“That you and I get together?” To his credit he didn’t sound as hopeful as he felt.
“Exactly.” She leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips, whether by design or intent, grazed his cheek instead. Her breath smelled of chocolate and scotch, sending blood scorching through his veins. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
Her husky murmur made his nerve endings shiver. He gripped the glass tumbler hard enough to shatter it. “Me, too. I lay in bed at night and imagine you’re with me. Your long hair splayed on my pillow.” Thighs parted in welcome. Skin flushed with desire. “You’re smiling up at me. Excited by all the incredible things I’m doing to you.”
From deep in her throat came a sexy hum. “Funny.” Her fingertips traced circles on the back of his neck before soothing their way into his hair. “I always picture myself on top. Your hands on my breasts as I ride you.”
Shane winced as his erection suddenly pressed hard against his zipper. “You drive me crazy,” he murmured. “You know that, right?”
He set down his drink with a deliberate movement before cupping her head. She didn’t resist as he pulled her close enough to kiss. Her lashes fluttered downward, lips arching into a dreamy smile.
Their breath mingled. Shane drew out the moment. Her soft breasts settled against his chest and he half closed his eyes to better savor the sensation. This wouldn’t be their first kiss, but that didn’t make it any less momentous. Tonight they weren’t in the middle of a pasture surrounded by cows. This time, the only thing standing in the way of seeing this kiss through to the end was if she actually felt something for him.
Was that what made him hesitate? Worry over her emotional state? Or was he more concerned about his own?
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested, shifting her legs off the couch and taking his hand. Her expression was unreadable as she got to her feet and tugged at him. “I have a wonderful idea about how we can spend the rest of the evening.”
* * *
The instant they stepped away from the raging fire, Brandee shivered as the cool February air struck her bare skin. She’d dressed to show off a ridiculous amount of flesh in an effort to throw Shane off his game. Naturally her ploy had worked, but as they crossed the brick patio, she wished she hadn’t left the throw behind. Despite how readily Shane had taken her up on her offer, she was feeling incredibly uncertain and exposed.
In slow stages during their romantic dinner, her plan to methodically seduce him had gone awry. She blamed it on the man’s irresistible charm and the way he’d listened to her talk about the calf and her camp. He hadn’t waited in polite silence for her to conclude her explanation about the program she and Megan Maguire had devised to teach the teenagers about patience and responsibility. No, he’d asked great questions and seemed genuinely impressed by the scope of her project.
But the pivotal moment had come when she saw a flash of sympathy in his eyes. She’d been talking about one particular boy whose dad had bullied him into joining the football team when all the kid wanted to do was play guitar and write music. Something about the story had struck home with Shane and for several seconds he’d withdrawn like a hermit crab confronted by something unpleasant. She realized they were alike in so many ways, each burying past hurts beneath a veneer of confidence, keeping the world at bay to keep their sadness hidden.
As they neared the house, a brief skirmish ensued. Shane seemed to expect that Brandee would want their first encounter to be in her bedroom. That was not going to happen. She’d invited him into the space once and it had been a huge mistake. Her bedroom was her sanctuary, the place she could be herself and drop her guard. She didn’t want to be vulnerable in front of Shane. Seeing her true self would give him an edge that she couldn’t afford.
“Let’s try out the shower in your suite,” she suggested, taking his hand in both of hers and drawing him toward the sliding glass door that led to his bedroom. “I had such fun designing the space and haven’t ever tried it out.”
“The rain shower system is pretty fantastic.”
The four recessed showerheads in the ceiling and integrated chromotherapy with mood-enhancing colored lighting sequences were ridiculous indulgences, but Brandee had thought her grandmother would get a kick out of it and had been right.
Shane guided her through the bedroom. His hand on the small of her back was hot through the semisheer material of her blouse and Brandee burned. How was it possible that the man who stood poised to take everything from her could be the one who whipped her passions into such a frenzy? They hadn’t even kissed and her loins ached for his possession. She shuddered at the image of what was to come, a little frightened by how badly she wanted it.
While Shane used the keypad to start the shower, Brandee gulped in a huge breath and fought panic. How was she supposed to pretend like this was just a simple sexual encounter when each heartbeat made her chest hurt? Every inch of her body hummed with longing. She was so wound up that she was ready to go off the instant he put his hands on her.
Shane picked that second to turn around. Whatever he saw in her expression caused his nostrils to flare and his eyes to narrow. Her nerve collapsed. Brandee backed up a step, moving fully clothed into the shower spray. She blinked in surprise as the warm water raced down her face. Shane didn’t hesitate before joining her.
As he circled her waist, drawing her against his hard planes, Brandee slammed the door on her emotions and surrendered to the pleasure of Shane’s touch. She quested her fingers beneath his sweater, stripping the sodden cotton over his head. The skin she revealed stretched over taut muscle and sculpted bone, making her groan in appreciation.
Almost tentatively she reached out to run her palm across one broad shoulder. His biceps flexed as he slid his hands over her rib cage, thumbs whisking along the outer curves of her breasts. She shuddered at the glancing contact and trembled as he licked water from her throat. Hunger built inside her while her breath came in ragged pants.
The water rendered her clothes nearly transparent, but Shane’s gaze remained locked on her face. He appeared more interested in discovering her by touch. His fingertips skimmed her arms, shoulders and back with tantalizing curiosity. If she could catch her breath, she might have protested that she needed his hands on her bare skin. An insistent pressure bloomed between her thighs. She felt Shane’s own arousal pressing hard against her belly. Why was he making her wait?
In the end she took matters into her own hands and stripped off her blouse. It clung to her skin, resisting all effort to bare herself to his touch. Above the sound of the rain shower, she heard a seam give, but she didn’t care. She flung the garment aside. It landed in the corner with a plop. At last she stood before him, clad only in her white lace shorts and bra. And waited.
Shane’s breath was as unsteady as hers as he slipped his fingers beneath her narrow bra straps and eased them off her shoulders. Holding her gaze with his, he trailed the tips of his fingers along the lace edge where it met her skin. Brandee’s trembling grew worse. She reached behind her and unfastened the hooks. The bra slid to the floor and she seized Shane’s hands, moving his palms over her breasts.
Together they shifted until Brandee felt smooth tile against her back. Trapped between the wall and Shane’s strong body, hunger exploded in her loins. She wrapped one leg around Shane’s hip and draped her arms over his shoulders. At long last he took the kiss she so desperately wanted to give and his tongue plunged into her mouth in feverish demand.
Brandee thrilled to his passion and gave back in equal measures. The kiss seemed t
o go on forever while water poured over his shoulders and ran between their bodies. Shane’s hands were everywhere, cupping her breasts, roaming over her butt, slipping over her abdomen to the waistband of her shorts.
Unlike his jeans with their button and zipper, her lacy cotton shorts were held in place by a satin ribbon. He had the bow loosened and the material riding down her legs in seconds. A murmur of pleasure slipped from his lips when he discovered her satin thong, but it was soon following her shorts to the shower floor.
Naked before him, Brandee quaked. In the early years of her fashion line, she’d modeled all the clothes up for sale at her online store, even the lingerie. She’d lost all modesty about her body. Or so she’d thought.