She untied the robe’s sash then slowly slid the garment from her shoulders and tossed it aside. His hot gaze skimmed slowly down from her loose hair, over her black lace bra and panties, to her high heels then back up again.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, his voice a hoarse rasp. “I’m definitely going to like this. Striptease?”

“Lap dance.”

His gaze heated from hot to smoldering. “Wow. Guess you read my letter to Santa.”

“Maybe.” She bent at the waist, set her hands on her knees, then slowly dragged her palms upward. “Have you been naughty or nice?”

“A little of both…”

His voice trailed off when she skimmed her fingertips over her breasts.

He cleared his throat. “Good thing you tied me. But I’m not sure these skimpy scarves are going to do the trick.”

“I double-knotted them.” Keeping her movements tantalizingly slow, she spread her feet, arched her back and drew leisurely circles with her hips. Then she slowly bent her knees and gradually ground down, then back up, her arms moving sinuously, hands sifting through her hair, gaze never leaving his. Based on the stark, raw hunger flaming in his eyes, there was no doubt he liked what he saw.

“Where the hell did you learn to move like that?” he asked, his eyes riveted on her undulating hips.

“I bought a DVD-Lap Dancing for Your Lover.”

“You mean you’ve been practicing this?”

Another slow downward grind. “For weeks.”

“Weeks? And I’ve missed the practice sessions? No freakin’ fair.”

She wet her index finger with her tongue, loving the intensity of his attention, then dragged the moist tip along the lacy edge of her bra and was rewarded with a deep groan. Keeping her hips circling and her gaze locked on him, she slowly turned until she faced away from him. With her legs straight, she bent forward slightly and shot him a flirtatious look over her shoulder while lightly stroking her bottom. He groaned again, and shifted in his seat. His erection pressed against his robe and she realized she found this as arousing as he did. Certainly the naked hunger glittering in his eyes encouraged her to see just how hot she could get him. The thought of the benefits she’d reap-that they’d both reap-clenched desire low in her belly.

Keeping her movements torturously slow, she spread her legs then bent lower, until her bottom pointed directly at him. Watching him over her shoulder, she cocked one knee to the side, straightened her other leg, then glided her fingertips up the back of her straight leg. When she reached her bottom, she gave it a smart slap then puckered her lips and blew him a saucy kiss.

“Come here,” he growled.

“Oh, no. A shortcut never leads to anywhere worth going.”

“Yeah, but I may explode before we get there.”

“Aren’t you enjoying the show?” she asked in a throaty purr as she lazily repeated her last move on the other leg.

“Are you kidding? I’m so hard I’ll probably never walk again.”

“Hmmm…yes, you’re looking rather…tense.”

He strained against the ties binding him and lifted his hips. His robe separated, revealing the hard jut of his erection. “There’s no ‘rather’ about it.”

Her gaze drifted over him and heat sizzled along her every nerve ending. “Spread your legs,” she whispered over her shoulder.

With his eyes all but breathing smoke, he obeyed. She straightened, and with hips circling, moved backward until her legs hit the edge of the chair. Keeping her back straight, she bent her knees, rested her hands on his thighs then lowered herself until his erection was nestled against her bottom. Then she slowly rotated her hips.

“Jess…” His voice was a ragged moan. She felt his muscles tense and his rapid breathing warmed the back of her neck. Then he leaned forward and pressed his hot mouth against her nape. “You’re driving me out of my mind.”

Tingles skittered down her spine from his lips against her sensitive skin. She changed her hip movement to a forward-back rocking motion that drew a groan from both of them.

“I can feel your heat,” he whispered against her neck. “God…you’re wet. You’re as turned on as I am.”

“Let’s see how much hotter we can get.”

“Any hotter and I’m going to spontaneously combust.”

“Then you’ll miss the best part of the show.”

His teeth grazed the top of her shoulder. “God knows I don’t want to do that. Bring it on, sweetheart. But if I go up in flames, it’s all your fault.”

“Noted.” She straightened, then with an undulating sway, turned to face him. The fire burning in his eyes singed her, pooling more heat in her belly. His hands were clenched, his knuckles white, his breathing labored, his muscles clearly tight with expectation of what she’d do next. Heat seemed to pump off him like steam. Having him so utterly at her mercy, being so completely in control, and seeing how profoundly it affected him was…potent.

Keeping her legs straight, she leaned forward and gripped the back of the chair on either side of his head, caging him in. She then arched forward and brushed her breasts across his face.

He sucked in a sharp breath that exhaled as a growl. Setting a knee on the chair between his legs, she leaned down and slowly traced the outside of his ear with the tip of her tongue. He buried his lips in her cleavage and drew a deep breath. “God, you smell so damn good. Feel so damn good.” His tongue flicked over her half-exposed nipple and her womb clenched. “Taste so damn good.”

She continued to tease him, brushing her breasts over his face, circling her nipples around his mouth, nibbling on his earlobe, brushing her tongue over his bottom lip then gently sucking it into her mouth, all while her knee applied a gently rotating pressure against the base of his erection. His breathing quickened into a series of jagged pants and he lifted his hips and thrust against her knee. “I’m dangerously close to begging,” he warned.

She slowly backed off, her own breathing unsteady. With her gaze fused on his glazed eyes, she untied his robe’s sash and spread the white terry cloth wide. Anticipation pulsed through her at the sight of his rippled abs and that straining erection jutting halfway up his taut stomach. A single drop of pearly fluid glistened on the engorged head of his penis and with a single fingertip she spread the bead of moisture over him. Dropping his head back, he looked at her through half-closed eyes and rolled his hips toward her, seeking more.

She immediately backed off, and forcing herself to keep her movements leisurely and sinuous, she reached behind her to unhook her bra. After she’d let it fall to the floor, she cupped her breasts, reveling in his smoky gaze, his rapt attention. She tugged on her taut nipples then skimmed her hands down her torso. Hooking her fingers beneath her lace panties, she shimmied them down her legs then kicked the bit of material aside and slowly stood, running her hands leisurely upward.

With an animallike growl, he spread his legs wider and slowly thrust upward. Her womb clenched in response and she walked back toward him.

“Untie me.” His voice was low, rough.

She shook her head, and eyes steady on his, leaned forward to grip his tense shoulders then carefully set her knees on the wide seat on either side of his thighs. He instantly leaned forward and drew her nipple into his mouth. A gasp escaped her and she shuddered at the wet warmth tugging on the aroused tip.

Reaching between them, she wrapped her fingers around his hard flesh. The scent of her arousal and his heat filled her head, making it spin. She positioned herself over his erection then slowly rubbed the velvety head along her wet, swollen cleft. That single touch ignited her like a match to gunpowder and she couldn’t wait any longer to feel him inside her.

Grasping his shoulders, she sank down, a slow, slick impalement that shot sweet, hot pulses of pleasure through her. His growl of approval vibrated against her breast and he drew her nipple deeper into his hot mouth. She slowly rose, then lowered herself again.

“Eric,” she said, her voice a breathless moan. “You feel so…” Her voice trailed off into a groan when he ground up, embedding himself deeper.

“So tight,” he whispered, grazing his teeth along her neck. “So wet and hot. Don’t stop.”

She didn’t, taking him in long, languid strokes that he met with increasingly demanding upward thrusts. She picked up the pace, lost in pleasure, both of them straining harder for the next stroke. Her climax exploded, and with a cry her body arched as the convulsions throbbed through her. With a dark growl, Eric ground his hips into hers and she felt him pulse inside her. Limp and panting, with aftershocks still rippling through her, Jessica melted against him, her head flopping forward like a rag doll’s to rest against his shoulder.

“I’ll untie you as soon as I can move,” she managed to say between erratic breaths.

“Don’t worry about it-I can’t move a muscle anyway,” he said, sounding as breathless as she was. “Good thing I’ve got a strong heart, otherwise that would have killed me.” He turned his head and brushed his lips over her damp forehead.

“Yet I don’t sense that’s a complaint.”

His huff of warm breath ruffled her hair. “Hardly. Best damn Christmas present I ever got.”

She summoned the energy to lift her head and gazed into his slumberous, sexy eyes. “Glad you liked it.”

“‘Liked’ is a pretty lukewarm word.”

“Does that mean my debt is paid?”

“In full. In fact, I think now I owe you two.”

She looped her arms around his neck and gave him a slow, deep kiss. After she lifted her head, she asked, “Do you think it’ll always be this…magical between us?”

His gaze turned serious. “Yeah, I do. Because I love you just as much when we’re not naked. You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met-in bed, out of bed. Everywhere. All the time. And that’s what makes it magical.”