Seven-Year Seduction. Heidi Betts

her own. Once he had it undone, he wasted no time getting her out of the fleece-lined jacket, tossing it to the floor of the cab.

      His hands immediately returned to her hips, where they rested for a moment before slipping under the hem of her sweater and gliding upward. The touch of his callused fingertips on the smooth expanse of her torso set off forest fires just beneath the surface of her skin.

      It was cold outside, and should have been cold inside the truck by now, without the engine running. Instead, she felt hothouse warm, their mingled breaths fogging up the windows.

      They were acting like a couple of randy teenagers, and she didn’t even care. Given half a chance, she’d have driven up to Makeout Point with Connor while she’d been in high school, too.

      With a moan, his lips parted, leaving her mouth to trail over her chin, down the line of her throat. She arched her neck, granting him better access.

      While his tongue flicked and teased, she worked the tail of his soft cotton T-shirt out from the waistband of his jeans. His abdomen tightened as she stroked it, exploring the rock-hard muscles and dancing her fingers over the light dusting of hair that ran from navel to chest and back down. She followed the trail to the edge of his jeans, deftly undoing the metal button at the top.

      At the same time, his hands cupped her breasts, pushing the fabric of her bra up to delve beneath. Her beaded nipples pressed into his palms and when he rubbed, tiny shock waves of desire shot straight to her center.

      His mouth moved back up, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. “We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s wrong.”

      “It’s not wrong,” she told him, catching his ears and kissing him deeply. “It’s right. So very, very right.”

      He groaned, seeming to give in, regardless of any other arguments that might be crashing through his mind. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her to the truck seat, following her down.

      Her knee bumped the steering wheel as they tried to find a comfortable position. His foot cracked into the door, his elbow hit the dash, she bumped her head on the opposite door handle. If they hadn’t been so turned on, they might have given up altogether.

      As it was, they laughed at their awkward positions, shifting until they each found a modicum of comfort. Then they were kissing again, lips meshing, tongues flicking, breaths mingling.

      Connor curled his fingers on either side of her jeans closure and pulled the snap free. The snick snick snick of the zipper as he released it echoed through the cab. He shoved the pants down her legs, leaving them bunched somewhere around her calves rather than fight to get them off over her shoes. Her panties were next, followed by his trousers and underwear.

      As much as Beth wanted this, had been wanting it for so long, the cool air on her lower extremities sent a thread of hesitation through her.

      This was Connor. Her brother’s best friend. The man she’d been dreaming of being with ever since she’d hit puberty.

      She wasn’t sorry she’d gotten herself into this situation…if anything, she was relieved she’d finally managed to snag Connor’s undivided and romantic attention. But she did know that sleeping with him would change things. Forever.

      The way they looked at each other, the way they acted around each other. The way he acted around her family.

      Of course, she hoped things would change for the better. That she and Connor would become an item after tonight, date for a while, get engaged, then marry and start a family.

      A picture of them ten years down the road shimmered in her mind’s eye and she smiled, even as Connor’s fingers skimmed her inner thigh, making rational thought nearly impossible.

      Whatever happened, they could handle it, and everything would be fine. He was already as close to Nicholas as a brother, as close to her parents as another son. Her entire family would be more than accepting of their relationship, and she knew that once Connor recovered from the shock of having slept with his best friend’s little sister—if indeed he suffered any shock at all—he would realize they belonged together.

      She’d finish law school, of course, then move back home to be close to him, and one day they’d be man and wife. One day they’d be living happily ever after.

      Beth smiled for a brief moment, then whimpered when he grazed the curls between her legs with the back of his hand. He nudged her knees open as far as they would go with her jeans still wrapped around her ankles, then settled himself the best he could in the cradle of her thighs.

      His palms stroked up and down her bare torso, her sweater pushed up around her breasts. She felt the tip of his hardened length probing intimately while his mouth continued to devour her own.

      He was gentle but demanding, considerate but firm. One hand skated along her waist and hip, then cupped around her bare derriere and lifted her.

      He slid inside more easily than she’d expected, given her state of virginity. But he was still big, and filled her until she had to tip her hips to find a more comfortable position.

      Her legs were pressed against the steering wheel and back of the truck seat, and she could hear the rubber soles of Connor’s work boots as they came in contact with the driver’s-side door. His chest rose and fell with the heavy force of his breaths, in synch with her own.

      When he thrust even deeper, she gasped, a slight burning assaulting her tender, innocent passage. He stopped moving and lifted his head, giving her time to adjust to his invasion.

      “You okay?” he asked, looking down at her with eyes the color of melted chocolate, tiny beads of perspiration dotting his brow.

      Her teeth sawed delicately on her bottom lip, more out of habit than any real pain. “I’m fine.”

      He didn’t look as if he believed her, so she reached up to brush a loose lock of hair out of his eyes, a comforting smile lifting her lips.

      “I’m fine, really.” And then she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him down. “But I don’t think we’re finished yet.”

      Seconds passed while strain continued to etch his face. Then suddenly, the lines tipping down his mouth lifted as he grinned back at her. “No, ma’am. We’re just getting started.”

      His kiss was soft and tender as he took her lips and began moving his hips in a slow, steady rhythm. Friction built, like a length of silk being dragged over sandstone. The faster he moved, the tighter the coil of sweet tension grew, winding low in her belly until she wanted to scream.

      And then she did, as the dam seemed to break and a keen, clawing pleasure unlike any she’d ever experienced before washed over her. She continued to shudder with tiny aftershocks while Connor rocked into her once, twice, three times more before going rigid with his own overwhelming completion.

      They lay there for long minutes, struggling to regain their equilibrium. Connor’s rough jaw tickled her cheek, his uneven breathing whispering in her ear.

      Her arms and legs were still wound around him like strands of ivy, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly at how right it felt to be with him this way. Even in the cramped confines of his truck cab, half dressed, half undressed, the evening was perfect. And there would be plenty of times in the future when they could strip off each other’s clothes, take it slow, explore every inch of flesh before climbing under satin sheets and making long, languorous love all night long.

      This was just the beginning.

      Connor lifted his head, meeting her gaze briefly before pushing himself up and helping her to get untangled from his lithe form. He pulled her sweater down and waited until he was sure she could get her panties and jeans up by herself before righting his own clothing.

      Neither of them said anything until they were each back on their own sides of the truck seat.

      “Are you all right?” he asked in a low tone. He was looking straight out through the windshield, his fingers wrapped tight around the steering wheel.