This was just about Stephanie and what she needed. He’d already made quick work of his own most basic needs after he’d settled her in a spare bedroom for the night. That was one of the reasons he’d suggested they retreat to their own beds originally—he hadn’t been able to think about anything but sex until he took the edge off a few times on his own. The self-gratification didn’t take away from how much he wanted her now. But he hoped it would help him be patient enough to take good care of her.
He let go of her hand and turned on the dimmer switch, casting the smallest glow over the room so she could observe everything around her. He’d understood her fear earlier—not being able to see—and wouldn’t let that happen again.
She remained in the middle of the room, halfway between the bed and the sitting area, right where he’d left her.
“I like being able to see you.” He met her there, the two of them spotlighted by the glow from a wrought-iron chandelier. “That way I know I’m not dreaming that you’re really here.”
“I spent too long waiting for you to come back home to leave now.”
He wished she’d been waiting for him for more reasons than her need to recover her sexual confidence, but he would enjoy whatever she gave him.
“That’s so damn good to hear.” He lifted a hand to a silver pin in her hair. “I’m going to take this down now, okay?”
He didn’t want anything to catch her off guard. No surprises.
As she nodded, he slid out the pin and her glossy dark mane unwound onto her shoulder. Pocketing the clip, he sifted his fingers through the silky mass.
She arched her neck as if she liked that. He had to be careful not to breathe her in too deeply or he’d lose himself in the feel of her.
He steadied her by the shoulders, or maybe he was steadying himself. Either way, he had her clasped close to his chest, absorbing the warmth of her skin through flannel and cotton.
“What would you think of me taking off your robe?” He ran a finger down one lapel, pausing shy of the V between her breasts.
Her pupils dilated until the blue became a thin rim around the dark center.
“I’d like that.” Her husky voice was as intoxicating as a caress up his thigh.
He tucked a finger into the knot at her waist and tugged it free. The flannel tie fell away, opening the robe so he could see the T-shirt and the cotton shorts she’d put on after her shower. She looked beautiful. Touchable. With no makeup on and no complicated clothes to unhook or unzip, she was utterly natural and so different from other women he’d known. She didn’t pout her lips or bat her lashes. Didn’t toss her hair or giggle.
As he stared, her breasts pressed against the white shirt, the soft shape of her curves outlining the shadowed tips of nipples that demanded his attention.
“I’d kill to kiss you here.” He tugged on the hem of the shirt so the fabric rubbed against the taut peaks. “I don’t even need the shirt off. I just want you in my mouth.”
Her eyelids fluttered and then closed. “Yes.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he steadied her back as he helped her arch toward him. He bent over her, closing his lips around one dusky tip. She shuddered hard. A throaty cry edged up her throat, vibrating in his ear while he shaped the tight crest of her with his mouth.
He drew on her, not caring about the fabric between them as long as she was on the other side of it. The steamy heat of the kiss turned the material damp, making the cloth cling to her. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders, her hips cradling his.
Hunger roared in his veins. She couldn’t miss the erection that she’d pinned between them. The friction of her body there was as potent as if she’d stroked the naked length of him with her hand. His temperature spiked to feverish levels, his vision narrowing to her.
“I’d like to see more of you.” He breathed deep to cool himself down, but every lungful of air contained the feminine scent that went deeper than any fragrance and clung to her skin even after a dip in the ocean and a shower, intensifying with the heat of her body. He wanted to lick every inch of her until he found the source of it.
“Then we’re even because I’m dying to get you naked,” she whispered, spearing her hands beneath his shirt to span his abs. His chest.
Just that simple touch had him seeing stars.
“And while that sounds...incredible—” he struggled to rein in the need for her, which was quickly spiraling out of control “—I think it’s a risky proposition.”
“I don’t care.” She flexed her fingers against his flesh, her nails digging gently into his skin. “I’ve been waiting so long for this.”