Standing in the Shadows (McClouds & Friends #2)(43)

"Oh, my," she gasped. "Really?"

He nodded. "Turn around."

She was startled at the abrupt command. "What?"

He cupped the curve of her bottom. "Your ass drives me crazy. Turn around, right here. In front of the mirror. I want to look at it."

It was ridiculous, after all the bold lengths she'd gone to, but her face still burned. "I… but it's, ah, too big. Cindy's always giving me Buns of Steel videos for Christmas as a joke, and I—"

"Cindy can weld her scrawny buns into steel if she wants. I like a round, beautiful ass like yours. You're the one who took your clothes off for me, Erin. I've been sneaking guilty peeks at your ass for years. Now's my chance to get a good, long look. So turn around. Now."

She did not miss the command hidden beneath the lazy sensual tone. And he was right. This had been her idea. She turned her back to him.

He clasped her waist, and pushed her forward gently. She swayed and caught herself on the low table. She stared straight into the mirror, back arched, bottom sticking out. Her face was bright pink.

Connor smiled, a hot, predatory smile that made the muscles of her thighs clench. The pose he had put her in was an explicit invitation.

He was testing her. Her arms trembled. She didn't move. She would not chicken out. No way. She'd come this far.

His hands slid lower, worshiping every curve, caressing her inner thighs and brushing boldly over the fuzz of hair that hid her sex. He pulled her up, and back against him, his arm tight around her belly, his erection pressed against her bottom. "You make it so hard to do the right thing," he muttered.

She struggled to concentrate. "The right thing? What is that?"

"To not touch you," he growled. "I bullied you into this whole thing. Seducing you puts me deep into dickhead territory."

"Wait a minute, here. Who is seducing who? Who gets the credit for this, Mr. Connor Do-The-Right-Thing-At-All-Costs McCloud?"

"That's not the point."

She lifted her chin. "I think it is the point. You're pathetically misguided about what the right thing is, Connor."

His lips quirked. "Is that right?"

"The right thing is for you to satisfy my carnal desires," she said. "That is the only honorable response to this situation."

An appreciative grin spread slowly over his face. "Wow. My dream Erin would never have said a thing like that, either."

"Good-bye, dream Erin. Hello, real Erin. Get used to it."

"Oh, I'm adjusting," he assured her. "You took me by surprise at first, but I'm getting used to the hardcore Erin real quick." He cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers. "Just look at these tits," he murmured. "Wet dream material. So? Tell me your carnal desires, sweetheart. I stand ready to serve, in any way."

She hesitated, and decided that pretending she knew what she was doing would be too stressful. "I'm not quite sure where I want to go from here," she admitted. "I was hoping you might have some ideas."

He snorted. "Oh, I know exactly where I want to go from here. Only problem is, I've got no condoms."

Her eyes widened. She had completely forgotten that small but essential detail.

"I wasn't looking to score with you when I drove down here," he said roughly. "I didn't even let myself consider it. I cannot believe that I have a chance to make love to you, and I've blown it."

She hesitated, biting her lip. "Couldn't we just… do it anyway?" she asked. "I've heard that if the man stops in time, that—"

"Theoretically, sure."

She rushed on, eager to get the thought out while it was still intact. "My period is as regular as clockwork, and it ended night before last, so I'm probably not—"

"Probably being the key word. Erin, I'm so turned on, I'm lucky if I don't come in my pants right now just looking at you. You can't ask me not to come inside you. Not the first time, anyway, and probably not the second time, either. Because I can't promise it."

Another thought occurred to her. "I'm sorry, I should've said this sooner. If you're thinking about being safe, I can tell you my sexual history in about a minute, and everything I've done has always been with a condom, so—"

"No, Erin. Actually, that was the last thing on my mind," he said gently. "But since we're on the subject, I always made a point of being safe, too. And I tested negative on my last physical, which was before the coma, and all that. And I haven't been with anyone since long before then. So, uh… just so you know."

"Thanks," she murmured. "That's a very long time." Not as long as her own spell of celibacy, of course, but she was a special case. "So, we could do, urn, other things, couldn't we?"

His smile was slow, sexy, merciless. "Oh yeah? What things?"

"Oh, there are lots of possibilities." She tried to sound casual.

"Name them for me," he said softly. "Tell me your favorites."

Her eyes dropped. "I can't," she whispered.

He pulled her against him. "That's about what I figured."

She hid her face against his chest. He didn't feel like he was losing interest just because she was shy and inexpert, judging by the hot bulge pressed against her belly. That was promising.