Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

expression was neutral, but the tension in his jaw told her his feelings, whatever they were, were under rigid control.
    “Would you like another drink?” he asked after a moment.
    She shook her head.
    “Do you want to head out?”
    She nodded.
    A moment later they left the club and stepped out into the soft summer night, walking in silence to the lot where he’d parked. The moon, bright and full, outshone the street lights. In a few minutes they were on the road, heading out of the city.
    Jenna stole a glance at Michael as they drove. The silence between them felt electric—and painfully awkward. The longer it went on the more awkward it felt.
    Tension thrummed along every nerve ending in her body.
    He pulled up in his driveway, and she hopped out of the car before he’d even turned off the ignition. She forced herself to wait for him after that, knowing he wouldn’t let her walk home alone. And, anyway, she wasn’t such a coward that she’d run away without saying good night.
    When they reached her back door, she forced herself to speak.
    “Michael, I had a wonderful time tonight,” she said, fishing her key out of her pocket. “I, um, hope you did, too.”
    She paused, looking at his chest rather than his face, but Michael didn’t say anything. She glanced up then, and his expression made her breath catch. His jaw was tight and his eyes were dark, and he looked like something inside him was barely contained. She backed up a step and bumped into the door.
    “Well...good night,” she said quickly, turning away and fumbling with the key. Her hands were trembling and she couldn’t seem to find the lock.
    “Jenna.” It was the first time he’d spoken since they’d left the club. “You need to get inside.”
    His voice was urgent, which only made her trembling worse.
    “I’m trying.”
    “Jenna, you need to get away from me. Now.”
    She felt him take a step closer, and she knew he was only inches away. The hairs rose on the back of her neck.
    Her hand shook again, and the key fell with a metallic ping .
    “Damn,” she whispered. She leaned her forehead against the door and closed her eyes.
    “Jenna,” he said once more, his voice almost hopeless.
    A second later his hands were on her shoulders.
    He stroked down her arms, and goose bumps swept across her skin. Then he gripped her hips and pulled her against him, into the hard ridge of his arousal, and a rush of desire made her gasp.
    One of his hands slid into her hair, brushing it away from her neck, and she felt his mouth on the bare skin of her nape as his other hand moved up her body to cover her breast.
    She moaned and arched into him before she could stop herself. His hand tightened almost painfully on her breast as he thrust hard against her, and she moaned again. Then she heard his voice.
    “One night.”
    Her heart was hammering, and it took her a minute to process what he’d said. “We can’t.”
    He turned her to face him, pressing her back against the door. She’d never been so aware of a man’s physical strength, never felt so feminine in comparison.
    The look in his eyes made her shiver. “I know you’re leaving. I know you don’t want a relationship. But we can have one night.”
    He moved closer, until she could feel the heat coming off his body. He slid a hand down between them, and before she knew what he was doing he’d undone the button of her jeans. Then he tugged down her zipper.
    He leaned down close to her ear. “I know you want this as much as I do.”
    He pressed his palm against her stomach, and every muscle there tightened. When his hand dipped lower, stroking over the satin of her panties, her head fell forward onto his shoulder.
    “Michael,” she said helplessly, but whether she wanted him to stop or keep going she wasn’t sure.
    Then his hand moved again, slipping beneath the waistband of her panties to touch her bare skin, and she felt her whole body flush when he found out exactly how much she wanted him.
    He sucked in a ragged breath. “Be with me tonight.”
    “Michael,” she said again, moving in spite of herself, her body twisting against those searching, insistent fingers as they stroked over her most sensitive skin. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps.
    “I don’t know what to do,” she heard herself say, overwhelmed by confusion and longing and an ache that filled her heart as much as her body. “I don’t know what to do.”
    “Be with