Your Ranch...or Mine?

Shivering from the delightful feeling of his mouth on her sensitive skin, she nibbled on her lower lip. “There’s something else.”

“What?” He sounded distracted as he bent down to remove her tennis shoes and his boots.

“I’ve...never done this before.”

He went completely still a moment before he straightened to face her. “You’re a virgin.” It wasn’t a question. He looked as if the concept was completely foreign to him.

“Yes. I believe that’s what a woman is called when she’s never had sex,” she said defensively.

He looked doubtful. “You’re twenty-eight.”

“Yes, I am, and you’re thirty-four.” She frowned. “So what’s your point?”

“I just thought you would have met someone you wanted to be with before now,” he said, gently touching her cheek.

“I didn’t say I haven’t been tempted a few times,” she admitted. “I just never felt I was with the right guy.”

“And you think I’m the right man?” he asked huskily as he lightly ran his index finger along her jaw.

Taylor nodded. She couldn’t explain it, but making love with Lane just felt right.

“If I take your virginity, it’s not something I can give back, babe,” he warned, capturing her gaze with his.

“I—I...know.” The look in his dark brown eyes and the intimate deepening of his voice made it hard to catch her breath.

She watched him close his eyes a moment before taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he stared down at her. “I should send you across the hall to your room.”

“But you aren’t going to do that, are you?” she asked, her heart thumping so hard against her ribs, she thought it might burst.

Lane slowly shook his head. “I’d like to do the right thing, but I want you too damned much to be gallant about this.” He lowered his head to give her a kiss so tender it brought tears to her eyes. “Are you really sure this is what you want, Taylor? If not, say so now.”

Reaching up, she took her hair down from her ponytail. “There are a lot of things I’m not sure of, but right now making love with you isn’t one of them.”

When she tugged her tank top from the waistband of her jeans and started to take it off, he smiled and caught her hands in his. “I can take things from here.”

Normally, she was very independent and wanted to do things for herself. But whether it was the situation or the man, allowing Lane to take the lead felt completely natural.

“I want you to tell me if anything we do makes you uncomfortable or if you change your mind,” he said as he slowly lifted her top over her head.

Instead of reaching for the front clasp of her bra as she thought he would, he unsnapped the front of his chambray shirt and tossed it on top of her turquoise tank top. The sight of his well-developed chest and abdominal muscles sent a wave of goose bumps shimmering over her skin. Lane’s body was absolutely beautiful.

Unable to stop herself, she ran her fingers along the ridges and valleys of his smooth skin. “You don’t work out, do you?”

He shook his head as he allowed her to explore the well-defined sinew. “Any exercise I get is either from ranch work or shuffling cards,” he said, his low chuckle seeming to vibrate all the way to her soul.

Fascinated by the contours of his upper body, it took a moment for her to realize that he had unhooked her bra. He parted it and slid the straps over her shoulders and down her arms. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Taylor.”

Cupping her breasts with his palms, his tender touch sent a wave of heat flowing through her and she closed her eyes as she savored the erotic feeling. “I...that...what you’re doing. It feels...amazing,” she said, suddenly extremely short of breath.

“It’s only going to get better, babe,” he whispered as he lowered his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth.

The feel of his tongue circling and teasing her while his thumb gently chafed the other tight tip caused her body to pulse with a need stronger than anything she’d ever experienced. When he lifted his head to pay homage to her other breast, Taylor’s heart sped up and her knees felt as if they were made of rubber.

Unsure how much longer her legs would support her, she placed her hands on his chest to brace herself. The feel of his warm masculine skin and his heart beating in time with her own sent a delicious heat coursing through her.

“Are you doing okay?” he asked as he reached for the button at the top of her jeans.

“I—I...think so,” she answered, wondering if she would ever breathe normally again.