Gently, she left his embrace, then walked down the row, brushing her fingers along the lavender until she arrived at the makeshift bed, piled with pillows and blankets. She turned and met his gaze, then, one by one, she unbuttoned her Chanel denim dress. As he looked on, she allowed the garment to fall to the ground and pool at her feet. Cal drank her in, his gaze darkening as he stripped off his flannel and T-shirt before kicking out of his jeans and peeling off his boxer briefs. And sweet baby Jesus, this man was a work of art.
Strong, broad shoulders.
Chiseled abs.
Forearms that could make a woman weep.
It was more than a person could take, and then she got to his cock, and her mouth fell open.
“Mr. Horner, that’s one heck of a horn of plenty you’ve got there,” she said, unable to tear her eyes from the man’s hard length.
He chuckled as he sauntered toward her. “Is that look of astonishment good or bad?”
“I guess I’m going to find out,” she answered, dragging her eyes from Cal’s rock-hard cock to meet his gaze.
“Lie down. I promise, I’ll be gentle,” he coaxed, dropping a kiss to her temple.
The sentiment was sweet, but she wasn’t so sure he could deliver on the whole I’ll-be-gentle promise wielding that between his thighs. She got comfortable on their little love nest, then observed his manhood. “They should make you wear a warning, walking around with that in your pants.”
He shook his head, looking sweetly embarrassed, then joined her on the large cushion. Slowly, he removed her bra and panties, then raked her body with his gaze. His eyes went to the M at her neck, and she covered it with her hand.
“I can take it off,” she offered, her voice barely a whisper as the weight of the situation sank in.
She was about to lose her virginity to not only the one man she could never forget but her brother’s best friend. What would Jamie have thought of her and Cal together?
“No, leave it right where it is,” he replied, cutting into her internal debate. There was no time to get trapped in her head—not when this glorious man was poised to take her over the edge.
She dropped her hands to her sides as Cal held her gaze with those stormy-blue eyes that didn’t miss a thing. The intensity alone was enough to make her combust into a million tiny pieces. As if he sensed she was on the verge of complete incineration, he settled his gaze lower. Starting at her ankles, he kissed a trail past her knees before settling between her thighs. She gasped, feeling his hot, ragged breath against her most sensitive place. Surrounded by the scent of the lavender, every touch and each kiss sent her reeling. It was as if they’d been transported to a place where only the two of them existed, but the prolonged anticipation was almost unbearable. Breathless, she wove her fingers into his honey-brown hair as he dragged his tongue across her delicate folds, humming to himself as he savored each sensuous lick.
“Do you like this?” he breathed against her sex, and she rocked her hips in reply.
“You know I do,” she bit out, entirely at his mercy. Her trepidation dissolved as he worked her with his mouth and tongue. Just as he’d done with his hand, he set a pace that had her moaning with raw need.
“I knew you’d be sweet, but I never imagined anything could taste this good,” he growled against her, lapping up her desire in a steady, measured rhythm.
She closed her eyes and surrendered as a dizzying current surged through her body. It was almost too much.
Too much yearning.
Too much need.
Too much raw, merciless lust.
A ribbon wrapped around and around her body, tightening, squeezing, and leading her closer and closer to sweet release.
Cal gripped her hips, taking her higher and higher. She stood on the edge of a cliff, staring out into an ocean of immeasurable pleasure before her body collided with sweet release. Unrelenting, Cal held her there, suspended in a frenzied state of complete satisfaction. Ripple after ripple of pleasure washed over her body until, slowly, she returned to this earthly plane and found him watching her.
“You’re beautiful, Mabel,” he said with that boyish grin that made her weak in the knees.
She looked away. “You don’t have to say that.”
He prowled the length of her body, then traced his fingertips across her bottom lip. “You are. You always have been.” He kissed her shoulder. “Can I tell you something?”
Her body warm and sated, she smiled up at him. “Of course.”
He glanced away, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue. “I used to watch you.”
“Where? Here, at the farm?” she asked, observing him closely.
That sweet boyish grin was back. “No, at the diner.”
“When I was waitressing?” she pressed. She’d started working for the old Young sisters a few days after her sixteenth birthday. At that point in her life, she’d felt invisible. No one in town besides Jamie understood her love for fashion and couture clothing. And while she knew quite well that people noticed her in her stilettos and fashionable berets, nobody saw her—nobody really saw her. More than that, to Cal, she’d felt like a ghost in plain sight.
He nodded. “I couldn’t help myself. You’re mesmerizing. I couldn’t bear to look away. It was like this intangible thing followed you wherever you went.”
This unguarded moment by such a guarded man sent a rush of heat to the apex of her thighs.
“What followed me?” she asked, stunned by his revelation.
He pressed a whisper-soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “The light. The energy. It was as if the sun rose and set for you—and only you. The hardest thing I ever did was try and fight it. But I can’t. I can’t fight it anymore. And Mabel?”
She stared into his eyes, those eyes that had once seemed so muted and callous. “Yes, Cal?”
“I don’t want to fight it.”
She wanted to ask him why. Why did he leave her in the rain? Why was it never the same between them? Why did he pretend like she didn’t exist? She stared into those blue eyes that she knew as well as her own. Did she really want the answer? Was she prepared for the reason?
“I don’t want to fight it either,” she said instead, then reached between them and positioned his cock at her entrance.
His gaze softened. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Did he mean the physical pain that was to accompany losing her virginity? In that case, she wasn’t worried. She could take the pain. Or did he mean her heart?
It didn’t matter. Whatever was to come, she wanted this—wanted him—too badly.
“You won’t. I’m tougher than I look,” she answered, arching into him, guiding him inside as she closed her eyes. But she immediately opened them. She didn’t have to pretend anymore. She didn’t have to close her eyes and imagine his presence. The man who used to only dwell in her fantasies was right here, ready and so very willing to make love to her.
Slowly, he eased his hard length inside her, filling her, stretching her. It was surreal while, at the same time, the most salient, real experience she’d ever had. And it was happening—this moment she’d dreamed of night after night.
Cal trembled as he hovered above her, and she drew her fingertips down his jawline. “You’re shaking.”