Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)(72)

He lowered her to the bed, stretching out next to her. She shifted closer, wanting to feel all of his body. Their hands began to explore. She traced his arm, then shifted to his shoulders. Thick muscles moved under her fingers.

He rolled her onto her back and stared down at her. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Glen always told me never to believe what a man says when he has an erection.”

Rafe gave her a slow, sexy smile. “Then I’ll tell you again in the morning.”

“Maybe I’ll believe you in the morning.”

“What do you believe now?”

“That you want me.”

“It’s a good start,” he murmured, before lightly kissing his way down her jaw to her neck.

The warmth of his mouth created mini-explosions of fireworks along her sensitized skin. She felt constricted by her clothing and hungry for what would come next. She wanted more than the delicate dance of arousal. She wanted him in her, riding her, taking her hard and fast until she had no choice but to lose control. She wanted to be swept away.

Deciding that a direct, if nonverbal, message was best, she reached between them and unfastened his belt. He lifted his head and stared at her.

“You’re telling me to move it along?”

“I’m suggesting you go get condoms and return to me naked.”

“A woman with a plan. I respect that.”

He gave her one more quick kiss and left her room. In the time it took her to pull back her covers, fluff the pillows and reach for the hem of her T-shirt, he was back.

He’d removed his boots and socks, and his shirt was open, as were his jeans.

A man who listens, she thought happily, walking toward him. A rare and precious find.

She took the small box of condoms from him and dropped it on the nightstand, then slowly drew off her T-shirt. With his gaze locked on hers, she stepped out of her jeans. A muscle twitched in his jaw. His hands curled into fists and his erection flexed against his briefs.

Heidi didn’t consider herself especially pretty or sexy. She was a fairly average woman. But at this moment, with Rafe’s breathing getting more rapid and his eyes dilating, she felt like the most sexual creature on the planet.

She reached behind herself for the hooks on her bra, but was careful to keep her arms tightly at her side, so it didn’t fall. When the hooks were undone, she grabbed the center of her bra and gave a little tug, exposing more of her br**sts, but not all. His breath hissed.

She didn’t have a plan for the rest of her striptease, but it turned out not to matter. Before she could even toss the bra away, he’d reached for her. He ripped the bra from her fingers, lowered his head and drew her left nipple into his mouth. He licked and sucked like a desperate man. He teased her other breast with his fingers, and used his free hand to squeeze her butt. The sensual assault had her arching against him, an act that brought her crotch in contact with his groin.

Soft met hard. Her hunger exploded and she felt herself spiraling out of control. She put her hand on his chin to raise his head, then kissed him. As she plunged her tongue into his mouth, she pressed her hand against his belly. She moved lower, sliding under his briefs, then rubbed the impressive length of him. She circled the tip of him, feeling the soft skin sheathing the flexing strength below.

Touching him like this, intimately, aroused her. She felt her blood pounding with every heartbeat. Between her legs, she was already swollen and aching. Foreplay was all fine and good, but right now she wanted more. She wanted him.

“Rafe,” she breathed, and nipped his lower lip.

Apparently it was the signal he’d been waiting for. Without warning, he swept her up in his arms and lowered her onto the mattress. He ripped off her panties, jerked down his jeans, taking his briefs with them, and settled between her thighs on the bed.

He bent down, as if to kiss her intimately. She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him.

“I want you inside me,” she pleaded. “Just do that. Please.”

Indecision darkened his eyes. She appreciated his concern about getting her over the top. Another excellent quality in a man.

“I’m ready,” she whispered. “Trust me.”

He straightened and grabbed a condom. When he’d put it on, she reached between them and guided him inside.

He filled her with a slow, steady thrust. She arched toward him, taking all of him, feeling her body shudder with pleasure as nerve endings quivered. This was what she wanted, she thought, as she sucked in air. What she needed.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Don’t hold back.” She wrapped her legs around his hips for emphasis. “Please.”

He braced himself on either side of her. She rested her hands on his shoulders and gave a little pulse to urge him on.

He withdrew, only to push in again. He went deep, moving a little faster than the time before. The action was repeated. She let her eyes sink closed as she lost herself in the sensations of the rhythm of their lovemaking.

With each thrust, she felt an answering throb low in her belly. Muscles tensed. She moved with him, pulling him closer, arching her back as she absorbed all he offered. In and out, their sensual dance continued. Their breathing increased. Her skin grew more sensitized. Every cell in her body focused on that point of contact, on the feel of him. Fiction and fantasy. The primal act of joining.

Faster and faster until she was gasping, straining. Her muscles began to quiver from the tension and then they released.