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Lee gave her a strange look. “Not that I noticed.”

  He followed her into the house as she tossed her purse on the side table. Kicking off her boots, she dropped her coat haphazardly on her way to the couch to collapse.

  She stared at the ceiling and tried again to shed the sensation of impending doom. Damn her impulsive past, and damn Gary, and just…

  Damn it all.

  He wasn’t sure what was going on, but even confused he understood one thing. Rachel was in pain, and watching her hurt was killing him.

  He dropped to his knees in front of where she sprawled on the couch, sliding his hands up her thighs. “You’re so tense.”

  “That’s what happens when I get surprised, I guess.” She stared over his shoulder, shaking her head slightly. “It wasn’t supposed to bother me anymore. I’ve known since October we were over, and I’ve put it behind me, I’m moving forward,” she insisted.

  “Gary.”

  “He’s a jerk.”

  “He’s an ass,” Lee agreed, “but he’s not here.”

  She dropped her gaze to his, and his heart clenched. Her dark brown pupils were drowning in tears, liquid pooling along her lashes until it was too much to contain, and her grief spilled over to form a perfect drop that rolled down her cheek.

  “I want it to be over.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “But it hurts in here, so much. Is it always going to be like that? Whenever he wants he just tugs at these strings he’s got looped around my heart, and I’ll have no choice but to break all over again?”

  Lee lifted a hand to wipe away the tear, softening his touch as he leaned in to brush his words over the still-damp surface of her cheek. “No. It won’t keep happening. There are no strings on you.”

  He slid his fingers around the back of her head, cradling her gently as he held her in place. “There’s no one here but you and me, and there’s nothing he can do to you ever again. Don’t give him any power,” Lee urged.

  “It’s not that easy,” Rachel whispered, her words trembling as they slipped through her tight throat.

  “I didn’t say it would be easy, I said it was important. And that it’s true—and if you need me to prove the strings don’t exist, I’m more than willing.”

  She nodded, such a small move, as if she was afraid to fully commit to anything, and Lee wanted to go and beat the crap out of Gary again like he had last summer. Seeing his usually confident and strong woman so devastated made him livid.

  But he realized as satisfying as beating Gary up would be, it wouldn’t solve their current problem, and it wouldn’t prove to this gorgeous woman how much she already meant to him. Even though it was only a short time since they’d been trapped in the storm, he wondered how he’d ever survived without her.

  Her smiles gave him strength. Her laughter made him want to be a better man. And seeing her in pain made him want to tear apart the world and turn it upside down until he set things right.

  Those were his goals. Not revenge, not justice, just the urgent desire to wipe away her tears and bring back more than a smile.

  So he kissed her. Tender and sweet for the first two seconds before he let himself taste her fully. He listened to her breathing grow unsteady as she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on tight. Moving closer as if soaking comfort from his touch.

  Lee held her as he took a seat on the couch, settling with her in his lap. The entire time their mouths never parted. He didn’t need to breathe. He’d survive because their bodies were in contact, his lips touching hers. Like a life-support machine, she gave him everything as their tongues tangled and lips moved and the dance as old as time began.

  Tonight? He wasn’t going to tell her no. Tonight was not about waiting, it was about letting her see how valuable she was. It was about making her forget her tears and replacing them with as much ecstasy as possible.

  Lee nuzzled under her ear. “I want you,” he confessed.

  She pulled back her hands until they rested on his shoulders, staring into his eyes as hints that her what the fuck attitude had returned. “Oh, so now we’re going to have sex?”

  Lee brushed away the remnants of another tear. “Yes.”

  “Your balls got purple enough you want to deal with them?”

  He laughed, rearranging her across his lap so she was straddling his thighs. “Not about my balls, baby. This is all about you.”

  Rachel hummed knowingly. “And you’re not going to enjoy it at all, is that what you’re saying?”

  “We all have to make sacrifices in this life—” he started, teasing in his tone before he let it fall away. Let the hunger he felt inside show on his face as he tightened his grip on her shirt and tugged it free from her waistband. “And some things are no sacrifice at all. I want you, Rachel. I’ve wanted you for a long time, and this has nothing to do with my balls and everything to do with my brain. You are gorgeous, funny, and you don’t let me get away with any bullshit.”

  As he spoke her expression changed. Anticipation rising as he offered his honest confession. “I want to have sex with you,” she admitted as well.

  Lee nodded. “Condoms?”

  Rachel didn’t hesitate. She’d told him she’d been tested after discovering Gary had cheated on her. Lee had gotten tested after their interlude at the cabin, slipping her his medical report casually, although she’d never said anything about it.

  “Condoms, yes. I know you’re clean, but…”

  He shook his head. “This is your choice, your body, and you never have to explain.”

  He scooped her up, holding her close as he walked them toward the back of the house. It was time to give her some new memories and shred away Gary’s strings from around her heart.

  And Lee wanted memories of his own. Not just the physical pleasure he looked forward to, but everything else that went along with it. If he happened to step a little quicker down the hall at the thought, Rachel didn’t complain. They were too busy kissing each other for her to notice.

  Chapter Eight

  Rachel alternated between desire and amusement as Lee found her room without bouncing them off the walls too many times. When he lowered her to the bed, she wiggled free, closing the blinds before facing him again.

  The view that greeted her was mouthwatering. He was in the process of pulling off his shirt, the material bunching around his upper arms as he reached over his head and stripped the fabric from his broad shoulders. His lips tugged upward in the most intriguing way—like the Mona Lisa smile for men. She’d hate to call it that cocky expression guys get when they’re about to get laid, but if the shoe fit…

  The way he looked at her made her tingle.

  His solid chest took on a warm glow as he turned on the lamp beside the bed, the curves of his biceps and shoulders like carved granite—only hot instead of cold against her fingers.

  He was still smiling as he straightened, undoing the top button of his jeans and lowering the zipper partway as she closed the space between them. Her hands reached out instinctively, driven by urges more animalistic than deliberate. “I can’t wait to touch you.”

  She floated her fingers from his ribs to his pectoral muscles. Lee laid his hand over hers, briefly pinning her in place. “Tonight is yours. You get it all—and I’m ready to explode just thinking about what we’re gonna do.”

  Rachel hummed as she stroked his skin, teasing his nipple and watching his entire body tighten under her caress. “Are you telling me you have a control issue? Because that’s the last thing I’d expect you to confess.”

  She followed the intriguing trail of hair leading into his partially open jeans. Lee circled her wrists, stopping her exploration as he leaned down and offered a kiss.

  His warm lips felt perfect as he pressed toward her, his eagerness turning to a demand. He adjusted position until she was trapped between him and the wall, and a slow, delicious shiver rolled through her body.

  Lee nibbled his way along her jaw to her ear, nipping lightly before growling a response
. “Control is one thing. What being near you does to me is another, but I promise no matter what, I’ll make it good.”

  He pressed his mouth to the curve of her neck and sucked, and she rocked on her feet again. He’d released his grip, leaning his elbows on the wall as he teased and licked. Rachel rested her hands on his hips, the heat pouring off him mixing with her own rising need and creating an inferno that could rival any bonfire.

  She slid her fingers along his waistline. “I want you naked.”

  His jeans fell to the floor, and he stepped out of them, his cock snapping upward like a warning flag.

  Rachel tightened her grip and straightened her arms to gain enough distance between them so she could admire him all over again. “Damn. You’re like an Adonis statue. Every perfect inch.”

  She couldn’t resist exploring, tracing his tight abdominal muscles. Following the thick muscle running from his waist toward to his groin, like an arrow pointing to the magnificent arousal he unabashedly displayed.

  Moisture had beaded on the tip of his cock.

  “I hope you intend to do more than look,” Lee uttered in a deep rumble that sent a thrill up her spine.

  “I don’t think this happens very often,” Rachel teased. “You, completely naked, beside a woman who’s fully dressed.”

  Lee took his hands from the wall and guided her to the bed, crowding her as she scrambled toward the pillows. “What other women? There’s no one else, Rachel. You, and me. That’s it, and we’re all that matters.”

  He pinned her in place, knees on either side of her thighs as he laid over her, his chest brushing hers as his lips came down in another mind-melting kiss.

  She couldn’t move anything except her hands as their tongues tangled and her mind fogged. So she played her fingers over his shoulders, loving how soft his skin was in contrast to the powerful muscles he held in check.

  He was naked, and she was dressed, but in spite of the layers between them, her body responded. His carefully distributed weight pressed her to the mattress as they kissed, and it was incredible how he worshiped her even as he maintained control.

  He slipped a knee between her legs and pressed his thigh against her core, and she gasped. “Oh. Oh, Lee.”

  He did nothing other than push them together, but her body seemed far more primed than ever, and before he lifted his torso a bare inch away from hers, she’d already felt on the verge of an orgasm.

  The release of pressure made her whimper in dismay.

  His smile returned—that cocky one. “Lift your hips. Rub against me and make yourself feel good.”

  Bastard. Part of her wanted to demand why he wasn’t doing the work, but as she wiggled her hips, the resulting pleasure made it clear she had two choices—do as he’d suggested, or let the sexual tension he’d magically built vanish, and she’d have to start all over.

  It was an easy choice.

  She dug her fingers into his shoulders and tilted her hips. A groan escaped as pleasure skyrocketed. She hadn’t realized how close she was, not until she’d moved a half-dozen times. Then Lee rocked into her as well, and the extra pressure was enough to send her reeling, her body pulsing as pleasure radiated from her core to her fingertips.

  The entire time Lee stared into her eyes, looking on with clear approval as she lost control.

  Rachel took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Not bad.”

  A laugh escaped him, one that sent another thrill of anticipation racing. “Especially since you still have all your clothes on. Although it’s time to do something about that.”

  If she’d bet he’d move quickly while stripping away her garments to get her naked, she would’ve lost. Instead, she found herself being unwrapped like a precious gift as he skillfully undid her buttons, inching back the fabric of her blouse to reveal skin. And the more he exposed, the longer it took as he pressed kisses over her. Teasing with his lips and tongue as he explored.

  When he rolled her on top of him, strong hands reaching around her back to unhook her bra, Rachel felt an instant of panic. She had awesome boobs, but they were the boobs of a thirty-three-year-old, not a twenty-year-old. But as he peeled away the satiny fabric, the only thing on his face was obvious delight.

  To hell with it. If her body didn’t bother him, she wasn’t going to worry about it either.

  She straddled him, sitting upright as Lee smoothed his way up her rib cage until the weight of her breasts rested in his hands.

  He took a deep breath, far shakier than she’d expected.

  Her confusion must have shown because he tore his gaze off her chest and offered a wink. “You’ve turned my mind to putty. One touch, and I’m ready to babble poetry. Something involving smooth, ripe peaches and mouthwatering goodness.”

  Her laughter died as he worked in circles, playing gently then increasing the pressure. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together around a peak and drew a squeak from her as her body came alive. The pulse of her heart increased as he curled up, strong stomach muscles flexing in her grasp. His hands fell to her waist, and he lifted her above him until his mouth met her nipple.

  If she thought what he’d done before had felt amazing, using his mouth brought everything to a whole new level. Heat and moisture and gentle suction—it might be impossible for her to come just from having her breasts played with, but she was getting extremely turned on.

  When he let go she rose to standing, towering above him, feeling like a goddess with a fawning supplicant at her feet. Lee peeled her jeans from her hips, dragging her panties along for the ride. She laid a hand on his shoulder for balance as she stepped out of the material, the mattress dipping under her.

  Lee made this sound as if he’d just been served his favourite dessert. “Every inch of you is mine to discover, right?”

  Obviously a rhetorical question as he cupped her butt in his hands and brought her forward to meet his mouth.

  It had been a long time since anyone had gone down on her. She shoved aside images of her ex-husband, choosing instead to concentrate on the beautiful man who even now was driving up her blood pressure as he ate greedily.

  He gave her exactly what she needed. She caught herself running her fingers through his hair again, the soft locks with a hint of curl drawing her like a magnet even as she steered him to where she needed his touch.

  He didn’t need much guidance.

  Rachel let herself fall into the pleasure. The rapid flick of his tongue, the smooth ease of his fingers into her core—the slight twist when she didn’t expect it that brought a gasp to her lips.

  “I thought you’d like that,” Lee growled, his lips barely breaking contact with her body.

  She hummed her approval, too lazy to form words.

  “And I bet you’ll like this too.” He did another something inside her, and her legs began to shake. And now she couldn’t speak because pleasure was rolling through her, and everything tingled, from her head to the tip of her toes. She might’ve forgotten to breathe because by the time Lee caught her by the hand and guided her into position straddling his thighs, she had stars in front of her eyes.

  If his grin had been cocky before…

  “You’re very good,” she noted with approval.

  “I’m very hard,” he offered back, catching hold under her butt and lifting her, rubbing his condom-covered cock against her sensitive parts.

  Wow. “You also have three hands. When did you put on the condom?”

  He ignored the question. “I need you. Now.”

  He pressed the broad head of his cock between her folds, his hardness sliding through easily, she was so wet. Rachel relaxed and took him into her body. His girth stretched her, but she was so turned on there was no pain. Just the amazing sensation of being filled.

  When she settled in his lap, his cock buried all the way in her body, she was amused to discover his intense concentration had finally broken. His eyes were closed, his expression tight as he swallowed.

  “So. Fucking.
Good.” The words whispered past his firm lips, and Rachel pressed her mouth against his. The motion rocked her forward and upward, and he hissed in pleasure as her passage moved around him.

  She totally agreed. “I like feeling you inside me.”

  She lifted and lowered herself, undulating her hips slowly as she soaked in every sensation. She was ready to increase her speed when Lee gasped, clutching her hips and holding her in position as he shook. His cock jerking inside her.

  He swore, resting his forehead against hers. He peeled open his eyes, more guilt then bravado on his face. “Damn.”

  Rachel pressed her lips together hard, not wanting to laugh, but extremely proud that she’d made him lose control so quickly. “I take it you don’t want to discuss this in great detail?”

  Then in typical Lee fashion, he chuckled, easing them apart after a brief kiss. “When I told you it felt good, I wasn’t lying. Plus it’s been a while, and I really wanted you.”

  She sat on the bed where he’d placed her, watching with a smile as he removed the condom. “It’s okay, I had a good time tonight.”

  He glanced back, a look of incredulous disbelief aimed her way. “Hello? You don’t think we’re done yet, do you?”

  Rachel hesitated. “But you came.”

  He was back by her side, placing her back in his lap. Torsos touching, his hands roaming at will. “I did. And I’m going to come again, and so are you. More than once.”

  Rachel didn’t mind his caresses or the closeness, and when not even two minutes later she felt him growing hard against her belly, she remembered there was another benefit to having a younger boyfriend.

  Hot diggity. The night wasn’t over.

  Chapter Nine

  He caught her hand, his touch warming her as he guided her through the snow to his truck. “I hope you don’t mind. We need to stop at my place to pick up a few things before we head to the party.”

  “Not a problem.” Rachel climbed in the door he held open for her, sliding into the center seat before pulling her seatbelt in place. “You sure I wasn’t supposed to bring anything?”