Page 15 of Just One More Mistletoe

A soft purr escaped her throat, a sound of frustrated need.

“Just making sure you’re ready for me, sweetheart.”

“I am.” She took him by surprise, managing to flip him to his side, switching their positions, her ending up on top. “I realize you’re trying to be a gentleman.” Brandy swung her leg over his until she straddled his thighs. “But there’s no reason to wait.”

“I like the way you think.” And he more than liked her.

After making use of the condom he’d found earlier, he grasped her hips, fully participating as she lowered herself onto his hard erection. He gritted his teeth as she surrounded him and he entered her tight heat.

She let out a shuddering sigh. “It’s…” She bit down on her lower lip. “It’s never been like this before.” Awe and something more infused her voice, letting him know she felt not just the physical, but the emotional connection, as well.

Needing to touch her in other ways, he lifted his upper body to meet her lips in a too brief kiss before leaning back against the pillows. She shifted slightly and his body shook with the restraint of holding back, of letting her mentally adjust to a connection he’d already recognized and accepted.

He reached up to unhook the clasp of her bra and she let the flimsy garment fall to the side, revealing twin mounds of rounded flesh. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders, covering her pale skin. He’d never seen a more incredible sight. His cock hardened further while her muscles contracted to accommodate him, arousing him even more.

Max had said he felt as if he’d known her forever, and now he knew he was right. His heart pounded as hard and fast as the adrenaline flowing through him. And then she began to move, beginning a rhythm he picked up immediately. Each circular motion built upon the already growing waves rocking his body. Every clench of her thighs ground their bodies more intimately and drove him that much deeper inside her. Fire licked at his skin and waves of desire pushed him higher, and from the soft cries escaping her lips, he knew she felt it, too.

Sensation mixed with a basic awareness. He’d had sex before, but this was so much more.

He slid inside, her tight channel accepting him, taking him with her just as her frenzied movements carried her up and over the edge.

“Max.” She cried out his name, her body pulsing around his, beckoning him to follow. And as his climax hit, engulfing him in sensation, Max heard the ringing of bells.

* * *

Brandy curled her legs beneath her and poked around in the candy dish he’d brought from his small kitchen. She clenched her thighs together and the waves of awareness hit her once more. How could she still be so sensitive and aroused?

She glanced over at Max through hooded eyes. He watched her intently, not saying a word. What was there to say? What they’d just shared defied description. Though she knew she’d clammed up on him afterward, her thoughts were in turmoil. She’d planned a seduction she could walk away from, not a relationship that would be hard to let go of. But no matter how she tried to tell herself she barely knew him, he’d not only touched her body, he’d touched her heart.

“Do you always work up such an appetite?” He rested his arm across the pillows, skimming his fingertips along her shoulders.

“I already told you I don’t do this often, so how do you expect me to answer that?” she snapped, then held up her hands in apology. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I do.”

He took the bowl out of her hands and placed it on the nightstand. “It was intense and it scared you.”

She narrowed her gaze, not sure if she liked how well he read her. “If that’s the case then how come you’re so calm?”

He took her hand, his thumb tracing slow circles into her palm and her stomach curled with warmth. “I’m a jaded guy who’s been around and knows when he’s found something special?” he asked. “And if I’m not shaken, I think the more important question is how come you are?”

She bit down on her lower lip. She couldn’t very well tell him she’d slept with him thinking it was only one night. It was callous, and regardless of what he wanted from her, she had no desire to hurt him. Besides, what she’d wanted going into this night was no longer what she desired now.

Now she wanted a chance to see where things with Max could lead, but the thought frightened her. After all, what did she know about long-term, stable relationships? Of depending on another person when she only knew how to depend on herself? Most of all, she feared losing her independence to a man and had seen what it could cost her. She only had to look to her mother’s dependence on her father and the need to follow him around the country without a thought or care to the child she’d left behind.

But she wanted to learn about sharing and caring, and she wanted to see that being in a relationship didn’t mean losing the autonomy she cherished. She wanted to learn all those things.

With Max.

“Let’s say you’re right.” She forced herself to meet his compassionate and oh-so-sexy gaze. “And let’s say what’s between us is hot and…”

“Intense.” He treated her to his most charming grin.

Then again, any grin she’d seen from him was appealing and her heart twisted with emotion. “Okay, intense. It’s been one night. What exactly are you proposing we do about it?” she asked and her heart clenched with possibilities.

In response, he pulled her into his arms and toppled her to the mattress, sandwiching her body between his and the bed. “I suggest we go with the flow and see where things lead.”

And if his hard erection against her stomach was any indication, she knew exactly where they were headed. At least for now. “You do know how to tempt me.” And going with the flow wasn’t a high-pressure situation.

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