Moving a little closer, he caressed the skin of her bare shoulder. God, it felt good. The sensation of skin on skin. How could a simple touch on her shoulder resonate through her whole body? How could it create such complex feelings? But nobody had touched her that way in a long time. Her skin responded to his touch the way a plant responded to rain.
“I know one way to make you forget everything,” he murmured.
She gave him a watery laugh. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, Darcy?”
“Believe me, when we’re in bed together you won’t be thinking of anything else.”
That she did not doubt. But she still hesitated. Was she letting her vulnerable emotional state cloud her judgment? What did he really want from her? “I’m still not interested in a one-night stand.” Even as she uttered the words, she wasn’t sure. If he only wanted one roll in the hay, in her present state of mind she might agree. His eyes regarded her with such caring. His scent filled her nose. His touch was on her skin.
One night would not be enough, but she would take it if that was all she could get.
She stepped hard on the part of her that wanted to shout, “Sure let’s go for it!” and jump on top of the guy. What would be a measured, rational way to address this?
Clearing her throat, she tried to speak in a slow and level tone of voice. “So, what do you want? A bunch of hookups? Friends with benefits?”
A slow smile spread across his mouth, and he leaned forward until his lips were very close to her ear. “I want everything from you,” he whispered.
The ghost of his breath over her skin made her shiver. Or maybe it was his words.
“Everything?”
His lips traveled down her cheek, trailing small kisses closer and closer to her mouth until they were millimeters from kissing. “Don’t you know that I’m in love with you?”
Before she could reply, he kissed her.
Elizabeth had had boyfriends; she had been kissed before. At least she thought she had. Now she was beginning to wonder if what she had experienced before even qualified because this was…
A Kiss.
It stole her breath. Her thoughts. Her rationality. Her sense of time.
She didn’t know if it been minutes or hours, and yet she knew that when the kiss ended it would be too short.
This. This was what they talked about in books, in songs, in poems. She could taste Will’s feelings, Will’s love for her in every movement of his lips. Their tongues tangled, danced, and caressed each other.
Her hand stroked the sculpted muscles of his chest, exploring territory she had longed to know. One of his hands clutched her hip, making little circles with his thumb, while the other had plunged into her hair, cradling and supporting her head.
She gasped and pulled away, leaning her forehead against his chin as she tried to catch her breath. How did he do that? How was he capable of turning her entire body into one nerve ending, making every inch of her skin hypersensitive to his touch?
His eyes regarded her with concern. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m great. It’s intense. Like the perfect storm.”
“Do you want me to back off?”
“Oh no.” She clutched the back of his head and drew him toward her. “I want more. I need more. And I need it now.”
He gave a low chuckle before brushing his lips over hers. It was the briefest of contacts, but it sent an electric current throughout her body.
“You know,” her voice was low and gravelly, “I didn’t get to see much of your bedroom before. Maybe it deserves a closer inspection.”
“Does it?” He kissed her again. “Perhaps now?”
“You might have committed an egregious decorating faux pas that needs to be corrected immediately.”
“Ah, I understand the need for urgency.” He took her hand in his. “By all means, let me lead the way—in case you’ve forgotten it.”
“So considerate of you.”