And this time, when he reached for her shirt hem and tugged her closer, she let him.
The buzz of alcohol was fading away, and now, as he stared up into Tawny's face, he was left with nothing but the familiar need to feel her, to take her the way he had that night--no, better than the way he had that night at the lake. To show her how sex ought to be.
Still gripping the edge of her offending shirt, he tugged it up and her fingers closed over his.
"You're drunk," she whispered, and he shook his head.
"No," he said, “not so drunk that I don’t know exactly what I’m doing. Seeing you in the jersey makes me want to break something. At least change into my shirt and then if you still want to say no, I won’t try to touch you.”
He motioned to a jersey laying on the floor nearby and she rolled her eyes.
"Fine," she said, then moved across the room, pulled her own jersey over her head and reached for the one he'd pointed out.
As she bent, he studied the curve of her perfect ass and his cock throbbed with another rush of need. Her red bra stretched across her naked, lean back and he noticed a little freckle just near the right strap. It was almost shaped like a star.
Getting up from the bed, he moved toward her and gripped her hips, guiding her back slowly against him, giving her all the time in the world to pull away.
“I can’t stop thinking about how good you felt, Tawny,” he murmured.
The shirt hung loosely in her hands and she made no effort to put it on. Instead, she stood there, probably feeling the hardness of his length against her spine as his arms circled her waist.
"Was it so bad last time that you won't give me another try?" he breathed against her hair and she shook her head, letting him inhale the fresh, clean smell of her shampoo.
“L-last time doesn't matter. It should never have happened to begin with."
"Then you regret it?" he asked, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed by a vise.
"No," she murmured, "I don't regret it."
"Because of the baby?" he asked.
“No. Not just that.” She shook her head again.
"Then what?"
She turned to face him and he had to keep himself from staring at the way her breasts were practically spilling out from her bra. They were more full than he remembered and it took everything he had not to reach out and let them fill his itching palms.
"Do you really need me to say it?" she asked, and he stared back at her, silent.
Pinching her nose between thumb and forefinger, she let out a deep breath.
“You know what? You're drunk. You're not even going to remember this tomorrow."
He gripped the smooth flesh of her upper arm gently. "I'm going to remember every second of this. Now tell me--why don't you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"I do," she practically cried. "Being with you, that was the best night of my life. The way you felt..." She shrugged. "But things are different now."
"Why should they be?" he asked and her gaze searched his for a long moment.
"You can't be serious." Her hand moved to her stomach as she blinked up at him incredulously.
"We're having a baby. That’s even more of a reason to do it. Don’t we deserve to give it a try?" he countered. "Tawny, what happened that night, it was good for me, too. I couldn’t get it or you out of my head. But let me make it better. Let me touch you again…” He took another step toward her until the heat of his waiting length was flush with the skin of her bare stomach.
And again, she didn’t pull away.
He pulled his shirt over his head, then let it drop to the floor. "I want to be with you. Be with me tonight."
She swallowed hard, still internally at war with herself, but the second she gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod, he wanted to crow in triumph. In one quick movement, he circled his arm around her and dragged her closer, crushing his mouth to hers with a groan.
Chapter 12
His kiss burned through her like she'd been struck by lightning--just as hot and hungry as it had been the very first time they'd touched. Silently, she wound her arms around his neck and willed him to reach for her pants, to pull them down. Instead, he pulled her closer still, deepening their kiss and sweeping his tongue out to meet hers with deep, impassioned strokes.
She followed his lead, pushing and pulling as he led the way, falling into step with the dance of their bodies as he led her back toward the waiting mattress.
Instinctively, she knew he wouldn't make a move until she asked him to, and for a moment she savored the heat of his lips on her skin, the way he licked and sucked along her neck, traveling to the shell of her ear. Still, with him so close she couldn't help but want more--want everything, and when he pulled away, at last, she hoped he might take the lead and show her everything she needed to know.