He knew exactly what she meant. It was just them. Skin to skin, no barrier. He’d never felt anything like it before. Never not used a condom. With this woman, he never planned to use one again.
Unable to remain still, he slid out and back in and suddenly he wasn’t thinking; he was feeling. An avalanche of sensation hit him from all sides, taking him higher, faster than ever before. She met his thrusts, her moans and sighs telling him she was right there with him. No way would he come without her, but he didn’t have to worry. As quickly as his climax approached, hers did as well, her body slamming upward with each thrust he made inside. She came beneath him, her nails digging into his back, and when he heard his name on her lips, he followed her right over the cliff.
Seven
Erin woke up wrapped in heat, her body totally sore in the best possible way. She enjoyed every aching muscle, especially when she recalled the reasons behind each one. A glance at the clock told her it was almost time to get up for work, but she had a few minutes before her alarm went off.
Time enough to think about last night. A night she wouldn’t trade for the world. Right now Cole slept beside her, having pulled her into his arms in his sleep, but she had no doubt he’d wake up, remember . . . and withdraw. She swallowed hard, deciding her best defense was to expect the behavior and act like she just didn’t care. If she was going to play in his league, she’d have to accept his rules.
Even if she was developing feelings for the self-contained man who held her close in sleep and pushed her away during daylight hours. She already knew she was one of those girls for whom sex wasn’t just sex. She couldn’t help it. She’d been raised to take it seriously, and when she did sleep with a guy, it was because she
was ready to deepen the relationship.
Cole was the one man for whom she’d broken her rule, but that had been the first time they slept together. This time she’d had time to think. And this time she knew him better. If not details about his past, she understood more about the kind of man he’d become and she’d discovered her instincts about him were correct. He had a protective streak, he knew how to take care of her, he did it without complaint, and he anticipated her needs.
How could she not have begun to appreciate his finer qualities? But she’d agreed that this was about sex, not commitment. Their future held child custody agreements, joint parenting—when he was in town—and other things she hadn’t begun to contemplate.
All she needed to do was act cool and remind herself his caring was about his protective streak and not anything he felt for her beyond a sense of duty. Yeah, that hurt. But it was the truth and she’d do well to remember it.
On that thought, she lifted the covers and rolled away from Cole in an attempt to get out of bed before he woke. Unfortunately her alarm went off before she made her escape.
“Running again?” he asked in a sleep-roughened voice.
She shut the alarm on her cell phone. “Nope. Just getting up for the day. It’s not like I can disappear on you this time.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, surprising her.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You haven’t looked at me, for one thing.”
Forcing herself to turn over, she met his gaze. And wished she hadn’t. First thing in the morning, Cole Sanders was even more sexy than ever. His hair was mussed and stood at odd angles, razor stubble darkened his jaw, his brooding eyes assessed her through heavy lids, and all she could think about was climbing on top of his broad chest and kissing him senseless.
“Pregnancy hormones,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m hungry. I need to shower and get something to eat before work.”
“Okay, well, I’ll jump in the shower real quick and make us something while you get ready.” Throwing the comforter off, he rose, perfect in his nudity.
From his muscled arms and defined abs to the tattoos on his biceps and upper back, he was simply amazing. If she allowed her gaze to travel lower, there were even more things she could ogle, but she refrained. Because she, on the other hand, had pulled the blanket back over her and now held on for dear life.
She wasn’t one to flaunt her body on a good day. At four months pregnant, she wasn’t feeling particularly comfortable with herself, the curves she was developing, or the lack of a waist that had suddenly occurred. Last night she’d been too caught up in the moment to be shy, but that wasn’t the case this morning.
“Go ahead.” She waved him away, indicating he should use the shower first. And quickly.
His gaze dropped to her fingers, clutching at the blanket. “Erin?”
“Hmm?” she asked too brightly.
“You’re gorgeous, and if you didn’t need to get to work, I’d strip that cover off you and pick up where we left off last night.”
A small moan escaped her lips, but he was gone without indicating he’d heard. A few minutes later, she heard the creaking of pipes and the sound of water running in the shower. She was dying to join him.
With a groan, she snuggled deeper into the blanket. How she was going to keep her distance was beyond her, but she had no choice if she wanted to survive their enforced closeness with her emotions intact.
• • •