Page 54 of Crash and Burn

She could hear the grin in his voice. “It’s what?”

“I don’t know. Gorgeous?” It was masculine but really inviting and it … “It looks so comfortable. I’ll just curl up on the couch, okay?”

The couch looked fluffy and soft, like it would hug her if she just rolled right into it. There was a matching throw tossed over one end. It looked casual but there was no way the colors all coordinated like that without some effort.

He was laughing full-out now. “I told you, my mother is an interior designer. I told her I’d take care of it myself …”

“You did all this?” Maggie was in awe. He’d been more than helpful and offered a great eye for her work, but this was …

He laughed again. “No. Itoldher I’d do it, but she showed up andhelped.”

“Well, it’s amazing.” She’d not expected a man who spent his days in dull yellow gear and red trucks to have a home that felt so soothing and welcoming. Still, she was exhausted.

“Come on.” He didn’t touch her but led her down the hall and opened a door. “This is my room. You can have it for yourself or …”

“Oh, I wouldn’t kick you out of your own bed …” but she wanted to share it with him.

Taking her hand, he pulled her into the room and flipped the covers back. “Crawl in.”

Maggie kicked off her shoes and peeled her jeans and didn’t have the energy for anything more. Sebastian disappeared into the attached bathroom for a moment and she was almost asleep when he turned up at the foot of the bed wearing another pair of plaid pajama pants. “Mind if I join you?”

She held out her hand to him and by the time she was settled in the crook of his arm, she was mostly asleep.

It must have been hours later that she drifted slowly awake. It was light outside, but the blackout curtains made the room feel like night should. No alarm. Warm bed. Sheets that smelled like … Sebastian. And it wasn’t just the bed that was warm, it was the man next to her.

Her hand was splayed wide on his bare chest and as she realized what she wanted, her fingers curled involuntarily. Sebastian’s hand came up over hers … he wasn’t asleep anymore either. His mouth found her temple and he pressed soft kisses there, turning her on and stealing rational thought. He whispered into her ear, “I want to finish what we started.”

She must have hesitated. Was she fully awake? She was, but she was certainly pulled under by the heat of him, by her own desire, and by the feeling that she didn’t just want him, she needed him.

“I’ve locked and bolted all the doors. The sliding door to the balcony has a brace and I checked it. No one knows we’re here.”

He was reassuring her they wouldn’t get interrupted this time. Thank God.

Maggie pushed up on one elbow, draped herself across him and kissed him with everything she was worth. Her fingertips traced the muscles of his chest and she felt his groan of satisfaction more than she heard it.

She didn’t last as the aggressor for long. He peeled her hand from his chest, lacing their fingers together, and using that point of contact to roll her over. He had her pinned, settled between her legs, long hard body pressed against hers and she didn’t protest.

How had she lived so long without this?

She was reaching for the ties on his pants again, sliding her fingers inside. She wanted to go slow, to savor every touch, relish in every slide of his tongue along her skin. But she didn’t have the patience. She grappled with the fabric, sliding it down his legs only with his help.

When he was kneeling on the bed, fully naked, he looked at her and said, “You are wearing entirely too many clothes.”

She wasn’t wearing pants or shoes. “It’s less than I usually wear.”

“Still too much.”

Maggie was laughing as he quickly stripped her naked. But the sound of his breath catching made hers catch, too. She didn’t know why he wanted her as much as he did, but she wasn’t going to waste it.

Her breath caught, waiting, until his hands were touching her everywhere, turning her on more … if that were possible. She traced his jaw, the muscles in his arms and chest, wrapped her hand around the length of him, and stroked until he made her stop.

“Condom …” he practically gasped the word as he stretched out to reach into the nightstand drawer.

“I’m on the pill.”

Instantly, he was back by her side. “Are you sure?”

“I offered.” She was grinning at him, lifting up to kiss him, when she found herself suddenly flat on her back. His fingers stroked her until she gasped for more. Then as she begged for him, she felt the length of him at her entrance and the hot slide of him pushing home.

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