Seducing? With those chaste little bird kisses? “I don’t think so. If this is about what Edouard said, you can forget it. I don’t need mercy sex.”
He had the nerve to grin at her. “Actually, you do, but I’m interested in more than that.”
She wasn’t sure what to do. On the one hand, she longed for physical intimacy, to touch and be touched. That part of her relationship with Cal had always worked extremely well. But there were complications. Not only the fact that she worked with him and that they had once been married, but also how she looked.
“This is dumb,” she said and started for the garage.
He followed her up to the entrance to the house and pushed the button to close the garage door. “No, it’s not,” he said. “I want you, Penny, and I think you want me. What’s dumb about that?”
His words made her knees go weak, even as she glanced down at her stomach and panicked.
“There’s the whole baby thing,” she said.
“We’ll be careful.” He opened the door of the house and pushed her inside. “You can tell me what to do. You like doing that.”
“There’s not a safety issue, if that’s what you mean,” she said as she dropped her purse onto the table in the hallway and turned to face him. “But there are other things.”
He stepped forward and rested his hands on her stomach. “You mean the fact that you’re so beautiful, you practically glow? Or maybe you’re talking about your br**sts, which are much bigger than I remember.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “You’ve noticed?”
“I’ve obsessed.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Especially before I knew you were pregnant. I couldn’t figure out what you’d done to make them bigger.”
She liked knowing that.
He rubbed her stomach in slow, sensual circles. “Your body is different and that’s okay.” He leaned over and lightly kissed her. “Or are you going to make me beg?”
“Begging would be good. I would encourage—”
And then she couldn’t talk because he’d pushed his tongue inside her mouth.
He kissed her deeply, claiming her with a mastery that left her breathless. Sensations washed over her as he ran his hands up and down her arms, then did the same on her back. It was as if he had to reacquaint himself with every inch of her.
She wrapped both her arms around him. He angled his head, then circled her tongue with his.
There was heat between them. A melting warmth that made her want to be naked and on her back with him filling her. The combination of kissing and thinking caused her body to swell. Her br**sts tightened and her ni**les got so sensitive she could barely stand the pressure of her bra. Between her legs, everything dampened in anticipation.
He broke the kiss so he could nibble along her jaw to her ear. He sucked on the lobe, then licked the skin right below her ear. Goose bumps broke out all over.
“Bedroom,” he whispered in her ear.
Oh. Right. That would make things easier.
She began backing up down the hallway. At one point, she managed to flick on a light so they wouldn’t bump into anything.
As they continued to move, Cal reached for the hem of her sweater and tugged it up and over her head. He waited until they entered her bedroom to toss it on a chair.
She didn’t bother turning on a lamp. Enough light spilled in the open door. He moved close and then stepped behind her where he moved her hair to the side and bent down to nibble on the back of her neck.
“I remember your br**sts were really sensitive the last time,” he murmured against her skin. “Is that still true?”
She was surprised he remembered anything from her previous pregnancy.
“I think so,” she said. “They haven’t seen a lot of action.”
He chuckled. “I’ll be gentle.”
Part of her wanted him to be fast. Seduction was all fine and good, but she ached for her release. Still, when he kissed his way across her shoulders even as he unfastened her bra, she decided to put up with his attentions for just a few more minutes.
He threw the bra on top of the sweater, then reached around her to cup her br**sts. Even as he kissed his way down her neck, he cupped her curves.
It was five kinds of heaven, she thought as her eyes fluttered closed. He held her gently, barely touching and yet touching just enough. He rubbed his fingers against her sensitized skin, moving in slow circles that brought him closer and closer to her ni**les. Then, as he lightly kissed the side of her neck, he brushed his forefingers against her ni**les.
The contact was exquisite. She arched back, wanting more. Needing more.
“Again,” she breathed and he obliged her. Over and over he touched the tight tips, pressing a tiny bit harder each time. Fire shot through her and made her burn from the inside out. Between her legs, her muscles clenched in anticipation.
It felt too good, she thought hazily.
He released her and turned her so she faced him. Then he claimed her with a kiss that stirred her soul even as he found her br**sts again and squeezed her ni**les between his thumbs and forefingers.
Her body shuddered as pure liquid pleasure poured through her. She clung to him, caught up in an unexpected moment of release.
This couldn’t be happening. She’d never come that way. But there it was. And as he continued to touch her, she continued to come.
But it wasn’t enough. The minireleases only made her want more. She pulled back and reached for his shirt. “Take this off,” she demanded.