Kiss Me by Kristine Mason Page A

truth that first night. Meant every word I’d said. I’ve never been in a committed relationship before, but knew you were different. That’s why I’d made up my no-sex rule. I wanted to prove to you…to me, that what I feel for you isn’t just lust. Isn’t just about sex.”
    Knowing he caused the vulnerability and anguish in her eyes, made him ache all over. Made him want to shut the hell up and cradle her in his arms. But he couldn’t stop now. Not yet. Not until she understood exactly what he needed from her.
    “Jenna, I care about you. You look gorgeous tonight, but none of this matters to me.” He swept his hand over the length of her, then settled his palm against her stomach. “I’m not with you for sex.”
    Tears shimmered in her eyes as he took her hand, then squeezed it around his hard cock. “You do this to me. Every time I’m near you, think about you.” He moved his other hand to the hem of her skirt and pressed his palm against her thigh, then over her hip, her stomach, until he cupped her breast. “You have no idea how much I want you. Or how much I want to hike up your skirt, shove down this skimpy top, bend you over and bury myself inside you. Watch your face in the mirror as you come.” He circled her nipple with the tip of his finger, then traced a path to her chin. “But I won’t be a guy you fuck and walk away from.”
    She widened her eyes at his harsh words and shoved away from him, but he held her arms down, then spun her to face him. The dresser blocked her from behind and he prevented her from moving forward. With purpose, he invaded her space, caged her against the dresser.
    “Stop running from me.”
    She shook her head and pushed against his chest. “Running?” she repeated. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    Instead of budging, he inched closer. A part of him relieved she’d finally said something, while another part of him worried that what she had to say would tear a deep rift between them. “Trust me. I do. You’re worried that becoming involved in a serious relationship will screw with your career.”
    “Wrong.”
    “Admit it. I heard you tell Darci.”
    She tried to move away from him again. “Please, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
    He kept her caged between his arms. “Why? What are you afraid of?”
    With a defiance he both loved and hated, she stared at him. Why couldn’t she admit how she felt?
    Why can’t you?
    With that last, daunting thought, he sucked in a breath. “Do you know how many women I’ve been with?”
    “I think we covered that entertaining subject on our first date,” she said with a sarcastic cock of her brow. “So spare me the gory details.”
    Pressing his lips together, he nodded. He deserved that. His reputation wasn’t something he took pride in or bragged about to anyone. But until she understood why, she had no right to dismiss him. “Yeah, I messed around a lot, too much. I was a bastard who used women for pleasure then threw them away before they could latch on to me and drag me to meet their parents.”
    Admitting the truth created a dull throb in his head. “I told you before, that after a while I started to feel like something was missing. I’d like to say I did some soul searching, but I’m just not that deep.” He shrugged, as a bitter, half-smile twisted his lips. “I did realize something, though. All those women, all the sex didn’t mean a damn thing because…” He raised his hands to her face. They shook with the nervousness racing through his body.
    He stroked her silky, soft cheek with the back of his knuckle. “My heart was never in it. I felt nothing for any of them, but I feel something for you, something special and pure.” He hesitated, searched deep in his heart for the right words. Cupping her face in his hands, he brushed his thumbs along her cheeks. “I’m crazy about you,” he admitted. “Stopping you tonight tore a hole in me, but I can’t have another