She licked her lips and his eyes narrowed. Scooting closer on her knees, she nuzzled his lower belly. He’d left the boxers on more for her benefit than his, she was sure, but she wanted them gone. All it took was a gentle tug and he popped free, huge and hard and ready. For her.

Wrapping her hand around his hardness, she licked up the length, enjoying the feel and scent of him. It was so intimate, to have him in her mouth, to have his scent in her nostrils and his rough moans in her ears. She’d never thought she could enjoy doing this, but it was such a turn-on to look up at him and see his head thrown back, eyes squeezed closed, teeth bared in a grimace.

His barely restrained moans told her he was close to the edge. She sucked him deeper and his hands clenched against his thigh. What a rush to give him the same abandon that he had given her.

“Kay, I can’t wait. I need to be inside you now,” he growled.

Nodding her head, she gave a final suckle to his hot tip, smiling when he clamped his lips against a groan. Stretching out her hand, she found the packet he had removed from his pants a few moments ago and handed it to him.

Eli stroked the condom on quickly and then lay back, folding his arms behind his head to allow her free rein over his body. Heady with the power she wielded, she straddled him. His breathing roughened and she could feel the moisture between her legs signaling her readiness.

Crawling up his body, she laced her arms behind his head and sank into his kiss. His arms grasped the fullness of her hips, caressing them, and she didn’t miss his sigh of appreciation. He made her feel womanly and luscious, and she wanted to show her appreciation the only way she knew how. Settling herself over his erection, she slowly sank down, taking each inch of him in. She wanted to go slowly, but the unbearable ache between her thighs had her bearing down with all her weight, crying out with relief when they were finally joined.

His hands grasped her waist firmly and pulled her into a rocking motion that made the friction almost unbearable. Digging her nails into his shoulders, Kay struggled to keep up with his frantic pace, delighting in every groan and cry she wrenched from his lips. She had never known how empowering it could be to take control, but she found herself savoring the ability to drive Eli over the edge.

She began varying her speed, luxuriating in the powerful feel of him inside her, around her. The tension grew to unbearable proportions until she finally succumbed to the flood of desire and allowed climax to overtake her. She heard Eli’s shout of abandon a few moments later.

“I am never getting rid of this rug.”

Kay snorted out a surprised laugh. “Sentimental value, huh?”

“You bet.”

Her heart rate finally slowed and she propped her head up on her fist. “Let’s sleep in your room tonight. Isn’t your bed bigger?”

He tensed beneath her and Kay wished she could call the words back. Hadn’t she just decided to leave it alone? Apparently her subconscious had its own plans.

“It’s kind of a mess in there. I’d rather stay in the guest room. There’s more space, and I won’t have to be embarrassed by how sloppy I am.”

“I wouldn’t care about that. Besides, are you telling me you normally slept in the guest room with your prior…” She stopped, at a loss as to what to call herself. Lover? Girlfriend? They hadn’t really progressed to the labeling phase of the relationship yet. “With other women,” she finally finished.

“I never stayed overnight with them,” Eli replied. He shifted and Kay moved over so he could sit up.

“Never? Why?”

He looked uncomfortable. “I don’t usually like sleeping in the same bed as anyone, but with you it’s different. You’re different.”

She wanted to ask him more but stopped when she saw the look on his face. He looked so trapped and uncomfortable. He was hiding something else, but what could be worse than what he’d already told her?

He’d once been considered a domestic terrorist by the FBI. If she could handle hearing that, what in the world was he worried about?

ELI SWALLOWED, FEELING like a total ass for lying to her. He needed to turn the conversation to something else. Anything else. “Are we ever going to make it to a real bed, I wonder?”

She shrugged, but there was a shadow of hurt in her eyes. “I didn’t mind. Although I’m sure I won’t mind in a bed either.”

“You have something of a dirty mind, angel. I would have never guessed.”

She laughed softly, and the crease in her forehead and the tension lines around her eyes eased a bit. “I’m full of surprises, lately.”

He extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. They gathered up their discarded clothing, and he set the alarm for the night before they walked down the hall and into the guest room. He waited until she switched on the bedside lamp.

“I’m not sleepy.” Kay’s eyes fixed on his nude body and he instantly got hard.

Eli leaned down to kiss the flush in her cheeks. It touched him that she was still so bashful about his response to her. “Neither of us will be sleeping for a while yet.”

He walked closer. Kay met him halfway and when their skin met, she gasped.

“Just let me take care of you, angel. Lie down on the bed.”

She scrambled to obey him. A bottle of lotion on her nightstand gave him an idea. “Turn over. I’m going to give you a massage.”

She rolled to her stomach, resting her head on her bent arms. He reached over and grabbed the bottle of lotion and pumped a small amount in his hands. Starting with her back, he smoothed the lotion on in broad strokes. She let out a little sigh and her eyes fluttered closed.