“Well, now what?” She flung her chin up and stared at him. The guy she’d wanted in so long. So handsome. So strong. So smart and kind and funny and sexy.
So not hers. So damn loyal to some stupid promise to his friend to take brotherly care of her, so ‘honorable’ as to think he couldn’t possibly sleep with a virgin.
She stared into his intense, troubled eyes until her own watered and her vision blurred. “Let me—”
He suddenly switched grip. One hand smacked on her butt, the other cupped the back of her head. With both he jerked her that fraction closer and pressed his mouth to hers.
Hard. Deliciously, devastatingly hard.
But a split second later his lips softened. Teased. Her half-second of stunned immobility was swallowed as her long-simmering hunger flared. She arched closer. Opened. Offered.
His tongue swept into her. His other arm clamped more firmly around her waist, pulling her body flush with his.
Bare skin. Hot silk over steel. She ran her hands over his chest, exploring the slight trail of hair that arrowed down to his jeans. Desire unfurled like a white flag of surrender. She fell against him, too stunned, too needy, to stand for more of this torment.
But he caught her, lifting her closer, turning her so the wall was at her back, supporting her as he pressed in against her. She was caught between a rock and a hard place—and she never wanted to leave it.
“Have me,” he muttered, trailing hot kisses down her throat as he pushed her against the wall with his hot, muscle—packed body. “Anything. Whatever you want.”
“Why... changed your mind?” She couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t think let alone try to process it.
Dazed, but not so dumb she couldn’t act, she raked her fingers down his chest and twisted them into the belt loop of his jeans. She wasn’t letting him step away.
“This is one secret I can keep. Want to keep.” He kissed her again.
He was giving himself to her? Letting her have her fantasy? Molten heat gushed like a geyser. She went thermonuclear in a heartbeat. “Why?”
He lifted his head and looked down at her. His face was flushed. “I want you to have what you want. For once.”
“You’re throwing over your principles for me?” she couldn’t help teasing, because inside she was touched. “You’re the sacrifice for the virgin?”
He shook his head. “It’s as much for me as it is for you. I want you.”
Relief. Disbelief. Desire.
“Then kiss me.” Urgency gripped her, compelling her to act. To take. She wanted everything now, in case he changed his mind again.
“You have to be sure,” he said, caressing from her ribs to her waist with firm hands. “Sex is different for women, the whole hormone thing kicks in—”
“I don’t need a biology lesson,” she swept her hands up the breadth of his warm, bare back. “I know what to expect. I understand all this is. I promise I won’t go psycho and start stalking you.”
He smothered a laugh before leaning in to brush his lips against her neck. “Say no anytime. I’ll stop.” He slid his hands across her stomach so they met in the middle. Then he caressed upwards, towards her breasts.
“Don’t want you to stop.” Dani held her breath, so excited. She turned her head to meet his mouth. Kissing him quickly, hungry for more. But he only touched her lips in quick, light kisses. No tongue, just tiny teasing tastes.
He stroked his thumbs over her nipples. She shuddered. He did it again, more firmly. Cupped both her breasts in his big hands and let his thumbs circle her.
“If it isn’t... good...” he said, between those maddeningly divine kisses. “If you realize it’s not what you wanted... you change your mind—”
“Just shut up and kiss me properly.”
He did. So well. She was so glad of the wall at her back, so glad he had no shirt on. So, so glad.
She leaned back, lifted her arms around his neck, revelling in the sensation as he ground full length against her. In the second since they’d ceased speaking, her need had exploded. And he knew—he kissed, caressed, rubbed. Hands, lips everywhere.
This was what she wanted. Furious, fast, frantic. His kisses roughened, his body worked—pushing against her. She wasn’t far off coming. All night she’d slept—restlessly with him so close. So out of bounds.
But he was here now. Rocking his hips into hers. Voraciously sucking at her skin, sweeping his hands over her curves, touching where he wanted.
She wanted more. She touched him, rubbing the heel of her hand down his length, hating the denim constraining his hard cock.
He jerked, then sighed, pushing into her hand for a glorious second before pulling back. “You’ve waited...long time... you need to be sure.”
“I’m sure.” She wanted to come. She wanted to be naked and beneath him. She wanted him to take her apart. Take everything. “I need you naked.” She grappled with his jeans fastening. Failed.
His hands tightened on her for a painful second. “Not here.”
“Bed?” Good. She couldn’t stand any more. Literally.
He shook his head and stepped back, keeping a hand on her waist to support her. To keep them connected. “I need a shower first.”
Her jaw slackened. “I’m watching. Can I watch?”
The thought of seeing him naked?
He laughed and stepped back, bending to offer a flourishing bow. “What the lady wants...”
“Quite right,” she answered with rising ecstasy at his easy acquiescence. “I plan to make the most of this.”
He paused, turning to stare at her in a way that made her thighs tremble. “So do I.”
In the bathroom he flicked the shower faucet on. In seconds steam rose as hot water gushed from the multiple shower heads.
He turned to her with a wicked grin. “Who’s gonna get naked first?”
Total no-brainer.
“You are.”
Immediately he undid the dome of his jeans, keeping his gaze on her. Watching her enjoyment as she watched him.
Finally she believed that he was willing to do whatever she wanted. That he wanted this to be the best for her. Quite why he’d changed his mind, she hadn’t yet figured. But she wasn’t going to waste time now wondering.
She leaned against the door and avidly feasted her eyes as he pushed the denim down with an uncomfortable shudder. He wore those knit-style, stretchy boxers that clung. Currently they were extremely stretched. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband and pulled it out to get it past his straining cock. And down.
Dani’s leg muscles weakened. She clenched her inner muscles. Body humming.
“You like?”
She couldn’t answer. Could only stare.
She heard his chuckle.
Yeah she liked. She was also very slightly alarmed, but the ‘like’ bit was the dominant response this second. Because she could handle him, right?
“You going to join me or just watch?”
“I’m really enjoying watching.”
r />
He stepped back into wet area, under the strong spray. Droplets of water bounced off his muscles with small smacking sounds. He reached out, pumping the shower gel dispenser, and rubbing his hands together to make the bubbles froth.
He swept the soapy mix across his chest, his big hands moving in twin actions across his nipples, then south.
Her fingers fluttered at her sides. She wanted to be the one rubbing.
But she was mesmerized. Her breathing shallowed when he slid one wide-spread hand south over his abs. He fisted his hand around his shaft. His skyward straining erection was huge. Slowly he pumped his fist up the length of his cock and back down again.
Somehow she was there, in the shower, reaching for him. She didn’t recall walking across the room at all.
“You need a hand getting your clothes off?”
She didn’t give a damn about her clothes getting wetter than they were already. She just wanted to touch him. She just wanted him to touch her with those big hands.
He peeled the tank top from her. “I love how you don’t wear a bra.”
“I usually do,” she muttered. “It’s just I was in a hurry.”
Her breasts spilled into his hands. She gasped at the feel of skin on skin. So damn needy it was almost a pain.
“I’m here to help, sweetheart,” he muttered and bent to her.
He teased first, circling her tight nipples with this thumbs again, but then he licked.
Oh.
She arched, thrusting her hips towards him. More. She needed that tongue in other places. Those fingers too. He cupped her breasts and pushed them together so he could lick both nipples with one long swipe of his tongue.
Through half-closed eyes, she gazed at the magnificence of him. Naked, water cascading over his ripped muscles, the sight made her incoherent.
Made her animal instincts dominate.
She ran her hands over him, lathering up the remnants of the soap on his chest. She couldn’t get close enough.
But he stopped her, suddenly cupping her jaw with his hand, holding her so he could see into her eyes.
She paused, drinking in his intense expression.
“I dreamed about kissing you,” he whispered.
“I’ve been dreaming of that for years. You’ve only suffered for the one night.”