Sydney gasped when he pressed her hand against his erection.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said in an unsteady tone.

“Oh.” She took advantage of the opportunity to stroke him and felt him grow even harder. She’d never forgotten what it’d been like with him—the thrill, the connection, the overwhelming passion. “Then what?”

“Syd,” he said, his eyes closed and his face tightened with tension as she relearned his length and width. His hips seemed to have a mind of their own as he pushed against her hand.

“Tell me.”

“When we do this, I want it to be about us.”

“Who else would it be about?”

He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “It’s not about us tonight. And that’s okay. That’s what you needed. But when we do this, it has to be for the right reasons. We’ve already had one chance and managed to screw it up. I don’t want to screw it up again.”

Sydney withdrew her hand and shifted onto her back. “I should go home.”

He stopped her. “No. Stay here with me. Stay for as long as you want. We’ll get there.” Cupping her cheek, he turned her face toward him and kissed her. “And when we do, it’ll be worth the wait.”

“You’re sure of that?” she asked with a smile, anxious to diffuse the tension she felt coming from him.

“I’ve had years to think about what I’d do if I ever got a second chance with you.”

The intensity behind the statement made her shiver with anticipation. “Is that so?”

“Uh-huh.” He trailed kisses from her throat to her ear. “As much as I love being with you like this again, I never would’ve wished for it to happen the way it did. I hope you know that.”

“I do. I know that.” She rested her head on his chest. “I love being with you again, too.”

“Being in a bed is a novelty for us.”

Sydney laughed. “Remember all the crazy places we did it?”

“I remember everything.”

“You really do, don’t you?”

“Every minute. So you’ll stay awhile? Spend some time with me? Let me take care of you?”

She studied his handsome face for a long moment before she said, “Yes, Luke. I’ll stay with you.”

Chapter 10

The next time Sydney woke, she was alone in the big bed and bright sunlight was working its way through small cracks in the blinds that covered the windows. She looked around the room, which was tidy but short on frills, like the man who occupied it. Outside she heard Buddy barking the way he did when he was engaged in a fierce game of fetch.