His mouth was just an inch above her nipple, and though her bikini still covered her, the flesh pebbled under his touch.
It scared her that he could read her so well. But it felt wonderful, too. It made her soften, like she did when he kissed her.
Lee’s hands found their way to her hips and gripped tightly. She held her top with one hand and ran her fingers through his thick hair with the other.
Lee moaned, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he stared into hers, watching her as he lowered his chin and nudged against her bikini top, silently asking permission.
He promised not to hurt me,she reminded herself.
Wren dropped the fabric, and, with a satisfied grunt, Lee took her left nipple in his mouth. Her gasp tore through the room. She felt him untie the knot in the middle of her back, and the bikini top fell away.
“Oh my God…” How could his touch feel so good? She’d nearly come apart when he’d kissed the back of her knee. When he let his teeth graze her nipple, Wren started to collapse.
Lee caught her against him and eased her back toward the bed, following her down.
She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his back, feeling the terrain of his muscles. How often did he go kayaking to earn muscles like that? Lee moved to her right breast, and her question got lost in a gasp.
“Lee…” Wren wanted to surrender. She wanted to tell him that he had conquered her resistance. There were reasons she shouldn’t be with him, but, at the moment, she couldn’t remember what they were. All that mattered was that he wanted her, and she desired only to give in.
So, when she felt his hands at the button of her shorts, and he whispered “May I?” in her ear, she only had one answer.
A moment later, the rest of their clothes were on the floor, and the room echoed with Lee’s praise.
“Look at you. My God…” He planted kisses along her ribs and down to her navel. “… so beautiful."
Wren heard him, but the words lost their sense. All she could take in was the sight of him. His lean thighs. The heart-stopping muscles that formed a V below his waist. The tight, impossibly dark, secret curls.
The undeniable state of his desire.
Nothing in her life had prepared her for Lee Hawthorne. The way he touched her was unlike anything she’d ever known. He touched her, not only with his hands and lips, but with his heart. Lee didn’t hide what he felt. Not ever. In his caress, even in his breath, Lee was fearless. He showed her everything.
“I want to be like you,” she whispered.
Did I just say that out loud?
He laughed gently, his lips moving against the curve of her hip. “We’re both naked, babe. You’re exactly like me.”
She started to correct him, but then he kissed the top of her thigh, and her thoughts vanished. When Lee slipped his hand between her legs, a wave of pleasure nearly took her under.
“Wren, you’re so wet.”
At once, Wren pulled away, snapped her legs shut, and covered her face with her hands. “God, kill me now,” she groaned.
In an instant, Lee’s lips were at her ear, his body covering hers. “No, no,” he whispered, “don’t run away.” He kissed her cheek and tried to nudge her hands aside. Lee kept his hand on her thigh, urging her to open again.
“Wren, I want you wet for me,” he breathed. “That makes my fucking day… Let me in, baby.”
Her body had coiled tight with shame, but his warmth and his words started to soak into her.
“Look at me.”
He kissed the back of her hands still covering her face, and Wren marshalled the courage to peek up at him beneath her fingers. Lee’s deep blue eyes and gentle smile stilled her breath.
“I am so into you, Wren. I want nothing else. Just you.”
From head to toe, she felt her body give. Lee felt it, too, because the smile in his eyes grew. His hand at her thigh stirred again, asking, seeking. When she opened just a little, Lee cradled her in one arm and stroked her with the hand of the other.
Her shallow breath shook between them.