“Okay. I can do that.”
“Can you, Clay? Can you really?”
He nodded eagerly. “Of course I can.”
“Then show me. Do something that will make us both happy.”
“Don’t you have guests coming in an hour and a half?”
Boundaries. Limitations. Rules. The man was so damn preoccupied with everything that wouldn’t allow them to enjoy each other. “Stop telling me no, Clay. I just want to hear you say yes.”
A knowing smile slowly rolled across Clay’s tempting lips. “Let me figure out how many ways I can say it.” He reached for her hair, gently combing through the strands about her ear. He trailed his fingers along her jaw, sending goose bumps racing over the surface of her skin. That right there was the reason she always wanted Clay to say yes to her—there was no match for the thrill of his touch. He caressed her lower lip with his thumb, lifting her chin. She smiled as she snaked his arm around her waist, tugged her hard against his firm body.
This was going to happen again and she hoped to hell this time wouldn’t be the last.
Clay had wanted this moment since they’d left LA. He’d just been too conflicted to admit it. And now that it was hurtling at him, getting Astrid into bed wasn’t happening fast enough. His pants were so tight he wasn’t sure how he was still breathing, let alone still upright. He had to have her, body and soul, now. Heat raged inside him, his erection already fierce and insistent.
She walked backward to the bed, pulling him along with her. He grabbed the hem of her sweater and lifted it above her head. It felt as though he was revealing his reward, a prize he wanted all for himself. He kissed her and unhooked her bra, admiring her beautiful breasts before giving them a squeeze. Her eyes drifted shut halfway, and the pure ecstasy of her expression made him want to do that to her again and again. He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her legs, stopping to kneel before her, gazing up at the beautiful length of her body.
He dotted her belly with soft, openmouthed kisses as he tugged her panties past her hips. “Lie down, Astrid.” He stood as she climbed onto the bed and stretched out before him.
“What about you? You need to take your clothes off.”
He did. He really did need to do that, but his mouth and hands were telling him to wait just one more minute. He placed one knee on the bed and gathered her wrists in one hand, raising her arms up above her head. “Are you alright?” he asked, stealing a kiss.
“Perfect,” she replied.
He lowered his mouth to one of her breasts, her velvety skin nearly melting into his touch, conforming to his lips. Her nipples were tight and pert, and every time he touched them, her skin flooded with warmth.
He stood. “Don’t move. Keep your hands where they are.”
A gorgeous smile spread across her lips as she wriggled in place on the bed. He shucked his shirt, pants and boxers, watching her as she watched him.
“You’re magnificent with no clothes on. You know that, right?” she asked.
“I’d say the exact same thing of you.” He’d never craved a woman the way he did her, as if he could spend the rest of his life exploring her and he’d never stop learning and admiring. He stood with his knees pressed against the side of the bed and lifted her leg, holding her ankle, trailing the back of his other hand along the creamy skin of her inner thigh. He knew they were on a strict timetable here, but it was impossible to not want to take his time. “Can we call your doorman and tell him not to let anyone else up to your apartment?”
“You’re terrible.”
He bounced his eyebrows up and down. “I hope not.” He again placed a knee on the mattress, and bracketed her hips with his legs, reaching up with one hand and holding her wrists in place above her head. His heart was in his throat, knowing he had her under his control. With every passing second, with every pump of blood through his body, she further occupied his heart. She could have had absolutely anything from him. Absolutely anything.
He shifted above her, lowering his head and kissing her deeply, then moving to her jaw, her slender throat, and then kissed the tender undersides of her breasts, coaxing breaths out of her. He traveled down her, milling with his lips, the kisses becoming deeper and longer. She sucked in a sharp breath when he palmed her thighs and spread her legs wide. Then he kissed her apex and he seized control again, exploring her most delicate places with his tongue and lips. He knew what he was doing, but he still loved hearing her reaction to it, the way her breaths stopped and started.
Her hips bucked off the bed as his tongue traveled in circles. She dug her hands into his hair. “That feels so amazing, but I need you. Right now. I need you to make love to me.”
He took a few more passes, just enough to show her how dedicated he was to making sure she enjoyed this, then he pressed his lips against her lower stomach. “Do you have a condom?”
She nodded. “I do. In the drawer of the bedside table.”
He found the box, which was unopened, and removed one of the foil packets.
“Let me do it,” she said, scooting to the edge of the bed.
“Please. Be my guest.” He handed it over, standing before her, the tension in his hips and groin almost impossible to take.
She wrapped her fingers around his length and stroked firmly, looking up at him, her gaze locked on his. Heat didn’t merely
