Page 38 of Pure Temptation in Cowboy Boots

She held out both hands. “I’ll hold the bottle. And the daisies. I can pour us some wine if you want while you’re taking off your clothes.”

He gazed at her holding out her arms to him in that welcoming fashion and had the urge to toss the wine and glasses over his shoulder and join her immediately on that tempting bed. He groaned softly and shook his head to clear it. He’d need every ounce of control at his command in order to make this the slow seduction he’d planned.

“Is anything the matter?” she asked.

“Only that you’ve blown me away, and I’m struggling to get my bearings.”

“I really did that?”

“Yeah, you really did that.” He handed her the bottle and glasses. After she set them next to the tray of food, he gave her the daisy chain. “I’m usually a little more suave when I walk into a lady’s bedroom with wine and flowers. I usually present them instead of waiting for her to ask.”

“Oh.” She grinned, and he caught a calming glimpse of the other Tess, the one who loved climbing trees and eating cotton candy. “Thank you for the wine and flowers,” she said demurely. Then she put the daisies around her neck. They draped her breasts like a lei, drawing attention to the provocative swell above the tiny garment she wore. “How’s that?”

“More exciting than I could have predicted.”

She looked into his eyes, her own filled with an intensity to match his. “It is exciting, isn’t it? Us, and... all of this. Who would have thought?”

“Not me.”

She glanced at the wine. “The books say alcohol dulls sensual pleasure.”

“I thought you’d need to relax.” He chuckled. “Maybe I need it more than you do. You don’t look nervous at all.”

“I have a million butterflies inside.”

“You do?”

“Of course. I’ve never acted this way with a man in my life.”

He was humbled as he thought what a gift she was giving him. “That makes tonight very special. For me, too.”

“I’m glad. You know, maybe a little wine wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’m so keyed up I can guarantee it won’t affect me.”

“And I don’t want to be inhibited.”

He laughed. “This is inhibited?”

“Sort of. The books say that a woman can drive a man crazy it he comes into the bedroom and finds her... touching herself.”

He gulped. “Really.” From the painful bulge in his jeans, the books must be right. “And some wine might encourage you along those lines?”

“Maybe.”

“Then drink up.”

Her cheeks grew pink. “Just a little, then.” She reached over to the nightstand and poured them each half a glass. Then she picked hers up and leaned back against the pillows. “Now undress for me, Mac. And make it slow.”

His jaw slackened. “What do you mean, slow?”

“Tease me a little. Build the suspense.” She swirled her wine in her goblet and took a sip, watching him over the rim of her glass.

His body quivered in anticipation while his mind balked. “What suspense? You’ve seen every part of me. And I can say that with conviction after the other night. What difference does it make how I take off my clothes now?”

“Believe me, it makes a difference. And keep your eyes on me the whole time you’re doing it.”

Suspicion made him frown. “How do you know it makes a difference?”