“Do you like it?” Will asked, setting his half-empty flute on the nearby coffee table and then leaning closer to her.
“I do.” She swallowed the last bit for a dose of liquid courage and set it aside.
“Good.” He reached out to cradle the nape of her neck and leaned in to close the small gap between them. His lips met hers, and she instantly felt lightheaded in a way that had nothing to do with champagne. His mouth was warm and tasted sweet against hers. The feel of his fingertips massaging through her hair coaxed her eyes closed, and she gave in to the sensation of him.
She felt the heat of his hand on her thigh. It stroked gently through the fabric of her skirt, slowly inching it higher up her leg. The caress lit a fire deep in her belly that urged her to reach out to him. Cynthia pressed a hand against his chest, kneading at the hard muscles, but the starched fabric of his dress shirt didn’t feel good against her palms. She wanted to touch bare skin. Starting at his collar, she worked at the buttons, pausing as she reached his waistband. There, the brush of her fingertips across his stomach elicited a deep groan of approval against her lips. It made her bolder, and she tugged his shirt out and undid the last button, slipping the shirt over his shoulders and exposing his chest.
This, she wanted to see. Pulling away from his kiss, she opened her eyes and took in the hard expanse of his chest, the ridges and planes of his body accented and shadowed by the flickering fire. It beckoned her to reach out, and she indulged. She reveled in the velvet glide of her fingertips across his skin. The muscles of his stomach jumped as her hand neared his navel, and Will shot a hand out to grasp her wrist. “Not yet,” he whispered, moving her hand higher to rest on his shoulder.
Will kissed her again, and this time she could feel his hands move down her blouse, opening it as she had done to his shirt. For a moment her nerves returned, but her back was to the fire, so when he eased her blouse off, her chest was still cloaked in shadow. His hand slid like satin over her exposed back, grasping the catch of her bra and undoing it with a flick of his fingers. Without his mouth leaving hers, he slid the bra down her arms and tossed it aside, covering the aching globes of her breasts with his greedy hands.
Cynthia gasped against his lips as he pinched one hardened peak between his fingertips and then soothed the ache with his palms. The sharp sensation traveled straight to her inner core, urging her body forward to press against him, but it wasn’t nearly enough to soothe the need building inside her.
Will unzipped her skirt at the hip and surged forward, easing her back until she was lying flat on the rug. The movement exposed her body to the glow of the fire, but when she caught him looking down at her with unbridled lust, her heart leapt in her chest. For a moment, she was able to put aside all her insecurities and bask in the glow of being truly desired. It was a new and wonderful feeling, second only to the tingle of his lips against her skin as he traveled down her exposed chest. His mouth captured one tight nipple while his hands moved lower to tug her skirt and panties down over her hips. Only when he absolutely had to did his mouth leave her body, and that was only to cast the last of her clothing, then his, aside.
Cynthia sat up on her elbows and tried to admire what she could of his body, but her plan to disguise her own insecurities had made it hard for her to see him, as well. She could only see the shadow of his body moving, hear the crinkle of a foil packet tearing open, then see the golden light on his brown hair as his body slowly moved toward her. His hands and mouth stroked and tasted every inch of her as he glided up to cover her body with his own, shifting his weight to rest on his hip and elbow alongside her.
His dark gaze fixed on her as his flat palm grazed over her belly and then dipped between her thighs. He eased her open to him and then let his fingers glide over her moist flesh. Cynthia tried not to cry out, but the sensations overwhelmed her and she simply couldn’t help it. She fought to keep her eyes open and hold the connection, but the expert movements of his hand sent her eyelids shut and her hips rising up to meet his touch. The electric current of pleasure running through her body was like nothing else she’d ever experienced before. The pressure was building up inside of her, making her achy and hungry for more.
“Will,” she whispered, her body no longer her own to control as he coaxed new feelings out of her. She couldn’t imagine feeling anything more incredible than this moment, but she knew there was more. She wanted all of him and would feel incomplete until she did. “Please.”
Nudging her thighs farther apart, Will settled in and hovered over her. His gaze never left hers as he rocked forward and found his home within her welcoming body. He filled her so completely that she gasped; the pleasure was almost more than she could bear. She’d waited so long for this, she wanted to lock her legs around him and keep him there forever.
But even she wasn’t stupid enough to stop the delicious movement he’d begun. It was slow at first, inch by inch easing in and out of her body at an excruciating pace. His head dipped down to capture a nipple in his mouth and tug at it with his teeth.
“Oh, Will,” Cynthia said, unable to do anything else but cling to the hard muscle of his arms. The climax was building inside her, but it was too soon. Far too soon. She wanted this feeling to last forever, and he wasn’t going to allow it.
He released her breast and kissed her, the salty taste of her skin on his lips. She clung to him as he moved faster, thrusting inside her with increasing force. Every second brought another rush of pleasure, her nerve endings almost unable to take any more.
He seemed to enjoy watching the expressions on her face as her mouth fell open, her chest rising and falling with the rapid breaths of her oncoming orgasm. With perfect timing, he thrust home harder and harder, pushing her off the cliff until she had no choice but to dive into oblivion.
“Yes!” she cried out as the climax pulsed through her body. Her hips bucked against his driving pelvis, her back rising off the rug as her release exploded inside her. She got lost in the tide of ecstasy, her cries mingling with his as he found his own release.
Cynthia collapsed back into the carpet, Will throwing his leg to one side to put the bulk of his weight off her. They lay there together, a mix of heavy breathing and tingling bodies. That was the most incredible thing she’d ever experienced. Being in Will’s arms, connecting with him like that, brought not only pleasure but a sense of peace she’d been lacking. She didn’t delude herself into believing this was anything more than incredible sex to Will, but it was a start. If and when they finally made love, she imagined it would be even better. For tonight, she would let herself be happy with a successful first date.
Their first date. “So much for my reputation,” she said, laughing as best she could manage between her harsh, ragged breaths.
Will tapped gently against the door to Cynthia’s workroom and called her name. He heard the loud stitching of the sewing machine stop.
“Yes?” she said, her voice muffled by the heavy wood between them.
“We’re going out tonight,” he announced. She had been holed up in her workroom for days. They were going out whether she liked it or not. He didn’t care if she went to the party in half a dress.
“I don’t think I—” She began to argue, but he grabbed the doorknob and silenced her protest. “No, no, I’m coming!”
She flung open the door and quickly pulled it shut behind her. “No peeking,” she reminded him with a frown.
“You’ve been working too much, and coming from me, that’s pretty bad. I’m taking you out tonight.”
“I really shouldn’t,” she said, backing into the room again, but his hand shot out to grab the door and keep her from retreating.
“If you go back in there, I will come in after you and carry you out. After I thoroughly examine your dress and ruin the surprise.”
Cynthia glanced down at her raw and bloody fingertips and gave a resigned sigh. “I could probably use some time away. I’m making progress, though.”
“That’s great.” Will slipped out of his sport