I grinned, somewhat sheepishly. “I try to keep them on me. You never know when they’ll come in handy.”

She arched a brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“It’s a good thing.” I turned to her. “At least, it’s turning out to be a good thing, but seriously, I didn’t think I’d be using them this week.”

“Really?” Doubt crossed her face as she walked toward me, wrapping her hands around the edge of my shirt. “I remember that bet you made with me.”

“Actually, there was no bet. You wouldn’t play along.” I lifted my arms, letting her tug the shirt off.

Her gaze flicked up to my face and then down to my chest, and I saw the appreciation in her gaze. “I do remember telling you that was never going to happen.” She slid her hands down my chest, to the button on my jeans. “And yet here I am.”

“Here we are.”

She leaned forward and kissed the center of my chest as she reached down, cupping my erection through my jeans. My body jerked at the bold, hot-as-fucking-hell touch. “Does that make me easy?”

“Fuck no. Do you really think that?” If so, this shit was going to stop right now. I caught her wrist, pulling her hand away. “Do you?”

She lifted her chin, inclining her head. “Not with you. No,” she answered after a moment. She pulled her hand away and then pushed me down so that I sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s strange.”

“What is?”

Her gaze traveled over me, hungry. “I never thought that I’d be this comfortable around you.”

I wanted to gather her in my arms and lose myself in her warmth. “I’m glad you do.”

Andrea stepped back. She had fixed her dress downstairs, which had been a real visual disappointment, but now I was thrilled. As I sat on my ass and she stood in front of me, lifting her fingers to the tiny-ass straps of her dress, I was going to get to see her undress, and shit if that wasn’t a beautiful thing.

She slipped the straps down her arms, letting them dangle as she reached behind her. The tinny sound of a zipper going down had me aching.

I spread my legs out, but it didn’t help. “You’re killing me.”

Her lips curved up. “You killed me earlier.”

“I did?”

The loose curls around her face bounced as she nodded. “What you did down there, on the couch?” The dress loosened around her and she caught the material before it slipped down her breasts. “I thought I’d died for a moment.”

I leaned forward, my eyes never leaving her. Hell, a flesh-eating zombie could stroll into the room and I wouldn’t look away. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was,” she said softly, and then let the dress slip down her body, pooling at her feet with a soft whoosh.

Holy damn, my heart rate doubled. It was like seeing a goddess in the flesh, and I suddenly didn’t feel worthy of laying my eyes on her. The delicate skin of her throat flushed pink and that blush spread down to her full breasts. My mouth watered at the sight of those hardened tips and my fingers tingled just imagining sliding down her ribs, over the sweet curve of her waist and to those damn silky panties that covered her rounded hips.

“Is there a bow on your panties?” I asked.

“Yes. Because I’m sweet and demure.”

I chuckled hoarsely, but then straightened as she stepped toward me. My gaze was fastened on that purple bow right up until the moment her fingers slipped under the sides of her panties.

Never in my life had I been so fucking turned on.

Andrea bent slightly, and I sucked in a sharp breath as her breasts swayed and that scrap of purple lace slipped down her thighs, joining the dress, and then she was completely nude.

“Holy fuck,” I groaned, shaking my head slightly as I looked my fill.

She curled one arm across her waist, over her navel. “Is… is that a bad thing?”

“No. Hell, no.” I stood on oddly weak legs. “Andrea, you’re beautiful.”

The pink in her cheeks brightened as her lashes lowered. “I feel beautiful when you…you look at me this way.”

“I’m always going to look at you this way, so you better get used to it.” My gaze drifted over her body, lingering on some areas more than others, but I found myself staring at her feet. One foot was turned toward the other and her toes were curled. It was such a shy and sweet position that it tugged at my chest.

I wanted to do right by her.

Slowing this down was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, because I was so hard, so ready to be inside her that it was almost painful, but I didn’t want this to be fast. I wanted her to remember this always and I wanted this to erase every fucker that’d come before me.

As I approached her, she lifted her gaze and her lips parted. Gently, I touched the sides of her face with the tips of my fingers and tilted her head back. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her softly, taking my time to explore the depths of her warm mouth and her sweet taste.

I moved closer, welcoming the feel of her body brushing mine as the kiss went deeper and became more erotic. Our tongues tangled, and when her hands dropped to my pants, finishing with the zipper, I moaned as she barely touched me.

Stepping back, I finished with the jeans and the boxer briefs, shedding them quickly. I straightened, grinning when I saw what she was staring at. “You like?”

Her tongue darted over her plump lower lip. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”