It Must Have Been the Mistletoe(12)
Alison frowned. “Horny rabbits?” She sighed softly. “All right. I understand your point. But if we’re already decided, why not just…do it?”
“Well, there’s a slight problem.”
“A problem?” A frown furrowed her brow. “What kind of problem?”
“I don’t have any condoms,” he said.
“You’re a doctor and you don’t have any condoms? How is that possible?”
“It’s not like I was planning this,” Drew explained. “And I never bring women here, so there’s just no need. I do have one in my wallet, but it’s been there for a while and it’s probably not any good, and as a doctor, I’d never recommend using it, so—”
“I have a box in my bag,” she said quickly.
“You carry a box of condoms?”
Alison nodded. “They were a gift.” She blinked, a wide grin suffusing her face. “A rather fortunate gift, I’d say.”
“All right, then. Nothing to worry about. So, we’ll have some dinner, maybe a glass of wine. And then you’ll have a bath, and then we’ll…proceed.”
“What if I can’t wait that long?” Alison said. “You saw me naked. I think I should have the same opportunity.”
“You want to see me naked? Right now?”
Alison untangled herself from his embrace and crawled off the sofa. “Yes. I think that would only be fair. It would appease my curiosity until after dinner.”
Drew laughed. She seemed dead serious. “You want me to take off my clothes right now?”
“They’re wet and muddy and you’re going to change anyway. I just want to watch. Do you have a problem with that? Are you hiding something under there that you don’t want me to see?”
Maybe he was. All this talk was enough to fully arouse him. The minute he took off his pants, the extent of his response to her would be evident. Did he really want Alison to see the effect she had on his body? Or the power she held over him?
“Oh, hell,” he muttered. “All right. I’m not a prude. I’m very comfortable with the human body. I just want to warn you about the third nipple. It’s—”
“What?” she asked.
He held up his hands. “Kidding. Just kidding. Although it’s not uncommon. It’s called a supernumerary nipple. About one in twenty people have them. Mostly they just look like birthmarks.”
“Take off your clothes,” Alison said.
He stood and walked over to the fireplace, then slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As he shrugged out of it and tossed it on the floor, Drew felt a strange shift of power. She was watching him silently, waiting, her breathing shallow.
“This must be how exotic dancers feel,” he said softly.
His T-shirt followed, but this time, he threw it at her and the damp cotton hit her face. Alison growled at him and tossed it back, just as he began to unbutton his jeans. Drew decided to extend this part of his show for as long as he could, hoping that his erection might subside in the meantime.
When the zipper reached the bottom, he had no choice but to skim his jeans down over his hips. He stepped out of them, then quickly dispatched his socks as well. Left only in his boxers, he looked over at her. “Any comments?”
Her gaze drifted down to the tent at the front of his boxers. “Nope. Continue.”
“You’re sure?”
Alison slowly nodded her head. “Yes.”
He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts and slowly tugged. Drew half expected her to stop him, but she didn’t. And when he was completely naked, her gaze slowly drifted along the length of his body, then back up to his face. Alison inhaled a long, slow breath and nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “You can get dressed now.”
“That’s it? Thank you? No comments?”
She turned and walked to the kitchen. “Yes. That’s all I needed. What are we having for dinner?”
Drew cursed softly. That was her only reaction. Thank you? Had she found something wrong with his appearance? “Soup,” he muttered. “Lentil soup.”
3
IT WASN’T GOURMET, BUT Alison found that the hearty soup was exactly what she needed to restore her energy and distract her mind. She should have anticipated the effect that Drew’s little striptease would have on her and questioned her motives for asking him to do it.
It had begun as a playful challenge, but the sight of him, fully aroused and ready, had shaken her to the core. This was the man who’d share her bed tonight, who’d make her body shudder with pleasure. Everything about him was perfect. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was setting herself up for disappointment.