Hell, he hadn't even managed to get the woman's shirt off yet, and still, he felt content. He'd never worked so hard before to close a deal, and he'd certainly never enjoyed spending so much time in a woman's presence.
In the past he'd grown bored after taking a woman out once or twice. Maybe his fascination with Kyla stemmed from the fact that he hadn't bedded her yet. That had to be it. It really was time that he stop this juvenile madness. He had work to do. It was time to grow up.
But he hadn't seen Kyla all day, and he missed her, missed her tremendously, missed her touch, her voice, her wit, her little jokes. So he found himself walking from his apartment and standing in front of her door.
Damn. More of her cookies and their heavenly smell. Was this planned? Did she know the way to his … stomach? His hand lifted, made a fist, and rapped on her door, almost against his will. He should go back home - sheesh, was he calling this place home now? - but … hell. He knew it was futile even to think that thought. He wanted to see her, wanted to pull her in close for another kiss - even if that's all he was going to get from her.
"I missed you today," he blurted out when her door opened and she appeared, looking scrumptious enough for him to take a bite.
Her hair was tied back, a few escaped tendrils lying softly against her face, and she had flour smeared across her nose and forehead. Wearing an apron that was also covered in flour and had the motto Cooks do it hotter, she looked better than if she'd been standing before him in the finest lingerie.
Yeah, he had it bad.
"Invite me in?"
She replied with a lift of her eyebrow and a slight smile on her lips as she waited for him to continue.
"I want to taste your … cookies," he said with a wolfish smile.
Some women might have gotten huffy. Not her. Kyla laughed and, much to his surprise, opened her door wider so he could step through. That was another thing he loved about her, the fact that she could take what he dished out and even give it back most of the time.
"You look so pathetic standing there with drool on your chin; how could I possibly send you away without getting … a taste?"
His heart rate jumping up by at least fifty beats per minute, Tanner couldn't stand it any longer. He cornered her in the kitchen and, without giving her time to resist, pulled her against him as he lowered his head. He had to have a mouthful before he died of hunger.
Kyla didn't hesitate; she lifted her flour-covered hands and clasped his head, kissing him back with a hunger of her own. It was almost as if they were both breaking a long, torturous fast.
Driven almost mad with his desire for her, Tanner lifted her up and set her on the counter, his h*ps quickly seeking out relief between her thighs. He drew her forward and cradled her sweet, hot core between his legs. He leaned in, needing her to know how desperate he was for her, if she didn't know already.
She tugged on his hair and pressed against him; both of them groaned as their tongues danced. Tanner ran his hand down her back, slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt and moved it upward.
Silk.
That's what her skin felt like - pure silk. He trailed his hand up, caressing the fine muscles of her back, splaying his fingers wide against her flesh. As she whimpered into his mouth, he leaned back just a bit and moved his hand around her rib cage, his thumb brushing the underside of her breast with his thumb.
Yes! Yessssss …
Without further hesitation, he cupped that luscious mound, feeling her soft skin through the tiny lace bra she was wearing.
Perfect.
She was absolutely perfect, fitting just right in the palm of his hand. He wanted the fabric out of his way, wanted to taste the sweet peaks of her br**sts, needed her to be lying beneath him. He reached down, preparing to pull her shirt over her head, when a loud beeping startled him. Kyla edged away, staring at him sightlessly.
"I'm sorry. That got out of hand," she whispered.
Tanner found himself leaning against the counter, his body throbbing as he looked at the space she'd been filling only moments before. Turning toward her, he saw her hands shaking as she pulled a hot pan from the oven and set it on the stovetop.
"Why don't you just turn off the oven so we can continue what we started?" he said, coming up behind her and running his hands down her sides to rest on her hips.
She shuddered in his arms, then bent forward and gripped the front of the stove. Tanner took the opportunity to slide his mouth seductively down the curve of her neck.
"I can't," she said, wriggling out of his embrace and turning around to look at him.
"I don't understand, Kyla." He wasn't going to let her off the hook without an explanation.
"I don't want to have sex, Tanner." She couldn't be any clearer than that. "If you want to leave, I understand."