Page 43 of Betting on Lizzie

He stepped toward her, opened his arms, and caught her effortlessly as she jumped into them without hesitation, wrapping her legs around his waist. Mouths met in a fiery frenzy.

The force of the feelings shocked her. The passion. The desperation. She was unaccustomed to feeling so intently. Normally, sleeping with a man on a second date was out of the question—technically, this wasn’t even a date—but this felt different. This felt right. Her brain turned off, and, for good or ill, her body took over the decision-making.

If she regretted it in the morning, so be it. She wasn’t sure who was more surprised when she led him to her bedroom and shut the door.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ben woke the next morning in Lizzie’s bed. Wide awake and wondering how he’d gotten here, he rehashed the night in his mind. One minute, they were kissing like the world was ending, and the next, they were shutting the dogs out of the bedroom for some privacy.

It was hard not to laugh out loud at the notion that at thirty-six, he could still be so perplexed by a woman. Just when he’d pegged her as a dispassionate heartbreaker, she burst out a warm, amorous side.

She rolled over, and unreadable blue eyes opened and stared at him. Damn, she was pretty.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said.

“What time is it?” she grumbled.

“A little after eight.”

“Coffee.” She closed her eyes again.

“Not a morning person?” he said with extra pep, making her chuckle. “I’ll make some.”

He dressed, went to her kitchen, and started the coffeepot. While it was brewing, he took the dogs downstairs for a quick lap around the building. When he returned, Lizzie was in the kitchen, sipping at a huge yellow mug that read, “Just a girl who loves dogs.”

“Thank goodness,” she said. “I thought you’d not only snuck out without saying goodbye, but had stolen my dog.”

“Figured they needed a potty break.” He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I do have one problem though.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “What’s that?”

He lifted her sweatshirt and put his ice-cold hands on her back. “Baby, it’s cold outside.”

She yelped and smacked at him. “You’re freezing.”

“At least give me your mug then,” he said. She handed him her cup, and he wrapped his hands around it. Laughing, she grabbed another one for herself. This one was red and said, “I’d love to, but my dog says no.”

After his hands warmed, he set the coffee on the counter and encircled her again. “How ’bout I try that again?” This time, she didn’t scream when he touched her soft skin.

Her kiss tasted like coffee and toothpaste. “Hm,” she said. “Now I know why I’ve been craving s’mores all night. You smell like a campfire.”

“Ah, yes. I am in need of a shower.”

“Hazard of being a hero, I guess,” she teased.

He wasn’t sure where things stood with them, but figured last night deserved some sort of discussion. “I’m not very good at these,” he said honestly.

“Good at what?” she asked.

“The morning after talk.”

“Well, don’t look at me,” she said. “I’m not any better.”

He shot her a dubious look, and she sighed and set her mug next to his. “I know people think I sleep around,” she said. “But that’s not the case. I date a lot, but I can count on two fingers how many guys I’ve slept with. Well, three now.” She waggled her eyebrows.

That information caught him off guard. He too, had assumed she got around the block and realized now how unfair that was. Add it to the list of things that surprised him about her. Did that mean this was more than just a fling for her? He smiled.

“How about you?” she asked.

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