She whispered, “This big, buff body of yours still bowls me over.”

Abe turned, dragging kisses down her chest. Feasting on her ni**les until she thrashed and cried out. Yep. She still loved nipple play. He lapped the water from her skin as he lowered to his knees. Arcing his mouth across the delicate sweep of skin of her lower belly, he lifted her left foot and set it on the lip of the tub. Oh hell yeah. That gave him total access to the sweet and tasty flesh between her thighs.

The first swipe of his tongue across her slit had them both groaning. But one lick wasn’t enough and he settled in to take as much of her in his mouth as possible. He growled every time he elicited a gasp. A moan. A whimper. A plea. His thumbs opened her cunt like a flower and he burrowed his tongue deep, licking away every drop of her sweet juice. Over and over.

“Abe. Are you testing the strength of my knees? Because they’re about to give out.”

He pulled the soft skin of her mound away from that pouting pearl. “Hold it like this. I wanna see every inch.”

Janie’s hands shook as they replaced his. Her plump bottom lip was trapped between her teeth. Her cheeks were damp from the steam. He plunged his thumb into her channel the same time he suctioned his mouth to her clit. Sucking ruthlessly, sliding his thumb up to where his mouth worked her and back down into the opening of her sex.

She moaned his name, her body trembling as her clit pulsed beneath his dancing tongue.

He loved this part. Loved to feel every intimate muscle pull tight as she unraveled against his mouth. Her knees did start to give out and he laughed as he caught her. Then he licked the moisture from her skin on his way back up to her ear. “Turn around. Brace your hands on the wall.”

She made a murmur of assent.

Abe was so ready for her, so damn hard, that as soon as she waggled her ass at him, he slipped inside her to the hilt.

Her head fell back. “God. That’s so good.”

“Damn straight.”

Slapping sounds of skin on skin surrounded them. He kept hold of her hips, focusing on the visual of his c**k disappearing into her body as he tried to stave off his orgasm.

His balls drew up and he rammed into her harder, the slick heat of her flesh gliding on his. Had it ever felt this good?

Then it hit him why it felt so great.

“Shit. No condom.”

“But—”

“I can’t stop,” Abe panted and pulled out. He stroked his shaft against the cleft of her ass. He was about to blow—then heat shot up his c**k and he groaned as he shot his seed all over her back.

Soon as he caught his breath, he kissed her shoulder and stepped aside to let the water rinse her.

“Ooh, that’s getting cold.”

“We need a bigger water heater if we’re gonna play water games.” He shut off the tap and reached outside for the towels hanging on the towel bar. As he wrapped the bath sheet around her, he kissed her. The way she clung to him made him believe this was the start of something. Was he a fool for feeling a twinge of hope?

Maybe. Because once they were out of the shower, Abe felt her staring at him. Sensed the change in her. Thinking. Planning. Backtracking. He knew his response to whatever she was about to say would set the course for what happened next.

Abe knew exactly what he wanted: a second chance. But he wouldn’t coerce her. He wanted her to come to the same conclusion of her own accord. In the past he’d made all the decisions and expected her to fall in line. This time he’d woo her differently, in a way she’d never expect, but he’d pull out all the stops to convince her they belonged together. “You all right?”

“Yes. I’m great. Thanks for . . . blowing my mind.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“Look, this happened so fast and we didn’t talk about what it means.” She vigorously towel dried her hair. “We agree this is just sex?”

Oh, cupcake, you’re running again. Setting parameters. And that just won’t do.

He’d let her have that little delusion for now, that their connection was just physical, even when deep down inside she knew better. She’d soon learn something new about him: that he had no parameters when it came to sex. That oughta shock her more than the fact he could cook.

“Abe?”

“Uh, yeah. No worries.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.”

Same page? Hell, they weren’t even in the same book. But they would be. Keeping the towel wrapped around his waist, Abe moved to the mirror to brush his teeth.

Janie leaned against the wall and watched him. “You caught me by surprise, not that I’m complaining, because it was freakin’ awesome, but I’m hungry. Would you like me to fix us something for supper?”

He rinsed and spit. “Fix yourself whatever you want. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

By the way her spine stiffened, she hadn’t expected that answer. By the anticipatory look on her face, she probably assumed Honest Abe would do the gentlemanly thing and invite her along.

He didn’t.

His research trip could wait another couple of days, but Abe had the perverse need to be unavailable to her for the rest of the night.

Then they’d see how long her “just sex” attitude lasted.

Abe was gone when Janie got ready for work the next morning. The man confused the hell out of her and she was relieved not to have to face him, because it bothered her that he’d just taken off, while she was still naked, for Christsake, without letting her know where he was going.