‘‘Go on,’’ he murmured at the hollow of her throat. ‘‘I’m listening.’’
‘‘You might be listening,’’ she gasped, ‘‘but I’m having trouble speaking.’’
Shivers and heat and that wonderful tingling radiated from everywhere he touched. She held on to his upper arms, pressing her fingers into the thick muscles there. She’d read about passion before, had overheard conversations between women in airports or in boutiques, but she’d never experienced anything like it in her life. She’d even begun to wonder if there was something wrong with her. After all, she’d never felt that she was missing out on anything. She thought she might be one of those people who simply didn’t have a strong physical connection or need.
But now, with Mitch holding her and kissing her, she knew that she’d been too quick in her assumption that the problem was with her. Obviously she’d just never been kissed the right way…or kissed the right man.
The latter thought terrified her, so she pushed it away. Experience, she thought dreamily as he circled the hollow of her throat with his tongue, was a wonderful thing. At least now she would have a benchmark by which to measure other men. Except she didn’t want to think about being with other men. She only wanted to be with Mitch and have him keep touching her exactly as he was.
He pulled her closer. She started to move toward him, but their legs bumped.
‘‘This isn’t working,’’ he grumbled, then placed his hands on her waist. ‘‘Am I allowed to touch the royal body or would that be a violation of your parameter?’’
She tried to smile, to match his teasing mood. ‘‘I believe we might allow that to happen this one time.’’
‘‘We?’’
She sniffed. ‘‘The royal we.’’
‘‘Ah. The rest of us are very grateful for your generosity. Now slide that long, gorgeous leg of yours across my lap and have a seat, young lady.’’
He shifted her until she was straddling him. As she did so, he slid lower in the seat so that when she lowered her weight, the heated place between her legs came down squarely on something hard and thick and very male.
His hands moved to her hips and he adjusted her slightly. ‘‘Perfect,’’ he murmured, then pressed his mouth to hers.
Her mind raced in a thousand different directions, even as she instinctively responded to his kiss. She clung to his shoulders, more because she felt herself spinning out of control than because she needed to touch him, although she did need to feel his strength. Sensations from different parts of her body collected in her brain until there was too much information with too much happening at once.
Even as she moved her tongue against his and found herself drowning in his kiss, she couldn’t ignore his strong fingers kneading her hips and holding her against him. Against his…his…
Alex shuddered, afraid to even think what it was. He was aroused. Even as inexperienced as she was, she knew that much. He pressed close to her, a hard ridge that seemed so male and aggressive against her damp melting center. Then there was the intimacy of their position and the way he’d shifted her so easily, as if the female body and all the possibilities were familiar to him.
Why wouldn’t they be? she asked herself. After all, he’d been married before. No doubt there had been other women, too. Girlfriends. Women on the rodeo circuit. What had he called them? Buckle bunnies?
She would have thought that she would find his experience intimidating, but instead she found herself grateful that one of them knew what they were doing. Based on the way he kissed her and held her, she had a feeling that Mitch had assumed she wasn’t a virgin. A voice inside of her warned that if she told him the truth, he would stop what he was doing and get her back to the ranch as quickly as he could.
She didn’t want that. She didn’t want him to stop because she was enjoying everything he was doing. She wanted to know what happened between a man and a woman. Well, maybe not all of it—she didn’t think she was ready to let go of her virginity—but she wanted to do at least a few things she’d only read about.
‘‘I can’t believe what you do to me,’’ he murmured against her mouth. ‘‘You feel so good, taste so good.’’
She wanted to respond in kind, but she was two-parts embarrassed and one-part shy. She settled on breathing his name.
His hands moved up from her hips to her waist, then continued higher. She knew what he was going to do even before he touched her. Her breasts swelled in anticipation. She could feel her tight nipples straining against the inside of her silk bra. Her entire body tensed and she pulled back from his kiss so she could really think about what he was doing.
Slowly, more slowly, he drew his hands up her ribs. Closer and closer until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but wait. Then strong hands closed over her breasts.
The sensation was more incredible than she’d imagined. He held her gently, almost with reverence. When he captured her lower lip in his teeth, she didn’t even think about pulling back. He gently nibbled her sensitive skin, even as his forefinger and thumb closed over her nipple.
The combination of movements and the indescribable waves of pleasure that rushed through her made her unable to think or react. All she could do was feel—feel and silently beg him never to stop.
He read her mind. As he kissed her, then deepened the kiss, he continued to touch her breasts. He stroked them, encircled them, always coming back to tease her sensitive nipples. She grasped his face in her hands and plunged her tongue into his mouth. The passion inside of her grew until she felt it taking control. She wanted. She needed. And only Mitch had the magic necessary to make her whole.
When he removed his hands from her breasts, she whimpered.
‘‘It’s all right, darlin’,’’ he soothed. ‘‘I’m not going anywhere.’’
She felt him unbuttoning the front of her shirt. Without meaning to, she found herself pulling the hem free of her jeans. Then his hands were on her bare ribs. He stroked her skin as he circled behind her and unfastened her bra.
‘‘I want to see you,’’ he said, his voice low and hoarse.
