“I swear, baby, you need to stop whatever you’re thinking because you’re killing me,” Jake said roughly.

   Busted. From Jake’s pained expression, she figured what she’d been feeling had been written all over her face. Talk about awkward. Did she laugh it off and pretend it had nothing to do with him, even though she might have moaned his name at some point without knowing it? No, surely, she hadn’t been that out of it. A denial was on the tip of her tongue when she remembered her conversation with Mia. Even though she hadn’t planned it, this gave her an opening if she wanted to pursue more of a physical relationship with Jake. And if his reaction was any indication, he wasn’t averse to it. You can do this. The worst that can happen is he says no. Pulling up the proverbial big girl panties, she met his gaze head-on and said, “What if I don’t want to stop?”

   He was shocked; that much was readily apparent by his sharp intake of breath. But there was more. He wanted her. His eyes were like twin sapphires of fire. And the hand that had been lying relaxed on the bar was now clenched tightly. “Make sure you mean it, Lydia. Don’t start something you won’t see through.”

   Taking a huge leap of faith, she got to her feet and eased between his spread legs until they were almost chest to chest. “I want you, Jake,” she whispered.

   Please let him take over now before my bravado deserts me.

   With a muttered oath, his arms encircled her and his hands came to rest on the cheeks of her ass. Pulling her even closer, he lowered his head and took her lips. It soon became apparent that he wasn’t a man to play around. His tongue didn’t ask permission—it staked a claim as it entered her mouth. She’d never been this turned on from a kiss, but as he licked, nipped, and sucked, her clit fluttered madly to life. As caught up in the moment as she was, a part of her mind was still waiting for him to move the show into the bedroom. But Jake, it seemed, had other plans. With agility that would put a circus performer to shame, he moved his hands to her waist and hoisted her onto the granite countertop—all without releasing her lips. In fact, he kept possession of those until he put a hand behind her head and began easing her backward, laying her across the cool surface. He took a step back and just stared down at her. “You are so fucking beautiful,” he said huskily as he trailed a finger between her breasts and down her stomach. He eased the fabric of her blouse from her slacks and began opening the buttons with a skill that was impressive. This isn’t his first rodeo; he knows his way around a woman’s clothing.

   As he parted the fabric and revealed her lacy pink bra, she lay in breathless anticipation of his next move. He raised his hands and cupped her breasts, teasing the hardening nipples through the thin material. “Oh God,” she hissed as desire flooded her core. I’m going to come before he even touches me down there, she thought but couldn’t bring herself to care. It had been too long since she’d felt a man’s hands on her body, and she hadn’t realized how much it would affect her. The first time they’d been together, she’d been intoxicated. Tonight, she was high on nothing but him and the way he made her feel. When he abruptly tugged the cups of her bra down and released her swollen peaks, she moaned her approval. Then he sucked one into his mouth, biting it hard enough to leave a stinging sensation. “Jake! Sooo good,” she cried as her orgasm ripped through her body.

   Instead of continuing to lavish attention upon her hardened peaks, he surprised her by shifting down her body and pulling her slacks and underwear off in one impressive move. She’d removed her shoes earlier, so nothing stopped them from pooling to the floor. Then he was circling her slick cleft before burying one thick digit inside her. “Ride my hand, baby, take what you need,” he ordered roughly—and she did. Out of her mind with desire, she gripped the edge of the counter and moved her body downward, while he thrust upward and into her wet heat. “That’s it, sweetheart,” he rasped out. She was right there, just seconds away from coming again, until he laid an arm across her hips and stilled her movements. “I own this one, sweetheart, let me finish you.” He took her feet and swung them over his shoulders before lowering his mouth to devour her dripping sex. He continued to move his finger in and out of her while he took her throbbing clit into his mouth and sucked.

   “Oh, my God, Jake!” she screamed as she fisted his hair and held on for dear life. Even when she tried to pull away, he refused to let her. He kept working her until nothing was left of her orgasm but an occasional shudder. “That was . . . wow,” she whispered in awe. She heard Jake’s muffled laughter and realized she still held him captive between her thighs. Releasing her hold on his hair, she grinned sheepishly at him. “Er, sorry about that.”

   He laughed easily as he dropped a kiss on one of her thighs, which still hung over his shoulders. “You’ll never hear me complain about being trapped there, sweetheart. It’s about as close to heaven as I can imagine.”

   She was basking in the beauty of his words when he began peeling his clothing off. She swallowed audibly as he locked his eyes on hers. He pulled his shirt from his pants and tossed it on the floor, followed quickly by his undershirt. Come to Mama, she thought heatedly as her mouth watered at the sight of broad shoulders that tapered down into washboard abs. You could easily bounce a quarter off that firm flesh. “Nice,” she squeaked inadequately. What did one say in response to something like that? She was sure a poet somewhere would do it justice, but for now, her one-word mumblings would have to do.

   The sound of him unbuckling his belt was like a gunshot in the kitchen. Followed closely by the unmistakable swish of his zipper lowering. They were really doing this. He was going to take her right where they’d had a bowl of spaghetti moments earlier. How smoking hot! A man was so impatient for her, he couldn’t make it to the bedroom. She’d had fantasies about sex like this for years. The craziest place she’d ever done it to date was in the shower and even that had been only a couple of times. Brett believed in making love in the bedroom or occasionally on the sofa. Certainly not in the kitchen. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this,” Jake growled. She watched in amazement as he pulled his wallet out and removed a condom from it. Apparently, every man did walk around with a rubber just in case.