Page 30 of Romancing the Rumrunner
Her hat had been knocked askew and hung half over her face. When he pushed it up, her eyes were as wide as the tires that were now spinning uselessly, suspended in air against the post. Her mouth hung open a bit, either in a silent scream or in response to his query. She didn’t seem physically harmed, but she was certainly in complete shock.
“Jessie?”
“Huh?” She blinked at him.
“Are you all right?”
She stared blankly for another moment and then slowly nodded her head, an action which sent her hat sliding onto her face again. She snatched it off her head and tossed it to the floor of the car.
“I just…we just…” She looked out the window at the half uprooted pole. “Oh, Tony, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what happened. That truck just came from nowhere. What was it doing in this lot? I thought it was abandoned. I didn’t even see it until we were right on it and I just…I’m so sorry!”
Tony couldn’t keep his laughter at bay this time. Jessie’s contrite expression darkened into a frown at his amusement.
“I don’t see what’s so funny! We could have been seriously harmed and your poor car…”
“I don’t care about the car,” he said, leaning closer. “As long as you are fine, that’s all I care about.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered, her blue eyes blinking up at him from under her lashes.
He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her face, allowing his finger to trail along her cheek. The gesture instantly drew color to her cheeks and he smiled. Would that happen if he continued the path down her creamy skin?
His finger trailed down the soft skin of her neck and she froze, sucking in a breath in a little gasp. That tiny sound was all the encouragement he needed. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and drew her to him, his lips descending before she could protest. The moment his lips touched hers, he was lost.
She stiffened just for a second and then sank into him. Tony brought his other hand up to cup her face. He knew this was wrong. He might have taken this job, but he did have some scruples. He drew the line at physically accosting a dame just to get information.
But that wasn’t what this was about anymore. Tony didn’t care about Jameson, or the Phoenix, or speakeasies, or anything but the captivating woman in his arms. Her lips parted beneath his and all other thoughts vacated his mind. She nuzzled closer to him, her breasts pressing against his chest where his heart raced.
His hand moved down the column of her neck and along her shoulder, slipping into the neckline of her blouse. He pushed aside the fabric, desperate to taste the silky skin he exposed. His teeth and lips grazed her collarbone, his hand reaching between them to cup her breast. Jessie arched into him, pressing her soft flesh into his palm. His thumb brushed across the nipple that was straining through the layers she wore and Jessie moaned, sending a bolt of heat straight to Tony’s core. His blood roared. He wanted her beneath him, wanted to feel her writhing against him, screaming his name.
He reached down and took the tight little bud into his mouth, gently nipping at it through the fabric.
Jessie gasped and threw her head back. “Tony!” Her hand threaded through his hair, grabbing hold of him and anchoring him in place.
Tony’s trousers grew miserably tight and he wanted nothing more than to rip their clothes off and bury himself in her right then and there. He dragged her against him, his hand trailing down until he found the hem of her skirt. His fingers brushed up the length of her thigh and her fingers tightened in his hair, yanking him toward her so she could crush her lips to his.
Tony hitched her leg around his thigh, frustrated at the tight confines of the car. She whimpered and ground her hips against his. Tony groaned and deepened their kiss, his tongue delving into her sweet, moist heat.
“Tony,” Jessie gasped again. “We shouldn’t…”
“I know,” he said, his hands following her soft curves. He grasped her firm bottom and pulled her against him, her heated softness meeting the hard, aching length of him.
Jessie threw her head back…and hit the horn on the steering wheel. The blaring sound startled a shriek out of her and Tony laughed. Jessie’s cheeks turned crimson.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, extricating herself from him.
Tony chuckled again and helped her set her clothing to rights, immediately missing her warmth mingling with his. “If anyone should apologize, it should be me. Can’t really bring myself to feel sorry about it, though.”
Jessie looked away but Tony took her chin in his hands and gently turned her face back to him. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the second I clapped eyes on you. And now that I’ve tasted those sweet lips of yours, there’s a good deal more I’d like to do.”
She shook her head and looked away. “I’m sorry…this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have allowed…”
The car jolted, the bumper pulling loose from the post they rested against, and Jessie uttered another startled, “Eep!”
Tony chuckled again. “Perhaps we should inspect the damage.”
Jessie nodded and turned to the door but before she could get out, Tony stopped her, capturing her face in his hands so he could press one last kiss to her delectable lips. “We’ll continue this discussion later.”
Before she could protest, he shoved his door open and hopped out.
