Page 44 of Protect and Serve

“You can do that slow seduction thing next time,” she suggested as she hopped off the table.

“Deal.” He removed the condom and disposed of it and pulled his jeans back up, because it seemed wrong or too optimistic to leave them down while she was dressed.

She glanced back at the table with a wistful smile. And then an amused horror descended on her features. “Oh my God. Lisa is going to die when she finds out we made love on her kitchen table.”

His laugh was strangled. He pulled her into his arms. “How about we don’t tell Lisa?”

“Oooh,” she cooed. “Secrets. I love them.”

“Me too,” he said as he kissed her again, but what he probably meant was, I love you. Because he was pretty sure he did.

And then, she said, “How about dessert?” and removed all doubt.

She was, indeed, the perfect woman.

Chapter Twelve

They broke the cardinal rule right off the bat. Claire didn’t see the point of pretending that the two of them would never make it up to her room. Besides, anyone who might have stopped them was probably halfway to Austin by now.

She took the strawberries and whipped cream upstairs as she led him to perdition and they spent the next couple hours eating them off of each other. She’d always loved strawberries and whipped cream, but nibbling them off his hard, flat belly gave her a new appreciation for the treat.

The striptease he treated her to wasn’t bad either. And God, he was more magnificent in his altogether than she could ever have imagined.

Though she was shy about stripping in front of him, he made it worth her while.

She loved the way he stared at her, stroked her, studied her. He treated her as though she were made of the most delicate china…until his passion raged out of control. She loved that too.

As much as she appreciated his reverent touch, she couldn’t deny that the savage side of him—that skulking beast who wanted to cover her, claim her—set her on fire.

She could tell by the glint in his expression when he’d had enough of their scrumptious game. With a growl, and no prelude other than to snag another condom, he grabbed her by the hips, flipped her over and took her.

Plowed right in and fucked her from behind, hitting her in all the right places and making her come like gangbusters once more.

She’d never had this. Never known this. Never felt this.

He was the hottest man she’d ever met, but that was hardly all of it. The fact that he found her irresistible too spurred her on. She didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky and it scared her a bit, because it was happening so fast. And also, because the thought of losing him, ever, was terrifying.

But now was not the time to worry about that.

She had him for the weekend and she was going to work him like the stud he was.

Fortunately, he had no complaints.

After a shower—because somehow, they’d become sticky—they curled up in her bed and rested. He wrapped his arms around her and breathed kisses on her forehead.

She nestled deeper into his embrace and asked a question that had been nagging at her since he’d mentioned it. “Were you kidding about tying me to the bed?”

“Not really.” His hold on her tightened. “Does that freak you out?”

She pushed away and propped herself on her elbow so she could stare down at his face. “I’ve never done anything like that. But…” She blushed.

“But what?”

“I read a book.”

“Did you?” His smile was wicked. “Is it something you’d like to try?”

“That depends.”