DEACON COULDN’T GET close enough to Loretta, couldn’t breathe her in deeply enough, couldn’t touch her skin enough to satisfy his need for her.

He’d tried like hell to stay away, to keep what was between them cordial and friendly and strictly hands-off.

Until she’d teased and flirted with him and asked him to kiss her—twice. And now she was in his lap in that wicked pink underwear, writhing against him and making his dick so hard he could bury himself inside of her right here on the kitchen table.

He had a lot of restraint, but she wasn’t being coy about this at all, and he’d lost all his control when he’d had his head about an inch from Loretta’s promised land. Her scent was the sweetest honey, and all he wanted to do was remove her underwear and spend the rest of the night making her cry out his name over and over again.

She whimpered against his mouth and wriggled against him and he swore if he didn’t get inside of her tonight his balls would end up twisted together from the torment. Because all he’d been doing lately was thinking about what it would be like to get Loretta naked.

Now she was halfway there, and there was no stopping him. He lifted her in his arms and carried her toward the bedroom. As they passed by a sleeping Otis, the dog’s left ear twitched, but that was all the acknowledgment he gave them as they headed toward Loretta’s bedroom.

Good. Because he was more than ready to shuck his clothes and the wisps of pink satin Loretta had on. Damn, that lingerie was driving him crazy.

He’d tried for so long not to imagine her underwear, or the softness of her skin, or the way she always smelled like strawberries, because doing so would only lead to walks down memory lane and trouble. He’d had enough trouble where Loretta was concerned, and if he was honest with himself right now, he shouldn’t be taking her to bed.

But he wanted her, she wanted him, and he’d think about the repercussions of what they were doing later.

He deposited her on her bed, and she stretched out in the center of it, all long limbs and pink satin underwear.

His dick throbbed.

He tugged at his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it onto a bench at the end of the bed. “You know, when we were younger, we only did this what? Maybe a dozen times, despite the fact we were together all through high school.”

She lifted up on her elbows, watching him intently. “Yes, and I remember all of them.”

He kicked off his shoes and reached down to pull off his socks, then undid the buckle of his jeans. “Back then, there weren’t a lot of places we could be alone. I always felt rushed with you.”

Her gaze was hot as it traveled his body. He dropped his pants, then shrugged out of his underwear. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and oh, man, did that feel good.

“Yes, I remember that, too.” She rose up on her knees and unhooked her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms. She took the bra and added it to his pile of clothes.

Damn, she was beautiful. More beautiful now than she’d been when she was a teenager. Her body had matured, was curvier than it had been back then. Her breasts were fuller, and he reached out to trace them with his fingertips, letting his fingers linger near her left breast to feel the mad thumping of her heart.

Yeah, he knew that feeling. This was intense—not really the first time for them, but for some reason it felt like the first time all over again.

He came over to the edge of the bed, and so did Loretta.

“But tonight we’re alone, and I don’t think Otis is going to interrupt us, so I intend to take all damn night long making love to you, Loretta. You okay with that?”

She wound her fingers in his hair. “Totally okay with that, Deacon. I have a box of condoms I bought on impulse the other day, so I think we’re good.”

He wrapped an arm around her. “Okay, but first I need to tell you that—”

She put her fingers up to his lips. “Deacon. I’m an adult now. I don’t need romance. I know what this is, and what it isn’t. We’ve been through that together already and, considering our history, I don’t think we want to go there again. I know I don’t. We’re two consenting adults having sex. Nothing more. Okay?”

He nodded. He hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but he also didn’t want to mislead Loretta or in any way want her to think this was something other than just sex between them. “Okay.”

She rubbed her breasts against his chest. “Good. Now that all the talking is out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff. Because I’m going to warn you, Deacon. It’s been a really long time for me. There’s been a severe drought. The well has been dry. Do you need me to spout any more euphemisms, or do you get the idea?”

“I more than get the idea.” He pushed her down onto the bed, then gently pulled her legs to the edge. She might play all tough like nothing bothered or hurt her, but he’d slid to home plate before, and those kinds of scrapes stung, so he intended to be careful with her tonight.

Plus, it wasn’t her knees or elbows he wanted to concentrate on. He leaned over her, feasting his eyes on the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, the one who’d captured his heart all those years ago.

Her dark hair was spread across the pillow like silken feathers, her eyes staring up at him with naked desire. He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers.

Like velvet. He pushed in farther, slipping his tongue in between her teeth. Her tongue met his and it was a slow tangle. He wanted to make sure he didn’t hurry this along, because, oh, man, could he ever hurry this along.

But he wanted to touch Loretta’s body, taste her, do all the things they’d never had the time for when they were younger.

Just . . . explore.

He smoothed his hand down her neck, pausing at her pulse, which was running fast. Yeah, so was his. Then he swept his fingers over her collarbone, her breasts, teasing the tips of her nipples with his fingertips. He pulled his mouth from hers so he could follow the map of his fingers, taking her nipple between his lips.

She was so soft there, until he flicked the nipple with his tongue. The bud hardened and she moaned, arching against him. His name floated on a whisper from her lips.

Everything between them when they had been teenagers had been a rush of getting at each other, needing to be together, grabbing the condom and barely taking their clothes off. There’d been dark spaces and a lot of heavy breathing. It had been damn good—for him. But it had been rushed because of circumstances and locations. He wasn’t even sure he’d ever made her come. He’d been such a teenage boy back then, all about giving it to her, about being with her. He’d been so eager. Yeah, it had been good between them, but he wasn’t certain she’d actually been getting off.

Tonight, he’d make sure she came. More than once.

He pulled her nipple from his mouth and gently blew on it, watching it pucker.

“Deacon.”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t say anything else, so he wasn’t sure if she was making a request or a plea. Either way, he was determined to slow it down tonight, to make sure this was all about Loretta’s pleasure. He could wait for his.

He realized he enjoyed watching the way she moved under his hand, the way she writhed when he kissed her rib cage and moved his mouth lower. When he reached her underwear and tugged it with his teeth, she lifted up to watch him drag it down over one hip. He felt her body shudder when he pressed a kiss to the spot he had bared, breathing in the sultry scent of her.

He drew her panties down her legs and cast them aside, then parted her, draping her thighs over his shoulders.

This was where he hadn’t been delicate with her before, where he’d paid her lip service in a hurry, in a perfunctory way. Now he owed her a nice slow ride to heaven.

He put his mouth on her sex and pressed his tongue against her, listening to her cry out as he tasted her.

Oh yeah. This was going to be good for him, too.

NIRVANA. HELL. HEAVEN. Torture. Sweet. Wicked. All those words mixed in Loretta’s head as Deacon had his way with her body with his mouth and tongue.

She was certain she’d had great pleasure before. Deacon had been the one to give it to her. But not like this. Not this slow languorous ride to orgasm, where she felt like she had leisurely slid into the sweetest vat of her favorite gooey icing, only to have the perfect tongue lick every bit of it off of her.

She lifted up to watch Deacon, his head of thick hair buried between her legs as he gave her the most incredible pleasure she’d felt in far too long. It was delicious and decadent, and she rolled into a shockingly perfect climax that left her breathless. She panted through the waves of that bliss and lifted against him, unashamed in her quest for more. And oh, he gave it to her, taking her from one spiraling height to another. When she crested and cried out again, she let her body fall listlessly to the mattress.

Deacon’s face loomed above her. She grinned and swept her fingers over his jaw. “You always were good at that. But now you’re better.”

He laughed. “Was I? I was just thinking that back when we were younger, we were always in such a hurry I might have made it all about me.”

“Mmm. You have a faulty memory. It wasn’t all about you.”

His lips curved. “Good to know. How about a drink of water?”

“Sounds awesome. You’re going to go get it, right? Because I think my bones have turned to liquid.”

“Yeah, I’ll go get it.”

He left the room and she lay there, unable to move, feeling more satisfied than she’d felt in a very long time. And yet, she still wanted more. She couldn’t remember ever being this insatiable.

She rolled over and laid her head on the pillow. No, she’d never been insatiable with her ex. She’d like to think she loved him, but it hadn’t been a passionate kind of thing. More friendly, at least in the beginning. With Deacon, however . . .

Lord, they’d always had passion. As teenagers, they couldn’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. Or their mouths, or any other part of their bodies. Getting alone time together had proved difficult, but they’d always found a way.

And now . . .

Wow. The man had learned a few new tricks, and she wasn’t going to think about who he’d learned them with, because it was none of her business. She was just going to be grateful to be the recipient of all that skill.

She flipped over again onto her back and shoved the pillow against the headboard just in time to see Deacon walking back into her bedroom.

Now there was a sight. A naked man bearing two large glasses of ice water. Though it wasn’t the water she was staring at. It was the man—his amazing body and one rather prominent erection.

She smiled. “Thinking about me while you were in the kitchen?”

He handed her a glass, looked down at his cock, and grinned. “Let’s just say you make some amazing noises when you come, and that was on my mind when I was fixing the ice water.”

She took a couple of sips, then set her glass down and smiled. “I do, huh?”

“Yeah, you do.” Deacon downed half his water in a couple of gulps, then set the glass on the nightstand. “I’d be happy to help you make those sounds again.”

She climbed onto his lap and laid her hands on his chest. “Maybe I’d like to hear you make some sounds.”

“I have no doubt you could do that. But tonight is about you.”

“No, Deacon. Tonight is about us.” She teased her fingers around his nipples and watched his breathing change, felt his cock grow harder underneath her.

If he thought she was just going to lie there and let him pleasure her all night, he was wrong. Because she would take so much pleasure in touching him as she was doing now, running her fingers over his broad chest and wide shoulders, letting her nails map a trail down his biceps and forearms, appreciating the incredible muscle that made up his body.

As a teen, he’d been strong and athletic. As a man, he was powerful, his body showing how hard he worked for a living.

She traced her fingertip over a two-inch scar on his forearm. “What happened here?”

“Sliced it with a saw blade.”

She cringed. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. That was when I was an apprentice, before I learned to be extra careful. Fortunately, it went into the meaty part of my arm, so I just ended up with stitches.”

“Looks like you got quite a few stitches. Bet that hurt.”

He shrugged. “I was fine.”

Always a tough guy. “You could get a tattoo around it that says Ouch.”

He cocked a half grin. “I don’t think so.”

Instead, he teased his fingers above her sex. “You could get a tattoo here that says Tasty. Or maybe Lick Here.”

“Oh my God, Deacon.” She laughed. “No.”

He slipped his hand underneath her and teased her flesh with his fingers. “I could come up with a few more. How about Sweet? Hot? Or Just About the Best Damn Thing Ever?”

She shuddered at his words, trembling even more at the way he touched her, his fingers skimming over her body with an expertise that made her catch her breath. She leaned back, giving him access.

He’d always known her body better than anyone else. Not that there’d been anyone else other than her ex, but oh, Deacon had known how to get her hot and ready with his touch. And maybe the reason for that was the way she responded to him, the way she was in tune to his breathing and his sweetly coaxing words, because she was on the verge of another orgasm, undulating against his expert fingers.

And when she climaxed, she gave in to that sweet fall without hesitation as she quivered against the stroke of Deacon’s questing fingers until she leaned forward, breathless and satiated.

He looked up at her with a satisfied smile on his face.

“That’s not at all what I had planned,” she said.

He quirked a brow. “It’s not? Because I thought it went really well.”

“I meant to pleasure you.”

“I got a hell of a lot of pleasure out of it.”

“You know what I mean.” She took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to find her bearings after Deacon had tilted her world off its axis—again. “I meant to seduce you.”

“Honey, you’re doing one hell of a good job at that.”

She reached over to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out the box of condoms. “Let’s see if I can do better.”

He took the condom from her and unwrapped it, then spread it over his cock. “If you do much better than what you’re already doing, Loretta, I could be in trouble.”

She dug her nails into his chest. “Then let’s start some trouble, Deacon.”

He wrapped his arms around her, then flipped her over onto her back. “You are trouble.”

He kissed her, his fingers diving into her hair to hold her head in place. There was something about the way he kissed that made her entire body go hot. He wasn’t a demanding kisser, nor was he an impatient one. It was all about the way he moved his lips over hers, as if he had all the time in the world to pleasure her mouth, to tangle his tongue with hers, to tease and tempt her until she was writhing underneath him, her nipples hard points and her sex throbbing with need.

All because of his kiss. It had always been that way with him, a fast rush of incendiary desire, like a forest fire, an explosion of the most delicious heat. She had never been able to get enough of him.

Why on earth had she ever let this man go?

Because she’d been stupid. But she wasn’t going to think about her lack of intelligence right now, because he had nudged her legs apart and pulled his mouth away, his gaze engaged with hers as he slowly entered her.

She reached up to run her hands along his shoulders, to feel the way his muscles contracted as he held himself above her.

“You feel good,” he said as he seated himself within her. “I remember how this felt.”

“Yes.” She wrapped her legs around him and drew his head down for a kiss, needing that sensation of being fully joined with him. And this time, when he kissed her, she experienced the kind of emotion that pinged warning bells in her head.

Keep the emotion out of it. You can’t go there. Not with Deacon.

She knew that. The logical side of her knew that. So instead, she concentrated on the delicious feel of his body moving over hers, the way his hands constantly snaked over her body as if he couldn’t get enough of touching her. It was magical and sensual and brought her to new heights of awareness.

He rose up and smoothed his hands over her nipples, making her breath catch. There wasn’t a part of her body he didn’t touch while he continued to move in and out of her, occasionally taking her mouth in a breathtaking kiss. It was sensory overload in the best way, and as she climbed ever closer to orgasm, she was determined this time to take him with her.

She arched against him, rolling her hips at the same time. He groaned in response, deepening their kiss, sucking her tongue inside his mouth.

She came with a rush and a wild cry, and she grasped on to Deacon as a lifeline in this amazing maelstrom of sensations. He reached under her to grab her butt and lift her against him, and then he shuddered, the two of them rocking together in this wild ride.

When they both stilled, she was spent, and more than a little sweaty.

Deacon kissed her neck and mumbled something she couldn’t quite decipher.

“What did you say?”

He lifted his head and she smiled. His hair was one hell of a mess.

“I said I need a shower now. And I sweated all over you.”

She laughed. “I think I sweated all over you, too, so we both need a shower.”

He hopped off the bed and then picked her up as well. They headed to the shower, and she turned the water on. She stepped in first, and Deacon followed. She ducked her head under the hot water, letting it rain over her, then moved out of the way so Deacon could do the same.

He poured some shampoo onto his hand. “Turn around.”

She did and he rubbed the lather onto her hair, then massaged it in.

“Well, this is a first for us.”

She had her eyes closed, but she smiled. “You know what? You’re right. It wasn’t like we had a lot of alone time to shower together. It was mostly fast sex and hurry-up-and get-dressed.”

“Yeah. Rinse.”

She rinsed, then applied conditioner and rinsed that off, too. She grabbed the liquid soap and put some on her hands, rubbing it onto Deacon’s chest. “No time to linger. To play with each other.” She dragged her palms down his chest, over his stomach, and circled his already hard cock.

“No. We never had time for this.”

She saw the desire in his eyes. “Rinse.”

He did, then he pushed her against the wall of the shower. “Plenty of time to play tonight.”

He kissed her and swept his thumbs over her nipples. She gasped against his mouth.

“You wanna play, Loretta?” he asked.

“Yes.”

His hand slipped between her legs, massaging the throbbing ache of desire that had built anew despite the number of orgasms he’d already given her tonight. With the warm water bearing down on them, it was like enjoying a waterfall, a sensual rain shower where she and Deacon played naked together.

“Too bad we don’t have condoms in the shower or I’d already be inside of you.”

She shuddered as he slipped a finger inside of her and rubbed her clit with the heel of his hand.

She reached for his cock and began to stroke it, needing him to feel the same pleasure she felt. “This will just have to do, then.”

He let out a guttural groan, then increased his movements over her sex.

There was something so deliciously decadent about kissing and touching each other in the shower. His cock was hard and slippery wet, making it easy to stroke her hand over his steely erection. And what he was doing to her with his fingers and hand was criminally delicious, taking her ever closer to the edge.

When she burst, he went with her, both of them leaning against each other for support as they shuddered through their orgasms. Loretta held tight to Deacon while she rocked through an amazing climax that left her shaking and barely able to stand.

Deacon leaned his head against hers. “Good thing we’re already in the shower, because you made me sweat again.”

She laughed. “Ditto.”

They did a quick rewash and rinse, then turned off the water and got out.

“Now we have to fix your bandages again,” he said.

She looked down at her knees, where her wet bandages hung half off of her.

“You know, I’m feeling much better. And my wounds are very clean now.”

He laughed. “Probably true.”

She towel-dried her hair and combed it out while Deacon went to get dressed. Then she made her way to the bedroom and put on some clothes. Deacon had disappeared by then, so she went in search of him.

He wasn’t in the kitchen, but the front door was open, so she stepped outside. He was standing out there wearing just his jeans and no shoes. The wind had picked up. It looked like a storm was blowing in.

God, the man looked magnificent standing there outlined against the cloud-filled night sky. His thick hair blew in the wind and his hands were on his hips as he surveyed the maelstrom of nature unfolding around him.

If she’d had her phone with her she probably would have snapped several shots of him.

She stepped up beside him. “Need some air?”

He turned, put his arm around her, and pulled her close. “Otis needed to go out.”

“Oh.”

“Storm’s coming. There’s lightning out to the southeast, and dark rain clouds are heading this direction.”

“I noticed.”

“I should head out. I’ve got an early day tomorrow. You probably do, too.”

“I do.” She was hoping he’d spend the night, something they’d never done together, but since he hadn’t offered, she wouldn’t ask him to.

He whistled, and Otis came running, a dark, lumbering shape emerging out of nowhere. He stopped in front of Deacon, who told him to sit. He did.

“Good boy. Come.”

Otis followed them inside, then went and got a drink from his water bowl while Deacon found his shirt and put it on. He came over to Loretta, framed her face with his hands, and brushed his lips across hers. She breathed him in, her body responding naturally to the kiss.

Unfortunately, he pulled away when she wanted to lean in to him for more.

“I had a good time tonight,” he said.

“Me, too.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow probably.”

She nodded, already feeling the distance between them. “Sure.”

She walked him outside. The lightning was getting closer. “Be careful driving home.”

His lips curved as he climbed into his truck. “I will.”

“Good night, Deacon.”

“Night, Loretta.”

She waited while he drove away, then she went inside, locked the door, and turned off the porch light.

Otis sat by her feet and cocked his head to the side.

She wasn’t at all tired. She felt pent up and anxious, and she wished Deacon had stayed.

Then why didn’t you ask him to?

Because it didn’t seem like he wanted to stay, and she didn’t want to face rejection from him.

Coward.

“Oh, shut up, inner voice.”

Otis still stared at her, as if he wasn’t sure whether she was talking to herself or to him.

“Not you, sweetheart. You’re a good boy.” She scratched his ears. “You want to sleep in my room tonight, don’t you?”

His tail swept the living room floor.

“I’m glad someone loves me.” She grinned and turned off the living room light, then headed down the hall, Otis right on her heels. Rain had already started to pelt the windows as she made her way into the bedroom. She loved the sound of rain.

Good. Maybe she’d be able to sleep tonight after all.

DEACON MADE HIS way into his house and threw his keys and wallet on the table. He shrugged out of his shoes, then headed to his bedroom to get out of his wet clothes. The rain had started to come down hard before he’d made it to the main road, and it hadn’t let up since.

Good for Loretta’s garden. It needed the rain.

He brushed his teeth, then got into bed, listening to the sound of the thunder, figuring it would lull him to sleep right away. It had been a long day, and a really long night.

But after about twenty minutes he found himself staring at the ceiling, wondering why the hell his body wasn’t curved around a warm Loretta.

He’d hightailed it out of there in a hurry.

Why?

She’d seemed disappointed when he told her he had to leave, so she probably would have been okay with him staying the night. It had been him who’d wanted to leave.

He just wasn’t ready for that level of commitment yet. Sex had come as a total surprise. Anything else would feel like they were having a relationship, and he’d gone down that road with Loretta once before and had gotten burned badly.

Different circumstances, yeah. But still, it wasn’t like they were totally different people now.

Disgusted with himself for thinking at all, he got up and went to the kitchen and made himself a turkey sandwich, then turned on the TV and found an action movie to watch. He needed something to drown out the overworkings of his mind.

Unfortunately, this particular action movie had a romantic pairing, which inevitably led to a love scene. As he watched it, his thoughts drifted back to earlier, to being with Loretta.

They were totally different people now. Being with Loretta tonight had felt different. They weren’t teenagers anymore.

But that was physical. It didn’t mean circumstances wouldn’t end up the same way. She was just getting out of a bad marriage. And he—

Well, he sure as hell didn’t want to get involved with the woman who’d dumped him all those years ago.

Sex was one thing. Being stupid twice was something different.

He finished watching the movie and headed up to bed, realizing he’d figured out nothing other than he was going to be really damn tired tomorrow.