taking a peek into her life, her gene pool. How could he look at Audie and not make some judgments about Beth, even if they were unconscious?
Since she didn’t want to get into complicated explanations of why she wanted to keep Drew far away from her brother, she did the next best thing. She let Drew see how much she wanted him, and how far she was willing to go.
Even in the aftermath of an impressive orgasm, he was quick on the uptake. He hustled them both out of the shower and made her stand still while he dried her from head to toe with a thick towel. Remaining passive beneath his touch was no hardship. His gentle care was at once soothing and arousing.
“Open your eyes, Beth.”
She obeyed reluctantly, fearing what she might see on his face. Taking the lead in sex the way she had in the shower was not her M.O. Some men would not like the tables being turned. It was programmed into male DNA to be the pursuer.
Drew stared at her, his eyes glittering with unveiled hunger. “I applaud your inventive enthusiasm, but this next time I’m not leaving you behind.”
“I can live with that.”
He scooped her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom. She had been so nervous going into this that his masculine domain had barely registered. Now, particularly after he turned on a small lamp on the chest, she saw a room that was both elegant and comfortable.
The navy carpet alone was hedonistic. Thick and soft, it invited toes to flex in its luxury. The bed was massive, a dark mahogany four-poster king covered in ivory damask. There was nothing remotely feminine about the decorating scheme, but Beth fell in love with the ambiance.
Drew appeared to hesitate for a moment. She looked up at him. “Is there a problem?”
His lips curled in a smile that sent shivers down her spine. “Not at all. I was merely counting up how many times and ways I want to take you and where to start.”
Her mouth dried. Feverish and needy, she raked her fingernails across his shoulder. “Swear you mean that.”
“Every word.”
Dumping her on her feet without ceremony, he threw back the covers and ripped open a drawer in the bedside table to find protection. The handful of packets he dropped on the tabletop was impressive.
He crooked a finger, his flash of white teeth wicked. “It’s your turn now, little tease. Prepare to be ravished.”
Without protest, she allowed him to draw her toward a mattress that seemed a mile wide. She shrieked when he lifted her without warning and tossed her onto soft sheets. Scrambling to appear worldly rather than awkward and ungainly, she curled on her side and pulled a corner of the sheet over her.
With one quick jerk of his hand, her modesty was history. “Don’t hide from me, Beth.”
“I wasn’t.”
His knowing smile acknowledged her lie. “Put your hands behind your neck and spread your legs.”
Somehow, when Drew repeated the command she had spoken to him in the shower, the words took on a whole new meaning. She melted from the inside out, every muscle in her body turning to heat and energy.
He watched with hooded eyes as she forced herself to comply. Deliberately exposing her sex to his hungry gaze took more courage than it had to invade his shower. “Be gentle with me,” she joked, jittery with nervous anticipation.
“The first time.”
Wow. How could a man infuse three syllables with such delicious intent and promise? She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled as he lowered himself next to her, his body radiating heat. “Why have we waited so long to do this?” he asked, teasing her navel with a fingertip.
She writhed and panted. “Because I’m a thorn in your side.”
“I can’t remember why.” He bent his head and kissed her flat tummy.
“That’s because you’re not thinking with the correct portion of your anatomy.”
“Damned straight. We’re in the midst of a truce. So I propose that you stay in my bed for as many hours as it takes for us both to get tired of each other.”
“How long will that be?”
He parted the folds of her sex with his thumbs. Her back arched instinctively.
“I’ll let you know,” he muttered.
After that, conversation halted in favor of sheer, carnal pleasure. Drew’s expertise was unmistakable. He touched her reverently, like a man examining a newfound treasure.
When she wanted him to go fast, he slowed down. When she craved more pressure, he gave her butterfly caresses. Pleasure built. Wanting multiplied. Her climax hit with the force of a thunderstorm, drenching her with delirium.
She reached for him. “Drew. Drew....”
He did what had to be done and moved between her legs, sliding his hands beneath her thighs and opening her even further to his possession. Feeling the blunt head of his sex as he pushed into her was in some ways more frightening than the tornado. How could she survive this? She had been halfway in love with him for months, disguising her silly unrequited crush as indifference.
Apparently, one of the reasons she had argued with him about her produce stand and her customers was to keep him coming back again and again. How pathetic was that? She’d lied to herself and not even seen the truth. If it had not already been far too late for second thoughts, she might have run from the room. With every stroke of his body inside hers, he left his imprint. She would never be the same.
But as he loved her slowly and tenderly, fear gave way to wonder and hesitation became assurance. Nothing so wonderful could be a mistake. She gave herself up to the deep, drugged pleasure of his lovemaking.
Muscles bunched in his arms as he struggled to keep his weight off her. “Tell me you won’t regret this,” he demanded.
“I came to you, remember?”
“Doesn’t matter. I see your eyes. You’re already running scared.”
His perspicacity embarrassed her. She couldn’t deny the truth.
So she arched her back, driving him a fraction deeper, clenching his hard length with inner muscles. “I’m here now. Don’t stop, Drew. Please.” She teetered on the brink of a spectacular finish.
His answer was to give her everything she wanted. No more nuances. No more time for talk. He was big and hard and determined to push her off the ledge. “Come for me, darlin’,” he muttered.
She did as he asked, but only because she had no choice. If she had ever experienced such pure, crystalline pleasure, she couldn’t remember it. The ripples went on and on, leaving her breathless and lost.
Drew was seconds behind her, his climax signaled by a harsh shout and thrusting hips. With her legs wrapped around his waist, Beth clung to his wide shoulders and held on as her universe tumbled out of control.
