After what they’d all been through with Grant earlier, his brothers had been more subdued than usual, too, which was probably the only thing that had saved him from being grilled by them about his obvious distraction.

He’d met a lot of women in his life, spent time with them, slept with more of them than he probably should have. Sasha had been his third significant relationship, but none of those three women had touched him in years together the way Abby had in the last few days.

One thing had become very clear to him—this was way more than a rebound.

She was different. She was special. She was everything he hadn’t realized he wanted until he was holding her in his arms and she was looking up at him with those big trusting eyes that seemed to see all the way inside him. And she apparently liked what she saw, which made her that much more attractive to him.

All at once it was vitally important that he have a real chance with her. He wanted to find out what they might have together beyond the casual fling they’d begun with. He wanted to show her what she’d come to mean to him, and the best way he could do that was to focus all his attention on her. He needed to convince her that he could be what she needed, both in bed and out.

With that in mind, he helped her out of her clothes, taking his time to worship each bit of soft skin as it was revealed to him. When she was down to a lavender lace bra and panties, he said, “Keep your eyes closed. Don’t think. Just feel.”

“I’m trying.”

As he removed his own clothes, he wondered if she realized she was trembling. “I want you totally relaxed.” Adam let his hands do the talking for him, massaging the tension from her body as he moved from her shoulders down her arms, from her ribs to her hips, from thighs to feet.

Her small sighs and the loosening of muscles under his hands were the only indication he had that his efforts were having the desired effect.

“Turn over,” he said.

She opened her eyes, gave him a wary look and then turned.

When she was settled, he started again with her shoulders, kneading her tense muscles until they were pliable before moving down. At the midpoint of her back, he unhooked her bra and let it fall open. It became a herculean effort to not fixate on the sight of the thong disappearing between supple cheeks. But he refused to rush this, so he took his time, working on her back until every muscle was relaxed.

He moved farther down on the bed, straddling her thighs as his hands coasted over her bottom, making her tense at first.

“Relax,” he said. “No thinking. Just feeling.”

“Adam…”