Code Name: Grace (Jameson Force Security 6.5)

But then he pulls back once more, saying my name again. “Corinne.”

I shake my head. “No more talking.”

Pressing my mouth to his, I settle more firmly onto his lap, my core pressing right over the thick bulge of his erection. I tilt my hips, rubbing against him. Clay growls fiercely.

A hand comes to the back of my head, his fingers winding into my hair. It’s not hurtful, but he’s forceful when he jerks me backward slightly so he can look at me. His gaze is fierce, but his lips are curved into a smile. “I was only going to say we should move this to the bedroom.”

“Oh,” I murmur, feeling heat stain my cheeks. “I thought you were going to change your mind.”

“Not changing my mind,” he assures me, then offers up the sweetest brush of his lips over mine like a soft promise.

“To the bedroom then,” I demand, then let out a yip as Clay surges his powerful body off the chair, taking me with him as if I weigh no more than a feather. I wrap my legs around his waist, my hands gripping his shoulders, and the man I’ve loved almost my entire adult life strides confidently into my bedroom, holding me tightly.

Perhaps he has taken what I’ve said to heart.

Or maybe it’s just lust driving him right now, which is also fine. Because as much as I’ve loved him, I’ve yearned to experience the ultimate intimacy with this man. No matter what comes of us after today, I’m not going to pass up the chance to be with him this way.

I’d love to look back on this day—this moment—and be able to say everything was like the perfectly choreographed romantic movie. But we’re both awkward and fumbling as he deposits me on the bed, then covers me with his body before kissing me again. We try to figure out how to get clothes off each other, keep our ravenous kiss going, and touch each other as more bare skin is revealed. I’ve had smoother experiences with sex, but when I remember this moment, I know there will never be a better one.

Because this is Clay and me learning about each other’s bodies. It’s a monumental event, and it doesn’t have to be perfectly choreographed.

I manage to convince Clay—with a lot of tugging and growling—to get his bulky sweater off. When his chest is bare before me, I have to take a moment to lean back and study it. It’s beautifully formed and solid with a light dusting of hair.

Masculine is the word that comes to mind. Without hesitation, I reach out to run my hands along the contours and down his abdomen, which contracts against my touch.

And hey… six-pack when he does that.

God, I need to get him completely naked.

I drop my hands to the button of his jeans, but he knocks them away. “Just wait a minute.”

I panic for a moment, thinking he’s had a change of heart, but he does nothing more than slide to the edge of the bed to rise so he can toe his shoes off. He grabs hold of my bedpost for balance, removing first one sock, then the other.

And Clay Brandeis standing at the end of my bed in nothing but a pair of well-worn jeans is the image I’ll choose to have in my head every night from here on out when I go to sleep.

I’m not wearing shoes, so Clay nabs my feet and divests me of the thick, fluffy socks I’d put on, taking a moment to rub his thumb across the arch of my foot in a way that doesn’t tickle but instead makes me groan with satisfaction.

Settling my leg onto the bed, he stands there, eyes roaming from my bare feet back up to my head.

Finally, he meets my eyes and says, “Let’s get you naked, okay?”

But I’m not the young twenty-year-old who kissed him all those years ago who had never had a man return it with so much fervor and passion like that. I’ve matured, had experiences, and I am confident in what I want.

Lifting my chin toward him, flicking my gaze to his jeans, I say, “You first.”

Fire leaps in his eyes, and I can tell he likes my request very much. His hands move to the button of his fly. Very slowly, he works it open, then starts to push his jeans and boxers down. My breath catches in my throat as his lower body is revealed.

I greedily take in that sexy V below his belly button, strong, powerful legs, and the part I’m most interested in, which is fully hard and ready for me. My mind races with all the things I’d love to do right now, most of which involve crawling across the mattress toward him and begging for just a taste.