His Tattooed Virgin(Divine Creek Ranch 12)(23)

Once inside her house, she flicked on a lamp, which bathed the living room in soft light. Her house was decorated with a feminine touch, which suited her personality. He followed her into the kitchen, sat her down, and then found a glass in a cupboard. He filled it with water and placed it in front of her.

“Drink that, baby.”

She glanced at him curiously, and the barest hint of a frown furrowed her brows for a second before she did as he asked. When she sipped from the glass and made a move to put it down, he tipped it back to her lips.

When she was finished, he put the glass in the sink and asked, “What was going through your head tonight, Jayne?”

She rested her head in the palms of both hands and closed her eyes. “It seems like a stupid idea now but I just wanted to get it over with. If I wasn’t a virgin, we—” She seemed so vulnerable, sitting there as she tried to reassure herself and explain to him at the same time, and the anger seeped out of him. They hadn’t really dated yet or made declarations about being exclusive, but that was changing tonight.

“We what, Jayne?”

Jayne shrugged. “We might’ve been intimate by now.”

“Fucking doesn’t always equal intimacy.”

“It wouldn’t have been fucking—”

“That’s what you would’ve gotten tonight, from that cowboy. Whether he’s a good guy or not, you wouldn’t have gotten intimacy from him. Not under those circumstances. Best-case scenario, your first time would’ve been a one-night stand. Worst case…I don’t even want to think about. I wanted more for you than that, Jayne.”

The thought of her waking up vulnerable in a strange bed sent a cold chill racing over his skin.

Never. Mine.

“I know.”

“You have no idea how hard it was to turn you down.” He tried but couldn’t keep the sharpness from his tone.

“Was?” Her stormy eyes met his, and he was surprised by the wave of heat her gaze cast over his skin. “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?”

Don’t do or say anything you’ll regret later. She’s in no shape for this conversation. “Let’s finish this in the morning.”

Jayne nodded and rose from the chair and walked from the kitchen. He sat there for a moment, contemplating his next action, before following her into the hallway. She was nowhere in sight, but a trail of the clothing she’d had on that evening left a path to follow into her bedroom. He walked past her red high heels and wondered if she’d worn them to embolden herself. He gulped when he saw her red lace bra and a red satin G-string lying in the doorway. He clenched his hands into fists, knowing that she wasn’t in her right mind and might regret this action come morning.

He wanted to do the right thing—needed to do the right thing—but she made that hard. He should go spend the night on her comfy-looking couch and be totally guilt-free in the morning. But he had to make sure she was okay. Worry won out when silence came from the bedroom. He couldn’t let her fall asleep on her back, and she probably wouldn’t even know that was a hazard after a night of heavy drinking.

Seth stepped into the dim comfort of Jayne’s bedroom but didn’t see her. A rhythmic sound drew his attention, and he peered around the corner to what must be her bathroom. Standing nude before her vanity, she was brushing out her long hair, which made faint crackling sounds as she drew the bristles through it. Her pink-tipped breasts swayed gently with her movements, and her eyes were heavy-lidded as she gazed at her reflection.

She set the brush down on the vanity and flicked her hair over her shoulders as she reached behind her to remove the necklace she was wearing. She must’ve noticed his presence because she turned from the mirror and walked nude out of the bathroom to him. She turned her back to him and regarded him with sleepy, seductive eyes in the mirror’s reflection on her closet door nearby.

“I can’t get it off. Will you help me, please?”

When she reached back to lift her hair from her neck, the pose was provocative, and he never would’ve guessed she was innocent. Her beautiful, round breasts lifted with the action, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, drawing his gaze to the sleek line of her spine and the curve of her lush ass. She was still taking matters into her own tenacious hands. In her lusty, tequila-soaked brain, she was doing her best to tempt him, and it was working.

Her breath left her in light pants as he drew a fingertip up her back until his hand reached hers at the clasp of the necklace. Her delicate scent, a mixture of flowers and woman, soaked into his senses. All the reasons he’d given himself for leaving her untouched went to war with all the reasons he could think of for claiming her. They were both adults, in their midthirties, for crying out loud.