He gathered the midnight blue silk in his hand and rubbed it against her skin. "How'd you find one the same shade as your eyes?" He nuzzled her neck. "Serendipity?"
"I was due a little good luck." Her head arched back, giving his lips free rein over the soft skin of her throat. She moaned when his mouth reached the spot where her neck and shoulder met. "God, I've wanted to touch you since the moment I first laid eyes on you. You are unfairly sexy, Jackson Holt."
"Quit stealing all my good lines." He whispered the words in a path over her jaw, all the way back to her mouth. This time, their kiss was hot, insistent. Her response was just as enthusiastic as she arched into him and made soft, needy noises.
Her fingers left his hair and slid down his shoulders and back. The hem of his shirt bunched in her hands, and she urged it up.
Jackson tore his mouth away with a sharp exhalation. He wanted to feel her skin against his, wanted to sink into her, make her scream. "Hang on, Kenzie. We can't do this."
"Right," she panted, looking dazed. "Bad guys. Serious situation. Not the time for hot, hot sex." She took a slow, deep breath and let it out on a moan. "Damn it."
He couldn't drag his gaze away from her mouth. "Damn it," he echoed in agreement. "I'm going to go…away, and you stay here. Uh, sleep would be good. I'm…going."
Her lips seized his again in a brief but passionate kiss. "Sleep." She kissed his chin and his jaw. She found his ear and her breath was warm and tormenting as she whispered, "But when this is over, we are going to have the kind of insanely hot sex that takes hours to finish and days to recover from."
Going away suddenly didn't seem nearly so important. "I'm intrigued." He dragged his thumb over her lower lip. "Tell me more."
Her tongue snuck out to tease his thumb. "I'm a dancer, remember. You wouldn't believe some of the ways I can bend. And I guess I've got super stamina or something now too."
Jackson stifled a groan and bit her ear. "Bendy, with super stamina. Christ, this is sounding too good to wait."
"The bad guys aren't breaking down the door yet." She offered it almost hopefully, her voice delightfully husky. "We could compromise a little…"
Focus, Holt. This is a bad idea… He slid his hand under her nightgown to caress her leg. "Good idea."
She pulled at the hem of his shirt again. "Off. Take this off—"
Jackson yanked the T-shirt over his head. "You know Steven can hear us, right?"
She froze for a second, her hands hovering an inch away from his chest. Then she groaned and grabbed him, her short nails digging into his shoulders as she dragged him against her. "He can go outside. Or get earplugs."
"Not sure that'll help." He lowered his face to her neck and caught her delicate skin between his teeth. "Are you usually loud?"
She gasped sharply, cupping the back of his head as she arched her neck into his touch. "Depends on how much encouragement I'm getting. You seem good at encouraging."
"I feel pretty damn motivated right now." His fingers skated up her thigh again and found the thin, elastic edge of her panties. He fought back a moan and licked the skin he'd bitten. She rewarded him with another breathy moan as her legs inched apart in silent invitation.
Jackson barely hesitated before venturing under the expensive silk to explore the softness of her body. She arched into his touch, and he kissed her neck and skipped back to her lips.
She kissed him with a desperate need, open mouth and low gasps and her tongue teasing its way past his lips to tangle with his. There was nothing shy or hesitant in her kiss, just desire for him and an eagerness that made his hands shake.
Mackenzie tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged him back so she could wiggle out from beneath him. She rose to her knees on the bed, flushed and breathing heavily, and her hands shook as she curled her fingers around the edge of her nightgown and pulled it up. "I want you so much, Jackson."
He leaned back on the bed and gave her his hottest, laziest grin. "What if I'm loud?"
"Steven and Mahalia can yell at you tomorrow." The fabric inched up, revealing the soft silk panties he'd touched before. A little higher and his gaze slid over the smooth, pale skin of her stomach. Her gentle, warm laughter filled the room as she paused with the nightgown barely covering her br**sts. "If you can walk by the time I'm done with you."
He tackled her to the pillows, laughing at her startled shriek. "I think you might be the one in danger of diminished locomotion, darlin'."
"Oh yeah?" She lifted her arms to rest on the pillows, leaving her nightgown clinging to the undersides of her br**sts. "You think you're that good?"
He nudged the silk up a little more and bent to taste her skin. "Determined. That's what I'd call myself."
"Oh—" The silk slid away to bare one breast and a tight nipple. "Oh, God, I want you—"
He fought for control, finally trusting himself enough to tease the puckered flesh with the tip of his tongue. "No more talking. Just let me…"
She broke through his words with a low moan that shot fire through him. "Let you what?"
"Let me love you for a minute." He trailed his hand slowly over her hip, giving her time to stop him before he edged his fingers beneath the silk of her underwear again. He exhaled slowly, one long, hot breath over her breast, and sucked her nipple into his mouth.
She clutched his head and made a quiet, choked noise. "You can love me for a lot of minutes." Her body trembled as his fingers slid lower, past the soft skin of her abdomen. "Maybe for hours."
Jackson inhaled the soft, floral scent of her skin as his hand slipped between her legs. She was wet, hot, and he stifled a groan against her breast.
Mackenzie made another yearning sound and arched into his touch. He wanted to forget the danger and take her, feel her heat cradling his c*ck and the sweet slide of her skin over his. He couldn't afford to lose himself in her, not right now…but he could touch her. Just for a while.
She didn't make it easy. Her h*ps rocked against his hand in tiny, needy movements, and her quiet whimpers tore at the jagged edges of his self-control. Worse was the way she whispered his name, throaty and low and full of passion. "Jackson—yes—"
He couldn't stop his own rocking as his h*ps rubbed her thigh. He squeezed his eyes shut and panted. "Kenzie." He clenched his jaw and searched with his fingers, alternating soft and firm touches, trying to find the one that would make her shake, make her voice break over his name.
He knew he'd found it when she tensed and gasped, her eyes flying open. "Oh, God—right there—" Her hand dropped to his shoulder, and he felt the delicate sting of her fingernails. "Don't stop—"
Jackson covered her mouth with his, muffling her cries as he stroked her. She was gorgeous, perfect as she writhed beneath him. He ached to fill her, but his discomfort was barely noticeable compared to the warm flush of excitement he felt at bringing her such pleasure.
He swallowed her low cry when she came, and he swore he almost felt her cl**ax sweep through her. Magic blazed between them, all gentle heat and heavy pleasure as her body went taut against him. He shuddered and nipped at her lips as her energy prickled over his skin, and she moaned against his mouth and collapsed back to the bed.
Jackson didn't dare move, so he kissed her mouth and cheek and exhaled shakily. "Okay?"
"Okay?" Her voice came out flatteringly breathless. "Jesus. More than okay. So much more than okay."
He couldn't hold back the satisfaction that flared at her words. "Good." He pressed another kiss to her cheek. "Now I really, really need to go."
She still looked dazed, but her expression faded from sleepy and sated to perplexed. "Wait, what? You can't go." Her hip rubbed his erection and she smiled. "That's not fair."
He swallowed his groan. "Neither is life in general, darlin', and more's the pity."
Her lips sought his, and she kissed him gently, tracing her tongue over his lower lip. "I'm not going to pin you down and force you to have hot sex with me, but I'm more than willing."
He rolled away. "If I don't go now, Mahalia will whip my ass. Hell, she might do it anyway."
Mackenzie laughed. "You're scared of a sweet little lady. That's cute."
He stared at the ceiling fan and willed his heart to slow its pounding. "She is sweet. Until she thinks you're taking advantage of some pretty young thing in trouble."
Her fingers trailed lightly up his arm. "Want me to tell her I took advantage of you?"
He eased off the bed. "Then she might whip your ass. She's protective of me."
She chuckled again, low and warm and with a husky, sated edge that made it hard as hell to keep from turning around and climbing back over her, sliding into her. "Fine. But just because I'm letting you go now doesn't mean I'm not going to pounce on you as soon as the bad guys are taken care of."
"I'll consider that a promise." He chanced a look at her, taking in her disheveled hair and flushed skin. "Sleep tight, Mackenzie."
Her lips curled in a lazy smile. "Good night, Jackson. I'll see you in the morning."
Jackson thought that maybe a dip in the pool would help cool his libido, but he didn't get past removing his shirt before Mahalia's voice stopped him. "Hang on a second, Casanova."
He turned to find her sitting in a wrought-iron chair on the patio, smoking. "You know those things'll kill you, right?"
"Not before you do, kid." She flicked ashes onto the grass. "You two ran Steven off."
"He heard?"
"Yeah." She looked annoyed. "He heard."
Jackson snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt your booty call?"