She lifted her chin to meet his kiss, and she felt her teeth bump against his.
"So-"
She'd opened her mouth to apologize for her awkward fumble, but instead she felt his tongue slip between her lips.
Ruth forgot what she'd been about to say and found a way to wrap one arm around him, under his arm to his back.
Just as she grabbed a hold of him, his hand reached under her and gripped her.
Oh!
He was strong.
His hand...
She wasn't a small woman.
She had a healthy figure, but he still grasped one cheek in his hand and gave her a squeeze.
Ruth gasped at the sensation and that's when things changed.
He pressed her back against the arm of the sofa and all of those marvelously male cushions felt like heaven against her back.
Nick kissed his way across her jaw to press his lips against the column of her neck.
The spot he found just under her ear felt like heaven and when his lips found their way down her neck, she moved under him, managing to draw her legs up so she could cradle him against her.
When his kisses reached her collar bone, his beard tickled her skin and she almost sat bolt upright, her eyes widened as if she'd been shocked.
Nick sat back, his arms circling around her.
"Hey... hey..." He drew her closer to him and met her startled gaze with his concern. "Did I scare you?"
"Scare me?"
Her mind was muddled.
Her heart rate pounded like mustangs at full gallop.
"I... I'm not scared." She lifted a hand and set it over the little bit of skin that had been tingling just a moment before. "I'm ticklish... apparently."
Her cheeks heated and she looked away.
"Of course I'd mess this up."
"Ruth."
She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling like a complete idiot.
"Ruth? Honey... Look at me."
She opened her eyes and turned her gaze up to meet his.
She hadn't known what to expect.
Maybe humor?
But, no.
