“You got more of those?” he asked, looking pointedly at the red-and-black-smeared wipe.
“Sure. Come on back.” Rose led him to the other side of the apartment, where her bedroom and bath were. He followed her into the bathroom, where she plucked another wipe from the box and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
She took another and made quick work of the butterfly paint. When she was done, she noticed Xander still had a good bit that he’d missed.
“Let me help,” she said, reaching up to caress his face.
The minute she touched him, she could feel the energy in the room change. Xander’s hand reached up to cover her own and his eyes closed as he savored the contact.
“Rose,” he whispered.
The word traveled like a caress down her spine. Every nerve in her body came alive in an instant. His other hand moved to her waist, his fingertips grazing over her through the silky fabric of her top. Her blood suddenly seemed warmer in her veins. Her cheeks felt flush. Her breasts felt painfully confined by her bra. Modesty be damned—she wanted to strip off all her clothes to let the cool air-conditioning and his sizzling touch combine across her bare skin.
Xander leaned down and his lips met hers. She melted into him, pressing every soft curve of her body into every hard ridge of his. As he tasted her and let his tongue leisurely explore, she could feel his fingertips gathering her blouse at the waist of her jeans. She put her arms over her head and he broke away from the kiss long enough to pull the top off.
His eyes raked over her with blatant approval. The extra curves she’d picked up over the years didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, they seemed to stoke the fires inside of him like never before. It made Rose bold enough to reach behind her and unclasp her strapless bra. Her pale breasts spilled free, the tight pink tips reaching out for his touch.
Xander groaned softly at the sight, but he didn’t reach for her. Not yet. He ripped his own shirt over his head and threw it to the ground first. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He, too, had changed since she’d seen him last. Her lean baseball player had bulked up over the years. He seemed broader, stronger, more powerful now. His bare chest was like a wall, the muscles etched into stone. A sprinkling of light brown chest hair sprawled across his pecs and then traveled down his stomach. It darkened as it disappeared into his waistband, making her palms itch to reach out and unbutton his fly.
Before she could, he stepped forward, his hulking figure nearly overwhelming her own as he pressed his bare skin against hers. His hands gripped each side of her face and drew her mouth back to his. Rose wrapped her arms around him and tugged him closer until her breasts were crushing against his chest.
Xander growled against her mouth. He moved his hands down her sides and over her hips and caressed the curve of her rear through her jeans. Then she felt his fingertips press against the backs of her thighs and before she knew it, he’d lifted her up. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist so she wouldn’t lose contact with his lips.
He carried her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, where he sat her on the edge of the mattress. Crouching down in front of her, he unfastened and slipped her jeans down her thighs. He pulled off her shoes and tossed her clothes out of his way before he guided his hands back up her bare legs to the lace edging of her panties.
Rose was propped on her elbows, watching his exploration with anxiety. The closer his hot breath got to her aching core, the harder it was for her to breathe. He wrapped his fingertips around the lace and tugged gently until they, too, were gone. Then he pressed against the insides of her knees, opening her thighs to him.
The moment his tongue made contact with her skin, she could no longer watch. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head dropped back. She swallowed one gasp of pleasure, then another, as his mouth moved over her slick skin. One hand closed over her left breast, teasing and pinching gently at her nipple until her hips bucked involuntarily against his tongue.
Even after all this time, he knew just how to touch her. In only a few moments’ time, she was on the edge, threatening to go over. “Z...” she panted. “Oh yes, Z.”
Her encouragement spurred him on. He moved over her sensitive flesh with renewed enthusiasm and before she could catch her breath, she was gasping and writhing against the mattress. Her release hit her hard, his relentless caresses giving her body no escape from the intensity of it.
He waited until she stilled and then whispered against her stomach. “I love it when you call me that.”
Rose watched through hooded eyes as he stood up, slid out of his jeans, then slipped into the condom he’d brought with him. She rolled onto her stomach, inching higher onto the bed, but before she could turn over, she felt the heat of his body pressed along her entire back. The weight flattened her against the mattress. She could feel the firm heat pressing insistently at the back of her thigh and his warm breath at her neck.