Page 32 of Double Play

“On it.” He bent and scooped her into his arms like a baby. She wrapped her arms around his neck and licked the skin that stretched across the tendon there. His taste intoxicated her, so rich and masculine, like smoking a cigar in a leather armchair while sipping a brandy. His arm muscles tightened until they felt like iron bands under her kneesandback.

Her whole body buzzed with arousal. She felt as if she were expanding, like hot air filling a balloon, like joy filling aheart.

When they reached his bed, he set her carefully onto the bedspread. He tugged his shirt up his back and over his head, then the white v-necked undershirt he wore underneath. He stood before her, a picture of defined muscles and chiseledmagnificence.

“You have to promise me something, Maggie,” he told her in a serious tone, even as his chest rose and fell with each roughbreath.

“Hm?” She was too blown away by his naked chest to utter more than onesyllable.

“If anything doesn’t feel right, you have totellme.”

Her gaze flew up to meet his. Oh—he meant her heart. She’d completely forgotten about her heart—that valiant organ keeping her alive. “I promise. I can start right now, actually. It doesn’t feel right that you’re standing at least a foot away from me and we’re not touchingatall.”

A wide grin lit up his face and he stepped closer, until his knees brushed against her. “Is thatbetter?”

“It’s getting there.” She shifted her position so she knelt on the bed and rose up. Chest to chest, hips to hips, they faced each other. She felt the hard press of his erection against her thigh. The sensation brought her desire to a fever pitch. Reaching down to trace the outline of his shaft, she shivered with need. And then his hands were on her ass, taking command, moving her just so against hisarousal.

The tension built inside her so quickly she couldn’t track it. It took her over with breathless speed, and all of a sudden, she was frantic to feel him naked. “Please,” she muttered against his mouth. “Ican’t…”

“Shhh.” Even his warm breath against her ear heightened her need. “Igotyou.”

He reached for the hem of her dress and drew it up her body with a sensual slowness that felt excruciating. He let his fingertips linger on the backs of her thighs, the curve of her ass, the upper dip of the cleft between her cheeks. “I really dig how you’re put together, baby. This right here, this might be the sweetest spot.” He skimmed his fingers across the skin of her lower back. “But I have a lot of comparison to do before I make afinalcall.”

She shivered against him, nothing but a mass of shivers and thrills. To encourage him to get the darn dress off her body, she lifted her arms above her head. But still he took his time, pressing kisses onto her belly, between her breasts, onto her neck, until finally the dress was gone and she faced him in bra and panties. She’d actually gone shopping to find something sexier than her usual underwear, and thank God she had. When Dwight took in the red lacy bra and boy shorts she wore, he gave a soundlesswhistle.

“That just ain’t fair, girl. You trying to kill abrother?”

She laughed and reached for the fastening behind her back. He stopped her by putting his big warm hands over hers. “I got this, sweetheart. You just relax. I’m going to take care of every little thing. Don’t youworry.”

Resting her head against his hard chest, she let out a soft laugh. “I know your batting average is pretty good. I wasn’t sure about your bra-unfasteningaverage.”

A deep rumble vibrated under her ear. “That’s funny. Good one. But we aren’t talking averages here. Nothing about this isaverage.”

She couldn’t argue with that, not when sweet, thick desire was sweeping through her body like a freight train filled with honey. When her bra was gone—it took him less than a second—her newly freed breasts pressed against his chest, the tips going hard as diamonds. Between her legs, a low throb.Touch me, feel me, itchanted.

Dwight must have heard, because he slid his long fingers under the edge of her panties. Sensitive and knowing, they skimmed across the soft curls covering her mound. The second the pad of his finger touched her clit, a shocking jolt of pleasure shot through her. She gasped out loud. Hefroze.

“Youokay?”

“Yes! Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” Her plea was practicallyamoan.

He gave a low laugh as he moved his fingers again, shifting his hand so he could touch more of her. “Hell no. I told you Igotthis.”

They paused for a moment so he could slide off her panties, then he came back to that aching, throbbing bundle of nerves. This time she bit back her automatic moan of pleasure, afraid he’d stopagain.

“You make all the sounds you want,” he told her. “No holding that shit back. I want tohearyou.”

So she abandoned herself to the wild sensations he was creating with his long, strong fingers and his expert friction. He stoked the fire higher with every circling, fondling, intoxicating movement he made. His other hand slipped behind her to settle on her ass. He used it to press her close, work her body against hisotherhand.

She was going to burst into flames, soar into oblivion, shatter into shards, but it was all out there somewhere, right out of reach. If she could just get there, if he would rub harder, press a little more, yes, right there, oh my God, exactly there, don’t stop…she was nearly sobbing now, frantic and needy, grinding her mound against his hand, urginghimon.

And there, there it was, a blinding flash ofpleasure.

At first the orgasm was so intense, it left her speechless. Then, a low animal moan unfurled from her mouth. It went on and on as she shook against the hard wall of his chest. He didn’t budge or move his hand from where she needed it, not when a late spasm rocked her like an earthquake, not when she went limp as the orgasm finallyfaded.

He was still there, rock solid, surrounding her with heat and heart, whispering how beautiful she was, how much he wanted her, how hard shemadehim.

When all the pleasure had been wrung out of her, she slumped against him, still shuddering. He lowered her onto the bed. He covered her with a blanket—it was so soft it felt like cashmere—and curled up nexttoher.

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