Well, the way he kissed her—that was a sign.

His lips grazed hers gently, as if he were worried she might change her mind. She didn’t. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He cinched his hands around her waist, tightening his grip when she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

John pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips and did something wonderfully expert when she acquiesced to his silent request. She moaned, a ridiculous, breathy sound. Anna didn’t know if she’d ever made such a sound, and part of her—the small part of her not enraptured at being held in John’s arms—wished she’d never made it. But it was too late. He smiled against her lips and nudged her gently until her back rested against the brick wall.

Wanting his warmth, feeling that any separation was an inconvenience too difficult to bear, she pulled him closer, pressing her body against his chest. She made an inarticulate oof as he held her up by her thighs, crowding her body between his and the wall. The way he matched her urgency left her light-headed, but the harsh scrape of the brick on her back was a welcome reminder, keeping her from losing herself entirely in his firm grip. Could he hear the way her heartbeat pounded?

Pinning her where he wanted her, he took his time, alternating between sweet, slow kisses that left her questioning what she had ever done in her life to deserve this and the harsh bite of his teeth on the skin of her neck. He was going to leave marks, and she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Anna couldn’t guess how long they kissed. She couldn’t think of anything but the way his lips felt against hers and how his relentless pursuit of her every reaction revealed his enthusiasm.

“Anna,” he muttered between labored breaths. “Honey.”

She tightened her legs around his waist, not liking the way her body responded to the pet name.

John lifted his mouth from her skin.

“No stopping,” she pleaded, kissing along his jaw.

He adjusted his grip on her legs.

“How strong are you?” she muttered, a question that offered infinite possibilities for where this might go next.

“Anna,” John repeated, his tone insistent. His arms loosened their grasp on her thighs as he slowly set her down.

Anna leaned back against the brick wall, needing the support. His hair was mussed from where she had gripped it, his lips swollen and red from the way they had kissed, and his eyes hazy.

John reached up to rub his thumb on her cheek softly. “We need to slow down, okay? If we keep going, we aren’t going to stop.”