“I can take it off quickly, or you can take it off slowly.”
Damn.That’s the hottest thing anyone has ever said to me. Ever.
I swallow. “Take it o—”
But I don’t get to finish because Luc hauls me up into his arms and peels the open blouse off my shoulders before whipping it from me. And then—like a pro, like he could compete in the Olympics at it—he unclasps my bra from behind, and I’m topless.
Pretty much naked, in fact, except for the tiny scrap of lace between my legs.
Luc lays me down again, much, much more slowly than he pulled me up, his eyes moving over me. One hand braces his weight, the other lightly traces my side, as if he were outlining my silhouette. It feels amazing. But his gaze is too close. Too intense. Instead of squirming under its full power, I put my attention on him and decide at once that this is a brilliant idea.
I run my hands up his sinewed arms, over the hills of his biceps and shoulders. His flesh is hot and hard, but his skin is so smooth, I’m immediately addicted. I could run my fingers over him all day. All night.
He’s so beautiful. So strong and good. No guy has ever taken me at my word. Not Carter. Not my two Tulane boyfriends I had before Carter, both of whom found dating a virgin exciting and, let’s face it, probably challenging—until it sunk in that I planned to stay a virgin until I finished college.
Carter was my first, and while he was patient—at first—he never, not once, promised to keep his pants on.
So, before I can stop myself, I ask the one question I can’t riddle out.
“Why me?”
From somewhere near my navel, his gaze sweeps up and locks with mine.Oh boy. I thought I felt naked and exposed before. That was nothing compared to this.
“You can’t be serious,” he asks, those eyes narrowing on me.
I swallow. “I am.”
His brows draw in, that scar, and the look in his eyes taking his sexiness to lethal levels. “You’re the strongest person I know. How you manage everything blows me away. You’re smart. Funny as hell, and seeing you is the best part of my day.”
Okay, yeah, that’s a really good answer.
He lifts a brow. “Good enough?”
I nod.
Luc drops his mouth to mine, and I welcome his kiss. I open to take him in, but he pushes away.
“What?” I ask, undeniably disappointed.
“Whyme?”His eyes brighten, a smile at their corners, but that’s just on the outside. On the inside, somewhere between his corneas and his optic nerve, I see a shadow of doubt. A vulnerability that is all wrapped up in his hopes and fears about what I’ll say. And that vulnerability makes me love him all the more.
I raise my hand and stroke his cheek. “You do everything with integrity,” I tell him, speaking softly. “Whether it’s reminding your guys about safety or leaving notes for Emmett so nothing surprises him, or making sure you wrap up before Mattie’s piano lessons. You put people first and you keep your word.”
The shadow of doubt fades.
“I’m a big fan,” I add, grinning. “Good enough?”
Heat stokes his smile. His hand comes up to caress my cheek.“Te miro y me muero de hambre.”
I have no idea what he’s said, but it sounds divine. I lift a brow, waiting.
The way his eyes become slits gives me tummy flutters. “I look at you,” he says, heat radiating from his body. “And I’m starving.”
I suck in a breath.
“Every day.”
I open my mouth to tell him it’s the same for me, but his kiss silences me, his tongue overruling sound and sense. His body presses into me, heavy and powerful. One of his hands finds mine, and our fingers converge, interlace. My heart does a little pirouette at the intimacy of it.
