He unfastened his belt buckle and popped open the button on his pants, but when he noticed she was lifting her top over her head, he stopped to watch. Inch by gorgeous inch, her naked torso came into view. He stopped breathing as the pale blue fabric rode up over the lower curve of her breasts. And then suddenly her dusky nipples appeared and his mouth went dry.
As soon as she’d stripped the shirt off, he encircled her tiny waist with his hands and drew her toward him. She hummed joyously as his mouth came down over hers. Her fingers skimmed over his shoulders and sank into his hair, tugging fiercely as her lips parted beneath his to allow the thrust of his tongue.
Her hardened nipples raked his chest, her passion driving his desire even higher. He stroked his palms up her back, feeling her muscles shift beneath her silky skin. Leaving one hand to delve into the satin curtain of her hair, he sent his other down her spine to the small of her back. She shivered and moaned as he delicately caressed the indents on either side of her spine, before sliding his hand beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms and cupping her bare butt.
“Linc.” His name broke from her lips as he kissed his way down her neck to the sensitive hollow of her throat. “That feels incredible.”
“I haven’t begun to make you feel incredible yet,” he replied, determined to rein in his lust so he could make this a night she’d never forget.
“Pretty much everything you do is wonderful.”
“It feels like you set the bar too low.”
“I don’t want to put any pressure on you.”
Her lopsided smile set him on fire, but it was the sudden flash of shyness he glimpsed that enabled him to calm down.
“How long has it been for you?” he asked, wanting to take things slow and make it perfect for her. She deserved to be cherished and that was what he intended to do.
She bit her lip and thought about it. “Since the night Honey was conceived?”
Wondering if that was guilt flickering in her eyes, Linc did the math. Almost three years. Damn. The knowledge that he would be the first man to have her since her husband cooled his ardor somewhat. Instinctively, he knew he wasn’t competing with the man, but how could she help but compare them?
Her palms framed his face, bringing him back to the moment. “Tonight, there’s only you and me.”
It didn’t surprise Linc that she had a knack for reading his mind. From the beginning, she’d anticipated his needs. Sometimes it was disturbing, but mostly he enjoyed the hell out of it. Once, he’d seen a three-foot-tall tiger displayed in a toy store window and pictured her buying it for Honey, just to see if he and Claire were communicating telepathically. And two weeks later, she’d bought her daughter a stuffed cat. Granted, it wasn’t the three-foot-tall tiger, but she definitely picked up on the vibe he’d been sending.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve never had a threesome.”
She paused in the act of sliding her fingers along his abdomen and hit him with a dry look. “Never?”
Despite her doubting tone, Linc spied hope in her expression and promised never to do anything that would erase her faith in him.
“You say that as if you think I’m some sort of player.”
“Not a player,” she corrected. “But you are a sports star. Women must throw themselves at you all the time. I imagine you’ve had plenty of opportunities.”
“Oh, I’ve been approached, but I like my women one at a time. It gives me an opportunity to focus all my attention on what gives them the most pleasure.” He gave her butt a little squeeze and heard her light gasp. “You’ll find I like to be very thorough.”
She ran her finger down his fly. “No more of that until I get your pants off.”
“Let me take care of that for you.” He brushed her fingers aside and slid his zipper down.
As much as he’d enjoyed the glancing contact of her hands on his erection through two layers of clothing, more than anything he wanted to feel her skin sliding along his hardened length. But it was much too early for that. He slipped off his pants but kept on his boxer briefs.
“Three years is a long time,” he murmured, sliding his fingertips beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms and carefully easing them down her hips. “I’m going to take things slowly. We have no need to rush.”
As the cool air touched more of her skin, Claire gasped and her trembling increased. Linc coaxed her onto her back and skimmed her cotton pants off her legs. He drank his fill of her naked body, gaze skimming over her small breasts and flat stomach. The indent of her waist and her long, slender legs. How had he not realized how beautifully put together she was?
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice sounding rusty from disuse.
“Just about perfect,” he replied, settling onto the bed and moving between her thighs. “I want to kiss every inch of you, but right now I need to start here.”
“Are...are you sure?” she stammered as he leaned forward and gave her one long lick. “Oh, yes,” she moaned, answering her own question.
He went back for a second taste, liking the way her flavor filled his mouth and her sexy groans caressed his ears. She wasn’t quiet, and her unsteady exclamations of pleasure drove him on. It didn’t take him long to figure out exactly what she liked. He debated urging her into a fast orgasm or letting one build until she was out of her mind.
In the end, what decided him was the three years she’d gone without making love. As much as he wanted this moment embedded in her psyche forever, he knew how he’d feel if he’d been celibate that long. As it was, Claire was the first woman he’d
