He grinned, flipping the lock, and then turned to me. Our eyes met, and excitement hummed through me. I reached down, wrapping my fingers under the hem of my sweater and pulling it over my head. I let it fall to the floor.

Kyler’s eyes flared. “God. Damn.”

I flushed as I bit down on my lower lip, flicking the button on my jeans. He took a step forward and gripped the waistband.

“I’m impatient,” he grumbled, and he was. In one quick motion, he swept the jeans and socks right off me. Standing before him in my bra and panties was suddenly easier than I had imagined it ever could be. “You’re beautiful.”

That helped.

His clothes came off rather quickly and I got caught up staring at the hard dips and planes of his stomach. I touched him, slipping my hand under the band of his boxers. “You’re not too bad—”

My words were cut off by the sheer intensity of the way he kissed me. His hands went to unhook my bra, and then to my panties. He stripped me bare, and then we were a tangled mess of flesh on my bed.

I moaned against his mouth as his hand slipped between my thighs, his fingers brushing over the wet cleft. His kisses were intoxicating and addictive. Timing the thrusts of his tongue with the plunge of his finger, I was quickly on the verge of coming apart, and when his thumb pressed against the bundle of nerves, I tumbled right over the edge.

In the midst of the shattering release, he slid into me, skin against skin. Sensation roared through me, a feeling I’d never get used to as long as I lived. The powerful cords of the muscles along his back bulged under my hands. He rocked into me, a deep invasion that curled my toes and had my back arching.

“I love you,” he said, and he kissed me again. Feral. Possessive.

I gasped out, “I love you too.”

And then I was incapable of talking. A sharp swirl of tingles spread over me as his hips moved fiercely, bring me closer and closer to the edge once more. He moved fast and hard, his face beautifully strained. His mouth press to mine as my ankles locked around his back and then it hit us both at the same time. Our bodies shuddered together, our names on each other’s lips. It was a stunning moment that threw me up so high, I wasn’t sure I would ever come back down.

Afterward—long, long afterward—we snuggled together under the covers. He was tracing idle circles along the curve of my spine and I was content listening to his heart. It was quiet and peaceful, making me think of that one Christmas rhyme.

I laughed, because that was wholly inappropriate.

“What?” Kyler’s hand stilled.