He heard her car pull into the driveway and shook his head at the anticipation that rushed through him. He couldn’t ever recall experiencing this acute sense of eagerness. He’d never wanted to see a woman more. Touch one more. Share a meal and conversation with one more. Make love to one more.

He hadn’t seen her since she’d made him dinner at her place three nights ago, but she hadn’t been out of his thoughts for an instant, and he suspected that that was going to be an ongoing affliction. Hell, she hadn’t been out of his thoughts before he’d made love to her. Wasn’t much chance she would be now that he knew what every inch of her skin felt like. Tasted like.

Their date at her place had been…incredible. In addition to being beautiful, smart, witty and sexy as hell, the woman could cook. She’d bewitched him in the kitchen with her delicious pasta, then blown his mind in the bedroom. Three times. He hadn’t been able to see her the following night as he was scheduled for a shift at the station, or the night after that as she’d already had plans with her friend and coworker Jayne. Which brought them to tonight.

He was relieved she’d accepted his invitation without an argument, although he hadn’t been thrilled when she’d referred to tonight as their third one-night stand. If she still thought this was just sex…well, she was dead wrong.

His common sense told him that he needed to take things slow-that he’d spook her if he came on too strong. And it was just a good idea in general not to rush into emotional entanglements. Of course, in the past that had never been a problem. How ironic that now, with Toni, he was more than ready and willing to zoom ahead, and she was the skittish one.

So he’d take his time, let her take hers, allow their relationship to bloom slowly, but in his heart, he knew time wasn’t going to make any difference. In his heart-his heart that Toni had stolen the very first time he saw her-he didn’t doubt for a minute where this was going to end up.

A knock sounded on the door and he drew a careful, calming breath. Right this minute, his goal was not to pounce on her the instant he saw her. In spite of the inferno raging in him, he’d be cool. Refined. Well-behaved. They had the whole night ahead of them. He was perfectly in control. No problem.

Then he answered the door. And in a heartbeat, cool, refined, well-behaved and in control took a direct hit. She was just so damn appealing and gorgeous, with those big brown eyes and full pink lips and dark curly hair. His gaze skimmed over her tan knee-length raincoat which was belted at her waist, then lingered on her bare legs and high heels. Clearly she was wearing a dress. Lucky him.

He took her hand and drew her forward, leaning down to give her a kiss-a kiss he forced himself to keep deliberately light. Because if he didn’t, they wouldn’t make it out of the foyer.

“C’mon in,” he said, stepping back, proud of his restraint in not pouncing on her like a starved dog.

“Thanks.”

She moved into the small entrance and he briefly closed his eyes, breathing in a lungful of the subtle flowery scent she left in her wake. Damn. How was it that she smelled better than any woman on the planet? He took a few extra seconds closing and locking the door so he could corral his badly dented willpower. Then, after drawing another calming breath, he turned around.

“I hope you like…” His voice trailed off as he watched her open her raincoat. The garment slithered down her arms to puddle at her feet. She stood before him, naked except for her heels and a pair of tiny red-and-white-striped panties. He froze in place-although how that was possible when he felt as if he stood in an oven he didn’t know.

“You hope I like what?” she asked in a smoky purr.

Damned if he could remember. His gaze zeroed in on her erect nipples. “Huh?”

“What’s the matter, handsome? Cat got your tongue?”

He had to clear his throat-twice-to locate his voice. “Actually, I think I swallowed it.”

“A pity, as I was hoping you’d be putting that talented tongue to good use.” She turned, revealing that her barely-there panties were a thong. “I redeemed the gift card you gave me from Mimi’s Intimate Apparel.” After finishing a slow twirl that left him feeling more glazed than a doughnut, she stepped toward him with a sinful sway of her hips.

“I hope you like,” she said in a sexy whisper.

Whatever miniscule amount of cool, refined and well-behaved he might have retained evaporated in a puff of steam. With a growl he yanked her against him. Kissed her with all the pent-up want and need and urgency that had been clawing at him since the last time he’d touched her.

“God, I missed you.” The unstoppable words came out as a groan against her neck. One hand skimmed down her smooth back to curve around her lush bare bottom while he filled his other hand with her breast.

“Show me,” she demanded, gyrating against him while she jerked his polo shirt upward. “Show me how much.”

In the space of mere seconds he had her pressed against the door, his shirt was on the floor and his erection freed and sheathed with the condom he-thank God-had had in his pocket. Her thong was disposed of with one hard yank. With raw, desperate hunger scraping through him, he curved his hands around her ass and lifted her. And buried himself in her silky wet heat with a single hard thrust.

Her gasp turned into a throaty moan and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He would have told her to hold on tight, but words were beyond him. He pulled nearly all the way out of her tight warmth, then sank deep again. And again. Over and over, each thrust harder, deeper, faster. Sweat broke out on his brow, and he gritted his teeth against the intense pleasure, trying to hold off his climax as long as possible. The instant she cried out and pulsed around him, he let himself go.

When the shudders racking him finally faded, and with her still wrapped around him, he slowly sank to his knees, then settled his butt on his heels. Her head flopped limply against his damp shoulder, and he remained buried deep inside her. Still breathing heavily, he tunneled his fingers through her wildly mussed hair and drew her head back. She looked stunned and dazed. Sated and sexy as hell. And more beautiful than any woman he’d ever seen. The area around his heart seemed to go hollow, then filled so quickly he felt as if he were drowning. Which pretty much described the way he’d felt since the minute he’d seen her three months ago.

“Toni,” he murmured against her lips. And then he gave her the slow, deep, intimate kiss he’d meant to give her when she arrived. Before she’d dropped her coat and fried him where he stood.

When he lifted his head, her eyelids fluttered open. She trailed her fingertips over his jaw, then her lips slowly curved upward. “Whoa, baby. My favorite dinner-Hard and Fast Against the Door. What’s for dessert?”

“That wasn’t dinner, that was just the appetizer.”

“Even better. What’s for dinner?”

“Damned if I can remember. My entire thought process jumped the track when you dropped your coat.”

“Want some cheese with that whine?” she said with a teasing grin.

He leaned forward and nuzzled her soft, fragrant neck. “Wine…I have wine.”

“That’s a good start.”

“Actually this…” he drew her body tighter against his “…was a very good start.”

“I agree.” She raised one brow. “Seems you did miss me.”

He had. Much more than he was willing to admit for fear of scaring her off. “Maybe a little. Obviously I was happy to see you.”

“Got that.”

“Wearing so little.”

Her lips twitched. “Got that, too.”

His gaze flicked down to her breasts which were pressed against his chest. “Shame you don’t have any clothes with you.”

“I have some in my car.”

He brushed his lips over hers. “Sweetheart, believe me, you won’t need them.”

Twenty minutes later, after a quick shower, Brad tossed on a pair of boxer briefs, loaned Toni a T-shirt, then led her into the kitchen. He noted her looking around while he poured their wine and he wondered if this might be a good time to broach the subject that had been on his mind for days-Christmas. And them spending the holiday-or at least part of it-together. He’d delayed mentioning it for fear she’d say no, but since Christmas Eve was tomorrow, he didn’t have a huge window of time left to work with.

“I like your house,” she said, leaning against the counter, her gaze tracking over the white kitchen cabinets, then into the den with its coffee-colored sectional sofa, oak entertainment center and flat screen TV. “Do you own it or rent it?”

“Own. My grandfather passed away a few years ago and left me a little money. I figured a house, even a small house, was a good investment.”

Handing her a glass, his gaze wandered down her form. The soft white cotton clung to her every curve and barely covered the essentials. “I like the way you look in my T-shirt.”

She smiled and accepted the glass. “I think you’re just easy to please.”

“Actually, I’m very particular. Especially about who wears my T-shirts.”

She raised her glass. “Happy holidays.”

“Happy holidays,” he repeated, touching his rim to hers. After taking a sip, he said in a casual tone, “Speaking of the holidays, what are your plans?”

“I’ll be heading to Santa Barbara tomorrow after work for Christmas Eve dinner-aka The Huge Italian Seafood Festival-at my mother’s. Spending the night there, then Christmas Day at my sister’s house. Much eating, opening of gifts and the inevitable arguments will ensue. How about you?”

“I’m on duty from seven tomorrow morning til seven Christmas morning. After that I’ll catch some sleep then head over to my folks’ house. My brother and his wife will be there, too.” He moved to stand in front of her. Reached out and tucked a silky curl behind her ear. “I was thinking maybe you’d like to join us. Either for dinner, or dessert, or just a drink.”

She went perfectly still. Even in the muted light he could see she paled a bit. “You mean like…meet the family?”

Uh-oh. Didn’t sound like she liked the idea. Part of his brain warned him to back off, but the other part told him to push on. Hell, she’d have to meet them sooner or later. Besides, he’d already issued the invite-he couldn’t take it back now. “They don’t bite,” he said lightly. “At least not much.”

The loudest silence he’d ever heard seemed to echo through the room. Finally she set down her wineglass, then stepped away from him. “Look, Brad, I don’t think-”

A faint musical ring tone interrupted her words. She frowned and cocked her head. “That’s my cell phone. And it’s Jayne’s ring tone. I left her at the store to finish a centerpiece. I’m sorry-I don’t think she’d call unless something was wrong.” She hurried toward the foyer where her coat hung on the brass coatrack.

“No problem,” he called after her, grasping on to any excuse to not have her finish the very unpromising sounding thing she’d been about to say. He felt, literally, saved by the bell. “I need to see to the steaks anyway. Take your time.”

TONI ESCAPED to the foyer, feeling literally, saved by the bell. Brad’s suggestion that she meet his family, share part of the Christmas holiday with him, with them, had stunned her. Meeting the family was…serious. Which was why most guys avoided it like the plague. God knows she had no intention of bringing home any man she didn’t intend to marry. Unless, of course, she wanted to scare the guy off-one meeting with her evil-eye-giving family would surely send him screaming into the night.

No one brought their one-night stand to meet their parents. And no one invited their casual sex partner to a holiday meal. It simply wasn’t done. Clearly Brad believed that their one-okay three-night stand was something more than sex.

It is something more than sex, you doofus, her inner voice testily informed her. Just because you don’t want it to be and keep denying it, doesn’t make it any less true.

Drat. Her and her pain-in-the-ass inner voice were going to have a serious talk right after she finished with her phone call. She fished her cell from her coat pocket and flipped it open.

“Hi, Jayne. What’s up?”

“Hey, Toni. I’m so sorry to interrupt your date-”

“No problem. Trouble with the centerpiece?”

“No. It’s finished. But when I was putting the copy of the invoice on your desk, I found something odd and figured I’d better ask you about it.”

“What is it?”

“An order. It was underneath the book of bank-deposit slips. It’s in your handwriting, but it hasn’t been entered in either the appointment book or the order ledger.”