His face broke into a smile as desire flared in his eyes. Then he pressed his lips to hers again.
This time there was no teasing. This time, when his mouth claimed hers, she felt his hunger, his need, which only served to heighten her own.
‘Let’s go upstairs,’ he breathed, running his hands down her arms before capturing her hands in his. ‘I want you on a bed, so I can take my time and enjoy you.’
As he led her up the stairs her heart began racing like the clappers, excitement mixing with nerves. Yet when he opened the door to her bedroom and turned to give her the small, sexy smile he was famous for, the nerves suddenly started to take over. Oh God, she was about to go to bed with Zac Edwards, heart-throb film star. What was he expecting when she took off her clothes? She didn’t have the sort of loose-limbed, elegant body he must be used to. She was strong, not soft. Athletic, not graceful. And even if that went okay, if he liked athletic, it had been … holy shit, a scary long time since she’d had sex.
***
Zac took one look at the way Kat was chewing at her bottom lip, and his heart sunk like a lead weight. She was going to tell him to stop.
‘Talk to me, Kat. What’s going on in that head of yours?’
Her eyes flicked away from his and onto her bed. Her cluttered, unmade bed. ‘Crap, look at the mess.’ Immediately she began to pick up the clothes and straighten out the duvet. ‘You should have warned me you were going to seduce me tonight. I’d have made sure to tidy up first.’
‘Kat,’ he said heavily, tugging at her hand until she dumped what she was carrying onto a small chair. ‘I rather hoped we were going to be taking clothes off. Not tidying them up.’
‘Of course.’ Her eyes were too bright, her smile too wide. ‘Taking clothes off, that’s a good plan. Why don’t you start?’
He couldn’t fathom what was happening. If she were another woman, he might have said she was nervous, but Kat, confident enough to face down a would-be assailant, wasn’t the nervous type.
‘Hang on a second.’ She jumped onto the bed, wriggling up until she was sitting with her back against the headboard. ‘Okay, now you can start.’
‘You want me to give you a private striptease show?’
She nodded, eyes not meeting his. ‘Do you need music? I can go and get my phone.’
She started to move but he stepped up to the bed, blocking her way, afraid if she left, she’d never come back. ‘I don’t need music.’
‘Okay, good.’ She drummed her fingers against her thigh. ‘I could hum, if you like? Or whistle. I’m pretty good at whistling.’
She was nervous, he realised with a shock. ‘I think I can manage without the musical accompaniment.’
‘Right.’ She folded her arms and rested them on her raised knees. ‘Whenever you’re ready.’
Smiling, he slowly shook his head and went to sit on the bed in front of her. ‘What happened to the woman I kissed downstairs?’ He searched her eyes. ‘Has she changed her mind? Because it’s okay if she has.’
‘No.’ Her voice was reassuringly firm. ‘Definitely not. I mean, Debs is away, I’m not your bodyguard anymore. You’re … you know, you. No way am I changing my mind.’ She waved a hand towards him. ‘You should take your shirt off.’
He worked hard to keep his shape, and one of the benefits of that was he was comfortable in his skin, so he quickly undid the buttons and shrugged off the shirt. His reward was in the way her tongue crept out to lick her lips; a gesture he thought was totally unconscious.
‘Can I touch?’ Her eyes bounced up to his.
In reply he clasped her hand and placed it on his chest, as he’d done earlier. He knew she could feel the way his heart began to thump harder, reacting to her touch.
‘My turn.’ He nodded to her T-shirt. ‘That needs to come off.’
She bit down on her lip again. ‘Now?’
He laughed softly. ‘Yes, now. I want to see you, Kat. I want to touch you.’
‘Okay.’ But she didn’t move, just kept her hand on his chest, her fingers moving across his skin, leaving a tingle of excitement wherever they touched.
‘Kat?’
‘What if you’re disappointed?’ The words came out in a rush. ‘I know I shouldn’t think like that. I mean I work out, so I’m in good shape, it’s just … it’s just it’s a different sort of shape to what you’re probably used to.’
‘Look at me, Kat. Look into my eyes. What are they saying?’
Her gaze flicked up to his but then settled back again to where her fingers touched his chest. ‘I don’t know, I’m too chicken to look into them right now.
‘Then feel my heartbeat.’ He pressed her hand further against his skin. ‘What’s that telling you?’
‘It’s jumping, like it would if you were scared. Or maybe nervous.’
‘Or?’ he prompted, moving her other hand further down so it was touching his abs. Instantly his heart rate kicked up a gear.
‘Or you like me touching you,’ she whispered, finally raising her eyes to his.
He smiled straight into those twin dark pools. ‘I more than like you touching me, Kat. I need you to touch me. And I need to touch you, too. Please?’
Finally, she seemed to relax a little. ‘Please, I like that.’
‘I’ll beg if it helps.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘No begging needed.’
In a flash she removed her top, leaving him starting at a pair of perfectly sized breasts in a plain black bra. He slipped a finger beneath one of the cups and tugged gently. ‘Can I?’
‘Knock yourself out. I mean, not literally, but you know, go for it.’
He’d had romantic preludes to sex, frantic ones, but never anything like this. Never anything that had felt so real. A twist of his wrist and the bra fell onto the duvet. ‘Christ, Kat.’ His gaze swept appreciatively across her naked breasts and up to her eyes, which looked achingly vulnerable. ‘You’re stunning. I hope you know that?’ His fingers brushed across the curve of her breasts, and then to her rose-pink nipples, and he drew in a sharp breath as a pulse of desire shot through him.
She touched him again. ‘I can feel your muscles quivering.’
‘They’re enjoying your touch. I’m enjoying your touch.’
She smiled, a hint of mischief to it now. ‘Time to see if the rest of you passes muster. Trousers off.’
‘And she’s back.’ When she frowned at him, he smirked. ‘The bossy Kat Parker I know left for a while, but now, thank God, she’s back.’
‘You like me bossy?’
Hurriedly he yanked off his trousers before pulling her down so she was lying on her back. Then he bent to kiss her. ‘Bossy, argumentative, untidy … it doesn’t seem to matter. I more than like you.’ He kissed her again, deeper, for longer. ‘I’m falling for you.’
He felt her stiffen, but he ignored it and kept kissing her until her body grew pliant again.
Chapter 23
Kat was lost in the happy bubble that was Zac and his incredible mouth. She couldn’t ever recall kissing being so erotic, so mind blowing. Add to that the touch of his hands on her breasts, the feel of his hard, muscular length all the way along her body. The luxurious smell of his cologne.