Her first thought wasgood, let’s keep going, but then common sense trickled in. He had a son to worry about. And he was probably feeling guilty about his late wife.
What if he hadn’t had sex since she’d died?
Amanda stepped back and nodded, straightening her dress back into place because his hands had gotten a little frisky, too. “Yes. Sorry. Told you that you have that effect on me.”
“You obviously have an effect on me, too,” he said, reaching out to take her hand. “I like you, Amanda. A lot.”
Uh oh…
“I like you too, but I’m feeling there’s a ‘but’ about to make an appearance.”
And, unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be either of theirs.
A smile tugged his lips. “But,I don’t want to hurt you or lead you on. I have to put Noah first in my life, at all times.”
“Of course,” she said. “I would expect nothing less.”
He blew out a breath and his neck and shoulders relaxed a little. “I just want you to understand where we stood if we took this any further. I put my needs aside to take care of Noah.”
“I understand.” She nodded. “That would mean my needs too. And I completely agree.”
“You do?” He blinked at her. “You’re okay with coming second in my life?”
“Yes, a child’s needs should always come first,” she said. “Well, within reason. If they need a pony, or in Noah’s case—a pig—then I’m guessing you’d table it for future consideration.”
Dante snickered. “Yes, I’d table his need for a pig until he was older and hopefully outgrew that need.” His expression grewserious, and he lifted a hand to brush her cheek with his thumb. “If we go where this is headed, we’ll kind of have to sneak around Noah, and I wouldn’t be able to spend a night with you. That’s asking a lot. You sure you’re okay with it?”
“Yes.” She smiled and cupped his face. “Because you’re worth it. You both are.”
He inhaled and crushed her close, but slowly lowered his mouth to hover above hers. Their breath mingled and her heart rocked hard in her chest as she waited for his kiss with anticipation rolling through her.
Just when she was about to lift up and take what she wanted, he captured her mouth in a kiss that had her curling her toes. And as usual, when they broke for air, she was clutching his shirt and trembling.
Amanda tipped her chin to kiss his jaw. “Dante?”
“Yeah?” His voice was hoarse with the same need flowing through her.
She drew back and met his heated gaze. “Do we have enough time to revisit things before you get Noah?”
He inhaled again, and his hands tightened around her hips. “Plenty of time.”
The doubt and uncertainty disappeared from his eyes, and he used his sexy, rock-hard body to press her against the nearby fridge. “We’ll revisit…twice.”
Then he was kissing her, slowly and enticingly deep, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth as if staking a claim.
Her heart rocked at the notion. Staking her own claim, she brushed her tongue to his, needing to give as much as she took. And she took plenty, running her hands down his torso to the bottom of his shirt to shove it up his body, wanting to enjoy his muscles without restrictions. She needed to feel him. All of him.
Dante released her mouth, and in an unexpected and incredibly sexy move, ripped his shirt off one-handed. Amanda’smouth literally watered, and she shook at the sight of his smooth, dark skin, and all the delectable muscles and ridges on display before her.
Without wasting time, she ran her hands down his body, loving the feel of his taut abs quivering under her touch.
“Mmm…thanks. I can’t wait to explore every inch of you,” she murmured before leaning in to kiss her way from his broad shoulder to his collarbone.
“I can’t wait to taste every inch of you.” He reached out and tugged at the knot on her left hip, and her dress parted open. “Nice,” he uttered, and his fingers brushed her skin, sending chills down her body as he pushed the dress off her shoulders. It fell to the floor with a soft whoosh. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”
Standing under his gaze wearing nothing but a white lace bra and matching bikini-cut panties, she felt a little nervous but the heat in his gaze turned that into naughty.
With his gaze still on her, she embraced the empowerment rushing through her and reached behind her back to unhook her bra and slowly tug it off.
