Flynn lifted her hands, kissed them. “I wanted you from the first moment I saw you.”
Pru winced. “When I was hurtling down at you?”
His lips curved. “When I saw you up there on that ladder. Heard you singing.”
“I don’t have your voice.”
“You’ve a perfectly charming voice. And a magnificent ass.”
That surprised a laugh out of her. But nerves still tap danced in her blood. Because it seemed she could say anything to him, she gave them voice. “Flynn, I—It’s been a very long time for me. And I’ve never been with anyone like you.”
“Like me?”
“Someone who’d trouble with the trappings of romance. Who’d even think to set the stage for anything.” Her previous lovers—and they’d been few—hadn’t been quite so bad as wham, bam, roll over for sleep. But they’d been ordinary. Nothing about Flynn was ordinary.
“Then you’ve been with the wrong men.” He turned her hands palm up and kissed the center, keeping those wild blue eyes on hers. “You’re worth the effort and the time.” He pressed his lips to the other palm. “And you deserve to be thoroughly seduced.”
Moved, aroused, she could only stare at him. She’d wanted to do something for herself, to be selfish for once. What he offered was the most decadent indulgence she could imagine. And—for today, at least—there was no reason to stop. More, she didn’t want to stop.
“Ari won’t be back until dinner tomorrow, and there are no new reservations until midweek. We have the house entirely to ourselves.”
He smiled. “Then let’s make the most of it.”
~*~
Because he could see the nerves so near the surface, Flynn left her only long enough to turn on some music. To please himself and in hopes of relaxing her, he pulled Pru into a dance, circling her slowly as Erin Boheme crooned from the speakers. He liked how she fit with him, liked, too, how she ultimately relaxed into his lead. There was a trust in that. But this went so far beyond a dance. That she’d trusted him enough to ask for this, when asking was so very hard for her, humbled him. He intended to prove himself worthy.
Breathing in her scent, he pressed a soft kiss to her brow, lingering until he felt the tension there drain. Unhurried, he moved to her temple and down her cheek, repeating the simple brush of his lips, waiting for those tiny surrenders. Her head fell back on a sigh, exposing her throat so he could continue his gentle path downward. He murmured approval, encouragement, defaulting to Irish.
Sliding her hands beneath his t-shirt and up his back, Pru laughed a little. “I swear, you could read a grocery list in Gaelic and it would sound sexy.”
Flynn smiled against her throat. “It’s a language for flattery and curses.”
He nudged the strap of her tank top down and found an intriguing hint of lace. “Let me see you, ceann álainn.”
She lifted the shirt off herself, letting it drop to the floor. Flynn drank her in, the sight of that smooth, olive skin against the black satin and lace of her bra.
“Were you wearing that earlier, while we were cleaning the barn?”
“I certainly haven’t had a chance to change.”
“Saints be praised.” He traced the edge first with his finger, then gave in to temptation and followed with his tongue. Her shuddering breath lit all kinds of fire in his blood. He repeated the motion until her nipple tightened to a peak beneath the satin and took it into his mouth.
Pru’s hands speared into his hair, holding him to her breast. He lingered there, suckling her through the fabric, as he busied his hands unhooking her shorts. He wanted to know if the underwear matched. Switching to the other breast, he drew the zipper down and eased them over her hips. Then he cursed reverently. The matching boy shorts were almost entirely lace, giving tantalizing hints of what lay beneath.
“If I’d known you were running around in something like this—Jaysus, woman. We’d have ended up naked in the hay loft.”
“We wouldn’t have been the first. Full disclosure—”
“Oh, we’re getting there, to be sure.”
Her throaty laugh underscored the music. “These aren’t the norm. I wore them for you.”
“Sure, and I have every intention of showing you how much I appreciate it.”
He tugged his shirt off and moved in, grasping her by the hips and slanting his mouth over hers. Pru rose to him, wrapping around him and opening her mouth to his. Flynn’s control slipped a notch at the taste of her. They pivoted, backing toward the high, four-poster bed. As lovely as the wrapping, he wanted what was underneath. With one hand, he flicked open the clasp at her back and drew the lace away. Her breasts were heavy in his palms, the nipples pearling beneath his touch. She moaned, reaching between them for the fly of his jeans. She had the zipper down almost before he could take another breath.
Flynn grabbed her wrist before she could snake her hand inside his boxers. “Wait.”