“Really? I can’t picture you ever being nervous with a female.”
“I’m usually not,” he admitted, his cheeks going adorably pink. “But this isn’t a normal situation. It’s you.”
That, she understood. “You’d think we would both be comfortable instead of jumping out of our skin, right? I mean, we know each other so well.”
He took her hand and led her to the couch. “Were you nervous with Blade?”
She didn’t sit. Instead, she turned to face him. “Not really. It was different. He was in pain, and I just wanted to help.”
Why had she never noticed how truly magnificent Mace was? This close, he smelled a little woodsy with a hint of rain, as if he’d been walking through a forest during a storm. His shirt stretched across his broad chest, defining hard muscles she was dying to touch. To explore. To commit to memory, since this would be the only time she’d have the chance.
“Maybe we should just get it over with.” All this unfamiliarity was making her mind spin out of control. She needed action, something to make her stop thinking. And wanting.
She started to lift her shirt over her head, but he seized her wrist.
“Not like that.” His voice was husky. Smooth. Intoxicating. “Undressing each other is part of the fun.”
Oh. Heat flooded her face at the way his fingers slid down her arm to grasp the hem of her sweater. He hesitated, something she rarely saw him do. His gaze met hers, his eyes glittering with gold arousal, dark hunger, and a silent question.
Are we really going to do this?
She knew the answer to that.
Very slowly, holding his gaze with hers, she nodded.
A shudder went through him, and like a wave, it passed through her too.
He lifted her shirt and tugged it over her head. He’d seen her in swimsuits a million times, but she’d never seen his gaze linger. Neither he nor Blade had ever looked at her with desire. Not that she’d noticed, anyway.
But right now, the gold in Mace’s eyes grew molten as he slipped her bra straps off her shoulders. She’d always been self-conscious about her breasts, which weren’t as voluptuous as her sister’s. Or any of her cousins.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as he deftly flicked the front catch open and let the bra fall to the floor.
Suddenly drowning in self-consciousness, she covered up with her arms. “Don’t lie.”
His dark brows snapped together. “I’m not, I swear. I’m not above throwing out flattery to get what I want, but I would never lie to you.”
“It’s just…I know you like females who are especially…endowed.”
He gave her an impish grin. “Yeah, I’m a breast guy. But,” he said, as he gently pulled her arms away from her chest, “I also like an athletic body, and yours is perfect. You wouldn’t look right in a D-cup.”
“Or a C-cup,” she muttered, and he laughed again.
“I was being generous. Because,” he said with a wink, “I’m charming like that.”
If his goal had been to put her at ease, it worked. This was so much easier than she’d imagined it would be.
Eagerly, she helped him out of his shirt, revealing his chest, layered with sinew and thick muscles she’d seen a thousand times, but in very different situations. She wanted to run her palms over his smooth skin, but she was on a mission, and she wouldn’t be deterred.
His jeans were next.
He let her unbutton them, her knuckles brushing his rock-hard abs as she worked the buttons. His cock burst free, all unabashed and “Hey,how ya doin’?”
Oh, my.
Her nipples tingled, but it was nothing compared to the delicious ache that began to pulse between her legs,
Her mouth watered, and her hand shook as she feathered her fingers across the smooth head, amazed by the silky texture. There hadn’t been time to explore with Blade, and a pang of guilt dampened her lust a bit. She was trying to make this fair for both of them, so maybe they should just get to it.
