The Danforths: Reid, Kimberly and Jake. Maureen Child

he moved his attention to her other breast, his hands guided her dress down her hips. The fabric pooled at her bare feet. She squirmed, wanting him with a desperation that was driving her mad. When he lifted his head, circled her waist with his hands and brought his mouth to her stomach, she moaned.

      ‘‘So pretty,’’ he murmured, sliding his mouth across the bottom of her rib cage. ‘‘So delicate.’’

      His mouth and words aroused her even more and the urgency grew. As he trailed hot kisses across her belly, her hands pressed against his skull. She didn’t think she could take much more; she was certain a person could die from feelings this intense.

      ‘‘Reid,’’ she whispered hoarsely. ‘‘Please.’’

      She helped him drag his top over his head. Wanting desperately to touch him, she reached out and slid her hands over the hard muscles of his shoulders and chest, felt the raw power and strength under her fingertips. When she leaned closer and pressed her mouth to his collarbone, he sucked in a sharp breath.

      His taste, salty and warm, intoxicated her. She felt his heart pounding under her fingertips, felt the coiled energy rippling through his muscles. Mine, she thought. Even if only for this one night, he was really hers.

      And she was his.

      He lowered her to the bed, and the weight of his body pressed her into the soft mattress. He crushed his mouth to hers, demanding, insistent. She quivered when his hand found her breast again, arched upward when his mouth replaced his hand.

      Every touch, every taste, every sensation, each one more intense than the one before, rolled through her, building and building. She wanted, needed, him inside her. Needed to end this incredible, wonderful torture. But when his hand slid down her stomach, then slipped under her lace panties and dipped to the peb-bled heat between her legs, she knew the exquisite torture had only just begun. He stroked her, matching the rhythm of his tongue against her own. She moved with him, frustrated at the pace he had set. Determined to speed things up, she slid her hands between them and loosened his belt, then reached for the zipper of his slacks.

      Every thought of going slowly raced out of Reid’s mind when Tina closed her hand around him. He knew she was ready for him; she was wet and swollen, arching her body to his. With the last thread of control, he moved away from her.

      ‘‘Reid.’’ She whimpered in protest and reached for him.

      ‘‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere.’’ While he tugged off the rest of his clothes and took the extra moment to protect them both, he kept his gaze locked with hers.

      Her eager arms welcomed him back. He kissed her deeply, tenderly, let the passion rise to the same fever pitch before he slipped her panties off, then moved between her thighs. She opened to him, wrapped her long, silky legs around him and pulled him into her.

      When she stiffened and softly cried out, he went still.

      ‘‘What…?’’

      Her arms and legs tightened around him, held him close. ‘‘Don’t stop,’’ she said raggedly. ‘‘Please, Reid.’’

      ‘‘But you…but I—’’

      She reared up, kissing him, moving her hips against him, making it impossible for him to think, impossible to do anything but hang on to the growing wave of sheer, raw need. Helpless, he moved inside the tight, hot velvet glove of her body. Blind pleasure, dark and uncontrollable, took over. The wave rose, then rose higher still, until it finally crested. She hovered there, shuddering, a moan on her lips.

      His own climax slammed violently into him and broke apart, crashed and rolled.

      Lungs burning, he pulled her close while his mind struggled to pull words into a coherent sentence.

      ‘‘Tina.’’ His voice was raspy, strained. ‘‘Why didn’t you tell me?’’

      While her hand moved restlessly over his chest, she snuggled in his arms. ‘‘I didn’t think about it.’’

      ‘‘You didn’t think about it?’’ His voice cracked. ‘‘How could you not think about it?’’

      ‘‘I was a little busy.’’ Her hand stilled. ‘‘Would it have made a difference if I’d told you I was a virgin?’’

      ‘‘Yes. No.’’ He jerked a hand through his hair. ‘‘Yes.’’

      ‘‘I’m twenty-four years old, Reid,’’ she said thinly. ‘‘I waited to be with a man until it felt right to me. I’m sorry if that’s a problem for you.’’

      When she started to move away, he hauled her back and pressed a kiss to her temple.

      ‘‘I didn’t say it was a problem. I just would have been more careful,’’ he said quietly. ‘‘I hurt you.’’

      Slowly she relaxed, then shook her head. ‘‘A twinge, that’s all, just for a moment. Everything else was wonderful. You were wonderful.’’

      ‘‘Yeah? How wonderful?’’

      ‘‘Oh, stop grinning at me like that.’’ She pushed at his chest. ‘‘As if you don’t hear that all the time.’’

      He rose on one elbow and frowned at her. ‘‘What’s that supposed to mean?’’

      ‘‘I’ve seen your name in magazines and newspapers,’’ she said with a timid shrug. ‘‘There’s usually a woman’s name attached somewhere.’’

      ‘‘Don’t believe everything you read, sweetheart.’’ He gathered her close again and lay back on the bed. ‘‘I’ve dated a lot of women, had a few I’d even call girlfriends. I may not be a saint, but I sure as hell didn’t sleep with them all, either. Okay?’’

      Silence settled around them like a soft blanket. Somewhere in the room a clock tick-tocked; warm air hummed through an overhead duct.

      ‘‘Why me?’’ she asked quietly, stroking her fingertips back and forth across his chest.

      Would this woman ever stop surprising him? he wondered. Strangely, he realized that was part of the attraction.

      Because the way she was touching him was a big distraction, he took hold of her hand, then hauled her on top of him. She gasped at the unexpected movement, and the fact that he was hard and ready for her again, wanting her as much now as he had only a few minutes ago.

      ‘‘You really don’t know, do you?’’ He was definitely enjoying the new position of her body on top of his, not to mention the view of her bare breasts. ‘‘You really are completely unaware of how sexy and utterly captivating you are.’’

      Her cheeks turned pink and her lashes fluttered down. ‘‘I figured you were just bored.’’

      ‘‘Bored?’’ He nearly choked. ‘‘Good Lord, woman. Where would you get an idea like that?’’

      ‘‘Sharie Jo Sullivan.’’

      ‘‘Who?’’

      ‘‘Sharie Jo Sullivan. A customer at the bakery. She said men like you get bored easily. That you’re always looking for a challenge.’’

      ‘‘Is that what you think you are to me?’’ He couldn’t believe he was hearing this. ‘‘A challenge?’’

      ‘‘I was probably the first woman who ever said no to you,’’ she reminded him.

      ‘‘I didn’t hear you say no tonight.’’ Reid skimmed his hands down Tina’s back, then brought his mouth to hers and nibbled one delicious corner. ‘‘In fact, I believe I heard a lot of ‘yes’ and ‘please,’’’ he teased.

      ‘‘You’re going to need a new head to fit that ego if you aren’t careful, buster,’’ she said with a prim sniff.

      ‘‘I’ll