Unable to speak, she nodded.
His gaze held hers captive for a minute longer; then he grabbed her hand. “Get into the car.”
“What—?”
He was urging her into the driver’s seat, his hands on her shoulders. “Slide in. Over a little. That’s it.” He was mere inches behind her, then flush to her side. “I’m not taking the chance that you’ll change your mind.” Tucking her arm through his, he put the car in reverse and sped backward up the drive. Then he all but swung her from the car, fitted one strong arm over her shoulder and half ran to the house.
“Matt?” She was laughing, breathless.
“Shhh.”
Once inside, he continued up the stairs, straight to her bedroom. The light was off. He made no attempt to alter the darkness, and Lauren was relieved. She knew that she wanted what was about to happen. She also knew that the darkness added to its dreamlike quality. That a man like Matt wantedherwas mind-boggling. Surely if he turned on the light, he’d have second thoughts; she’d have second thoughts….
He took her in his arms and kissed her until the only thoughts she had were how wonderful he was, how unbelievably desirable he made her feel, how lucky she was to have found him. She gave herself up to his kiss, to his hands as they unbuttoned her shirt and unclasped her bra, to his fingers as they charted her flesh, branding her woman with fire and grace.
A soft moan came from deep in her throat, and she arched her back to offer herself more fully. Acceding to her wordless plea, he stroked her with gentle expertise. His fingers made firm swells of her breasts; his thumbs, tight buds of her nipples. And all the while his tongue correspondingly familiarized itself with every nook and cranny of her mouth.
His hands left her only to free himself of his shirt, and then he was back, crushing her close. His chest was warm and lightly furred. Its texture exhilarated her, though she wondered if it was simply the closeness, male to female, that pleased her so. There was something very, very right about what she felt. There was something very, very right about Matt. At that moment she didn’t know how she’d ever doubted him.
While he held her lips captive, he reached for the snap of her jeans, released it, lowered the zipper. She gasped for breath when he knelt and eased the denim from her legs, then did the same with her panties. She clutched his shoulders for support and shivered, though her blood was hot, her body aching for completion. Modesty was nonexistent; she wanted him too badly.
“Please,” she whispered shakily, “I need you, Matt.”
For an instant, he buried his face in her stomach while he caressed the backs of her legs and her bottom. His breath was ragged, his hair damp against her hot flesh. She drove her fingers into the thick, sun-streaked pelt and held him closer, then urged him upward.
He didn’t need much urging. Standing, he shed the rest of his clothes, then came to her naked, pressing her to him, graphically showing her that the need wasn’t hers alone. She thrilled to the knowledge, unable to be afraid when Matt was all she’d ever wanted, all she’d ever dreamed about. The fact that she could arouse him to the state he was in was as heady as the state of arousal he’d himself brought her to.
He moved from her only to tug back the spread before lowering her gently to the sheets. “Lauren … God, Lauren …” he murmured, then kissed her again. He caressed and teased with his hands, his lips, his tongue, but the play took its toll. His body seemed on fire, trembling under the strain of the heat, finally unable to withstand it. Threading his fingers through hers, he anchored them by her shoulders and positioned himself between her thighs. With one powerful thrust, he surged forward.
Lauren arched her back against the sudden invasion, and a tiny cry escaped her lips. When he stiffened, she wrapped her arms around him to draw him close to her. He resisted.
“Lauren?” His voice was little more than a throaty whisper.
“It’s okay … don’t stop … don’t stop.”
His breathing grew all the more labored and he pressed his forehead to her shoulder. “I couldn’t if … I wanted to,” he finally managed, “but I can be more … gentle.”
“Don’t be!” she cried, for the instant of pain was gone, leaving only that swelling knot of need low in her belly.
But he was gentle and caring, moving slowly at first, letting her body adjust to his presence before he adopted the rhythm designed to drive her insane. What he didn’t realize was that even his initial, cautious movements were delicious. His fullness inside her gave Lauren an incredible sense of satisfaction; the idea of receiving a man, of receiving Matt in this way, was the sweetest delight.
By the time he moved faster, Lauren was right with him. She adored the way his thighs brushed hers, the way their stomachs rubbed. When he bent his head, she strained higher. His mouth closed over her breast and began a sucking that pulled at her womb from one direction while the smooth stroking of his manhood pulled at it from another. Her hands roamed over and around his firm body, but even had she not touched him, she would have been intimately aware of every hard plane and sinewed swell he possessed. Their bodies were that close, working in tandem.
He murmured soft words of encouragement and praise. “That’s it, sweetheart … ahhh … your legs … yes, there … so good …”
They moved as one then, each complementing and completing the other. Lauren experienced a beauty she’d never imagined. She was drawn beyond herself into Matt, sharing, collaborating, merging with him into a greater being for those precious moments of emotional and physical bliss.
After the climax had passed, it was a long time before either of them could speak. They gasped for air, alternately panting and moaning, laughing from time to time at their inability to do anything more. At last Matt slid slowly to her side, leaving one leg and an arm over her in a statement of possession she had no wish to deny. His head was beside hers on the pillow, his cheek cushioned in her hair.
“How do you feel?” he asked in a thick whisper.
“Stunned,” she whispered back. “I never imagined …”
“Younever imagined …”
She forced her lids open and looked at him. “Then … it was okay?”
“It was more than okay,” he teased in throaty chiding, “but you had to know that.”
