He came around and stood in front of her.“Hey, why don’t let me do that?”Before she could think to stop him, his big hands glided up the sides of her legs to her hips.His calluses caught on the silky fabric, pulling the robe apart as his hands climbed.
His eyes flared wide, and he dropped the robe and stood back, folding his arms over his chest.“Oops.Didn’t think it’d snag like that.My bad.”
She leveled him with a narrow-eyed glower.“Snag.Right.What did you think you were doing anyway?”
“I was trying to lift you off that rickety stool,” he protested.“How could I know your robe was going to open up like that?Or that you’re not wearing anything under—uh, you should let me do that.I’m taller.”
Even in the kitchen’s dim lighting, the flush heating his face was unmistakable, and it probably matched the one she felt heating her own cheeks.Maybe he hadn’t meant to expose her like that.Honest mistake, right?
“And let you rummage around in my stuff?I don’t think so.Besides, I could dance a jig on this thing.”She executed a quick shuffle and nearly toppled.She grabbed the shelf for balance, pretending she was still searching for the goodies.“Shoot, they’re not here.”She hastily stepped down from the stool, carefully clutching the bottom of her robe in her fist.He was fighting a grin when her bare feet touched the floor.“What?”
Letting his arms swing at his sides, he sang out, “Nothing.”
God, he was annoying!And God, did he smell good!His scent filled her nose.He looked good too.Downright yummy, damn him.He was all confident masculinity, standing there straight and tall with his stupid broad shoulders and stubble dotting his square jaw.Ugh!
She propped her hand on her hip.“That look says it’s not nothing.”
He stretched out his hands and cracked his knuckles.“I was just thinking back to a time when you didn’t mind me ‘rummaging around’ in your stuff.It’s a fantastic memory, in case you were wondering.”His eyes darkened as he regarded her.
She took up her protective stance, folding her arms over her chest.“I wasn’t, in caseyouwere wondering.”
He nodded, but his lips continued quirking.
A variety of critters skittered in her tummy, causing tingles to spread and heat every inch of her skin.I really need to get dressed.She stepped to the side and spun so she didn’t have to look at him anymore, roaming her eyes over her cabinets.Why am I standing here again?Oh, right.I’m looking for brownies.I’ll find them, give him some, andthenI’ll get dressed.
Heat loomed behind her, and her pulse ping-ponged.He lifted a lock of her hair from her shoulder.“Did you just take a shower?Your hair’s damp.”His voice, low and rough, sent a bolt of electricity through her.
She froze.“No.I just ran twenty miles on the treadmill, and that’s sweat.”The lie—and his nearness—was starting to make her actually sweat.
“I don’t believe you.”He ducked his head, his chin hovering above her shoulder, and he took a long pull through his nose.“You smell so damn good.”No part of him touched any part of her, but she was surrounded by a sea of Sam.
She didn’t move for fear of backing into his hard body.“D-don’t you want brownies?”
“Not really feeling food right now.”His heat warmed her back, his scent filled her nose, and his breath caressed her neck.“Ange?”
She grasped the edges of the counter.“Yes?”Her voice was barely a whisper.Though the robe covered every part of her, her skin prickled with the awareness of how very naked she was beneath it.
Then hewastouching her.One hand cupped her chin, tilting it up, his palm rough against her skin.The other hand wrapped gently around her throat.His nose nudged a spot below her ear.“I want you so bad I’m about to lose my fucking mind.”
And just like that, she entered that asteroid field and began to tumble, helpless to stop her fall.She prayed she had the badass skills to navigate it without crashing and burning.
Chapter 13
Star Wars and Chocolate
Angie’smindspun,paralyzedby Sam’s declaration.Her body, however, had no such qualms, sparking to life.She melted against him, the hard planes of his chest shoring up her back as she leaned into him.With one finger, he tugged aside her collar and lowered his mouth to her exposed neck.He lavished it with his tongue and his lips before languidly moving up, taking his time as though he was savoring every inch.
Heat coursed through her, carrying with it an undercurrent of chills, raising goose bumps as it went.Her toes curled, her nipples beaded, and a husky moan escaped her before she could corral it.Control leaked from her like an ice pack melting in a broiling oven.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and laced her fingers together, surrendering to him.He angled her head, and his mouth landed softly on hers, treating it with the same reverence he’d shown her neck.He sucked and nibbled and licked, and when she parted her lips, he took his time sliding his tongue inside, as if sampling every square inch.Each movement was slow and sensual, yet beneath the surface, the restrained desire vibrating inside him was unmistakable.
With his hand still gripping her chin, his mouth engaged hers in a luxurious exploration.His other hand moved down her body as deliberately as his tongue moved inside her mouth.One tug and her sash came undone.Then his hand slipped beneath the edge.When it touched her stomach, she nearly came apart.She was desperate for his hand to sweep up her body, and she wriggled against him.His erection pressed against her ass, but for a man who was about to lose his “fucking mind,” he was in no hurry.
With their tongues entangled in a heated dance, he moved his hands to her shoulders and slowly dragged the robe down her arms.It slid off and puddled around her feet.The cold air hit her scorched skin, the sensation overwhelming.
His big hands skated down to her hips, stroking the backs of her thighs, moving up to caress her butt.Her whimpers and mewls filled the air, but she didn’t care.She tried to turn in his hold, yearning to press herself against him, but he pinned her in place.She hooked a foot around his calf, and his fingers glided over the small of her back, then splayed across her hips, anchoring them while he rocked against her.With a guttural groan, he released her hips, and his hands drifted to her abdomen.Finally, finally, they moved up and palmed her breasts.She nearly cried out from the pleasurable sensation of his rough hands on her tender skin.
Disentangling his mouth from hers, he laid a trail of open-mouth kisses down her neck and across her shoulder while he massaged and kneaded.Her body spoke its own love language, writhing shamelessly against him, letting him know what his touch was doing to her.
