“Oh, so you intend to race around the bases?” she asked as they entered the house.
He locked the door behind them and immediately took her into his arms. “Not a chance. I have every intention of taking things slow and enjoying every base I touch.” He kissed her until she felt as if her limbs had been replaced by limp spaghetti. “And I’m going to make sure you enjoy every one of them, too.”
Eight
Taking Taylor by the hand, Lane led her across the foyer and up the stairs. He had spent a miserable afternoon and evening checking his watch to see how much longer it would be before he could whisk her away from his family and bring her home to make love to her.
When they reached his room, he walked over and lit a group of candles he had placed on the nightstand before they left to go to Ryder’s. “I’m going to make this a night you’ll never forget,” he said, turning to put his arms around her.
“You’ve got my attention,” she said, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “What do you have in mind?”
“You’ll see,” he answered as he pulled off his boots and unbuttoned his white oxford-cloth shirt. When she started to take off her blue silk blouse, he shook his head. “I want the pleasure of doing that for you.”
After quickly stripping off the rest of his clothes, he knelt to remove her shoes. He caressed her slender ankles and massaged the arches of her bare feet. He had every intention of taking his time to touch every part of her delightful body and build the energy within her.
As he reached for the buttons on her shirt, he smiled. “I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on how I’m making you feel while I take off your clothes.”
“All right,” she murmured as she did as he commanded.
Releasing the top button, he kissed her satiny skin down to the next button and then the next. By the time he reached the waistband of her navy linen slacks, she had goose bumps and he was certain they weren’t from cold.
“You’re...driving me...crazy,” she said, sounding delightfully breathless.
He put his index finger to her lips as he whispered close to her ear. “Shh. I want you to promise you’ll keep your eyes closed and won’t talk. I want you to get lost in the way I make you feel. Okay?”
When she nodded, he slipped the garment from her shoulders, then took his time kissing her arms—from her shoulders to the tips of her fingers—before he reached for the clasp of her bra. Unfastening the satin and lace, then tossing it aside, he used his palms to support her full breasts as he kissed one hardened nipple while he chafed the other with the pad of his thumb. By the time he finished giving his full attention to both tight tips, a tiny moan escaped her perfect lips.
“Let me hear you, Taylor,” he whispered, skimming her satiny skin with his lips.
Without saying another word, he unbuttoned her slacks and slowly slid the zipper down, kissing his way along her lower belly much the way he’d done when he removed her shirt. When he reached the waistband of her bikini panties he stopped to slide her slacks down, then kissed her from her thighs all the way to her ankles. Kissing his way back up along the inside of her legs, he paused to remove the scrape of lace between him and his goal.
“Lane?”
“You promised,” he said, kissing her intimately.
When she moaned and began to sway, he caught her hands in his to place them on his shoulders. As he continued his sensual assault, her nails scored his skin and he knew she had almost reached her limit.
Rising to his feet, Lane swung her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. His body burned to make her his once more, but this night wasn’t about him. It was all about Taylor and bringing her the most pleasure a man could give to the woman who owned his heart.
If he had given himself enough time to think about that and what it meant, he might have run like hell. But he concentrated on the woman in his arms as he placed her on the bed, then he reached for a foil packet from the drawer in the nightstand.
When he had their protection in place, he sat on the bed beside her and lifted her to straddle him. He gritted his teeth as he eased her down onto him and she slowly took him in.
“Open your eyes, Taylor,” he commanded. When she did, the passion in the emerald depths robbed him of breath.
Taking her hand in his, he placed it over his heart while at the same time he covered her heart with his palm. “I want you to feel our hearts beat while I make love to you.”
As they stared into each other’s eyes, he urged her to wrap her legs around him and begin a slow rocking motion against him. Without hesitation she moved her body with his and in no time their hearts united to beat as one. In time with the rhythm of their lovemaking, the beat increased along with their movements. As the tension built, Lane knew that they were both reaching the summit they both sought.