He understood right away what she needed, pulling back for just a second as he hauled the shirt over his head and tossed it away. She reached for him, wanting to touch, but he held back. As soon as she realized he was tugging at her shirt, she immediately helped wrench her top over her head, making him laugh with delighted surprise.

“This is okay, then?” he rasped, looking equal parts wild and concerned. “It’s not too far?”

“We’ve jumped off the cliff, Carmondy,” she said, and her voice sounded just as raw and rough as his. “Nothing’s too far.”

His eyes blazed as if her words were gasoline on the fire, and her desire rose to meet his. All their inhibitions were burned away, and they tugged and pulled until all their clothes were tossed aside and there was nothing between them. Their kisses grew frantic as Molly tried to feel all of him at once. Even though she hadn’t realized how much she wanted him until recently, it still felt as if she’d been waiting an eternity to be able to stroke her fingers across his broad, smooth chest or feel the jump of his ab muscles beneath her lips.

“There’s just so much of you,” she murmured against the skin of his shoulder. “It’s going to take me forever to explore all of this.” Without taking her mouth off him, she waved a hand to indicate the full expanse of his naked body—his beautiful naked body.

“Sorry?” His laugh was rough and even a little shaky, making her raise her head to meet his gaze. The tenderness there snatched her breath away, and it was several moments before she could respond.

“Don’t be sorry for this. It—all of you—is amazing.” Unable to stop touching him, she followed the line of his thigh down to the indent of his hip, making him hiss through his teeth as his eyes went dark.

“You’re so beautiful.” He didn’t glance down at her body as he said it. Instead, he held her gaze, making her want to kiss him and squirm and duck her head to hide from the compliment all at the same time. The urge to kiss him won out, though, and it was a long time before they came back up for air. “You’re even more gorgeous naked than I’d imagined, and you were pretty incredible in my head.”

Her laugh surprised her, bubbling out in an honestly happy stream. “Have you really wanted me for that long?”

“Yeah.” He pressed his lips to hers, hard and quick and intense enough to leave her panting when he pulled away. “Forever.”

“Why were you so annoying, then?” She nipped at his bottom lip in retaliation for all the times he’d driven her up a wall. By the way he sucked in a breath and then kissed her hard, the punishment had backfired.

“It got you to talk to me, didn’t it?” he asked when he pulled back. He dropped a line of kisses across her cheekbone to her ear. He scored the rim with his teeth before nibbling on her earlobe and stealing all her breath away so she couldn’t scold him.