the elastic. The scrap of fabric fell and she stepped out of it.
Naked except for her shoes, she stood before him. She expected him to lead her to the bedroom. Instead he stunned her by dropping to his knees in front of her. He reached between her legs and gently parted her, then bent toward her and kissed her intimately.
It was a kiss unlike any other, she thought, her eyelids sinking closed as perfect pleasure swept through her. The hot, warm friction of his tongue on that one sensitive spot made her tremble. She had to hold on to his shoulder to keep from falling. Over and over he stroked her, licking that single place again and again.
The steady pace caused her to tense. He seemed to know exactly where and how often and just the right pressure. She had trouble breathing. She wanted to part her legs and press against him, but told herself to stay in control. Only, control seemed impossible.
Back and forth, back and forth, he moved his tongue against her. Her muscles tightened, she strained toward a heat, a force she couldn’t understand and didn’t want to stop. Her heart pounded in her chest. Then he slid one finger between her legs, pushing into her and rubbing her from the inside in perfect rhythm with his tongue.
Her climax exploded without warning. She opened her legs wider, wanting to feel all of it. The pleasure flooded her, making it difficult to stay standing. Her body shook and trembled, her legs threatened to give way. She called out his name and hung on as the pleasure slowly faded.
She’d barely found her way back to normal when he stood and swept her up in his arms. No one had carried her before, but she was too boneless to do anything but hang on.
He took her to the other side of the condo, into a large master suite. Light spilled in from the hallway. She had a brief impression of a large bed, a fireplace and more tall windows, although these were covered. He lowered her to the bed.
Somewhere along the way, she’d lost her shoes. Naked, she sat up to watch him quickly undress. When he pulled off his shirt, she saw the muscles she’d only felt before. He was as big and powerful as she’d imagined. He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks, then removed his pants and briefs in one quick movement.
His erection was impressive and a little scary. He pulled a box of condoms out of the dresser drawer, then slid next to her on the bed. But instead of going into his arms, she sat up so she could look at him. She put a hand on his chest and felt the sculpted muscles there. She traced the length of his thigh, smiling as his arousal jumped slightly as she moved by without touching. She explored the hair angling down his belly and ran her fingers along the outline of his six-pack.
Once again she was aware of his physical power. That he could crush her without breaking a sweat. She looked into his eyes, then reached for his erection and stroked the length of him. His mouth curved in a satisfied male smile.
“Want to be on top?” he asked.
“Next time.”
What she really wanted was to feel him over her, moving in her. She wanted to run her fingers across his shoulders and arms, reveling in the force and power of him.
Without warning, he shifted. Suddenly he was kneeling over her and she was on her back. He put on the condom, then eased open her thighs.
She reached down to guide him in. He pushed into her, moving slowly, steadily, stretching her, filling her until the pressure was beyond exquisite. He braced himself and thrust in her again.
She lost herself in the sensation of him inside her. She gave herself over to their lovemaking, wrapping her legs around his hips and hanging on for the ride. Happy nerve endings came to life again. She’d wanted to watch his face as he got closer, but found her eyes slipping closed as the pleasure filled her, taking her beyond where she’d ever been before.
Seven
Duncan stood by the coffeemaker. He’d already showered and dressed. On a normal morning, he would have left for work by now. But nothing about this morning was normal.
Annie had spent the night.
There were several problems with that statement. Usually he preferred to be at the woman’s place so he could control when he left. But between the twins, Kami and what he would guess was a small, girly bedroom, his place made more sense. There was also the fact that last night hadn’t exactly been planned. When he and Annie had set up their deal, he’d promised her he wasn’t interested in sex. Apparently he’d been lying.
While making love with her had been pretty damned great, he was concerned about what happened next. Annie wasn’t like his usual women, nor was she the affair type. Would she read too much into what had happened between them? Would she expect things? He also didn’t want her to get hurt.
He heard footsteps in the hall. She walked into the kitchen, wearing the same cocktail dress she’d had on the night before. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her face free of makeup. She looked pretty and innocent and not at all the woman who had surrendered so passionately just a few hours before.
“You’re looking tense,” she said as she picked up one of the mugs he’d left on the counter and poured coffee. “Afraid I’m expecting a proposal?”
Shocked, he quickly said, “No.” Proposal? As in…
She smiled. “I was thinking that a simple ceremony would be best, under the circumstances. The twins and Kami will want to be bridesmaids, of course.”
He’d thought she might be confused or upset or even embarrassed. He’d been wrong on all three counts. It had been a long time since a woman had surprised him in a good way.
He crossed to her and took her free hand in his. “Will you wear white, my darling?”
She sighed. “I was trying to make you nervous.”
“I was playing along.”
“You were supposed to be scared.”
He kissed her. “Maybe next time.” He released her hand.
“You’re too in control of every situation,” she complained, then sipped her coffee. “While you were snoring away, I had to stumble through a conversation with Jenny, trying to explain why I wasn’t coming home without mentioning the fact that we’d had sex.”
He looked at her. “Why would she have to know anything?”
“Because everyone would have noticed my empty bed and been worried.”
“Life is easier without family.”
“You’re too cynical. One phone call is a small price to pay for having the girls in my life and don’t pretend you don’t understand that.”
He did understand but didn’t agree the price was worth it.
She smiled. “Now you have the thrill of them knowing about your sex life.”
Something he could have lived without. Not that he didn’t like the girls, but didn’t this fall under the category of too much information? “Tell me they didn’t ask any questions,” he muttered.
“Only if you’d used a condom.”
Annie kept her chin high as she spoke, but he saw the flush on her cheeks. She was an interesting combination of shy and determined, bossy and yielding.
“What did you say?”
She cleared her throat. “I said you had… All three times.”
He held in a grin. “And?”
“Jenny hung up.”
They laughed together.
Annie looked good in the morning light. The riot of still-damp curls seemed to glow, like a halo. Her mouth was full, her cheeks still pink. Hers was a quiet beauty, he thought. One that would age well. She would be even more striking in her fifties. If he’d met her before he’d met Valentina, he would have been intrigued by the possibilities. Or maybe not. Maybe the appeal of the bad girl would have been too strong. Maybe he’d needed to be burned to learn his lesson.
