“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, voice husky. “Right here in this bed.” She scooted closer, plucking a bag of chips out of her way.

“Did you dream about anything else?”

“Well…” She lowered her lashes and considered him. “In my dreams, you weren’t wearing so many clothes.” Slowly, Julia began to remove his shirt.

“And you?” he asked hoarsely, body tensing as her hands brushed against his skin with each button. “How much clothing were you wearing?”

She laughed. “Guess.”

His shirt completely undone, Luke tugged his arms out of the sleeves and tossed it aside. At this point, she’d seen him shirtless so many times, he didn’t spare a moment for being self-conscious. Besides, he was too preoccupied with seeing Julia to be worried about her seeing him. He reached for the hem of her blouse. “May I?”

She answered him by helping him pull it over her head, continuing to assist him by wiggling her hips as he slid her skirt off. Luke paused, drinking her in. Even though he’d seen Julia on the beach in a bikini, seeing her on a bed, in her bra and panties, was different. Much more intimate. “Were you like this?” he whispered.

She shook her head. “Not quite.” Then she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, sliding the straps off her shoulders and down. He licked his lips, remembering the feel of her nipples growing hard against his tongue through the soft cotton of his shirt.

After their encounter on the beach, he should have thought ahead. Been prepared for the possibility at least. But his thoughts had not taken him this far.

That was a lie. He’d thought about it, he just hadn’t believed things would go this far in reality—a truth that he recognized applied to so much more than physical attraction.

“It was more like this,” Julia said, lying back on the pillows and removing the last of her clothing.

“I see.” And oh, did Luke like what he saw. Rosy nipples, lushly rounded hips, smooth pale skin, russet curls at the apex of her thighs … He hurried to pull a condom out of the box. By the time her panties hit the floor, he’d ripped the package open.

“And you were more like this,” she added, yanking on his zipper and tugging his jeans and briefs down.

Luke straightened his legs, trying to help her, but his heels smacked into the footboard. “Damn it,” he growled.

“What’s wrong?” She paused, hovering somewhere around his knees.

He demonstrated by attempting to straighten his legs again, kicking the curved wooden board at the end of the bed.

“Oh.” She giggled. “You’re too tall for the bed, aren’t you?”

“It’s not funny.” He grumbled. “I hate beds with footboards. Why would a hotel have a bed with a footboard?”