broke from her lips.

  A cat-in-cream grin bubbled up from the depths of her chest, spilling out on a sigh. “I’m good at creative, remember?”

  “And I’m good at safe,” he answered, gently rolling from beneath her to retrieve a condom from his wallet. She sent up a silent thank God for his resourcefulness, and the sentiment becoming personified as he returned to the bed and pulled her close.

  “Now where were we?” Jackson lay back, scooping her easily toward him as if they’d never parted. He thrust his hips against hers in a tantalizing push, making her thighs quake in anticipation.

  “Right . . . there.” The glide of his body against hers drove Carly to a slow rhythm, and the feel of his cock close to her heat made everything under her skin prickle and hum with desire. She arched forward, angling her core over him inch by inch, until he filled her completely.

  “Oh.” Carly’s groan shock-waved through her entire body before it dissipated, and she was so caught up in the feeling of raw electricity in her veins that for a long second, she couldn’t move.