Page 51 of California Dreaming

Tessa stood beside Arch’s bed. It felt like a year since she’d fled this room after he’d called her down under false pretenses and lifted the covers to welcome her in.

Now everything was different.

Her mind reverberated with the echoes of their passionate kiss in the living room. It was as if every lustful feeling she’d been holding back had come rushing out of her all at once.

She couldn’t get enough of his skin, his smell, the taste of his mouth. What’s more, she felt his body responding in the same way.

Their passion was in perfect sync. It was intoxicating.

And now here they were in his bedroom, both of them flushed with desire. She was nervous and excited in equal measure. She held his gaze as he crossed the room to come to her. Every thought he was having about her was written across his face.

And she knew each and every thought involved her being naked… and filled with pleasure.

All her nerve endings fired as he gently swept her hair away from her face and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said in a voice thick with desire. “I’ve thought so from the first moment I saw you walking on the beach. And I’ve been wowed at every stage of getting to know you and living with you here.” He took a breath that shook slightly from the emotion he was clearly feeling. “You’re so special, Tessa. I want to show you just how special you are.”

When she nodded eagerly, he began to unbutton her shirt. He took his time. As each button revealed more of her skin, she felt herself growing more and more sensitive, every inch of her crying out to be touched.

He kept his eyes on her until the last button was undone and the fabric fell open to reveal her simple white lace bra. Only then did he allow himself to cast his gaze over her breasts.

She couldn’t help it—she trembled as she felt his eyes undress the rest of her.

Out of nowhere, he said, “If you want me to stop here, I will. We don’t need to rush anything. We have all the time in the world.”

But she shook her head. “I couldn’t bear it if you stopped now.” She took his hand and laid it on her chest. “Please, keep doing exactly what you’re doing.” She let a wicked glint enter her gaze. “And more. So much more.”

With that, he kissed her again with such deep passion as his mouth sought hers hungrily. She wanted him with every fiber of her being. She couldn’t remember ever wanting anyone, or anything, more.

He slipped the shirt from her shoulders, kissing her neck as he went. His lips were so soft on her skin that she shivered with need.

Part of her wanted to beg him to rip off the rest of her clothes. The other half wanted to savor every single second of his kisses, his caresses. To follow the slow, erotic trace of his fingers down her spine and then around to her stomach.

He stopped there and pulled away to look at her again.

“Please,” she whispered, “please don’t stop. I want you so badly, Arch. You have no idea.”

“Oh yes, I do. Because I want you just as much. But I’m trying to control myself,” he said huskily. “I want to take it slow. To savor every single inch of you.”

His arousing words made her feel bold enough to reach for the hem of his T-shirt and pull it up, over his gorgeous abs. He lifted his arms, and she slipped it off.

“My jeans,” she managed to say. “Get them off.”

From the look on his face, he hadn’t expected her to be so bold. She had surprised herself too. She’d never felt this urgency before. And she’d certainly never felt so appreciated. Or as though she could vocalize her desires to her lover without fearing she’d be laughed at or pushed away.

His breathing quickened as he slowly, tantalizingly, pulled down her zipper. The sound echoed between them like a promise.

He groaned at the sight of her white lace panties. A part of her wished she owned fancier, sexier lingerie. But Arch certainly didn’t seem to care that her underclothes were no fancier than her T-shirts and jeans.

“This is where I’d love to pick you up and throw you on the bed,” he said. He looked down at his boot. “But I don’t want to undo all the physio you’ve given me. As hot as it would be, somehow I don’t think you’d forgive me for screwing up my leg again.”

She laughed. “How about I help you, then?”

She went to the bed, the crisp sheets cool against her hot skin, and lay back. She couldn’t help adding, “Maybe this is the kind of help you’ll actually be happy to accept.”

Arch removed his boot and knelt at the foot of the bed so that his head was level with her zipper. Carefully, he lifted her hips and, inch by inch, slipped the jeans down her legs until she was just in her bra and panties.

And then heaven began.

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