Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)(38)
“I haven’t figured that out yet.”
* * *
ANNABELLE WATCHED SHANE watching her. He looked good, standing there. Tall and male, his hair still damp from a recent shower. She read the intent in his eyes and knew why he’d come by.
It would be so easy to tell him no. To simply say she was busy and go back inside. He was the kind of man who would accept her polite no. If that was what she wanted.
There were a hundred reasons not to give in. At least a dozen scenarios that would result in having her heart broken, her life disrupted and her living with regret for a long time to come. But she also knew that Shane had a good heart. And if she never took a chance with another guy, especially one who made her knees weak from his kindness and from raw desire, where would she be? Stuck in the same rut.
The man was her personal fantasy. Was one night really so bad? So dangerous? Surely she was strong enough to understand what was happening and deal with the consequences.
She turned and walked back into the house, leaving the door open behind her. Once she’d crossed the threshold, she had a quick decision to make. She doubted there would be much idle chit-chat once he followed.
She paused in her living room, then decided there was no reason to be subtle.
She walked down the short hallway to her bedroom. It was still light out and the afternoon was warm. She pulled the shades closed, flipped on the air conditioner, then turned to pull down the covers on her bed. Only she never got that far.
Shane stood behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, then turned her toward him. She went easily, willingly. Their gazes locked for a single heartbeat, then he was pulling her close or she was surging forward. She wasn’t sure which and it really didn’t matter. Not when he kissed her.
His lips were firm yet gentle, taking and offering equally. Anticipation sweetened the moment as she kissed him back, moving her mouth against his. His arms came around her, holding her tight. Safe.
She rose on tiptoe, wanting to press herself against him. He was all hard muscles and warm body.
He kept the kiss chaste, then drifted to her cheek, then her jaw. He nibbled his way down her neck, exciting her with each contact of lips and teeth. Goose bumps broke out on her skin as heat began to pour through her.
He reached her collarbone, then retraced his steps, finding the sensitive skin behind her ear. He nipped the lobe and then licked that spot, before returning his attention to her mouth.
She parted the second she felt him kiss her again. He swept his tongue inside, circling, tracing, teasing. She met him stroke for stroke, feeling her stomach clench and wanting so much more than just a kiss.
As if he’d read her mind, he began to move his hands up and down her back. They slipped under her T-shirt and she felt strong fingers against her spine. He paused at the curve of her hips, then slid down until he cupped her butt.
Both hands squeezed gently. She sank into him, letting her br**sts nestle against his chest, her tummy pressed against his erection.
She pressed her fingers into his shoulders, hanging on as her legs trembled slightly. Wanting made her insides melt and swell. She knew that whatever happened later, there was no way she could have resisted Shane. Not after that first kiss. That first touch. She was practically quivering with need and he’d barely gotten to first base.
He drew back from their kiss and stared into her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
Sex talk, she thought. Not that it wasn’t nice. “I have freckles.”
His mouth turned up in a slow smile. “I look forward to discovering them. One by one.”
She shivered. “Me, too.”
He wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted. She shrieked as her feet came off the ground, then hung on tightly to his neck.
He held her securely, still smiling that sexy smile. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing her center in direct contact with his arousal. Hard to soft. Aggressive to yielding. He shifted his hands to her butt, holding her in place. Their eyes locked, she rocked against him.
Her breath caught. His escaped with a hiss. Heat flared in his eyes. She rocked again, pushing harder, wishing there weren’t the layers of clothes. Wanting to be naked with him touching her everywhere. Wanting him inside of her, riding her harder, faster, until she had no choice but to surrender and be taken.
“Shane,” she breathed.
He was already on the move.
Still holding her, he crossed the distance to the bed in two easy steps. He lowered her to the mattress. The second she was sitting, he released her and jerked up her T-shirt. She raised her arms, wanting to help him undress her. The shirt went flying.
Her bra followed, then he was easing her onto her back. His mouth found hers in a deep kiss even as his hands settled on her curves.
He rubbed every inch of her br**sts before taking her tight ni**les between his fingers. The tandem ministrations made it difficult to concentrate on anything but how good he made her feel. He kissed her over and over before breaking away and bending down to take her left nipple in his mouth.
The hot, wet kiss left her breathless. She gasped as he sucked in her sensitive flesh and caressed her with his tongue. She ran her hands up and down his back, then tugged on his T-shirt so she could feel skin rather than fabric.
He straightened enough to pull off the T-shirt, then kicked off his boots and pulled off socks. Her shorts and bikini panties followed in one quick tug, leaving her bare. Before she could blink, he was on his knees, his hands parting her thighs and his mouth against her in an unexpected but intimate kiss.