Zed still watched her, his eyes smoldering with a poignant blend of sadness and what she hoped was desire. Dave had never looked at her this way in their two years together, as if he wanted to be alone with her in the world. No man had. Until now …

“Zed, do you need anything else?” She didn’t know what else to say. The way he was watching her, with that potent mixture of fire, tenderness and need, stole all her thoughts and words.

A tiny muscle in his jaw twitched and the blue-gray color of his eyes darkened visibly. He nodded. “I do, Kristin. Very much so.” His voice was low, husky.

A tremor coursed through her, causing her heart to pound fiercely. “What is it?” She ached with desire that almost robbed her of speech.

He took a step toward her. “I need to lose myself in your sweetness.”

Her breath caught sharply. Never before had anyone said such a thing to her. The words caused her blood to swirl icy-hot in her veins. Her pussy throbbed with need. She wanted nothing else but for Zed to fill her, surround her with rugged maleness. She wanted him to possess her, make her his and his alone. Desire weakened her body weakened so much, she had to support herself with a hand on the counter. “Zed …”

Zed took another step toward her. “Is it all right?” His voice rasped, thick with the lust that simmered between them in the tiny kitchen.

Her gaze flickered over his body, from the chest muscles outlined underneath his sweater to the bulge tenting the front of his jeans. Unable to speak, she nodded.

No sooner had she done so, than Zed took the final step, which brought him to her. His eyes, glazed with desire, caressed her face and then traveled down her body, as if he were imagining what she looked like under her clothes. Wordlessly, he took hold of the bottom of her sweater, lifting it until Kristin had to raise her arms.

The movement pulled her shirt out from the waist of her jeans, and it peeled off along with her sweater. Zed lifted both away from her and tossed them onto the counter, leaving her only in her cotton camisole and jeans.

She watched his eyes widen, hungrily taking in the sight of her bare arms and shoulders and the small expanse of pale flesh where the neckline of her camisole scooped to just above her breasts. She didn’t wear a bra in winter under so many layers of clothes, so her nipples, hardened peaks of arousal, tented the soft material, aching for his touch.

Zed’s gaze lowered to the taut buds. He raised his hand to them, brushing trembling fingertips back and forth over each one.

His touch caused her nipples to tingle and send invisible cords of heat traveling into the moist depths of her already swollen pussy.

A soft growl emanated from his throat, and his hand closed gently around her right breast, squeezing the aching orb of flesh sensuously. “Kristin,” he breathed, “I want you so badly.”

Kristin’s eyes fluttered closed, and she tilted her head back, moaning softly. It had been so long since she’d known a man’s touch, and Zed’s hungry yet passionate exploration was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

Zed’s hand lifted from her breast and she opened her eyes in time to see him removing his sweater and shirt. He dropped them to the floor, revealing a broad chest with swirls of dark blond hair that tapered in a line down his tight stomach and disappeared into his jeans.

Kristin caught her breath. On impulse, she reached out, resting the palms of both hands on his heaving chest. The hard slopes of muscle quivered under her touch and he reached out, pulling her close against him.

His fingertips slipped under her camisole, exploring her bare skin as she did the same to him. Hard ridges of muscle flexed under her fingertips, his bare skin masculine and warm. His male scent, musky and wild, filled her nostrils and she pressed her lips to his chest, delighting in the salty skin and crisp hair under her lips and tongue.

Another sexy growl issued deep in Zed’s throat and Kristin felt the vibration of it under her hands. She couldn’t believe he was experiencing such intense desire and pleasure simply from her touch and reveled in the feminine power it gave her. Gently, she squeezed his hard pectoral muscles just before he bowed his head and pressed warm, hungry lips to the side of her neck.

Zed feathered the tip of his tongue over the sensitive skin, heightening her already flaming arousal.

She moaned softly, tilting her head back to give him access to her throat, which he showered with moist, hot kisses. Her hands slid down his warm skin, her fingertips vividly aware of the landscape of chiseled muscle, and came to rest on the sides of his slim waist.

Zed’s hands skated down her back and took hold of her camisole. The thin, stretchy material brushed her nipples as he lifted it up. Again she raised her arms and felt her breasts being exposed as he pulled the camisole away and dropped it onto the pile of her clothes on the counter.

His already smoldering eyes widened when he looked on her bare breasts. “Kristin, you’re so beautiful.”

She looked up at him, torn between feeling unbelievably flattered and abashed. “Thank you,” she whispered. She trembled under his appreciative gaze.

Zed cupped one breast, tenderly brushing his thumb across the nipple. The rosy peak tingled fiercely and she sucked in her breath at the sheer pleasure, instinctively arching her back to push her breast deeper into his hand.

“Mmm,” he murmured against her skin. He pressed a trail of sensuous kisses down her throat to the base of her neck, tracing her collarbone with the tip of his tongue.

Kristin laced the fingers of both hands into his dark blond mane, following the movement of his head downward over her chest to her breasts.

He didn’t stop until his mouth closed over her nipple, gently tugging it with his lips and tongue. The hot moisture and friction on the erect tip sent darts of heat shooting through her entire body. She moaned again, whispering his name, her eyes closed, her head tilted back.

He feasted for a long time on both her breasts before lifting his face and looking down at her, his broad chest heaving, his features darkly flushed. Without speaking, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her, pressing her back firmly against the wall.