He winked, and damn if he didn’t look good doing it. “They’ve got to go.”

I took a breath, but it got stuck. Holding my gaze, his fingers found the drawstring on my sweats and undid it with amazing quickness. Again, this was nothing like before in the sunroom. There wasn’t an ounce of anger in his gaze or actions. There was just arousal and affection and something I was too afraid to acknowledge. And it wasn’t like with Nate, where there had been a lot of awkward fumbling and pushing and then it had been over.

This was slow and sweet and perfect.

God, he was perfect.

Kyler slipped the sweats down my hips. He steadied me as I stepped out of them and I was just in my panties—cute ones too, thank God. He brushed his lips across my forehead as his thumbs caught the strings along my hips. “So, do you get it now?”

“You want me?” My voice sounded strange.

He laughed. “Oh, you were so close, baby.”

I started to frown, but in one unbelievably smooth move, my undies joined the rest of my clothes on the floor. “Good God, if taking off panties was an Olympic sport, you’d have a gold medal.”

His next laugh was deep and rich. “The sport only counts when it’s something you really want to win.” Then he stepped back, his gaze moving over me in a way that made me want to hide myself and let him look his fill at the same time. “You are beautiful, Sydney. You know that? You’re so beautiful, and you don’t even know.”

My throat closed up. Before I started bawling and completely killed the moment, I reached for the button on his jeans, but he caught my wrist. I raised my brows.

He shook his head. “I’m still educating you, Syd.”

“Oh?” I said. The teasing quality to his voice was relaxing, except I was still buck-ass naked, and my skin was on fire for a multitude of reasons. I’d never been this naked with a guy, not even with Nate. When we’d had sex just that one time, I’d been topless and my skirt had been pushed up. That was all.

But now there was no way for me to hide. I’d have thought I’d be more uncomfortable, but as his gaze traveled over me, lingering on some areas more than others, I felt like a goddess standing before him.

Taking my hand, he tugged me down onto the pile of blankets with him. The moment my back hit them, every muscle froze up as I stared up at him. My throat seemed to seize and although I should’ve felt warm, I went ice cold on the inside. Where did my sexy goddess go? She’d run for the damn hills.