“Can you take off your shirt?” she asked.
He smiled and tugged it over his head. Selena stilled as her pulse kicked up. When he walked out of the bathroom shirtless, she had wanted to take time to stare. Now, she did it. Oh, Lord, this man was gorgeous. He was built, but in a different way than she remembered, leaner, more muscular, more…man. How unfair it was that he had gotten more beautiful and she had gotten rounder. But he seemed just as captivated by her as she was by him. In fact, maybe he was waiting for a response.
“Not bad,” she said, though her words stuck in her throat.
Jace chuckled. “Aww, thanks.”
“I just don’t want it to go to your head.”
“Who me?” He flexed his muscles in a couple of exaggerated poses, then cracked a smile.
Selena did her best to look unimpressed, but she was pretty sure she was failing. “You still play any sports?”
He shook his head. “Rarely. One injury and the garage is in trouble. We can’t afford it.”
“I didn’t think about that,” she said softly.
But he didn’t look bothered by it, at least not right now.
“Your turn to strip,” he said, crossing his arms.
She reached around and unfastened her bra, letting it drop to the floor. His gaze was intense, his eyes half-lidded with desire, and he took a step toward her, but she shook her head.
“You’re next.”
He slipped off his socks and jeans…and then his boxers. No hesitation. He was hard and naked and ready and so, so close. When her gaze finally wandered back to his face, his smile bordered on smug.
“Your turn again.”
She slipped off the last of her own clothes, and they stood facing each other, naked in every way. His hands glided over her shoulders, down her arms. He traced her collarbone, her breasts, her stomach. It took a moment to remember that she could touch him, too, so she did. The muscles of his arms, the tufts of hair on his chest, the ridges of his abs, and lower.
Jace drew in a sharp breath, followed by a little laugh. “I want you too much to play around. It’s been so long.”
She smiled and took a step back to the bed, trying to ease the weight of his comment.It’s been so long.They had both moved on after she left, and yet he said these words like he had been waiting for her. Maybe some part of her had been searching for a way back to him, too.
Jace followed her toward the bed, mirroring her first step, then her second, his big, warm body pressed against hers. She scooted onto the mattress and lay back, propping herself on her elbows, studying more of the changes. Jace had lost all traces of boyishness. His shoulders were broader, his muscles more defined. He had also lost some of that easy smile he had worn as a teenager, though it seemed to be coming back as the night progressed.
His chest rose and fell as he gazed down at her, his eyes hooded. The way he looked at her hadn’t changed at all. Like there was nothing else that mattered except her.
But it wasn’t like that anymore. Did she want it to be? If she let her mind wander down that long-forbidden path for just this moment, what would she find?
“Something else on your mind?” Jace’s voice broke into her thoughts.
She motioned him closer. “I’ll whisper it in your ear.”
He chuckled and climbed over her, resting on his elbows, the delicious weight of his body on top of hers. He kissed her lips, her neck and her lips again.
“What are you thinking about, Lee?”
“Us,” she whispered. “The way it used to be with us.”
Some of the truth, not nearly all of it.
Jace’s deep chuckle rumbled in her ear. “Good. So good.”
The tightness inside eased a little, so she tried to put more of her thoughts into words. “You think it might be just as good this time?”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’ll be better.” He kissed her again and flexed his hips, his erection pressing against her.
