It seemed as if it were another lifetime when she’d last had a man in her bedroom. But, when Kate suddenly didn’t know what to do, Ethan did. When he pulled his shirt over his head, the need to see and touch washed everything else away.
‘You are beautiful.’ He was broad-shouldered, skin the colour of honey. He was a perfect man, made even more perfect by the touch of the sun and hard physical work. She felt soft skin and the flex of muscle when she ran her fingers across his chest.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, loosening the pins which held her hair back from her face. ‘You have gorgeous hair...wonderful lips and...’
He tugged gently at the zip on the back of her dress. When Kate kissed him, he slowly drew it down. He made her feel beautiful—undressing her slowly, whispering his appreciation for every part of her body.
It would only take one more step—a few more scraps of clothing and then the delicious slide of his skin against hers. But it wasn’t easy to take that step, for either of them. There was too much fear and too much pain. Too much wanting to be free of it and not knowing if they could.
Kate reached up, caressing his cheek. ‘I can’t think of one thing that could happen between us tonight that wouldn’t be okay.’
‘So you have no expectations? A guy could feel hurt.’
‘I have expectations. I just want you to know that you tip my world upside down. And, if I falter, then it’s not because anything’s wrong. I’m just feeling my way.’
‘Which makes us free. We can be whatever we want to be.’ He brushed his lips against the lobe of her ear.
He understood. That was all she needed. She kissed him, her fingers touching his cheek, and he groaned, his body growing harder.
‘I love the way I turn you on.’ The thought that just her touch could arouse him so much make Kate’s head spin.
‘I’m not always this easy.’ He chuckled, nipping the lobe of her ear.
‘Just with me?’
‘Seems that way.’
‘I like that even better...’ She caught her breath as he lifted her up, laying her down on the bed.
* * *
It occurred to Ethan, during the brief moments when he could think at all, that this dizzy, heady reaction was just the result of an instinctive craving to feel the touch of someone’s skin against his. But he knew it wasn’t. Only Kate could have made him turn his car around and do the unthinkable.
He’d thought that learning to love was a one-time thing. Done, then broken and now forgotten. But with Kate he knew that he could learn again.
And tonight was all about Kate, only about her—the way she moved, the light in her eyes and the softness of her skin. And, more than that, it was about her gentle nature—the way she made him feel that there was no fixed outcome for tonight, just a sweet exploration of possibilities.
They made love, staring into each other’s eyes, feeling the warmth grow into an intoxicating heat. When she came it seemed almost as if it had taken her by surprise, somethi
ng that hadn’t been sought or worked for, but an expression of how she felt at that moment.
He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. One moment, just enough to kiss her as he felt the pulse of her body weaken again. Then feeling robbed him of any thought, other than the knowledge that when he cried out he called her name.
They clung together for a long time and then she moved away from him, curling up on her side of the bed, watching. When Ethan reached out to her, she twined her fingers through his.
Her brilliant smile told him all he needed to know. Drawing her close, he folded his arms around her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AT SOME POINT all the uncertainty had gone. How much Ethan was willing to give, and what he wanted to keep. When they’d curled up together, after that first time, it had been clear that he was ready to give everything.
‘Favourite...food.’ They’d already covered films, books and places, and now Ethan’s lips twitched into a knowing smile.
‘You heard my stomach rumble?’
‘No. But, since you always seem to be hungry, it’s a question that interests me.’
Kate thought for a moment. ‘At the moment... Something cold.’