The brightness blinded Lauren for a second, and she blinked a few times to adjust to it. Then, she found herself staring up at the tall man watching her silently. He was waiting for something.
She smiled at him encouragingly. “Come on in.”
Lauren walked inside first, and her gaze swept the living room. It was homey and small. The fireplace was ready for a fire. There was a coffee table in front of it and a couch. The kitchen was in the corner. In the back was a doorway that led to a small bedroom with a queen-sized bed that had a bathroom and a wardrobe.
She held out her hands. “Welcome to my home.”
He shut the door and locked it. His gaze met hers for one more long moment, and then he reached for his jacket.
Lauren watched him shed his leather jacket. He hung it on the doorknob and turned around to study the room. She used his distraction to admire the way his jeans were molded to his frame. He had wide hips and muscular thighs. She may be crazy for going home with a stranger and totally irresponsible, but as far as mistakes went, this one was hard to resist. She smiled and reached for her jacket.
“I usually don’t do this, but I saw you and just had to ask you home,” she said honestly as she tossed her jacket on the couch. “I’m a little out of my element.”
“I’m really glad you asked.” His dark gaze ran down her body. “Do you mind if I light the fire?”
“Sure. Do you want a beer? I keep some in the fridge.”
He nodded. “That would be great.”
Lauren turned and walked into the kitchen area. She opened the old fridge and was relieved to find beers there. Roni always had some on hand, but it could’ve been an off week. She pulled out two of them and used the edge of the counter to pop the tops off.
He had removed his boots and was working on starting a fire. He turned slowly to her as she approached him and smiled. He took the beer, lifted it as he stared down at her, and took a drink. Even the way he swallowed was sexy, the bob of his Adam’s apple, the smooth line of his neck. He lowered the beer as she stared and set it on the end table by the couch.
She sat and quietly watched him finish lighting the fire. It didn’t take him long to get it going, and then he broke the silence.
“So, Candy, do you want me to eat you?”
She gasped, more because of the thunderbolt of lust the question caused rather than any real shock at his bluntness.
“I don’t hate the idea,” Lauren admitted as she sat the beer down on the side table next to his, stood, and reached for her blouse. She started unbuttoning it before she could come to her senses. “I’m not into pain or any weird shit.”
He grinned. “Me either.”
She smiled back at him. “And I’d like you to get undressed. I’d hate to be the only one naked. Help me out before I lose my nerve.”
He reached for the waist of his jeans, untucked his t-shirt and slowly pulled it up. She had to stop herself from staring hard at the remarkable body he was revealing. The man was perfection. He didn’t have an ounce of fat on him from what she could see. He was so very tan and muscular, like something out of a magazine. Everything about him was thick. His waist, his chest, and those impossibly large arms of his. She saw muscles move as he dropped his shirt and reached for the belt topping his jeans. He unbuckled it, yanked it from his pants, and tossed it on the shirt.
Lauren realized she was frozen, not undressing. She pulled open her blouse and pushed it off her arms. She reached behind her next and unzipped her skirt. They were both silently watching each other strip. She let her skirt drop to her feet and kicked off her high heels. She used her bare foot to push them behind her. She stood there in a light pink push-up bra and matching thong. She watched his eyes narrow, and his nose flared again.
He made a soft groan sound in his throat. “God, you’re beautiful, Candy.”
She bit her lip as he shoved down his jeans. “You’re pretty hot, yourself. Do you work out for ten hours a day to get that kind of muscle mass?”
He chuckled. “It’s the line of work I’m in.”
“Personal trainer?”
“Security. What do you do for a living?”
She didn’t want to tell him the truth. “I’m a waitress.” She had been during high school. “I spend a lot of time on my feet.” That wasn’t a lie.
“You have beautiful legs.” His gaze lowered. “You’re so short, but damn, are your legs shapely. They look a hell of a lot longer than they are.”
They were both in their underwear. She reached behind her and unfastened her bra. She used to be flat, but four grand had fixed that. She let her bra drop. She smiled and let her hands slide down her sides. She slipped her thumbs in the thin straps of her thongs and hooked the material. She slid them down, let them drop, and stepped out of them.
He was breathing harder. His hot gaze was taking in every inch she exposed to him, which was all of it now. His nose flared again, and he made another soft sound in the back of his throat.
“Sit on the couch, Candy. I’m going to see if you taste as sweet as you smell when you’re turned on.”
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “I hope I don’t smell.”
“You smell like a woman. You smell good,” he assured her, sounding like he meant it. “Very sexy. I promise.”
She didn’t hesitate then because, God, she was turned on. She’d never had a one-night stand, but she was so eager to let the hunk in front of her touch her that she was already aching for him to drop his underwear. She sat on the couch and watched him walk to the door. He flipped off the lights. The firelight was nice and bright enough to see by. He moved slowly toward her and went down on his knees. He pushed the coffee table away, moving closer to her.
Her breathing fell shallow with excitement as their gazes locked, and he said, “Kade.”
She frowned. “Kade?”
“My name. I want to hear you scream it when you come.”
Her heart pounded, and the ache between her thighs grew almost painful. She was wet. Really wet. Her breasts felt heavy, and she looked down to see her nipples were hard. He hadn’t even touched her yet. She silently hoped he wasn’t going to be a dud. She wasn’t sure if she could take it if he was an awkward kisser or worse, just bad in bed.
Kade turned his head and gripped the coffee table. He shifted the position of it and then moved closer. He reached around her with both hands and gripped the cushions on the couch. He put them on the coffee table side by side. His dark eyes met hers.
“I changed my mind. Lay on the coffee table but slide to the edge of it. I want you to stretch out on your back and reach up to grip the coffee table edge. Grab it and hold it.”
She got up and did what he asked. He still didn’t touch her. She lay down so her ass was at the very end of the wooden table. The cushions were under her, and she was comfortable. The pillows raised her up a few inches from the top of the table. Watching him close, testing his reaction, she raised her arms and gripped the edge of the table above her. Her body was stretched out, and her legs were spread so he could move close.
The look on his face, the way his dark eyes seemed to dilate with lust, caused a white-hot rush of pleasure to wash over her. It made the bold move worth it when he took the invitation and got on his knees between her thighs.