Kate Hoffmann - Declan

He didn’t wait for an invitation to take more. If Rachel didn’t want to proceed, then she’d have to stop him. Waves of desire washed over his body as she shoved his boxers lower on his hips, until he could feel her naked belly against his stiff cock.

Dec circled her waist with his hands and lifted her up on the porch railing, then stepped between her legs. Smoothing his fingertips along her shoulders, he brushed at the silk of her robe until it fell away, revealing the full beauty of her breasts.

Though the light was dim, Dec didn’t need to see details. Without any barriers, he took his time, enjoying the chance to learn more about her body by touch. “Tell me this is what you want,” he murmured.

Her voice trembled as she answered. “Yes. Don’t stop.”

His desire began to spiral out of control and he drew in a ragged breath and tried to focus. They had all the time in the world, the next few days to explore these feelings. It wouldn’t do to rush. He wrapped her legs around his hips and she moved against him, her feet resting on the back of his thighs. He’d need do nothing more than pull her forward and they’d be there, ready to get lost in each others’ bodies.

Rachel seemed caught up in the sensation of his touch, her head tipped back, her eyes closed, her breath coming in soft pants. He kissed her again, running his tongue along her lower lip, leaving it damp.

With any other woman, Dec would have known exactly what to do next. Seduction was seduction. There was a certain order to events and then it was over. But with Rachel, he sensed it wasn’t quite time for them to consummate this need. From the start, they hadn’t done things in the normal fashion and he didn’t want to start now.

“Why do I want you so much?” he asked, his voice raw. Suddenly, he wanted an explanation.

She opened her eyes and smiled. “I fit your profile,” she replied.

He gently bit her lower lip. “I don’t have a profile.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, running a finger from his chest to his waist and back again. Her hand accidentally brushed the tip of his penis and his breath caught in his throat. “From the moment you were born you began to absorb everything around you, holding on to the things you found pleasing, discarding those you didn’t. Sights, smells, sounds. Your mind cataloged them all until it created a perfect mate. And when you find the physical manifestation of those qualities, then you have no choice but to take up the chase.”

“And what about you?”

“If I didn’t find the qualities I wanted in you, then I wouldn’t have let you touch me.”

“So it’s all that simple?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head. “Actually, that part is pretty complicated. It’s the desire that’s simple.”

Dec slid his palm up to cup her breast, teasing at her nipple with his thumb. “Funny, this doesn’t seem simple.”

She sighed and tipped her head back. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. But what’s happening inside our bodies and inside our minds is.”

He dipped his head down and ran his tongue over her nipple. Rachel shuddered and then groaned softly. “So what do we do now?” he asked.

“We could have sex,” she suggested. “Or we could…”

“Or we could what? We could wait?”

“It’s often best to prolong the anticipation,” she said. “Find other things to occupy our bodies and our minds. Then, when it does happen, it will be much more intense and pleasurable.”

Dec nuzzled her breast, inhaling the scent of her skin, sweet and flowery. He straightened, then dropped a kiss on her mouth. “I’d be silly not to trust the expert, right?”

“Right,” she replied. He kissed her neck, sucking gently. “Or maybe not,” she added.

He grabbed her waist and set her back on her feet, then carefully retied her robe. Though it took every ounce of willpower Dec possessed to remove his hands from her body, he knew they’d made the right decision. When he made love to Rachel, it wouldn’t be just good, it would be incredible. And for that, he was willing to wait a little longer.

They walked hand in hand to her bedroom. Dec kissed her softly as they stood beside the bed, his fingers tangling in her hair. It would take so little to move beyond this, he mused. They could simply lie down and let their desire take over. As if she’d heard his thoughts, Rachel took his hand and pulled him down with her onto the bed.

He stretched out on top of her, his erection pressed between their bodies. She hadn’t touched him, at least not as openly as he’d touched her, and for that he was grateful. If she wrapped her fingers around his cock, he knew he’d be lost.

But he could do this, taking everything more slowly, prolonging the chase. It was like sex was brand new again, untarnished by his experiences in the past. He’d never wanted a woman more than he wanted Rachel, but then, he’d never had a better reason to wait.

As they continued to kiss, she pressed her hips against his, gently rubbing until they rocked in a slow, delicious rhythm. He hadn’t enjoyed such basic pleasure since he was a teenager, taking his very first steps into the world of sexual experience.

Reliving that first passion made this seem even more intense-and forbidden. He tried to hold back, unwilling to admit that his control was no better than that of a fourteen-year-old boy. But as she seduced his mouth with her lips and tongue, Dec gradually slipped into that place where he could no longer control what he felt.

And then, the world shifted and he could no longer hold back. His climax overwhelmed him and he came, spilling his pleasure onto the soft fabric of his boxer briefs. A groan slipped from his throat as the spasms continued and her body arched beneath his.

When he was spent, Dec pushed up on his hands and stared down at her. A tiny smile curled her lips. “You’re a very naughty girl,” he said.

Rachel nodded.

Dec let his arms collapse and nuzzled his face in the curve of her neck. Then he bit her gently, just enough so that she’d know what she’d done to him. The damp spot between them began to grow and he rolled off of her. His cock was still stiff but the ache to relieve himself was diminished. “The things you do to me,” he murmured.

“I figured we could take care of it together or you could take care of it on your own. Either way, you weren’t going to get back to sleep until it was taken care of.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.” He stood and walked to the door of her bedroom, then turned and looked at Rachel, now curled up on the bed hugging her pillow. “This better not be some sadistic game you’re playing just to screw with the bodyguard.”

“It’s not,” she said. “Trust me. It will be worth it.” Rachel smiled. “Besides, you always have a choice. You could choose to strip out of those boxers, walk across the room and have your way with me right now. And I wouldn’t stop you.”

“You wouldn’t?”

She shook her head and Dec groaned. This experiment in denial was intriguing, but it was also frustrating as hell. He’d done it all and then some with the women he’d bedded. But he’d never done this. Dec hadn’t even thought he was capable. And who knows where it might lead? If Rachel was right and the result between them was the best he’d ever had, then he was willing to wait.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Rachel said, her gaze dropping to the damp spot on the front of his boxers.

Dec chuckled softly as he walked out into the hall. This was a hell of a thing to happen between them. It wasn’t exactly normal, but it was damn interesting.

He turned and walked to the bathroom. As he cleaned up the remains of his orgasm, Dec caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. He stopped and stared. This was different, he could feel it in his gut. And though he didn’t know where it was leading, Dec sensed that it was going somewhere important. Could he be falling in love with Rachel?