Page 46

She could feel how hard he was when she pressed against him, and the knowledge sent a thrill through her. Her hands went to his belt, but Wes caught one of them gently before she could finish.

His eyes met hers. “You’re sure?”

Kate curled her fingers around his hand. “I want you.”

That was all either of them needed.

Wes kissed her hard enough to make her forget what she had been doing. His hands moved over her hips, and Kate laughed against his mouth when they nearly backed into one of the kitchen chairs. He steadied her.

She glanced toward the stairs.

“Bedroom?”

“Upstairs.”

They did not make it there quickly. Wes stopped halfway across the living room to kiss her again, and Kate pushed his jeans lower over his hips before they reached the first stair. By the time they entered his bedroom, his belt was hanging loose and Kate was wearing nothing but her underwear.

The room was dark, with only the light from the hall spilling in. Wes switched on the small lamp beside the bed. Kate had enough time to notice a broad wooden bed and a dresser before Wes came up behind her.

His arms slid around her waist. She leaned back against him as his mouth touched her shoulder.

For the first time since they left the orchard, neither of them hurried. Wes kissed along her shoulder and the side of her neck while his hands moved over her stomach and breasts. Kate closed her eyes, letting herself feel the contrast between the strength of his body behind her and the careful way he touched her.

Then his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear. Her breath caught. Wes turned her toward him and kissed her before lowering her onto the bed.

Kate watched him remove the rest of his clothes, her gaze moving over him without embarrassment. There was no disguising his arousal. He came down beside her, one hand stroking along her thigh.

Kate reached for him. Her fingers closed around his hardness, and Wes’s eyes shut briefly as she stroked him. The reaction pleased her.

He kissed her again, then moved down her body. His mouth returned to her breasts while his hand slipped between her thighs. Kate opened for him instinctively. The first stroke of his fingers made her hips lift.

Wes took his time.

He explored her slowly, learning the pressure that made her breathe harder and the place that made her fingers tighten in the bedcovers. When he slipped one finger inside her, Kate gasped and reached for his shoulder. He added another, moving them with a slow rhythm while his thumb stroked over the sensitive flesh above.

Pleasure gathered steadily.

Wes hooked his fingers into the waistband and drew her underwear down her legs before moving lower. The first touch of his mouth between her thighs made her gasp his name.

He answered by sliding one arm beneath her leg and drawing her closer. Kate stopped trying to think.

His tongue moved over her with patient attention, changing rhythm whenever her body responded. The pleasure built in waves, each one stronger than the last, until Kate was gripping the sheet and trying not to move away from the intensity.

Wes’s fingers slid inside her again. That was enough.

Her body tightened around him and pleasure broke through her so suddenly that she cried out. Wes stayed with her until the last tremor had passed, easing the pressure slowly rather than stopping at once.

Kate lay still for several seconds afterward, breathing hard.

When Wes moved back up the bed, she reached for him and pulled him down to her. She kissed him deeply while her hands moved down his back.

He settled between her thighs. Kate wrapped one leg around him. Wes paused. For one heartbeat they simply looked at each other.

Then he entered her.

Slowly.

Kate drew in a long breath as her body adjusted to him. Wes stopped once he was fully inside her, his forehead resting against hers while he gave her time.