“Jeez, you’re so melodramatic.” Even as she threw the mocking words at him, she was leaning on her tiptoes so she could brush her mouth over his.

The brief peck was nowhere near enough to sate him. Groaning softly, he cupped her face with his hands and stole another kiss, this one deep and thorough with a helluva lot of tongue.

Mia was breathing hard when they broke apart. “How do you always manage to turn my brain into mush?”

“It’s a gift.” He slanted his head “What time does your brother get home?”

“Usually around seven.”

Jackson’s gaze drifted to the clock hanging over the kitchen doorway. It read five twenty-three. Dang, they didn’t have much time.

“Wanna fool around until then?” He flashed her the little-boy grin he’d perfected over the years.

And it worked, just as intended.

“Bedroom,” Mia announced. “Now.”

They practically sprinted to the corridor, laughing like a pair of teenagers as they dashed to Mia’s bedroom. Jackson couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited to spend time with a woman.

Apparently Mia shared his thoughts because she tossed him a wry look over her shoulder. “Jeez, I turn into a horny teenager whenever I’m around you.”

When they entered her room, he took a second to glance around. Bed, dresser, rug—the bedroom was empty save for those items, which didn’t surprise him because Mia was the least materialistic woman he’d ever met. She wouldn’t care for frilly curtains or designer furniture. The room was as no-nonsense as she was, and he appreciated that.

His gaze lingered on the perfectly made bed before shifting back to Mia. As cute as she looked in her black yoga pants and thin yellow tank, the garments didn’t mesh with what he had planned for her.

“Lose the clothes,” he told her. “Now.”

“Aren’t we bossy.”

“Yup. But we both know you like it, so don’t give me that indignant look, sugar. I want you naked and you wanna be naked, so let’s not waste time.”

The fact that she whipped off her shirt without a single complaint told him he’d been right about her. She liked letting him call the shots. It excited her. He could see it in her eyes, which burned with anticipation. And her cheeks, which were flushed with arousal.

She was out of her clothes in a heartbeat, standing before him in nothing but a bright red bra and skimpy black panties.

“What part of naked don’t you understand, Mia?”

“Are you going to take your clothes off too?”

“Maybe.”

“At least take off your shirt.”

He just smirked.

She crossed her arms in defiance. “I’m not taking anything else off until you lose the shirt.”

He supposed he could’ve argued, but he decided to throw her a bone. Very methodically, he began unbuttoning his plaid shirt.

Mia’s eyes followed the movement of his fingers, those gorgeous green depths flickering with appreciation when he finally peeled open the garment to reveal his bare chest. Her visible approval brought a rush of pure male satisfaction.

“Like what you see, darlin’?”

“Uh, duh. Dude, you’re shredded like lettuce.”

He threw his head back and laughed. Lord, he liked her.

Mia took a step closer, her fingers toying with the thin straps of her bra. Jackson’s mouth went drier than a desert and his pulse sped up as he waited for her to make a move.

Keeping her gaze locked with his, she reached behind her, undid the bra and let it fall to the floor.

Jackson licked his dry lips. “Now the panties.”

Her fingers hooked in her waistband and the flimsy underwear joined her discarded bra on the hardwood.

“Lie down on the bed,” he said in a low voice.

Again, he got no argument. Mia climbed on the mattress and stretched out on her back, naked as the day she was born.

His gaze roamed her sleek golden skin, focusing on her puckered pink ni**les before settling between her legs.

“Spread,” he told her. “Let me see your pu**y.”

He could see her pulse throbbing in her throat as she slowly parted her thighs. Her glistening sex gave him an instant hard-on, which drew Mia’s attention to his groin.

“I think you should take off your pants,” she murmured.

He shook his head. “I think I should put my tongue on your pu**y.”

She sucked in a breath. “You’re…not at all what I expected.”

Shrugging, he approached the bed with purposeful strides. “I get that a lot, sugar.”

He eased himself down on the edge of the mattress, searching her expression for any sign that she wasn’t into this, but all he detected was raw lust and the glow of excitement. He knew he was a demanding lover, always had been, always would be. A lot of women weren’t on board with that, which was why he didn’t jump headfirst into sexual relationships the way his teammates did. He took the time to gauge his potential lovers, to make sure they could handle what he was going to give them, but Mia had passed his test the moment she’d let him bring her to climax in that parking lot.

This woman liked to be dominated. She might not know it, not consciously anyway, but her body’s responses to his commanding nature told him everything he needed to know.

Jackson placed his hand on her firm thigh, enjoying the way she shivered from his touch. He stroked her for a moment, then skimmed his fingers toward her mound and dragged his thumb over her heated flesh.