“Good night, Mia,” Flynn said, giving his sister a very direct look.

   She laughed and waved as she walked out the door.

   Which left Flynn alone with Amelia. Amelia was sitting on one of the kitchen bar stools. She looked up at him, a shocked expression on her face.

   “Your sister. She’s kind of a force of nature, isn’t she?”

   “Understatement.”

   And then Amelia went quiet, staring down at her lap. He could tell she had something on her mind. When she lifted her gaze, she said his name.

   “Flynn?”

   “Yeah?”

   “About Thanksgiving. I mean, it was nice of Mia to invite me, but I totally understand if you don’t want me there.”

   Ah. He walked over to her and pulled her off the stool. “I want you there.”

   “But—”

   “No buts. I want you there.”

   “Are you sure?”

   “Yes. I’d love for you to come with me to Texas. My mother would love you. She likes food.”

   “Well, that’s nice and all, but isn’t that like a family thing?”

   “Not with the Cassidys. I mean, yeah, the family comes. But friends do, too. And whoever else shows up. Thanksgiving is a free-for-all with us. Whoever shows up is always welcome.”

   “You’re sure.”

   He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Yes. So don’t make a big deal about this, okay? Besides, I want you there. You’ll come hang out with my family at Thanksgiving. Nothing more than that.”

   She nodded and smiled. “Okay. That makes me feel better.”

   “Good. Now that we got that out of the way, my sister’s gone to bed for the night. We’re alone and she won’t come through those doors again until morning.”

   He waited, gauging her interest in his statement. She didn’t budge, and when he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, he tasted the sweetness of whipped cream mingled with the tartness of wine.

   She snaked her hand up his arm, then pulled back. “So now you’ve got me alone, Flynn Cassidy. What do you intend to do with me?”

   His breathing quickened and he pressed his forehead against hers. “Do you want a written list, or would you just like me to show you?”

   “Writing takes too much time. Show me.”

FOURTEEN

   Amelia had planned to just make this night about dinner and conversation. But then she’d had wine. Great food. Excellent conversation. And a really good time.

   She’d also learned a lot about Flynn in the process. Like how much he adored his little sister. How protective he was of her, but also how much he respected her. And that made her warm to him even more than she already had. Which had melted any residual resistance she might have had. Not that she’d had much to start with once he’d opened the front door to her earlier tonight. He’d had on worn jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, and a partially unbuttoned black Henley with the sleeves rolled up.

   In theory, saying she was done with him was one thing. When confronted with all that hotness, it was another.

   Now he held his hand out for her and pulled her toward him. She slid willingly into his arms and he tugged her against him.

   “I missed you last week,” he said. “And while I love having my sister here for a visit, I wanted to be alone with you tonight.”

   She inched closer, loving the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. “We’re alone now.”

   “Yeah, we are. So how about we take this to the bedroom, where I can close and lock the door and make sure we’re not disturbed?”

   “That sounds like a really good idea.”

   He took her by the hand and they walked toward the bedroom. They made it as far as the landing to the stairs before Flynn pushed her against the wall.

   Her lips curved as he looked at her.

   “What?”

   “I had a conversation with my friend Laura recently, where I told her I’d never had hot, dirty, up-against-the-wall sex.”

   His brows shot up. “Is that right? Let’s fix that right now.”

   His mouth came down hard on hers. She felt every bit of his passion as his tongue slid between her lips and swept along hers. She whimpered against his mouth, needing him as much as he needed her. She lifted her leg and wound it around his hip, his answering groan her reward. When he rubbed his hard cock against her, she thought she might slide to the floor, grateful she had the wall and his body for support.

   He pulled his mouth from hers, his eyes dark and filled with desire as he looked down at her. “I’m not sure we’ll make it to the bedroom.”

   Her sex quivered. “You keep grinding against me like that and I’ll come before we make it up two steps.”

   “You said you’d never had it up against the wall. Isn’t that what you want, Amelia?”

   Just thinking about it made her body respond with a flash of heat. “Yes.”

   He laid another blistering-hot kiss on her, the kind that made every nerve ending explode within her. He trailed his lips over her jaw, her neck, his hands roaming her body as he did. He cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples through the material of her dress and her bra. Even with her clothes on he elicited a reaction. Her nipples ached for his touch, for his mouth, her body quivering under his touch.

   He dropped to his knees and raised her dress over her hips, then looked up at her with a wickedly sexy smile.

   “Don’t you look all hot and sexy in purple.”

   She smiled down at him, so happy he’d noticed her new underwear. “Thank you.”

   He held the material of her dress in his hands, then shoved it at her. “Hold this.”

   He reached for the strings at her hips and pulled her underwear down her thighs, letting it drop to her ankles. She stepped out of it.

   “Spread your legs for me, Amelia.”

   Her legs shook as she widened her stance and he moved in between her thighs. His soft hair tickled her thighs as he drew in, then flicked his tongue out and teased her sex by drawing circles around it.

   “Flynn.” His name fell from her lips in a soft, needy whisper.

   “Yeah, I know.” When he laid his mouth fully on her, she rested her head against the wall, overcome by the sensations of heat and wetness from his mouth and tongue. He was taking her to nirvana one torturous lick at a time, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay upright. But it felt so damn good, and in no time at all she was crying out with an orgasm that hit her like a lightning strike. Sharp, delicious pulses soared through her, and Flynn grasped her hips and held on while she bucked against him with her climax.