His hands move under the hem of the thermal shirt, and I gasp at the contact. Rough palm against my ribs, moving up slowly.
“Cold?” he asks against my mouth.
“No. Nervous. But good.”
“Tell me if that changes.”
“I will.”
He sits back on his heels and pulls his flannel off, then the T-shirt underneath in one smooth motion.
I stare.
Broad chest. Defined muscles that speak to years of physical work and hard living. Scars, some surgical in neat lines, others jagged like stories written on his skin. Dark hair trails down his stomach and disappears beneath his jeans, and lower, the clear outline of his arousal strains against denim.
My belly tightens with want. My mouth goes dry.
“Your turn.” His voice is gravelly.
I sit up and pull the thermal over my head. My sports bra is plain, nothing fancy. I resist the urge to cover myself, to apologize for not being…
“Beautiful.” His eyes darken, and his gaze tracks over me like a physical touch.
My skin prickles everywhere he looks. “I’m not?—”
“You are.” He kisses my shoulder. My collarbone. The hollow of my throat. Each touch is reverent. “Every part of you.”
My breath comes faster.
His hands go to my waist, his thumbs brushing the skin above the thermals. “Can I?”
“Yes.”
He peels the pants down slowly, taking his time. When I’m in only my underwear, he looks at me. Really looks. Not leering or clinical. Appreciative.
“You’re staring,” I say.
“Yeah. I am.” He meets my gaze. “Because you’re stunning and I want to remember this.”
“Cole—”
“My turn.”
He stands, unbuttons his jeans, and steps out of them. His dark gray boxer briefs do nothing to hide his arousal.
Cole climbs onto the bed, gathering me close. His skin against mine steals my breath. “Still okay?”
“Yes. More than okay.”
He kisses me again, deeper now, and his hands explore down my back and over my hips, tracing patterns that make me squirm.
When his fingers hook into my underwear, he stops. “Yes?”
“Yes.”
He slides them down, and I help, kicking them off. His eyes track the movement like he’s memorizing every inch of revealed skin.
I reach for his, and he lifts his hips, letting me take them off him.
