that.
The image of her leaning on the porch post burned into his brain, hair mussed but not yet wild, eyes hazy and heated, mouth plump from repeated kissing - pretty didn't even begin to cover the way she looked. Her flushed skin called to him, dusky pink from her cheeks down her neck to the point where her open dress revealed the hint of very fancy lingerie. That had been a surprise. Judging from her behavior, Cecilia was practical to a fault. Even the dress she wore today, while feminine and soft, was simple and unadorned. What would make her splurge on what appeared to be ridiculously expensive lingerie? That was a nut he'd look forward to cracking. He rubbed his beard. "I've been called worse," he admitted.
She let out a string of expletives, but didn't move from the post.
"So... you want me?"
She scowled, eyes flashing. "Two can tease, buddy." Her hand hovered over the third button on her dress. Trace flexed his hand, willing himself to stand still and not go all caveman and rip it open all the way so he could devour her tits and maybe the rest of her right there on the porch. But then she did something that shocked him. She caressed herself, fingers lightly fluttering over her nipple before she pinched it. From the flare in her eyes, she pinched hard.
Fucking hell.
His mouth went dry, burned to ash at the sight of her teasing first one, then the other, then both nipples.
"Who wants who now?" she rasped, voice thick with arousal.
He dropped his head, a low rumble erupting from his belly. Jeezus, she was full of surprises. He fucking loved it. "Oh I think we both know the answer to that." He closed the distance between them and placed a hand on her cheek, pulling her mouth to his for a crushing kiss. "We're done playing games," he said against her mouth just before he bent and scooped her into his arms. He spun around, worked the front door open then kicked it shut behind him. He tore his mouth from hers only long enough to register the living room was in complete disarray. What in the hell had she been doing?
He had half a mind to march her ass straight to the kitchen and lay her out on the enormous farm table he remembered seeing, but they'd get to that. He fully intended to make use of every available surface. This time, he wanted to sink into the softness of a bed with her.
"Upstairs," she urged, seeming to read his mind. "On the right, across from the bathroom."
He took the stairs two at a time, and burst into her room relieved to see the bed wasn't a twin. At this point he didn't care, but he rather liked the idea of seeing her spread out on top of the sheets. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. His brain, hell, his body was racing a hundred miles an hour. So fast, his hands shook as he set her on the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees to pull off her boots. He placed a kiss on her ankle, then slowly worked his way up her leg until he reached the hem of her dress.
Trace sat back on his heels, admiring the view as he caressed her thighs. Cecilia's body was curvy and lush, with silky soft skin that heated under his touch. "So beautiful," he murmured, drinking her in. Raising his eyes, he zeroed in on her gaze with a lurch in his chest. She looked untamed, positively wild and overcome. The fire in her eyes shocked him. As he stared, she released the remaining buttons and let her dress fall open, exposing dark nipples pressing against silky mesh panels. Women stripping for him was nothing new. But his response to her was. He swallowed, mouth burning with the need to say something, but no words formed. He was stunned speechless. His heart thudded harder with each second that passed, and before he realized what he was doing, he was pulling at the buttons of his own shirt, wanting to bare himself in the same manner. It had never mattered to him what anyone thought of his body. He was used to having his abs on billboards, or when his movies were at Imax, being literally eighty feet tall. But right now, in the intimacy of this tiny bedroom in the middle of the sticks, he wanted Cecilia to