His heart hammered in his ears, drowning out everything but her voice. Her eyes. Her words. “I—”
“But the thing is…” She bit down on her lower lip. He wanted to kiss away the mark she left behind. “I don’t care. I don’t need you to care about me the way I care about you. I care enough for the both of us.”
He shook his head, refusing to speak. If he opened his mouth, he might say something stupid. Something like: You’re wrong. I care. So he said nothing at all.
Just stared at her.
And he didn’t fucking move a damn muscle.
If he went down this road, there would be no going back. “You have to leave. I can’t—” He broke off. Can’t what? Tell her to leave? Tell her to stay? Which was it? He didn’t have a fucking clue. “I don’t—”
Pain flashed through her eyes, so clearly he felt an echoing dagger of agony slice through his own heart, and she took a step back from him. Her lower lip quivered before she fiercely bit down on it. “I’ll go.”
And that undid his resolve. Her pain broke him like nothing else ever could have. What was the point in rejecting her now, if it only hurt her more?
He let out a strangled groan and took the step that would change his life forever. Within seconds, his hands were on her waist, and he crushed her sweet lips underneath his. Her hands curled into his biceps, holding on tight. She yanked him closer and slid her tongue into his mouth.
Holy fuck, the woman knew how to kiss.
She flicked her tongue over the back of his teeth, then rose up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. His stomach clenched, and he slid his hands down her hips, skimmed them over the short hem of the nightgown she wore, and then lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he almost collapsed from the pure desire that pulsed through him. Without breaking contact with her mouth, he crossed the room and lowered her to the middle of the bed.
This was what he wanted.
This was where he belonged.
She didn’t relinquish her hold on his hips, so he fell down on top of her, every inch of her luscious body pressed to his. Deepening the kiss, he rolled his hips against her core. The satin of her panties and his own lightweight pants didn’t take away much from the contact of their bodies, yet he wanted them out of the way.
Needed nothing in between them.
He curled his hand under the curve of her ass, fitting her into his hand. He dug his fingers into her soft flesh, yanking her up against his cock. Pleasure so damn intense he almost broke crashed over him, but he did it again anyway. His body tensed even more, each muscle fighting the restraint he forced on himself, because this was Anna.
With her, there was no holding back.
There never had been.
He withdrew from the crook of her legs, and his hands traced the curve of her hips, then he grabbed the hem of her nightgown and tore it over her head. When she lay on the bed, clothed in nothing except a skimpy pair of panties, her breathing heavy and her eyes shining up at him, he froze, breathing heavily.
This woman, his friend, Anna…she wanted him.
“Fuck.” He cupped her face with his hands, almost afraid to touch her anywhere else. Afraid he would accidentally hurt her when he wanted to cherish her. Even more terrified she would change her mind about him. He took a deep breath and looked at her. “I can’t promise forever. I can’t even promise tonight. Are you sure about this?”
Reaching out, she brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, her touch gentle and yet so powerful at the same time. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Then she wrapped her hand behind his neck and yanked his head down.
Her lips melded to his, soft and sweet. She told him so much with that kiss, and yet left him wanting more. When she arched her back, her pert nipples brushing his bare chest, the sweet kiss morphed into one of need. His hands slid down the smooth skin of her shoulder, skimming over the curve of her breast.
Reaching lower, he slid her underwear down her legs. When she lay bare to him, he ran a finger down her center, lightly teasing her and memorizing how soft her skin was underneath his. He tore his mouth free from hers, nibbling a path down the side of her neck. When he reached the spot where her neck met the shoulder, he bit down hard enough to cause a sting, but not mark her. Her nails dug into his back so hard it hurt, and she moaned, wrapping her legs around him. He’d been with quite a few women over the years, done these same exact things with faceless, meaningless women.
But it had never felt like this.
Reaching between their bodies, she caressed his abs directly over the waistband of his pants and arched her hips up against his. If she continued moving like that, this would be over too fast. If she didn’t let go of him, nothing would stop him from plunging inside her before she was screaming his name.