Eli pretended to consider her words deeply. “How am I different?” he asked. “In case you haven’t noticed, the flag might not be flying, but the pole is up.”

Brynne laughed and swatted at him lightly, then let her hand linger on his shoulder. “I definitely noticed. Am noticing. You’re hard and you’re making me want you and yet you’re telling me there’s no hurry. The crazy thing is, I think you actually mean it.”

“Okay, I’ll give it to you straight.” Another pause. Another grin. “Pun intended. I want you, Brynne, too much to push you into something you’re not ready for. I’m not being noble—I’m hedging my bets. When we make love—and I’m pretty sure that’s inevitable—I want it to be right, for both of us. Not because I’ve had a hard day and you want to make me feel better.”

Brynne rested her forehead against his, closed her eyes again. “Could we—could we just lie down together for a while? Hold each other and see what happens? Because honest to God, Eli, right now I want so much to be held.”

He kissed her mouth lightly. Briefly. “Are you the least bit particular about who does the holding?” he teased.

“You,” Brynne blurted, pulling back to meet Eli’s gaze. He was even harder now, pressing against her, and she feared—hoped—that if he moved at all, she would go over the edge in a ball of flame. “I want you to hold me.”

It happened then. Eli shifted in his chair and Brynne, straddling him in much the same way she had during the snowmobile ride, shattered, arching her back, crying out in startled release.

Eli groaned and slid his hands up under her sweater and bra, stroking her hard nipples with the pads of his thumbs.

Brynne ground against him, in glorious frenzy, and came again, harder than before, so hard that she convulsed in Eli’s arms. When she’d finally finished, she collapsed against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder, her breath fast and shallow.

She was embarrassed.

She was satisfied.

And she wanted to be satisfied again. Then again.

“You know,” she said, when she could speak, without raising her head to look into Eli’s face, “I think I’m ready.”

Eli gave a low laugh, his hands still cupping her breasts, his thumbs stirring her to want more.

Much, much more.

“You’ve been saving those up for a while,” he said, moving to pull off her sweater, unfasten her bra and toss it aside, leaving her breasts bare to his gaze. “Let’s see if you have any more tucked away.”

With that, he leaned forward to take Brynne’s right nipple into his mouth. He suckled gently, but hungrily, and she squirmed, her fingers in his hair.

“Eli—” she whimpered, pleading. “The bed—”