Leaning forward slowly, he set his hand on her shoulder. “May I kiss you?” As he glanced back and forth between her gorgeous dark eyes, she smiled.
“Please.”
He lowered his lips, closing the distance until their mouths touched. In an instant, the temperature in the room went up ten degrees. Fireworks went off in his head. The connection was unbelievable.
People said when you met the one, you knew.
For the first time in his life, as he slipped his tongue into Sharon’s mouth and fully tasted her, he thought maybe people were right.
This woman was the one.
Chapter Eight
Sharon closed her eyes and sank into the best kiss she’d ever had. It was worth the wait. Jackson held her shoulders with both hands, his fingers digging into her almost too tightly. But she loved it. It grounded her, seemingly keeping her from floating away as he angled his head to one side and deepened the connection.
Her body was on fire. Her nipples strained against the black lace bra she wore under her tight-fitting black dress. Her panties were wet from the constant arousal she’d experienced since he arrived. Who was she kidding? She’d been aroused by the thought of him before he’d arrived. And now she was forced to squirm as her clit pulsed against the lace, demanding attention.
The chances of her clit getting its way tonight were slim. But Jesus mercy she felt the driving need to mate. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this moment. No matter how many stories she’d heard from the mates of her four brothers, she hadn’t fully comprehended the scope of the need.
It consumed her.
It fueled her.
It drove her to forget her fake injury. How was she going to be able to keep up that charade with Jackson’s tongue teasing her into submission?
A noise in the background burrowed into her psyche and interrupted her perfect cocoon of denial. The one where she wanted the world to melt away so she could rip her dress over her head and stare into Jackson’s eyes while he fucked her senseless and they didn’t come up for air for three days.
Right. Because that’s exactly how regular humans started all their lasting relationships.
The noise broke through her mind again, jarring her enough to break the kiss. She gasped for air, setting her forehead against Jackson’s while she concentrated on the sound.
“Door,” he whispered. “Someone’s at the door.”
She jerked upright, and he released her shoulders.
Who would be at the door? Every single person in her family knew better.
It was getting late too. Couldn’t be a sales call.
“You want me to get it?” he asked.
“No. I’ll…” She started to push off the couch before she remembered her fake injury. “Sure. You get it,” she said as she relaxed back into the cushion. At least if it was a kid selling something, Jackson would stand a better chance of chasing the teenager away. Sharon was too soft. She’d buy whatever they were selling even if she already had a dozen of them.
Jackson hauled himself off the couch and headed for the door.
She pursed her lips, fighting a grin while she watched him discreetly adjust his cock.
When he opened the door, the last person she ever expected to see stood on the front step. She saw him clearly as Jackson stepped to one side to give her a full view. Even though she’d never met Cooper Hamilton, she would know him anywhere.
But the first word out of Jackson’s mouth shook her to the core. “Cooper?”
Too stunned to speak, Sharon simply gaped at the two of them.
“What are you doing here?” Jackson asked.
How the fuck did Jackson know Cooper Hamilton? What was Cooper doing in town? And why was she the last to know this detail?
She lifted off the couch, doing her damnedest to keep up the charade of her supposed lingering injury, and hobbled toward the door. When she grabbed the frame, she stared into the eyes of a stubborn man who had spent months—no years—dissing her.
His eyes spoke volumes. He was sorry. He was completely chagrined. And he had somehow known Jackson was there. It was the reason he’d joined them.
Why?
Because holy mother of God, he too was her mate.
Sharon thought she would faint. In fact, she was sure of it. Just before her knees gave out, Cooper swooped in and grabbed her, hauling her off the ground and cradling her against his chest. He ambled into the room, kicking the front door shut behind him, and settled her back on the couch.
Leaving a very confused Jackson standing rigid by the front door.
He narrowed his gaze on her bandaged shin. “How’s your leg?” he asked by way of introduction.
“It’s healing fine,” she muttered. Someone must have told him what happened. The same someone who didn’t bother to tell her he was in town. Probably Laurie. Why?