Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)(49)

“It’s more than a slip. It’s practically magic. But that’s not the point. There’s no way you can get this off me. So I’m going to go into the bathroom and take it off—”

She wasn’t aware of him moving, but one second she was talking and the next she was in his arms and he was kissing her.

It was a good kiss. All lips and tongue. Her determination melted along with the rest of her. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on. He touched her hair, her jaw, then dropped to run his fingers along her spine.

He straightened and looked her up and down.

“Just let me go to the bathroom and I’ll—”

Ford reached for the straps over her shoulders. He pulled them down her arms. The garment peeled away, over her br**sts, her waist, her hips and ended up in a rolled circle at her feet. She stepped out of it.

“Problem solved,” he announced, his voice filled with satisfaction. “Anything else?”

Aside from the fact that he was fully dressed while she was standing there in a bra and very brief panties?

“Uh, not really.”

“Good.”

He nudged her toward the hall. She started walking, aware that he was unbuttoning his shirt as he went. His pants were lost in the doorway, and by the time they reached the bed and she turned around, he was naked. Completely naked.

Isabel stared at the broad shoulders, smooth chest and narrow waist. He was all muscle, with chiseled planes and sculpted lines.

“I welcome comparisons,” he told her.

She laughed. “Fine. Eric was much thinner and shorter than you. Billy had a similar build, but wasn’t as muscled.”

“And the horde?”

“I don’t really remember.”

“Hordes usually make a bigger impression,” he said, reaching for her and drawing her close.

She knew there was some funny reply, but what with being pressed against his naked body, she couldn’t think of it. Not when she didn’t know where to put her hands. There was so much bare skin. And his erect penis was pressing against her belly in a very suggestive manner.

“Relax,” he murmured, pressing his mouth to her jaw and then moving it down her neck.

“Relaxing isn’t my strong suit. Not during...you know.”

He raised his head. “‘You know’? That’s your euphemism?”

“Do you have a better one?”

He nipped her earlobe. “About a dozen. Why are you nervous?”

She found it difficult to think with him kissing her like that. Everywhere he touched, she felt both heat and little sparks. They moved through her, settling in her br**sts before heading south. She wanted to squirm—not to get away but to get closer.

He moved his hands up and down her back. With each pass, his fingers dipped lower. She found herself anticipating him touching her butt, which was strange, but she was going to go with it.

“Isabel?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you nervous?”

“We’re going to have sex. I’m not very good at it.”

The words came out involuntarily and she winced. Ford raised his head and looked at her.

“You mentioned that and I don’t believe it.”

“Nice of you to say, but you have no actual proof. I don’t think it was good with Billy.”

“Your first time and not your fault.”

“And it wasn’t very fun with Eric.”

His dark gaze never wavered. “The being-gay thing could have something to do with that.”

“I don’t like it that much.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s find out why.”

Before she could figure out what he had in mind, he’d basically removed her bra and was sliding her panties down her legs. The man worked quickly. She didn’t even have time to get embarrassed.

When she was as naked as him, he moved her to the bed and had her lie down. He settled next to her. He leaned over and lightly kissed her.

“You like the kissing,” he said.

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll do that.” He shifted closer and settled his mouth on hers. He kissed her slowly, moving his lips against hers before slipping his tongue inside.

Uncertainty faded and she wrapped her arms around him. As their tongues tangled and her blood moved a little faster, she moved her hands up and down his back. She could feel his muscles moving underneath his skin. He was so wide through his shoulders, she thought. Then his back narrowed as she got closer to his waist.

He broke off the kiss to trail his mouth down her throat to her collarbone. He placed one of his hands on her belly, which made her tense. But then he kept it there, just moving in a slow circle. She could handle that, she told herself.

His mouth eased closer and closer to her br**sts. She found herself thinking about him kissing her there. A little jolt zipped from her br**sts down her middle to between her thighs. A jolt that caused her breath to quicken.

His mouth settled over her nipple and he drew on it. The jolt returned, stronger this time, creating a direct line from her breast to that place between her legs. The place that had, honestly, never been all that special.

He raised his head. “Yes? No?”

“It’s nice.”

He chuckled. “You’re not easy. I like doing this. Do you mind if I keep at it for a while?”