Every one of his heartbeats was clear in his erection now, pulsing against her stomach. Her hands reluctantly left his skin, rising to her own buttons.

LJ stepped back, and her hands froze before she realized he was doing exactly what she had done—pulling away so his eyes could feast as much as his hands had. And then she remembered seeing his whole glorious body unveiled. If she looked half that beautiful to him, she wanted to watch his expression when he saw her for the first time.

Andra lifted her gaze to his face. He lagged for a second before his own eyes came up to meet hers. She smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “You can watch.”

He swallowed. “Best news I’ve had all year.” He bobbed his eyebrows. “Need any help? Buttons are feisty little things, but I’ve pretty much got a handle on them. Happy to show you, if you want.”

Her smile grew at the familiar rhythm his drawl settled into when he was trying to tease a laugh out of her. She liked that it didn’t change, even when he was stark naked in her bedroom. Her hands moved swiftly down the buttons, the shirt falling open to reveal a black sports bra. The button on her jeans didn’t bother her the way his had, because she was watching LJ’s face. His jaw ticked tighter, then tighter still.

She pulled her zipper down and stepped out of her jeans. Her sports bra was more of a wrestling match. LJ rescued her halfway through, pulling it up over her head and freeing her arms. It seemed symbolic to undress for him, and she’d wanted to do it herself, but she couldn’t remember why once his long fingers slipped into the sides of her panties, because that felt even better.

That hollow feeling throbbed sharply as he pulled her underwear down her legs, and she found herself hoping his hands would retrace their route back upward.

Instead, he stood, cupping her face in his hands. His kiss was warm and rough, and frustrating as all hell because she wanted more than that now. At least until his chest bumped hers and her nipples hardened immediately, the sensation painfully bright without her bra.

“Lay with me,” she whispered, walking backward to her bed. When the cool wood of her footboard hit her thighs, she edged around to the side, sitting and scooting backward so she could lie down. LJ’s eyes devoured every part of her, even as his hands stayed well away from all the flesh she’d bared for him.

But that wasn’t what she wanted.

She wanted to rub herself over every inch of his body, to soak up the slow, deep magic of him so she could live on the memory of that alone. Just in case.