He slid his hand up the back of her neck until his fingers threaded through her hair. He put his other hand on her waist. Again, a light touch, nothing demanding. Just tempting… very tempting.

She strained to get closer, which was probably his plan all along. To make her want him so much that making love would be her idea rather than his. Smart man.

Despite the gentle brush of his tongue against her lower lip, she drew back.

"Alex, I…" She stared into his dark eyes. Fire burned there. Hot fire that made her want to be swallowed in the flames. "I really want to do this."

"Good. Me, too."

"There are complications."

"I have condoms."

"What? Oh, not that, although I appreciate that you're willing to use them. I meant us. Who we are. The fact that our lives are oddly intertwined. My hideous past."

He smiled at her, then kissed her again. "I'm totally open to your terms."

That took her a second. "My terms?" Then she shrieked. "Bondage. Are you saying bondage?"

"You're the one who wanted to tie me up."

"If you have velvet handcuffs in your night-stand, I am so out of here."

"Ties," he said as he kissed her again. "Really nice ties. Silk."

His teasing felt almost as good as his mouth. She gave herself over to his kiss, letting desire sweep through her, the heat of it melting away lingering good sense.

Alex was so much of what she wanted and nearly nothing she didn't. He was single, funny, open to new experiences and interested in her. He cared about his family, did the right thing, respected vows and hadn't cheated on his wife. He'd also never been a priest. All pluses.

He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close. She sank into him, loving the feel of his hard body against hers. She put her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the kiss, parting for him, letting him sweep her away. She needed a good sweeping away.

She let her body sink into his, enjoying the differences a man brought to the table… or the bed. She liked how he was all hard planes and jutting arousal. She liked how her insides got squishy and wet in response. She liked imagining what it would be like to make love to him.

He swept his tongue across hers, exploring, pushing, taking. Then he pulled away from her mouth and began kissing his way along her jaw. He nipped, then licked, making her gasp. He nibbled his way down her neck, pausing to suck on her earlobe. When he dipped lower, along the V of her sweater, she had the sudden thought that she should have worn something much lower cut.

He shifted so he was stretched out on the sofa and she was on top of him. The position gave her the feeling of being in charge, which she liked.

"It's warm in here," he murmured as he tugged at the hem of her top. "You must be hot."

"In a thousand different ways," she joked.

She helped him pull off the sweater, then bent over him, kissing him as he ran his hands up and down her back.

His touch skimmed over her skin, heating her from the inside out. He moved to her rear and cupped the curves. The action made her rub against him.

There were too many layers of clothing for her to feel much, but the pressure of his hardness against her moist, swollen center made her want him.

He eased his hands up to her waist, then around to her back where he unfastened her bra. She pulled it away and bent over him, letting her breasts hang free.

"Hell of a show," he whispered as he placed his hands on her breasts.

He moved slowly, discovering her curves, teasing her, circling around and around, getting close to her nipples without actually touching them. She nearly whimpered in anticipation. But instead of using his fingers, he raised his upper body and drew her right nipple into his mouth.

He sucked gently, tugging just enough for her to feel the connection to that place between her legs. Her skin puckered, her toes curled. He used his hand on her other breast which was nice, but not nearly as good. Need built inside of her and she began to move back and forth against his arousal, riding him in an attempt to ease her own tension.

He switched to her other breast, sucking and licking and biting just hard enough to make her breath catch.

More, she thought desperately. She needed more.

"Alex."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "We should probably move the party."

She nodded, then slid off him. She was topless, but not self-conscious. Not when he could barely keep his eyes off her.

They both kicked off their shoes, then he took her hand and led the way down the hallway. As they entered the bedroom, he grabbed a remote that turned on a gas fireplace.

Flames provided enough light for her to see the large bedroom. The furniture was big and masculine and the bed was massive. Then Alex pulled her close and she didn't care about anything but what they were going to do to each other.

He jerked off his sweater and pulled her closer. Bare skin to bare skin, she thought with a sigh. Now that worked for her in a big way.

He unfastened her slacks and pushed them down, along with her panties. Then they were kissing and she stepped out of her clothes and tried to move backward, only she couldn't get her legs to work right, probably because he'd slipped his hand between them.

Get to the bed, she told herself. It would be better there. But it was hard to think about anything but the back-and-forth motion of his fingers on her swollen center.

He explored her, finding that one magic place, then worshipping it with a gentle, rhythmic touch. She moaned, then nipped at his bottom lip.

"You're driving me crazy," she whispered.

“That would be the point."

But he released her long enough for her to pull back the covers and scramble onto the bed. She yanked off her socks, then stretched out on the cool sheets.

Alex did a little prep work of his own. He stripped off his clothes in about an eighth of a second and joined her.

"Where were we?" he asked before pulling her close.

She went into his arms, aroused, yet more at ease than she would have thought possible. She was making love with Alex for the first time and didn't feel nervous or apprehensive. What was up with that?

A silly question, she thought as he stroked her breasts. What mattered was how the man made her feel.

He shifted her onto her back and began to kiss his way down her body. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to him, both tensing and relaxing as he brushed his mouth against her belly, her hips, her thighs, before parting her damp curls and kissing her intimately between her legs.

His tongue was warm and sure, stroking her with just enough pressure to make her catch her breath. He moved slowly, explored thoroughly, circling and licking, pausing until she wanted to scream, then going just a little faster.

He made love to her like a man who enjoyed what he was doing, which made her want him more.

Pleasure shot through her. As he continued the easy pressure, the bottoms of her feet began to burn. She pulsed her hips in time with his movements, urging him on.

More, she thought through a veil of passion. She needed more. But he seemed in no hurry to finish things up. He continued to tease her with his tongue, barely increasing his speed. Her muscles tensed in anticipation of an orgasm that still seemed so far away. She reached for her release, straining, wanting, but it wasn't time.

He went on and on, driving her crazy in the best way possible. Ribbons of pleasure wove their way through her body. Her skin was tight and sensitive, her breasts ached. Inch by inch she got closer and closer still. So close that coming seemed inevitable and yet she hung there, just shy of the edge, desperate to fall.

"Alex," she breathed. Do something!

But she didn't say it. The journey was too exquisite.

He shifted slightly and she felt him slide a finger inside of her. At the same time he sucked on her very center while flicking her with his tongue.

Her release exploded like thunder. One second there was only expectation, the next her entire body was lost in sensations so intense, she thought she might never find her way back.

She cried out, then gasped for breath. She writhed beneath him as he touched her perfectly until the very last ounce of pleasure had flowed from her body.

Dani couldn't move. She might never move again, which wasn't a bad thing. Not if she could experience something like that a second time.

He pushed himself into a kneeling position and reached for a condom. After slipping it on, he eased inside of her, filling her, stretching her, making her quiver. Then he slipped his hand between them and slowly rubbed her.

She opened her mouth to tell him he didn't have to bother. She'd already had her fun. Besides, she would be too sensitive.

But there was something about the gentle touch of his fingers that was surprisingly erotic. Before she could get out the words, she found herself eager for more of what he was doing.

He stayed where he was, inside of her and touching her. He was barely moving, but there was just enough friction to get her attention. Back and forth, back and forth, little pulses that teased. She wanted more.

So when he pushed in, she pushed down, drawing him all the way inside of her. His eyes dilated, his body stiffened. The fingers rubbing her fumbled slightly.

She smiled. "Better."

"I want you to come again. If I get going too soon…"

She was already halfway there. "I think we should be able to time it right." She was still sensitive from her recent orgasm. He'd pushed her close; it wouldn't take much to get her over the edge once more.

"I want you inside of me for real," she told him. "Stop playing."

He shifted onto his knees and braced himself over her. Then, as he stared into her eyes, he took her at her word and got serious.

He filled her hard and fast, pushing into her with an intensity that made her nerve endings want to sigh. The sensation of being taken was nearly as exciting as it was arousing. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him in closer, holding him in place. He lowered his head and kissed her.

Pressure built inside of her. The deep thrusts shoved her closer to another release. She tried to hold back, to enjoy what he was doing for as long as possible, then she felt him stiffen. He broke the kiss.

"I can't hold back," he said through gritted teeth.

"Good."

He pushed in once more, then groaned. She felt the first shudder claim him and it was enough to send her over the edge. She clung to him as her second orgasm swept through her. She gasped, she might have screamed. Honestly, she didn't care one way or the other. The man deserved a scream or two after what he'd done.

Seconds, or maybe minutes, later, Alex rolled onto his side. He touched her face, tucked her hair behind her ear, then kissed her. Then he started to laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"I forgot to have you tie me up. Remember? It was supposed to make you feel safer and more in charge."

Oh, yeah. She'd been worried about trusting another man. "I guess we can let that go."

Humor brightened his eyes. "But I was looking forward to trying something new."

"Next time," she promised, wondering if he was really as amazing as he seemed and hoping that he was.

Dani figured she caught her breath sometime close to one in the morning. They'd left the fire going, giving Alex's bedroom a soft glow. She lay curled up against him, her head on his shoulder in a classic postsex pose.

"You okay?" he asked as he stroked her back. "You've been quiet."

"I'm basking in contentment."

"Basking is good."

"Better than good," she said, remembering how he'd made her tremble and shudder and scream. Again.

"For me, too."

So she could add chemistry to the plus side of the list, she thought. The complications of that chemistry would have to sit on the negative side.

"If anyone knew… " she began.

He chuckled. She could both hear and feel the sound.

"Tell me about it," he said. "It would make for some interesting copy."

“They aren't getting it from me," she told him.

He looked at her, then bent close and kissed the tip of her nose. "You didn't have to tell me that, Dani. I trust you."

She felt heat inside, but this time it had nothing to do with sexual arousal and everything to do with how she felt about this man. Based on what she knew about his past, he didn't trust easily.

"I'm glad," she said. "Maybe we could-"

A faint but distinctive ringing interrupted her. Dani raised her head. "That's my cell phone."