His hard ridge bulged in the confines of his jeans, and she moved against it. But when she started to loosen the button at his waistband, he guided her hands away. Not to be deterred, she went to work frantically on her own jeans then, but he closed his hands around hers and stopped her again.
What was he doing? Frustration catapulted her into a sitting position, her eyes only inches from his. She used the most threatening tone she could conjure up through her erratic breathing. “If you stop now, Brennan, you’re a dead man.”
His eyes narrowed, but she caught the slight twitch of his mouth at one end. “I’m not stopping. Just slowing down. It’s been too long to rush through this.”
His words warmed her, yet also chilled her. They had waited a long time for this…this one, last time.
Her brain advised her to slow down and make it last, but her body resisted the delay. She pressed herself to him, absorbing his heat, catching his fire, shaking her head in protest. He nodded in response and languidly lowered his mouth to hers.
This kiss was deeper than the first. He seemed not to notice her pitiful whimpers as his tongue swept her mouth again and again.
His chest had grown more powerful through the years, bulging with delicious pectorals that added both depth and width—a suit of armor protecting his heart. She understood then that she couldn’t get through even if she wanted to—which she didn’t. This would be sex and only sex. She’d promised. She relaxed, and he seemed to sense the surrender. Only then did he release her mouth.
“That’s better.” His breath was warm against her ear as he rocked her slowly, holding her like a treasure.
She nuzzled her lips against his neck. Chance wasn’t a get-set-and-go kid anymore, but a man who had obviously learned a lot over the years. Unbidden and alarming jealousy ripped through her at the thought. Jealousy of every woman he’d ever touched. She gritted her teeth, panting her way through the renegade thought and back to logic.
Might as well enjoy what they taught him. It’s only for this one last time.
His knuckles brushed the side of her face, bringing her breathing down to a soft purr. “You’re beautiful, Kyn. I thought you were hot at eighteen, but now…” The way he stroked the valley between her breasts with the back of his fingers completed his unspoken thought. She fought to remain still, letting his touch move through her. But when his fingers dipped below the waistband of her jeans, she writhed in agony. “Chance—”
His mouth closed down on hers, his tongue countering her exclamation as his fingers undid her jeans and dipped farther. She wriggled in an attempt to move his hand deeper than the just-below-the-navel position it held.
“Uh-uh-uh.” He pulled his hand out. “Slow down, babe.”
She closed her eyes and sucked in a ragged breath as he brushed his fingers through her hair.
“We don’t have anywhere to go. We can make this last all night if we want.”
His soothing strokes brought her out of her frenzy and calmed her to the point that she could focus on what he said. “Mmm. You can go all night?”
He gave a sensuous chuckle that tingled the base of her spine. “One of the more useful things I learned at Hah-vahd.”
She smiled at his gentle tease and traced her finger down the curve of his face. “Touché.”
“Touché, indeed.” He turned his face and kissed her finger. “I intend to touché you. All over. Now, stand up.” She couldn’t stand completely upright, but he helped her, positioning himself on his knees in front of her. “Put your hands on my shoulders and balance on your good leg.”
He slipped her jeans and thong down over her hips, planting kisses on each new patch of exposed skin. She shivered at the thrilling contradiction: her cool skin, his hot mouth.
When the jeans dropped around her ankles, he sat back on his heels, allowing his gaze to roam over her unabashedly. Like a champion claiming the winner’s cup, he planted a kiss on her navel.
Where his mouth grazed, a coil of heat centered and moved outward. “Oh, yeah,” she moaned, encouraging him to go lower. Instead, he went to work unlacing the hiking boot on her good foot.
“Bend over my shoulder,” he instructed.
The position was a new one to her, but if it meant relief from this torture, she was more than willing to experiment. She couldn’t contain