Suddenly she wanted to be touching that skin. She tugged on the shirt. He broke their kiss long enough to pull it over his head. Then he grabbed her hands and pressed them against his body, as if he needed to feel her caressing him as much as she wanted to be doing it.

As she explored his chest, his shoulders and arms, he bent over her. He kissed her jaw, then along her neck. One arm came around her. He rested his other hand on her belly, then moved it slowly up to her breasts. Her nipples tightened, her insides grew heavy and between her legs she felt both heat and moisture.

Then his mouth was on hers again. Deep kisses took her breath away. She lost herself in the sensations he created. He used his hand to lazily explore her breasts. He brushed against her nipples, one at a time.

Fire shot through her. Fire and need and a desperation that made her feel both weak and powerful.

“I want you,” he breathed. “Elissa. I want you.”

They were words to soothe a battered soul. She nipped his lower lip, then stood and held out her hand. He rose and allowed her to lead him down the short hall to her bedroom.

She hadn’t bothered to make her bed, but the tangle of sheets and blanket didn’t seem to be a problem. The second they came to a stop, Walker sat down and pulled off his athletic shoes and socks. As she watched, he unfastened his jeans, then pushed them and his boxers down and stepped away from his clothing.

He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His chest was smooth and highly defined by muscle. Several scars, some old and faded and some still angry and red, marred his warm skin. His chest tapered to a narrow waist that naturally led the eye to a very impressive erection jutting toward her.

Her insides tightened in anticipation. It was all she could do not to rip her clothes off and beg him to take her right there. She’d been without for so long, she could barely remember what it felt like to have a man inside of her, filling her over and over again until she had no choice but to surrender.

And while that was her goal, a woman had to be practical.

“Condoms,” she said as she ripped open her nightstand drawer and started rooting around.

Behind her, Walker swore. “I didn’t think to bring any. I have some upstairs.”

“I think I have some, too.”

She could practically hear him raising his eyebrows. “What happened to the no-man plan?”

“It’s a goal, but I’m human. I can be weak from time to time. In case that happened, I wanted to be prepared. Aha.”

She drew out a small box from under a tube of hand cream and held them up.

He walked toward her, relieved her of the box and put the condoms on the nightstand.

“Only three,” he said. “Not nearly enough.”

If he’d been trying to impress her, he’d done a fine job. While she was still absorbing his complaint, he drew her T-shirt over her head and made quick work of her bra. Even as he bent down and drew one hard nipple into his mouth, he unfastened her shorts and pushed them off, along with her panties.

She clutched his head, not wanting him to ever stop that delicious sucking. With every tug, a ribbon of need spiraled from her breast to between her legs. She was already swollen and wet and the hunger he’d satisfied the last time they’d been together returned full force.

“Walker,” she breathed. “I want you inside.”

He raised his head and looked at her. “Now?”

She nodded. “It’s been a long time.”

He eased her toward the bed. She stretched out on the mattress.

“How long?” he asked as he put on a condom.

“Since before Zoe was born.”

He knelt between her thighs. “You meant what you said, then. About avoiding men and relationships.”

“Oh, yeah.”

She expected him to ask her why she’d changed her mind and was grateful when he didn’t. Instead of speaking, he slipped a finger inside of her.

Instantly her entire body tried to tighten around that single finger. Wanting made it nearly impossible to breathe.

He slid out and then pushed in two fingers. She felt herself stretching slightly. He frowned.

“I thought having a baby made things looser.”

“They, ah, sewed me up afterward.” Something she hadn’t considered. “This could be interesting for both of us.”

He smiled. “I like interesting.”

He bent over her and kissed her. As his tongue danced with hers, he reached for one of her hands and drew it to him. She caressed his erection, then spread her legs and guided him to her.

She was slick and wet and ready, and incredibly tight. Even as she fought against the need to come right that second, she felt herself stretching as he slowly filled her. The pressure was nearly unbearable, in the best way possible.

He broke the kiss and swore softly. “You’re killing me.”

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Not in the way you mean. How the hell am I supposed to keep from coming?”

“Think of England.”

He gave a strangled laugh that was part groan, then pushed in that last inch.

She rotated her hips and consciously contracted, then relaxed her muscles. When he withdrew and pushed in again, this time she took him more easily. By the third thrust, she gave herself over to the desperate screams of her body and grabbed him by the hips to pull him in deeper. He gave a hard push and she felt the first rippling surrender of her release.

“Oh, yes,” she cried as her orgasm claimed her.

He groaned. She felt him get harder, but he continued to fill her over and over again, pushing her through waves of her release. She clung to him, lost in the pleasure, begging him to continue until he gave a cry of his own and stiffened.

WALKER LAY ON HIS BACK and pulled Elissa against him. She rested her head on his shoulder and lightly traced one of the scars on his chest.

His heart had finally slowed to normal, something he hadn’t been sure would happen after he’d lost control. His plan had been to last longer. His plan, like hers, hadn’t amounted to much.

“That was nice,” she said.

“Ouch.”

She raised her head and smiled at him. “Is this a guy ego thing? Should I gush?”

“Gushing would be nice.”

“It was great.”

“Closer.”

She put her head back down and moved her fingers to another scar. “It’s been so long, I wasn’t sure I’d remember where everything went. Thanks for helping with that.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. Are you going to ask?”

“About?”

“The scars. Do you want to know what happened?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

She raised her head again. “Let me guess. Your other women were all aquiver to hear how close you came to death.” She drew in a breath and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Oh, Walker, this one looks nasty. Tell me every little detail about what you went through.”

“So you’re not interested.”

“We just shared one of life’s greatest intimacies. Why would I want to break the mood by asking about a time when you were in horrible pain and nearly died?”

“Most women find it romantic.”

“Then you need to move in another circle, big guy.”

He chuckled. “I like your style.” He liked a lot more than that, but he didn’t want to get into that now. Instead he said, “Turn over.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Not even for money.”

“I’ve already seen it.”

“Then why do you need to see it again?”

“I’m curious.”

“It was a mistake.”

“It’s cute. Come on. I’ll show you mine.”

“You don’t have one to show.”

He touched her nose. “I have other things I could show you.”

She sighed and shifted away so she could flop on her stomach. “Fine. Just don’t make any cracks and don’t comment on my ten extra pounds.”

Why did women worry about crap like that? “There aren’t any,” he said, then leaned over until he could stare at the tiny red heart and the single tear below it on her hip.

“Why this?” he asked.

“It was right before I knew I was pregnant but after I’d finally come to realize Neil would never love anyone but himself and that he couldn’t even love himself as much as his next fix. It was a metaphorical statement, I guess. I thought I loved him.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. Not even close.” She turned onto her back and smiled at him. “I didn’t really know what love was until I had Zoe. She changed everything. I’m not even sure why I had her. Neil pressured me to get an abortion. I hadn’t thought about having kids, but when I found out I was pregnant, I just couldn’t get rid of the baby. So I took what money I’d managed to keep hidden from Neil and ran away.”

He stroked her hair, then rested his hand on her bare belly. “Where did you go?”

“A halfway house. I got a job cleaning and doing laundry. They let me stay while I had Zoe, then I saved enough for a bus ticket and came back here. I think, in the back of my mind, I figured if I moved to Seattle, my parents would be able to find me. I wanted them to still want me.”

“They did. Bobby lied, remember?”

“They had a funny way of showing it. Anyway, I got a job and a studio apartment. I’ve worked my way up to this place.”

“You’ve kept it all together. You should be proud of that.”

“I am. I like my life. Mrs. Ford is great. She’s made a big difference for Zoe and me.”

“You’ve made a difference for her. You’re family.”

She’d filled in what was missing all by herself. He admired that…and her.

“What happens now?” he asked. “With your mother.”

“I don’t know. She has to be furious and I’m still pretty pissed off myself. I guess we’ll deal with it as it comes.”

As she spoke, she stretched. Her body arched and her breasts rose toward him. Not one to refuse that kind of an invitation, he bent down and took one nipple in his mouth. She moaned. Wanting grew inside of him as his dick went from zero to sixty in less than two seconds.