Page 94 of Lawton

I glanced down. Wood, huh? She didn't know the half of it. Unable to resist, I turned toward her and cocked a single eyebrow.

Color flooded her cheeks, making her look cute as hell. She gave an shaky laugh. "I meant, uh, with the fireplace." But then, her gaze dipped lower. Her lips parted, and she didn't look away. I didn't have to look to know what she saw. There was wood, alright.

I smiled. "Yeah?"

With a shake of her head, she pulled her gaze upward and blew out a distracted breath. "Um, excuse me?"

Slowly, I stalked toward her. "Has anyone told you you're beautiful when you blush?"

The corners of her mouth lifted. "I don't blush."

If I had my way, she'd be doing a lot of blushing before the night was through. "Is that so?"

"Well, I don't normally blush." She gave me a sexy smile. "What I need to do now, is makeyoublush."

As sweet as that sounded, it wasn't going to happen, not with all the shit I'd seen. I laughed. "You can try."

She reached for my shirt and tugged me toward her. Our lips met in a ragged kiss that kept on going even as we tumbled together onto the sofa. We were laying side-by-side, with our bodies close and our lips in motion.

Almost wondering if this was real, I soaked up the feel of her. She was here,reallyhere. Wanting to prove it, I ran my hands over her shoulders and down to her waist. She felt like heaven, and I wanted in.

Her hands, small and warm, slid downward over the cotton shirt that covered my back. My own hands moved lower, too, dipping to the seat of Chloe's jeans. My fingers skimmed across her ass, still covered in denim.

I felt her body tremble and her breath hitch. I pressed my lips to her cheek and then to her ear. In a low voice, I confessed, "This isn't what I expected."

Her voice was breathless. "Me neither." Her hands skimmed past my waist and drifted down to my ass. Her touch was light, and her hips were rising, grinding against me with every breath. I felt my hardness surge, and my pulse-rate quicken.

I wanted to rip off her clothes and take her then and there.

No.

Not yet.

I slid my hands upward, softly gripping her waist. Slowly, I slid my hands lower, reaching into her jeans and underneath her panties. My palms skimmed her bare ass, and she gave a ragged whimper that made it hard to wait.

I cupped a cheek in each hand and pulled her close to say, "I love the way you feel."

Soon, her soft hands slipped into the back of my running pants. I felt her palms on my ass and her smooth fingers drifting across my skin.

And then, she pulled away. She moved backward and sat up, gripping the hem of her T-shirt. She lifted it upward, slowly at first, and then all at once. She tossed the shirt on the floor and leaned forward, giving me a view straight out of my dreams.

Her eyes were bright, and her lips were full. Her white lacy bra hid next to nothing. Her curves were sweet, and her face was sweeter. If this was a dream, I'd be pissed as hell when I finally woke up.

With her eyes on mine, she shimmied out of her jeans and gave me a smile. "Now you."

Grinning, I sat up. I pulled my shirt over my head, and tossed it to who-knows-where. I heard her breath catch, and her body grew still.

I looked, wondering if she was having second thoughts. She was a nice girl – the kind thatshouldgo running at the sight of all my tattoos and yeah, maybe my muscles too, along with a few scars that if I were lucky, she'd never notice.

I waited, watching as her gaze traveled slowly down my torso and back up again.

When her eyes met mine, I didn't have to wonder. She wasn't going to run, and she wasn't going to hide. She reached out and ran her soft hands lightly down the front of me, starting at my chest and working her way down until she reached the waistband of my running pants.

Her touch was magic, and I felt my eyes drift shut. In my mind, I still saw her face, sweet as anything, and so achingly real. I opened my eyes and looked deep into hers.

I reached around to unfasten her bra. When the lacy fabric fell away, my pulse quickened. I leaned back, taking a long, hungry look. And then, I moved closer. I lowered my head. I took a nipple into my mouth and flicked it with my tongue, slowly, deliberately.

Her breath caught, and the nipple hardened. She arched into me, and I heard a soft moan that urged me onward. I reached up and cupped her other breast. I ran my fingers over its roundness and made slow, deliberate circles around the peak.