She licked his earlobe.
His brain fogged. The sensuous glide of her moist tongue against his skin proved too damn tempting on a night when the combination of the flight and the invasion of his home left him feeling raw. Basic. In the grips of the elemental need to stake his claim, protect what was his. "Rena, babe—"
"I still remember the first time I did that and how your eyes turned all intense and your lids went to half mast. Knowing what I was doing to you made me shiver. Which sent your eyes even grayer." She sketched his eyebrows with whisper-light fingers. "You still do that to me with just a look."
No doubts. She really wanted this, too.
He dipped his head to kiss her quiet before she could send him over the edge with only her words. The fan behind Rena blew her spiraling hair forward to tangle around his shoulders.
"Do you want to go upstairs?" Where he could give her an air-conditioned room and bed, if not roses and candles and all the things this woman deserved.
"I want here. Now. With you."
She nipped his shoulder, tunneled under his T-shirt, scored him lightly with her nails on a trek down that led her to snap the waistband of his boxers. Her hand dipped inside, found him, cool fingers wrapping around in a single stroke down. Up again.
All right then.
They'd done it in every room at some point, unable to resist an empty house when the impulse hit. But for some reason, they'd never had sex out here, in this place completely his.
Maybe there was his answer. He'd considered it too stark, messy, gritty for his wife. But with her gentle fist gliding along him as they stood right in the middle of the freaking weight room, he wondered if he'd caused them to miss out on something incredible by limiting their options.
Gripping the sweet give of her hips, he scrunched her dress up with crawling fingers, baring her legs to rub skin to skin against him. His fists full of silky dress, his legs against silkier skin, he tugged the dress up, over her head, her hair sweeping, falling free and…
Hell yeah. More creamy skin, lush woman and sensuality filled his gaze while lust filled his body. Her br**sts swelled within the purple cups of her demi-bra. Generously. All those extra pregnancy hormones worked their magic. The bikini cut of her panties rode low, drawing a gentle line and attention to the slight curve of her stomach.
Again that primal chord strummed inside him. She was his. She carried his baby inside her. His heart pounded in his ears, his hands gripping tight to the soft fabric still holding the warmth of Rena's skin.
A final question stalled him. "Is everything okay with the baby? You've been through a lot the past couple of weeks."
"Everything's fine." She stepped closer. "Totally fine." Moved even closer until her br**sts grazed his chest, beading ni**les peaking the lace to tease along his skin. "The doctor said no restrictions. Although I don't think he'd be pleased if we strung up a trapeze."
"A trapeze, huh?"
She traced the corner of his smile with the tip of her tongue. "I'm not particularly graceful right now, anyway."
"I disagree." Something he intended to confirm. With his mouth. Starting now.
He kissed her, deep, moist and so damn hot, hands busy finding their way around purple lace, unhooking, skimming down and off. Passion combusted higher than any fan could combat.
Months of abstinence stoked the flame from red to blue. Bluer still until nothing but white light dotted behind his eye as he remembered how close he'd come to never being with her again.
Rena ripped at his T-shirt, yanked it up and off while he kicked free his boxers. Her body melded to his.
She sighed, damp breath caressing his chest, kisses and nips following. "I've missed this so much, missed you."
They were in total agreement on that. He cupped her breast, thumbed over the beading nipple, tugged, increasing gentle pressure between two fingers until she arched into his palm. "Why can't it all be this easy?"
>Uh-oh.
The determination in the tilt of her chin, he recognized well. The vulnerable glint in her eyes, however, caught him completely off guard at a time when his defenses were already somewhere in the negative numbers.
He braced his shoulders for whatever she planned to tell him—and wished be had some pants to go along with the strengthened will.
Rena's slim fingers wrapped around the stair railing, queenlike in her garage castle. "Temporary truce."
Chapter 12
Rena gripped the railing until the edges cut into her palm. Swallowing her pride came hard.