“This is crazy,” he said.
“I know.”
“What do you want to do about it?”
Alison sighed softly. “Maybe we should just go with it and see what happens.”
“It’s a completely physiological reaction, you know. Part instinct, part learned behavior. All of these electrical reactions are happening in our brains and everything feels so good that we can’t stop ourselves.”
“I’m glad there’s a logical explanation for it,” she said.
“You’re seeing something in me that you desire in a mate. Maybe it’s my intelligence or my physical strength or the fact that I can make a nice fire. You don’t even realize what it is. You just know that if we mate, I’ll be bonded to you. I’ll protect you.”
“And what are you seeing?”
He grinned. “I’m seeing you’re beautiful and I want to enjoy the pleasures of your body. And that’s pretty much it for the male side of the equation.”
“There has to be more than that,” Alison said.
“Well, there is the whole procreation thing. You’ll make strong babies. But I’m not really thinking about that right now.”
“What are you thinking about right now?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about how you looked in front of the fire, with your hair all messy and your body so perfect. I’m thinking about how I’d like to take off those clothes and get another look.”
He bent close and kissed her, his tongue tracing along her lower lip before plunging deep into her mouth. The kiss was intoxicating, leaving them both breathless, and when he finally pulled back, she swayed slightly.
“My heart is beating so fast,” she murmured. “And my knees feel like jelly.”
“You know how pleasurable intimacy can be and that just heightens your pleasure when you are kissed.”
Alison reached down and took his hand, then placed it on her breast. “And what will I do if you touch me?” she asked.
“You’ll close your eyes and focus on all the sensations racing through your body,” he said, staring down at her.
She closed her eyes and smiled as his thumb teased at her nipple though the fabric of the sweatshirt. Though all of his talk made sex sound like some kind of science experiment, Alison knew better. This didn’t have anything to do with science. Seduction was an art, and Drew was one very accomplished artist.
THE FEEL OF HER FLESH beneath the soft fabric of his sweatshirt caused a current of desire to race through Drew. This wasn’t hypothetical need they were talking about anymore. This was real and intense.
As he rubbed his thumb across her nipple, a soft sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes and tipped her head back. “I guess we’ve figured that one out,” he murmured. His hand dropped to her waist, then slipped beneath the sweatshirt. Cupping the soft swell of her breast in his hand, Drew kissed her again.
But this time, the kiss wasn’t tentative. Instead, Drew knew exactly what she wanted and he was very willing to give it to her. Sliding his other hand around her waist, he pulled her over to the leather sofa. They tumbled down, their bodies arching together, until she lay stretched out beside him.
“I wonder what might happen if we take our clothes off,” she said, her fingers toying at the buttons of his shirt.
He paused, reconsidering the speed at which they’d been moving. They had the whole night. Maybe it was time to take it slower and delay gratification. “Maybe we should hold off getting naked and get to know each other a little better,” he suggested.
“But what better way to get to know you than to get naked?” Alison teased.
He groaned softly. She wasn’t going to make this easy. Drew grabbed her hand and held it above her head, then rolled on top of her, pinning her body beneath his. “Answer just one question,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers. “Just one.”
“All right,” Alison said.
He looked at her, meeting her gaze squarely. He’d know if she was lying. He knew all the physiological signs. “Is there a man waiting for you back home?”
Her eyebrow arched. “That’s it? That’s all you want to know?”
Drew nodded. “If we’re going to do this, I want to know that there’s no one standing in between us. That we’re both free to indulge.”
“There’s no man,” she said. “And there hasn’t been for a long time. Thus my…enthusiasm.”
He chuckled softly at the look on her face. “Same with me. It’s been a while.” And now there was a second problem, one that he knew might alter the course of the evening. “I was thinking, rather than rushing into this like two horny rabbits, we might want to take our time?”