It was a long time before either of them moved. She stayed where she was, her forehead resting on his shoulder.
Finally he lowered her to the floor. Still holding her with one hand, he slid the fingers of his other hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. She gazed up at him, dazed, wondering how a look could feel more intimate than what they’d already shared.
His hand slid behind her neck, cradling her head while his thumb gently stroked her cheek. “Are you all right?” His voice was soft, his gaze intensely personal.
“I’m not sure. Best not to let go of me for a minute.”
“I was holding back.”
“Really? I didn’t notice.” She was glad she was trapped between him and the wall because she wasn’t sure her legs would have held her without help.
“I meant, I was trying to postpone this happening.”
“I know. And this might be a good time to tell you I question your reasoning.”
“I had a master plan. First we were going to date. I was going to get you talking to me. Persuade you to share.”
“We dated. We talked. I’ve shared.” More than she ever had with anyone else. Thinking about it was more than a little terrifying. “Then what?”
“I was going to take it to the next stage. And before you ask me, I hadn’t exactly figured that out, but it was going to be romantic. It wasn’t going to be sex against the wall before you’d barely made it through the door.”
“It worked for me.” She could have stared at him all night and all day. The Poker Princesses were right. He had incredible eyelashes. “Tell me more about your plans for romantic.”
“I hadn’t got as far as making firm plans, but they definitely involved a comfortable bed.”
“The wall seemed to work perfectly well.” Although she was only now realizing that parts of her ached. “Maybe we could go for a more comfortable option next time.”
He smoothed her hair back from her face. “Did I hurt you? Because I swear I heard something crunch when we hit the wall.”
“That was my willpower.” She lifted her head, viewing him from between the tangled strands of her hair. “Now maybe I can stop thinking about sex and focus on all the other stuff you want us to focus on.”
“You think that’s going to work?”
“Sure. In time. Once all the hot stuff has cooled. Of course, that might take a while.” She tested her legs, surprised to discover that they seemed able to hold her. “You used a condom. It seems at least one of us has learned our lesson from last time. Do you always carry that with you?” She asked the question casually, and he tugged her back to look at him.
“You think I’m prepared to have sex with every woman I meet?”
“I don’t know. It seems as if every woman you meet thinks you’re cute, so I guess it’s good to be prepared.” After what had happened between them she couldn’t blame him, and she hated herself for asking the question as much as for the insecurity behind it. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”
“It’s definitely your business.” His eyes darkened. “And the answer is I’m prepared, and careful, but only since you moved here. Before that I generally managed to get through my working day without jumping on women.”
His words left her with a warm glow. “You’re saying it’s just me that has this effect on you?”
“Seems that way.”
She stroked her hand over his shoulders, feeling taut muscle under her fingers. “We could try this again. Your way.”
He glanced sideways. “Lulu is wearing your bra.”
“Do you think we shocked her?”
“Nothing shocks Lulu.” He turned his attention back to Fliss, kissed her slowly and thoroughly and then eased away. “Let’s go upstairs.”
“I think I might have dropped my tank top on your doorstep.”
“It will be a deterrent for visitors.” He scooped her up, and she gasped.
“What are you doing?”