Then she’d realized she wasn’t in control of anything at all, that control was something that could be stripped from her at any moment, and she hadn’t wanted intimacy.

“Don’t leave me. I know you get lost in that head of yours, but I want you here with me tonight. Stay with me.” His hand fisted in her hair, drawing it out of the loose bun she’d put it in and forcing her to look into his eyes. “Let it all go. There’s nothing but the here and now. You and me. Shut everything else out.”

The words came from his mouth in a low, sexy rumble.

Let go. She needed to let go and focus on him. Focus on how warm he was, how vital and alive he could make her feel.

He kissed her again, his tongue surging inside and sliding against hers in a silky dance. This was all that mattered, this moment and this man.

His lips moved across her cheek, making their way along her jawline and down to lave affection on her neck and shoulders. “I can’t think of anything but you. Since you drove into this town, you’ve invaded my every thought, every dream. All I’ve wanted to do is this—touch you, taste you, feel you.”

He pulled her close and she could feel the heat of his body, the thick hard length of his erection pressed against her. She wasn’t the only one who wanted this desperately. That erection was a revelation. He wanted her and badly . . . maybe as badly as she wanted him.

When his hands made it to the hem of her shirt, she allowed him to drag it over her head, tossing it away. Cool air hit her skin and she hadn’t realized how warm the room had gotten. She let her fingers go to the buttons of his khaki shirt, shaking as she started to undress him. She couldn’t quite get them undone.

He reached for her hands, putting them between both of his, and he brought them to his lips. “Let me.”

He dropped her hands and reached back, tugging his shirt and the T-shirt under it over his head and tossing them to the side. His chest was everything she’d dreamed of, masculine and warm, muscled, and yet the skin itself was soft. She knew because the minute he’d revealed his chest, she’d put her hands on it, unable to hold back. She wanted to explore him, to memorize every inch of his body.

His hands moved to her back and he proved he did not have the same problem she was having. With a single twist her bra came undone and she let it slip to the floor. Her nipples tightened as he stared down at her, his eyes on her breasts.

“You are so beautiful.”