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She squeezed her thighs, pressing herself harder against him, wanting him to touch her more intimately. The thick denim, double layered over the fly, kept her from really feeling him, and she had to bite back a cry of disappointment.

“I want you, Jim,” she murmured against his ear. She kissed his forehead, his cheek, his jaw. She licked the faint rasp of stubble and bit the edge of his jaw.

He swore, a sharp word that made her giggle.

“Yes, that is what we’re going to do,” she teased.

He paused in front of her bed. “That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he growled. “I want you, too. More than you’ll ever know. But hearing you talk about it and feeling you against me, not to mention the kissing, is making me about ready to explode.” His eyes blazed with fire. “I refuse to embarrass myself like that.”

It had never occurred to her that she could bring this strong, incredible man to his knees. Power filled her. Feminine strength and purpose that had her lifting her hips so that she could rub more firmly against him.

He sucked in a breath. Then he was kneeling on the bed. She released her grip and slid down to the mattress. As she did so, her robe fell open. Jim’s gaze dropped to her pale breasts, swollen from breast-feeding, then to her narrow rib cage and her stomach, once again flat but now marred by stretch marks.

Heather had to fight not to close her eyes. She knew he would see the jutting hip bones, the skinny legs, the bony shoulders, her small breasts….

He bent over and kissed her, his tongue sweeping inside and brushing against her own. When he withdrew, he trailed kisses down her jaw to her ear. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, then nibbled on her earlobe. Tendrils of fire curled through her, all the way down to her toes. “Everything about you is exactly as it should be. I love your delicate slenderness and your smooth, pale skin. Even the marks from your pregnancy are precious. You are perfect in every way, and I want you.”

Tears burned at the backs of her eyes. Tears of happiness. For the first time, a man had made her believe he found her naked body acceptable. More than that—desirable. She suspected that Jim was the kind of guy who preferred curves, especially on top, yet he could see past her body to the woman inside. That inner being was the one he was really attracted to, but his passion was such that it spilled over and he thought all of her was beautiful. Why had she ever doubted this man?

“Thank you,” she whispered, and pulled him close.

“Not yet.” He straightened. “One of us is way overdressed.”

While she shrugged out of her robe and tossed it on the floor, he pulled off his boots and socks, then unbuttoned his shirt. Heather rose to her knees.

“I’ll help with that.”

She moved to the edge of the bed and reached for him. The front of the shirt had parted, exposing a well-muscled chest covered with a light dusting of hair. She placed her hands against his breastbone, then moved them up toward his shoulders. He was strong and his chest hair tickled her palms. She slipped down, sliding over his nipples, pausing to tease the tight points and make him shudder. When she reached his waist, she pulled his shirt free of his jeans. As he let it fall to the floor, she started unfastening his belt. He stopped her.

“I’d better do that,” he said.

“Why?”

“If you touch me, it will all be over.”

“How very flattering.”

So she sat back on her heels and watched him unzip his jeans, then push them and his briefs down. His arousal sprang free—a long, hard shaft that looked smooth and velvety.

They were really doing this, she thought with some surprise. They were going to make love. She paused, wondering if she would have second thoughts. But her brain was quiet and her only sensation was one of rightness. For reasons she didn’t understand, she belonged in Jim’s arms.

She scooted over on the bed and he lay down next to her. They angled toward each other. He pulled her close so they were touching, just like they had before. Only this time they were both naked, and when her breasts flattened against his chest, she could feel the warmth of his skin and the hair there teasing her nipples. Her slender legs tangled with his. As he kissed her, he drew her left leg over his hip and slipped his right leg between hers.

The tension that had momentarily faded returned again full force. She shifted so that her center pressed against his knee and she rubbed back and forth. The pressure was more frustrating than pleasurable. Her swollen insides wanted stroking and filling and release. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, sending her tongue into his mouth and coaxing him to follow her back. When he did, she bit down gently.

Jim raised his head and stared at her a moment. He looked as startled as she felt.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I’ve never done anything like that before.” She hadn’t, either. “I don’t know what came over me. I just…”

He smiled at her then, a satisfied male smile that made her squirm in anticipation. She’d awakened the dominant animal that lived in every aroused man. It was a side of him she’d never seen before. For that matter, she’d never seen it in any man.

“Heather?” he asked as if he wanted to make sure this was what she wanted.

“Yes,” she said even though she didn’t know what she was agreeing to. She wanted him and she trusted him. Nothing else mattered.

His mouth came down on hers, but this time it was different. Before, there had been passion, but now there was a raw, unchecked power to his kiss. Before, he had explored, but now he plunged. She met him more than halfway and gave back a few thrusts of her own.

He rolled her onto her back and ran one hand up and down her body. His touch was as soft as it had always been, but there was an impulsive quality to the movements, as if he felt rather than thought first. He circled her breasts, then slid his hand down her stomach before slipping his fingers into the protective curls between her thighs.