With an achy groan, he pressed me against the door. “Bésame,” he demanded.
I forgot everything except for the perfect mold of his lips and the feeling of his hard body against me. When his bossy tongue invaded my mouth, there was no more shame. There was no fraternity, no scandal and no football game. There were only his broad hands coasting possessively down my body and the rumble of longing in his throat.
Until Lianne opened her door.
“Guys? Oh…!” I heard her laugh, but I was too busy to worry about it. “So I guess now is a bad time?” On another snicker, the door closed again.
Rafe had finally noticed we were still outside my room. He swept the keychain off my wrist and opened the door. He steered me inside, then kicked the door shut. I threw his jacket over the desk chair, and a second later we were on the bed. Finally! Rafe rolled on top of me immediately, his big body pressing against all my favorite places. And then it was all kissing and moaning and hands wandering everywhere. And I couldn’t get enough. Except…
“Rafe?” I whispered.
“Belleza?”
“How come you were a virgin until September? Is it because of religion?”
“No, baby.” He gave me a series of slow, drugging kisses so good I almost forgot I still had a question.
Somehow I found the will to put a hand on his hard chest and give a little push. “I’m not trying to be nosy. I just need to know. Because if you are going to feel bad again after this…”
He smiled down at me. “That’s not nosy. That’s just caring. See, you’re already good at this relationship thing.” He bent down, rubbing the tip of his nose under my chin until I squirmed because it tickled.
“Are you going to answer the question?”
“Sure.” He pushed a piece of my hair out of my face. “Two reasons. Opportunity, and respect.”
“You never had the opportunity? A hottie like you?”
He grinned. “Thanks, belleza. I had girlfriends in high school, and I was willing to give them the goods, but they weren’t ready. I liked these girls, and I wasn’t going to force the issue. It’s not easy being a Catholic, immigrant girl. They hear the whole ‘good girls don’t do that’ from birth. I wasn’t going to break up with them just because they wouldn’t…”
“Put out,” I supplied.
“Yeah.” He smiled again, and my knees melted even further. “We fooled around whenever we got the chance. Just never rounded home plate.”
“Ah.” That explained his impressive kissing skills. Actually, it explained a lot. Rafe was passionate in a controlled way. Like a banked fire that’s always hot enough to burst into flames.
He kissed my nose. “And then Alison was a different story. She just didn’t like sex.” As he said this, he dragged a single finger down my tank top, over the peak of one breast, and down my tummy. I shivered.
“She didn’t like it?” I gasped. “I’ve heard that’s possible. But it’s so hard to imagine.”
“No kidding, right?” He kissed my neck again, making me shudder with desire.
“What were we talking about again?” I mumbled.
“No recuerdo.” Rafe kissed a line across the upper edge of my tiny tank top. Then he cupped a hand over my breast and began to nuzzle me, his nose dipping between my breasts. He kissed his way up to the peak, and I wanted that little shirt gone. I wanted all my clothes gone. Right now.
“Let’s take this off,” I begged, grabbing the hem of the shirt. “Hurry.”
Chuckling, he dropped his lips to my belly button, which I’d just exposed. “Who would rush something like this?”
Lots of people, actually. Including me. If he didn’t undress me soon, I was going to burst from impatience. His fine mouth dropped kisses just above the waistline of my pajama pants. Moist, teasing kisses. I shifted my hips around, hoping he’d move lower.
It wasn’t every day I decided to have a relationship with someone. I felt like celebrating. Right now.
To make that point, I hustled my tiny tank over my head, and received an appreciative growl, since there was no bra underneath. “Damn, belleza. Tu me vuelves loco.”
I put a hand behind his neck and tugged him down, right where I wanted him. He sucked my nipple into his mouth, and the jolt it gave me traveled everywhere. And I let him know.
“You like that?” he whispered.
“Ahh,” I moaned as he switched, bathing my other nipple. “Anywhere you put your tongue is good with me.”