He spent a long moment exploring the area, and finally nipped her ear lightly, whispering, “You know, when I said I wanted to live my life in Royal, I didn’t picture myself alone.”
“I hope not,” she murmured. “You have two daughters.”
He laughed softly, as she’d intended, and hefted her a little deeper into his arms as he lifted his head to meet her gaze. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Of course she did. But was it so difficult to spell out what was going on his head? So difficult to say how he felt about her? She wanted to hear the words. This time, she wasn’t settling for less than everything. “Tell me what you’re picturing, Kyle.”
“Me. You.” He slid light fingertips down the sweetheart neckline of her dress until he reached the spot right between her breasts and hooked the fabric. “This dress on the floor.”
Shuddering in spite of herself at the heated desire in his expression, she smiled. “Let’s pretend for argument’s sake I’m in favor of this dress on the floor. What would you say to me while you’re peeling it off?”
The glint in his eye set off another shower of sparks in her midsection. “Well, my darling. Why don’t we just find out?”
Slowly, he pulled down the shoulders of the dress, baring her bra straps, which he promptly gathered up, as well. She heartily blessed the impulse that had caused her to pick this semibackless dress that didn’t require unzipping to get out of. Which might not have been an accident.
“Beautiful.” He kissed a shoulder, suckling on it lightly, then following her neckline with the little nibbling kisses until she thought she’d come apart from the torture.
When she’d asked him to talk about what was on his mind, she’d been expecting a declaration of his feelings. This was so much better. For now.
All at once, the dress and bra popped down to her waist in a big bunch of fabric, baring her breasts to his hot-eyed viewing pleasure. And look he did, shamelessly, as if he’d uncovered a diamond he couldn’t quite believe was real.
“Grace,” he rasped. “Exactly like I remembered in my dreams. But so much more.”
That pleased her enormously for some reason. It was much more romantic than what she recalled him saying when they were together ten years ago. He’d seen her naked before, but always in semidarkness, and usually in his truck. Bench seats were not the height of romance.
With a reverent curse, he brushed one nipple with his thumb, and her breath whooshed from her lungs as everything went tight inside. And outside.
“Kyle,” she said, and nearly strangled on the word as he lifted her up onto the counter, spreading her legs and stepping between them. Then his mouth closed over a breast and she forgot how to speak as he sucked, flicking her nipple with his tongue simultaneously.
She forgot everything except the exquisite feel of this man’s mouth on her body.
Her head fell back as he pushed a hand against the small of her back to arch her toward his mouth, drawing her breast deeper into it. She moaned, writhing with pleasure as the heat swept over her entire body, swirling at her core. Where she needed him most.
As if he’d read her mind, his other hand toyed with her panties until she felt his fingers touching her intimately. It was cataclysmic, perfect. Until he placed his thumb on her nub, expertly rubbing as he pleasured her, and that was even more perfect. Heat at her core, suction at her breast, and it all coalesced in one bright, hot pinnacle. With a cry, she crested in a long orgasm of epic proportions.
She’d just had an orgasm on the kitchen counter. She should probably be more embarrassed about that...
Before she’d fully recovered, Kyle picked her up from the counter and let her slide to the floor, then hustled her up the stairs to a bedroom. Heavy, masculine furnishings dominated the room, marking it as his, but a few leftover items from his youth still decorated the walls. He dimmed the light and advanced on her with his slow, lazy walk.
“Oh, there’s more?” she teased.
“So much more,” he growled. “It’s been far too long since I’ve felt you under me. I want you naked. Now.”
That sounded like a plan. The warm-up in the kitchen had only gotten her good and primed for what came next.
Breathless, she stood still as he peeled her dress the rest of the way from her body and let it fall to the carpet. She promptly forgot to worry about the extra pounds she’d gained in her hips and thighs since the last time he’d seen her.
He stripped off his shirt, exposing that beautiful torso she’d barely had time to explore earlier.
When his jeans hit the floor, she realized his chest was only part of the package, and the rest—oh, my. He turned slightly, holding one leg behind him at an odd angle, almost as if he was posing for her. Well, okay then. Greedily, she looked her fill, returning the favor from earlier when he’d gorged on the sight of her bare breasts.