Ben parts his lips as he stares up at me. Then, his eyelids grow heavy as my knuckles brush over the couple of days of scruff on his chin.

Even though I’m tempted to dive right in, I wait for his response.

Realizing this, his throat contracting, he swallows and nods.

That’s all I need.

Our kiss starts out slow, just a gentle brush of my mouth against his. When I’m this close to him, the scent of mint and pine fills my nose, sending shivers of delight skittering over my skin.

His upper lip is just as soft as I imagined it.

The moment I peek my tongue out to swipe along the juicy treat, Ben bursts into movement. One arm wraps around my waist, the other hand tangles in my hair, and both pull me flush against his solid, hot body.

Ben is a good … no, that’s not right.

Ben is an Olympic champion of a kisser. He belongs on a podium with a gold medal dangling around his neck in the sport of worshipping my mouth.

His passion doesn’t reveal itself in a hard, brutal claiming, but instead, he holds me firm against him for a slow, languid perusal. Some guys approach kissing like they’re shotgunning a beer, only chasing the intoxication that comes afterward. Ben kisses me like I’m a top-shelf whiskey, and he loves the taste.

Only I’m the one who gets drunk on our kissing. My muscles liquefy, and I sink into him.

The hand he has in my hair remains where it is, but the other explores, traveling across my body. Through the kissing haze, I feel him stop in certain places. The tips of his fingers run over my shoulder blades before pressing each vertebrate on my spine, playing me like a piano. He circles his arm around my waist again, clutching me close for a moment and groaning low in his throat. He releases that hold, only to slide his hand to my backside. Through the thin soft flannel, his long fingers spread over one of my cheeks before giving me a firm squeeze. A gasp escapes my mouth, and he locks our lips together, as if he wants to swallow the sound.

His hard arousal presses against my stomach. There’s a slight regret, knowing we’re just exploring tonight, which means sex probably shouldn’t happen. But, if Ben approaches sex the way he kisses, I’m worried he’s in line to ruin me for all other men.

But would that really be so bad?

BEN

Her sweet mouth and sexy tongue put my fantasies to shame. I could spend the whole night in this exploratory phase, as she described it.

If exploring is what she wants, exploring is what I’ll do. My hand has a mind of its own, touching every part of her I can reach. Then, there’s the little happy sound she lets out when I give her ass a squeeze, which has me wondering what noises I’ll get when I spread her legs and lick her.