You made yourself a promise.
Yes, and, God in Heaven, it was time she broke it.
She turned her face to his, slid her fingers into his hair, and kissed him.
He did a quick little intake of breath, his body tensing, his lips answering hers, the contact sending a jolt of heat through her. All too soon, he broke the kiss. “You need to get some sleep. You’ve got a date with a pizza tomorrow morning.”
She’d almost forgotten that. “Please stay.”
He looked straight into her eyes, those blue irises dark. “I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for.”
She had only one answer to that. “I want you.”
His body tensed again, but still, he kept his distance. He tugged on the front of his T-shirt. “I got pretty sweaty at the rock gym and haven’t had a shower since.”
“I like the way you smell—but if you want to shower, the walk-in shower in my bathroom is big enough for two.” Then she remembered he’d taken a shower here once before. “Oh. You already know that.”
Pulse skipping at the thought of what she was about to do, she stood and began to undress, taking off her tank top, then her bra, and then her shorts until she stood in front of him almost naked.
His gaze moved over her, his expression unreadable, a muscle tensing in his jaw. “Just so you know…I can see your panties.”
“It’s different if they’reonme.” What didn’t he understand?
Then it struck her that maybe he didn’t want to be with her. Maybe hearing about Stewart and the sex tape had turned him off. “If you’re not interested, I—”
“Not interested?” In a heartbeat, he was on his feet. “Is that what you think?”
He didn’t wait for her answer, his hand sliding into her hair, his lips coming down hard on hers. He kissed her slow and deep, his heat enfolding her, the things he was doing with his lips and tongue making her knees go weak.
God, no man on earth kissed like this.
He slowed the kiss, drew back from her, looked into her eyes. “Once we cross this bridge, there’s no going back.”
She finished the speech for him. “It’s just sex. I know. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Oh, but it does, Victoria.” He touched his forehead to hers, his lips wet from kissing her. “This won’t be a business transaction. It won’t be casual. There won’t be any cell phones or cameras or computers. It’s going to be personal and real—just you and me. We’re both going to remember it for the rest of our lives. Is that what you want?”
“God, yes.”
One corner of his mouth quirked in a grin. “Show me that shower.”
She led him to the bathroom. “Voilà.”
He yanked his T-shirt over his head, took his wallet out of his pocket, and pulled out a small aluminum case. “Condoms.”
Then he reached for his fly.
“Let me.” She reached out, unbuttoned his jeans and …
Oh. God!
He wasn’t wearing underwear.
His erection sprang free of the denim, jutting upward from a nest of dark curls, the sight of it making her belly clench.
She grew wet just looking at him.
He shucked the jeans, a grin on his face. “You’re staring.”