Million Dollar Baby. Janice Maynard

charming and vulnerable and maybe even a little bit naive. She brought out his protective instincts and tapped into raw emotions inside him that he would have sworn were dead and buried.

      With her he felt the need to be tender.

      “Hang on, honey.” Hitching her higher on his chest, he grabbed for the comforter with one hand and dragged it and the sheet halfway down the bed. Then he dropped the big-eyed blonde on the mattress and tried not to pounce on her. Instead, he came down beside her and propped his head on his hand.

      Lazily, he traced a fingertip from her collarbone, down between her breasts, over her concave belly to her tiny cute navel. “Tell me what you’re thinking, sweet lady. I swear I don’t bite.”

      Her body was so rigid it was giving him a headache.

      She gnawed her lower lip. “I forgot about protection.”

      “Not to worry. We’re good for two rounds.” He reached in his back pocket and extracted a duo of condom packets. “I had these in the truck.”

      “Oh. That’s nice.”

      “Tell me your name,” he coaxed. He bent over her and kissed his way from her navel up along her rib cage, pausing just at the slope of her breast and waiting until her breathing ratcheted up a notch and a shudder worked its way through her body.

      “You’re not playing fair...” She gazed up at him from underneath sultry lashes.

      Did she have any idea what that look did to a man? He flicked his tongue across her nipple...barely a graze. “I play to win, honey. You wanted wild and exciting? That usually means breaking the rules.”

      He was breathing hard, barely holding it together. Playing this game was fun, more fun than he’d had in a hell of a long time. But he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. Already he wanted her so badly he was shaking.

      “Brooke,” she whispered. “My name is Brooke.”

      The trust on her face made him ashamed. She was doing something out of character. He knew it. And he was prepared to help her in her quest for a night of reckless passion. What kind of man did that make him?

      He swallowed hard. “Brooke. I like it. With an e or no e?”

      She smiled. “Does it matter?”

      “It does to me.” And it did. When this was over and they went their separate ways, he wanted to remember her exactly like this. He wanted to know everything there was to know.

      She caressed his chin, feeling the stubble. He’d shaved at six that morning. “With an e, Cowboy. Now it’s your turn.”

      He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Austin,” he groaned. “My name is Austin.” Moving his lips across her breast, he kissed his way up hills and down valleys and back again until Brooke panted and whimpered and begged. That was the sign he had been waiting for.

      He rolled to his feet and ripped at his shirt, dragging it over his head in one frustrated motion. Then he toed off his boots and shucked out of his jeans and boxers. When he was buck-ass naked, he stood beside the bed and tried to catch his breath. It was embarrassing to be so winded when he hadn’t even started yet.

      Brooke came up on her knees and stared. “Are you normal?”

      He blinked. “Excuse me?”

      She waved a hand. “Your, um...you know. It seems kind of big.”

      A slither of unease sent ice water through his veins. “You wouldn’t lie to me about that virgin thing. Would you?”

      She straightened her shoulders, her eyes flashing. “I am not a liar.”

      “So you’ve definitely had sex.”

      “Of course.”

      “How many times?”

      “That’s none of your business.” She unbuttoned her jeans and shimmied them down her thighs.

      His mouth went dry. “I was gonna do that.”

      She gave him a look. “You were taking too long. I’m not sure I picked the right man. Are you positive you know what you’re doing?”

      He didn’t know whether to laugh or howl with frustration. “God, you’re a piece of work.”

      “You promised me wild and exciting. I’m still wearing panties.”

      He grabbed her around the waist and tumbled them both to the bed, rolling so they landed with Brooke on top. She was easily eight inches shorter than he was and forty pounds lighter. She pretended to struggle. He pretended to let her. When they were both breathless, he kissed her hard.

      She melted into him, purring his name with soft, erotic yearning that made every cell in his body ache.

      He rubbed her back. “I’m glad you walked into my life tonight, Brooke with no last name.” Her ponytail had come loose. Pale, sunshiny hair tumbled around them, soft and silky. It smelled like lilacs and innocence and happy summer afternoons.

      She nibbled his chin. “Me, too. I nearly chickened out, but then I saw you sitting there, and I felt something.”

      “Something?” He palmed her bottom. It was a perfect bottom. Plump and pert and exactly the right size for a man’s hands.

      “A zing, I guess. Animal attraction.” She shifted her weight and nearly injured him. He was so hard his balls ached. The condom was in arm’s reach. All he had to do was grab it. But he didn’t want this to be over. He didn’t want the night to end.

      Without warning, Brooke rolled off him, settled onto her side, and took his sex in her hand. “I like the way you look, Cowboy.” She stroked him slowly, her gaze focused on the task at hand.

      The feel of her cool slender fingers on his taut flesh skated the line between pleasure and pain. He gritted his teeth and tried not to come. “I told you my name,” he groaned.

      She rested her cheek on his shoulder and continued her torture. “Yes, you did.” She gripped him tightly. “Austin.” She whispered it low and sweet.

      Sweat broke out on his brow. This woman was killing him slowly...

      * * *

      Brooke was hot and dizzy and elated. For an idea that had begun so badly, this was turning out to be a night to remember. Austin was everything she could have asked for in a lover. Demanding and yet tender. Tough and masculine, but still considerate of her insecurities.

      He grabbed her wrist and moved it away from his erection. “Enough,” he croaked.

      Before she could protest, he reached for the condom, rolled it on and dragged her panties down her legs. Then he was on top of her and in her and she forgot how to breathe.

      He was heavy and wildly aroused. Thankfully, she was equally excited. Despite his impressive stats, her body accepted him easily. It had been a long time for her, but he didn’t have to know that. She canted her hips, tried to relax and concentrated on the incredible sensation of fullness as her body became one with his.

      Something about the moment dampened her eyes and tightened her throat. Maybe it was the thought of all he had lost. Maybe it was a breathless yearning to have a man like this for her own one day. Whatever it was, it made her weepy and left her feeling raw and vulnerable. As if it were impossible to hide from him.

      He came quickly, with a muttered apology, his chest heaving. Brooke tried to squelch her disappointment. After a quick trip to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, he returned. In their hurry, they had left the lamp on. Now, he flipped the switch, plunging the room into darkness. Only an automatic night-light in the bathroom dispersed some of the gloom as their eyes adjusted.

      Austin smoothed the hair from her face. “I’m sorry about that, honey. You had me pretty wound up, and it’s been a little while for me.”

      “It’s