wanting in his eyes, all the messages that he was losing control. “I don’t want to hurt…”
“You won’t. You won’t. Come to me…”
Her fingers had every intention of guiding him; as it happened, that wasn’t necessary. Mitch had massively well-developed sexual instincts; she should already have guessed that. His body knew exactly what it wanted and where it wanted to go, and when she felt that probing heat inside the core of her for the first time, she cried out.
“Kay-?”
“It’s fine,” she whispered roughly. “So beautiful, Mitch.”
“I believe…” Mitch cleared his throat. “I believe we just set a track record.” Propped on one elbow, he slowly stroked back the hair on her forehead, over and over. “Not that there’s anything wrong with setting records, but, Kay, I wanted you to-”
“Mitch.” Kay smiled sleepily up at him. “Take a good look, would you? See what a disgracefully satisfied woman looks like.”
His lips curled just slightly as he leaned over to brush a kiss on her lips. His ninetieth in the past twenty minutes. “You look beautiful,” he announced.
She reached up to touch the bristly growth on his cheek with her fingertips. Mitch was having a terrible time meeting her eyes for more than a second at a time. Her very serious man didn’t really want her to see that he’d just discovered Christmas.
“We went too fast. It wasn’t fair to you,” he continued, his mouth pressing a kiss into the hollow of her palm, then dipping down to the tip of her shoulder.
“We might just
“I thought of that.” He suddenly shoved back the covers that he’d tucked protectively around her minutes before. “I still think we went too fast. I didn’t have nearly enough time to savor the feel of you.”
“Didn’t you?”
“I really think-” he kissed the underside of one breast, studied its swollen tip with immense satisfaction, and glanced back up to her eyes with a frown “-that we’d better do it all again. In slow motion this time.”
“Mitch, you
“How’s your allergy, Kay? I’m checking for dizziness. For instance, does this make you dizzy, and this…”
“Why do I have the feeling you’re never going to let me forget that little lie?”
Kay was silent. “Mitch, I…care,” she said softly. “I care so much. I needed to show you that, and I needed to know if you wanted me-”
“How could you possibly have doubted that I wanted you? After seeing you, I’ve been going home to lie in the snow for hours at a time.”
“Have you?” she asked wryly.
“Let’s go back to discussing your allergy. Shrimp, wasn’t it? And the symptoms were alternate hot flashes and chills, followed by a weak feeling and dizziness. Now, if we try to duplicate those symptoms…”
“Mitch, we have to eat.”
“Why?”
“This way lies starvation,” she explained patiently. “Think of blueberry pancakes, drowning in syrup. Think of a steaming cup of coffee, and cinnamon rolls just out of the oven-”
“And I’m going to make every one of those things for you,” Mitch promised gravely, “in just a little bit.”
“Good Lord, the woman’s still in bed at one in the afternoon. What is this laziness all about?”
Kay opened one sleepy eye and groaned.
“The pancakes died,” he informed her. “I held the last rites over the garbage disposal. But scrambled eggs I could manage, and the cinnamon rolls are warm-at least on the outside.” Mitch set the tray down on her bedside table. Leaning over the bed, he forced the comforter out of her hand and gradually peeled it down to reveal her face. “Who would have guessed you’d turn out to be such an indolent hussy? We’re four hours late for our skating date.”
“What a terribly
“Open your eyes. Come on, you can do it.”
“I can’t.”
“Trust me, you can.” He waved the steaming cup of coffee in front of her nose to tantalize her nostrils. “You know the old proverb about early to bed and early to rise? I think we’ve blown it.”
“I think you’re right.”
“So much for health, wealth and wisdom.” He plumped up the pillow behind her, forced her limp frame up against it, set the tray on her lap and perched on the side of her bed, watching her with the air of the cat that caught the canary.
There was really a very silly grin on his face.
She expected there was an equally silly grin on hers. Every inch of her body felt utterly, thoroughly
The first time, yes, had been fast. What can you expect from a keg of dynamite? And just maybe there’d been a hint of awkwardness; Mitch had been far too concerned about hurting her, so very worried she would guess he was a virgin…
And she had loved every moment, savoring the man’s innate capacity for loving, his tenderness, the explosive richness he brought to intimacy. The second time she’d soared past ecstasy, but it was still the first time she would always remember.
For the rest, he was the fastest learner she’d ever met. A prodigy. And he was looking disgracefully proud of himself for producing an exhausted woman propped up against pillows, who undoubtedly was going to walk as if she’d spent the past five years riding a horse.
No one, by contrast, had the right to look that energetic and virile after a night without sleep. He’d showered; his hair was still damp. And he must have used her razor, because there was a tiny nick just below his chin.
She set down her cup and stared back at him. A wave a love filled her up, bubbled over. She shoved aside the tray, crawled over to Mitch on her knees and assaulted him. When he crashed flat on his back, she straddled his ribs and waggled a forefinger in front of his nose. “I’ll take you skating,” she said severely, “only if
“Ah. Here come the threats of a violent woman.”
“If you
“You do that,” Mitch advised. Long brown fingers closed around her hips as he glanced down. “You know, this is a potentially very interesting position…”
“That’s
