Page 194 of Screwged for Christmas

Sex never sat high on her list of interests. Medical school had always taken precedence for her. Every once in a while, when the night grew longer or one of her colleagues would gush about their boyfriends, she would fantasize about the what-ifs. Waking to the sensual touch of a lover and the euphoria of an orgasm not by her own hand. But those were fantasies that stayed in her head and dissipated the second she woke in the morning. Besides, when did she have time to get to know someone that well? And there was never any guarantee whoever she hooked up with was good in bed to begin with. Her time was precious. Wasting it on an unknown factor like that seemed pointless.

Her gaze slid over the broad shoulders and hard dips and valleys of Damon’s bare chest and she’d be lying if she didn’t wonder the size of the package behind the tiny scrap of leather.

She had deep suspicions anything with Damon would leave her a boneless puddle. She didn’t need hours with the man to know the intensity within him would burn her beyond recovery.

That gave her pause.

“Ivy.”

Although a secret part of her wished he’d said her name like that because he felt the same tug to kiss her as she did him, Ivy knew better. A wispy fog tangled with her thoughts as sensual images of her legs intertwined with his, their bodies pressed together and surrounded by snow filled her mind.

She blinked and slowly the sight of snowflakes caught in his rich sable hair filled her visions, this time for real.

His brows a shade darker than his hair pinched together in a crease. “Ivy?”

Like tethers fraying, the connection snapped. She cleared her throat and took a half step back, the sights and sounds of the town party slamming into her like a thousand trumpets in her ears. Her gut lurched and for a second she forgot to breathe.

He felt it too. Or he was damn good at faking surprise. But the shafts of raw emotions shattering his irises didn’t lie. She swallowed past the tight collar that suddenly restricted the flow of air to her lungs. She jerked her hand back and stretched the material.

Magic?

Her mother was crazy.

She shook her head.

He moved to reach out to her but thought better of it and let his hand fall back to his side.

“So, huh, are we going to do this?” she croaked around a scratchy throat. Her shoulders drooped and her gaze fell to the table where several trays holding the whiskey lined the deep red cloth covering it.

He rubbed a hand over his face and backed off a step, his gaze roaming over the crowd.

She could use a stiff drink. Maybe two. And she wouldn’t say no to a third.

From her lower point of view, his eyes appeared hooded from her as he peered down. “I had no idea they came in pink.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Your long johns. You really gonna race in those.”

Thatgot his attention?

She held his gaze and popped the first button at her neck and quickly unhooked the others. His eyes roved over every inch of skin she exposed and his expression darkened when the mounds of her breasts were revealed. And her lack of a bra. A real one anyway. The thin, lacy thing she had on didn’t leave anything to anyone’s imagination. Had she known she would be stripping in front of the town maybe she would have gone for full coverage.

She edged the sides of her long johns open.

He threw a heavy hand over hers, a dark, dominant hunger in his eyes. “Wait,” he drew out drinking in the sight of her dusky nipples pinned behind deep blue lace. “No Southern rookie is going to freeze on my watch. Button that back up, sweetheart. You look way too damn good with them on. I’d hate to see the fight that would break out if you were to take them off.”

“You don’t think I can do this?” She popped another button right above the band of her matching panties that had a growl coming from him. “I might be a sweet-talkin’ southern belle, but you should know better than to think me weak.”

Defiance had her popping another button and another. Each one earned her a sexy narrowed-eye look. Reaching out, he took her hands in his and quickly refastened the few risqué buttons revealing the sexy V of her lacy panties.

Leaning in, until the only thing she could smell was fresh pine and snow he said, “If you do I’m afraid for the male population of Savage Ridge. I might have to fight them off. Might be fun but I’d rather use the time you have here with us with you and not getting my hands bandaged.”

Oh.

That only made her want to find out what that entailed, but he had a point and she didn’t relish the fact her nipples would freeze if she went through with her little challenge.

She willed her heart out of her throat. She could easily blame the heat hitting her cheeks on the freezing bit of air blasting them head-on from up the street. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

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