Inked in the Steel City Series(43)

“Hey.” Eric stepped inside, cradling a porcelain pot against his chest. “This is for you.” A slender stem rose from the pot, ending in half a dozen perfect violet blossoms.



“An orchid,” she said, relishing the way her body warmed when Eric’s fingertips brushed hers as he handed her the plant. “One of my favorites, and it’s beautiful. Thank you.” She sat it carefully in the center of the kitchen table – she’d find a permanent place for it later. Right now, all her thoughts were locked on Eric.



“I’m glad you like it.” Eric pulled the door softly shut.



Mina’s heart began to speed as she looked at him, drinking in the image of his perfect figure; slim muscles concealed by well-fitted denim and a shirt that was decidedly, deliciously on the tight side. His jacket hung unzipped, granting her a view of his flat stomach and – oh God – the bulge at the front of his jeans. She glanced down at her own ensemble self-consciously, wondering if his arousal meant that the form-fitting top and skirt she’d chosen were as flattering as she’d hoped. The skirt was long enough to cover her thighs, but it still complimented her figure. Originally, she’d bought it for work, but had decided afterward that it was a little too flattering and had never worked up the courage to wear it to the bank. Tonight, she’d put on the outfit after Jess had left, choosing her clothing for sex appeal – something she virtually never did. She’d even donned a pair of heeled boots despite the fact that she’d sworn off heels after losing her job at the bank.



Eric reached out and wrapped her in a loose embrace, brushing his lips across hers in greeting. “You look beautiful. Where do you want me to take you?”



Mina pressed her face against his shoulder, breathing in his scent as her cheeks heated. “Nowhere.”



“You got all dressed up just to stay home?”



She wrapped her arms around his waist, taking a second fortifying breath. His scent had become familiar to her, mostly during the dozens of kisses and caresses they’d shared, none of which had ever been enough. Now, it reminded her exactly why she didn’t want to leave her apartment. Not tonight. “Exactly.”



He tightened his embrace, pulling her against his chest. “You sure?”



A shiver raced down her spine as she remembered him kneeling between her thighs, his breath streaming over her slick skin. She could feel how hard he was now; his erection was digging into her belly, causing the butterflies that seemed to have taken up permanent residence there to burst into flight. “Yes.”



He buried his fingers in her hair, crushing his mouth against hers and slipping his tongue inside, reaching deep as he tasted her. His hips shifted slightly and his cock jumped against her belly. She reached for it, thinking of when she’d touched him there several nights ago. He’d refused to let her do any more than that then, but tonight would be different. “Come with me,” she said, tracing the thick outline of his shaft beneath the denim.



She took him by the hand and led him down the short hallway that branched off from the living room. This was the first time he’d ever been inside her apartment, and she found herself more nervous than she’d expected to be as she led him to her bedroom. She’d never brought a man home before – at least, not since she’d gained custody of Jess three years ago. What did he think of her modest bedroom, and would her narrow bed be comfortable enough for the both of them? More importantly, what would he think of her? She smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from the front of her skirt, her fingers gliding over the ridge of her scar. Slowly, she turned to face him.



“It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this,” she said, placing her hands above his hips, relishing the feel of his firm muscle beneath her palms and the steady rise-and-fall of his sides as he breathed. She felt like she was breathing twice as fast. Was she just imagining it?



“It feels that way for me too,” he said, shedding his jacket and then his shirt.



Mina sucked in a breath as he let it flutter to the floor, taking in the perfect lines of his body and the designs inked across it. He looked every bit as good as he did in the poster, and when she reached out to touch him, he felt just as hot and firm as he had in the studio. She felt just as decadent and turned-on as she had that day as she smoothed her hands over his stomach, tracing the ridges of his abs.



He placed his hands on the small of her back, his fingers brushing her spine as he tucked them beneath the hem of her lacy top. Her nipples puckered inside her bra cups at just the thought of being pressed against his chest with nothing between their skins. Slowly, he raised her shirt, his fingers sweeping over her skin and causing it to pebble as desire gripped her. He treated her shirt with more care than he had his own, taking care not to tangle her hair in the material as he pulled it over her head and let it drop.