Tempt Me (7 page)

“Oh.”

“Son, I think you need to let the woman off the stoop before she washes away in the rain.”

Shit.  Now the General was giving him dating advice.

“Sorry,” he said, as he stepped back. He took her umbrella and shut the door behind her. “Zoe Jones, this is my father Bryan Johnson. Dad, this is Zoe. You met her once before at Gee’s wedding.” 

His father surprised him with a welcoming smile for Zoe as he took her hand and kissed it. His father. The man who hadn’t had a real date…okay he didn’t even know if his father dated. He didn’t want to know. But still, his father was being more charming to Jesse’s date than he was. 

“Yes, I remember. How are you doing, Ms. Jones?”

Zoe smiled. “Please, call me Zoe.” 

He nodded then said, “I’ll let you two get to dinner then.”

“Oh, don’t leave because of me. I’m sure Jesse made enough for all of us.”

Jesse wanted to say no, but he couldn’t be a dick in front of her. And from the smile on her face, she has done it on purpose. 

He gave his father a smile. “Sure. Stay for dinner.” 

Chapter Eight

Zoe didn't know whether to be amused or embarrassed by the situation. She hadn't expected to deal with a father tonight or the vibes between the two of them. Something was definitely going on between them. For the General, as she had heard everyone at the Santinis and Johnsons call him, he was wonderful with her. Over dinner and then dessert, they discussed Venice and Milan, and her hopes of going there some day. 

"I have got to be going," he said as he rose from his chair, and gave Jesse a look. "My days start early."  

"I'm on leave again tomorrow."

His father chuckled. "Okay. Make sure to call Jack. I talked to him today and he sounded pretty good, but kept going on about some dog." 

"That's his neighbor's dog. But I'll call him."

"Good. It was nice to have dinner with you, Zoe. Thanks for humoring me so I could spend some time with my son."

She smiled. "No troubles, sir."

"I'll be right back," Jesse said as he followed his father down the hall. 

The murmur of male voices was barely audible over the pouring rain. She glanced around the room again, taking in the style. It was exactly as she expected for the most part. Neutral colors, strong bold lines, but there were other things that caught her attention. Pictures mainly. There were tons of them littering every surface in the living area and framed ones on the walls. He seemed to have more pictures of his nieces than MJ probably had. She especially liked the close up of him and the babies. They were both smiling into the camera with identical grins. 

But the one that caught her eye was a framed picture on his desk. It was older and the woman was gorgeous. Stunning in fact. She was dressed conservatively and holding a small baby boy on her lap. She was in a swing and laughing, His mother, no doubt and teeny tiny Jesse Johnson. She smiled and wandered back to the table. It made him even more attractive to her. It made him human. It also showed he was a sentimental man.  And there was just another point in his favor. A man who loved his family this much was kind of irresistible to her. 

Needing to keep herself busy, she stacked the dessert plates and took them to the sink.

"Hey, you're the guest," Jesse said as he returned. He took the stacked dishes from her hands.

"It's the least I could do after that meal. You do make a mean red sauce."

He set the plates on the counter, then eased his way in front of her. Comfortable and pleasantly relaxed from the wine, she slipped her hands up to his shoulders and then twined them around his neck.

"Don't tell MJ. She thinks her red sauce is the best."

She laughed then sighed as he nibbled on her neck. "I liked your father."

"Just what a guy wants to hear when he is trying to seduce a woman."

"No, really. I know you didn't want him to stay, but he wanted to spend time with you so badly." 

Jesse sighed and pulled back. "He wanted to talk about an assignment I've been put up for, but I didn't."

"Oh," she said, as he started to nibble on her chin.

"Yeah. We have a strict
no butting in on my career
policy. And he wanted to try and do that." 

"I think he misses you though."

"What?" he asked, but he didn’t sound like he expected an answer. 

"I think he misses you."

"Why would you say that?"

"Your father spent all night telling stories about you, your brothers and your sister. He loves you a lot. But...I have a feeling he has issues with letting you know how he feels. So, that's why he came up with a reason to come over here and bother you tonight."

"Huh."

"And don't think he didn't have anything else to do. That man probably could have a date every night of the week."

That made him stop and look at her. "What do you mean by that?" 

"He has a real Jethro Gibbs quality about him."

"From NCIS?"

"Yeah. Silver fox and all that."

He pursed his lips then said, “This conversation is very disturbing.” 

She laughed and shook her head. “Just know that he didn't have to come over here. And he doesn’t have to come up with things to do. I am pretty sure he could date a lot of women.”

With that, she started nibbling on his chin.

“You think my dad dates?” he asked. 

“Yep.”

He grunted. “He never says anything to us.”

“Really?’ she said, not trying to hide the sarcasm. “You mean a grown man doesn’t sit down and discuss his love life with his son? How odd.”

“Hmm.”

“Not any odder than a man who is standing in his kitchen with an up and coming artist from Savannah who is trying to seduce him and he is going on about his father.”

For a second he said nothing, but his eyes darkened. His lips curved into a slow, sexy smile. “Is that so?”

“Yeah.” She kissed his chin, then his mouth. “Whatcha gonna do about it, Marine?”

“I’m going to show you just what being taken by a Marine is all about.”

He slammed his mouth down on hers. Every hormone in her body started to hum then scream as he slid his tongue between her lips. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her up and plopped her down on the counter. He skimmed his hands down over her breasts and she moaned against his tongue. Zoe hadn’t realized how much they hurt until this moment. He flicked his thumbs over her nipples again and she shivered.

Apparently, it wasn't enough for him. He growled, pulling back to tug at the bottom of her blouse. He tossed it on the floor behind him and she knew she should complain. But, at that moment, all she wanted was his hands on her bare flesh. She undid her bra and threw it in the same direction.

"Damn." It was the only word he uttered before he leaned down and took one of her nipples in his mouth. Heat flushed through her veins and she could do nothing but tip her head back and enjoy. He rubbed her other nipple with his thumb, brushing over it then pinching it. The mix of pleasure and pain tore another moan from her.

He grazed his teeth over the tip of her nipple, then dragged his tongue over it. He pulled back before she was ready for him to quit.

"I think we need to move this into the bedroom."

"How very...conventional of you," she said, teasing him.

His mouth curved just a bit, but the heat in his eyes had the breath tangling in her throat. "The things I want to do to you will take time and lots of space. I would rather do it on my king sized bed."

He lifted her up off the counter and all she could do was grab on tight and see where this took her.

*  *  *  *

Jesse's heart was beating so damned hard; he couldn't believe that Zoe didn't hear it. Hell, he was pretty sure most of Arlington heard it. By the time he tossed her on the bed, his hands were shaking. It had been years since he had wanted a woman this badly. He didn't want her to know how badly, or that every now and then, he thought about what it would be like to wake up every morning with her.

He shook that thought away. Thinking of the future was the one thing she had told him she didn't want to do. She wanted to live in the now with no strings attached.

She wiggled on the bed and a flash of metal against her cocoa-colored skin caught is eye. Lord save him, she had a belly ring. He had never been a man into tattoos or piercings, but damned if that didn't intrigue him even more. 

"What's going through that mind of yours, Jesse?"

He skimmed his fingers down her stomach to the small ring. "Kind of sexy there, Zoe."

Even to his own ears, his voice sounded funny. Deeper, filled with need. It wasn't like he had never had a woman before, but there was something more with this woman. In the short time he had known her, she had gotten under his skin, and worse, he liked that. He enjoyed feeling kind of out of control of his emotions. That should scare him, but it just made him feel alive. 

"Oh, good, I didn't know if it would be a turn off for you. Or the little tat I have on my back."

He looked up at her. Her dark brown braids lay tangled across his pillows. "Is that so?"

She blinked. Okay, he was scaring her apparently. But, he knew something about her, and he knew that she loved a challenge. Without another word, he took her by the waist and flipped her over. Her laughter ended on a moan as he trailed his index finger down her spine to the rose tattoo on the small of her back. He traced the vines that came out from each side of the flower.

"Tsk, tsk, and when did you get this?"

"The week I had my first show."

He brushed aside her braids completely and leaned down to give into the one thing he had wanted more than anything else. He touched his mouth to her sweet flesh. He licked and nibbled his way down her spine, enjoying the way she squirmed against the mattress. Her moans grew with each inch he covered. He flipped her over again, and yanked at her jeans. He needed to taste more, to feel her soft flesh against his mouth, feel her thighs as he gave in to the temptation that had been calling to him since he had first seen her months earlier at the wedding.

He paid little to no attention to the panties, other than to note they were sunny yellow like the blouse she had been wearing. When he finally had her naked, he sighed in appreciation.

She was a work of art, like the ones she created. It had nothing to do with her size, or even the fact that she had amazing bone structure. It had more to do with the way she lived in that skin. He knew a part of him wanted to be like that. To live day-to-day and just—be. He wasn’t made for that, but being with her made him want to be like that—at least when he was with her. Even after the problems she had, she had a zest for life. 

“Jesse,” she said, when he hadn’t moved.

“You’re stunning.”

She blinked again.

“You are. I was pretty sure of it, but damn, woman.”

They were the only words he could come up with. She was lucky he could form those words. He licked one nipple then the other, then kissed a path down her stomach. She was soft curves and delicious flesh. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he used his hands to spread them further apart. He settled between her legs and indulged. The first taste of her danced over his taste buds, and sent heat racing through his blood. The next taste took his breath away. Soon, she was moaning his name over and over. With little to no warning, she exploded, screaming his name as she came. He lifted his head and watched in amazement. She bowed up off the bed then collapsed. 

“Damn.”

He wanted to give her that again, but this time, he wanted to be deep inside her when she came.

As fast as he could, he tugged at his clothes, then opened the side table drawer. He pulled out a condom, tore at the package and rolled it on in record time. He climbed back onto the bed and kneeled between her legs. He grabbed her by the hips.

“Zoe.”

Her lashes fluttered, then her eyes shut again.

“Zoe.”

She finally opened them and with one hard thrust, he entered her. As he thrust in and out of her, he never took his gaze from her. Soon, he knew he was close, too close to hold out very long. But he wanted her with him. He slipped his hand between them and teased her clit. Once, twice and she came again. He watched as pleasure coursed over her body. Her eyes closed as she gave a long, loud moan. It was just what he needed. He thrust one more time, then followed her into bliss.

Chapter Nine

Zoe shivered as delight still filtered through her senses. Lord, the man was amazing. Of course, she should have known from the start he would be, but he really did blow her mind. Of course, he hadn't moved since he'd collapsed on top of her a few minutes earlier. She didn't really care. She liked the way his big strong body was pressing her into the mattress. But then again, she was worried he might not be breathing.

"Jesse?" she asked.

"Hmph." It was the only thing he said. 

"So I guess you're alive still?"

He moved his head so that he was facing the side of her face. "Yeah, barely."

She smiled as she skimmed her fingers down his back. He was all muscle and smooth golden flesh. She was just irritated that she hadn't had the chance to do more than touch a little bit. She planned on rectifying that as soon as she could move more. He was right. They were barely alive so she thought maybe a little rest before she attacked him. 

She felt his mouth moving over her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access. She expected great sex. It was a normal function and there was no doubt, Jesse Johnson was in good enough shape to show a girl a good time. But there were times like this, when he undid her with small gestures. He was hot and sweet and every time she peeled back another layer, she fell a little bit more for him. 

He pulled back, then lifted his hand to her chin, urging her to look at him. His eyes were barely open, but he had one of those smug, self-satisfied smiles.

"Hey, there, beautiful."

Her heart tripped. God, he was making it hard to keep this light. It wasn't that he made big speeches or grand gestures. It was things like this that had her fighting the urge to give in to him. To beg him to ignore that silly notion she had of not getting serious.