Oh, his body remained like stone, of course, and his arms were more like a pair of manacles than anything else. Those things were good—those things were great, actually—but nothing could have prepared her for the press of his lips against hers. His mouth was gentle, his tongue, when it slid past hers, like a silken embrace.

It made her yearn to discover the other hidden parts of him, those places where he hadn’t yet turned off against the world. They were all her favorite parts of a man. Not—contrary to popular opinion—the rock-hard abs and rigid cock, but the places where pleasure could be found unexpectedly. The dip of an upper lip, right where the skin began to grow soft. The smooth curve of a well-formed buttock. Any spot where he might let his guard down long enough to admit to being ticklish.

Any part that would cause him to smile.

“Sophie, you devil.” When Harrison pulled away, the smile was fixed in place. Even though it was accompanied by a rueful laugh and a shake of his head, nothing could dim its power. “What are you doing? I thought we were supposed to be getting my heart rate up and my blood sugar down, not cavorting in the wilderness.”

“Who says we can’t do both?” she retorted. “They say sex burns just as many calories as a thirty-minute jog. That’s three miles we could lop off our final tally.”

He stared at her with a look so staggered she almost feared she’d gone too far. Pushing Harrison a little bit outside his comfort zone was fine—in fact, it was the only way she was going to get through to him—but she didn’t want to push him away.

Then he dropped his mouth to hers, and she realized that he wasn’t going anywhere. There was no time to revel in that searing heat of his or the way his body felt against hers. There was no time to do anything, really, besides accept the demands he made, one after another.

One hand was in her hair, his fingers tugging at the short strands. His other hand wound toward her lower back, pulling her flush against him. His lips bypassed the playful nuzzling stage and pressed her own open, allowing him to sweep his tongue into her mouth until her head swam with possibilities.

In other words, he kissed her—not just a sample or a nibble, but a hot, throbbing, full-body demand that left her weak in the knees. It was also tender in ways she hadn’t been expecting.