had picked up the meal, but she wanted the restaurant's phone number. Not that she'd been able to eat that much. She continued to be in shock, first by the fact that she'd blurted out bondage would be required for her to have sex and second because Alex hadn't run screaming into the night at the thought.
She knew he could be dangerous to her. Now she had a bad feeling she was in way over her head.
They sat on the sofa in his great room. The lights were low, the music seductive, the man irresistible. Hmm, she might have a problem here. So what was she going to do about it?
Before she could make a decision, mature or not, he put his hand on the back of her neck. Just a light touch, fingers barely grazing her skin. Yet goose bumps broke out on her arms and she found herself wanting to shift so she could rub against him.
She turned to him and found him closer than she'd realized. Close enough that leaning in and kissing him made all the sense in the world.
His mouth was an impossible combination of firm and soft. It was a perfect mouth for kissing and maybe other things, she thought, imagining how it would feel to have him press his lips to her everywhere.
He slid his hand up the back of her neck until his fingers threaded through her hair. He put his other hand on her waist. Again, a light touch, nothing demanding. Just tempting… very tempting.
She strained to get closer, which was probably his plan all along. To make her want him so much that making love would be her idea rather than his. Smart man.
Despite the gentle brush of his tongue against her lower lip, she drew back.
'Alex, I…' She stared into his dark eyes. Fire burned there. Hot fire that made her want to be swallowed in the flames. 'I really want to do this.'
'Good. Me, too.'
'There are complications.'
'I have condoms.'
'What? Oh, not that, although I appreciate that you're willing to use them. I meant us. Who we are. The fact that our lives are oddly intertwined. My hideous past.'
He smiled at her, then kissed her again. 'I'm totally open to your terms.'
That took her a second. 'My terms?' Then she shrieked. 'Bondage. Are you saying bondage?'
'You're the one who wanted to tie me up.'
'If you have velvet handcuffs in your night-stand, I am so out of here.'
'Ties,' he said as he kissed her again. 'Really nice ties. Silk.'
His teasing felt almost as good as his mouth. She gave herself over to his kiss, letting desire sweep through her, the heat of it melting away lingering good sense.
Alex was so much of what she wanted and nearly nothing she didn't. He was single, funny, open to new experiences and interested in her. He cared about his family, did the right thing, respected vows and hadn't cheated on his wife. He'd also never been a priest. All pluses.
He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close. She sank into him, loving the feel of his hard body against hers. She put her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the kiss, parting for him, letting him sweep her away. She needed a good sweeping away.
She let her body sink into his, enjoying the differences a man brought to the table… or the bed. She liked how he was all hard planes and jutting arousal. She liked how her insides got squishy and wet in response. She liked imagining what it would be like to make love to him.
He swept his tongue across hers, exploring, pushing, taking. Then he pulled away from her mouth and began kissing his way along her jaw. He nipped, then licked, making her gasp. He nibbled his way down her neck, pausing to suck on her earlobe. When he dipped lower, along the V of her sweater, she had the sudden thought that she should have worn something much lower cut.
He shifted so he was stretched out on the sofa and she was on top of him. The position gave her the feeling of being in charge, which she liked.
'It's warm in here,' he murmured as he tugged at the hem of her top. 'You must be hot.'
'In a thousand different ways,' she joked.
She helped him pull off the sweater, then bent over him, kissing him as he ran his hands up and down her back.
His touch skimmed over her skin, heating her from the inside out. He moved to her rear and cupped the curves. The action made her rub against him.
There were too many layers of clothing for her to feel much, but the pressure of his hardness against her moist, swollen center made her want him.
He eased his hands up to her waist, then around to her back where he unfastened her bra. She pulled it away and bent over him, letting her breasts hang free.
'Hell of a show,' he whispered as he placed his hands on her breasts.
He moved slowly, discovering her curves, teasing her, circling around and around, getting close to her nipples without actually touching them. She nearly whimpered in anticipation. But instead of using his fingers, he raised his upper body and drew her right nipple into his mouth.
He sucked gently, tugging just enough for her to feel the connection to that place between her legs. Her skin puckered, her toes curled. He used his hand on her other breast which was nice, but not nearly as good. Need built inside of her and she began to move back and forth against his arousal, riding him in an attempt to ease her own tension.
He switched to her other breast, sucking and licking and biting just hard enough to make her breath catch.
More, she thought desperately. She needed more.
'Alex.'
He opened his eyes and looked at her. 'We should probably move the party.'
She nodded, then slid off him. She was topless, but not self-conscious. Not when he could barely keep his eyes off her.
They both kicked off their shoes, then he took her hand and led the way down the hallway. As they entered the bedroom, he grabbed a remote that turned on a gas fireplace.
Flames provided enough light for her to see the large bedroom. The furniture was big and masculine and the bed was massive. Then Alex pulled her close and she didn't care about anything but what they were going to do to each other.
He jerked off his sweater and pulled her closer. Bare skin to bare skin, she thought with a sigh. Now that worked for her in a big way.
He unfastened her slacks and pushed them down, along with her panties. Then they were kissing and she stepped out of her clothes and tried to move backward, only she couldn't get her legs to work right, probably because he'd slipped his hand between them.
He explored her, finding that one magic place, then worshipping it with a gentle, rhythmic touch. She moaned, then nipped at his bottom lip.
'You're driving me crazy,' she whispered.
“That would be the point.'
But he released her long enough for her to pull back the covers and scramble onto the bed. She yanked off her socks, then stretched out on the cool sheets.
Alex did a little prep work of his own. He stripped off his clothes in about an eighth of a second and joined her.
'Where were we?' he asked before pulling her close.
She went into his arms, aroused, yet more at ease than she would have thought possible. She was making love with Alex for the first time and didn't feel nervous or apprehensive. What was up with that?
A silly question, she thought as he stroked her breasts. What mattered was how the man made her feel.
He shifted her onto her back and began to kiss his way down her body. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to him, both tensing and relaxing as he brushed his mouth against her belly, her hips, her thighs, before parting her damp curls and kissing her intimately between her legs.
His tongue was warm and sure, stroking her with just enough pressure to make her catch her breath. He
