How could that be?

And even more startling was how much he wanted to spend time with her. Wanted to talk, wanted to share stuff, wanted to hear her share stuff. He wanted to laugh with her, wanted to make her laugh. Wanted to just…be with her.

And yet she was doing her damnedest to make sure it didn’t happen.

Drawing a deep breath, he got out of his car and knocked on her door. From inside came an unmistakable meow, and he relaxed, knowing Katie wouldn’t leave town with her cats alone in the house.

A few seconds later he could tell she was looking out her peephole. “Hello,” he said to the still-closed front door. “Merry Christmas, Katie.”

The door remained firmly shut, and he set his palms on the wood as if he could feel her right through it. “Katie? Let me in. It’s-it’s cold out here,” he improvised quickly, setting his forehead against the wood now, needing to be close to her. “You wouldn’t let a man stand out here and freeze to death, would you?”

“Go home, Bryan.”

An apology, he decided brilliantly, staring at the door. Women liked apologies. “Katie? I’m really sorry.”

A rueful laugh escaped her at his soulful tone. “What are you apologizing for?”

“Um…being a man?”

“I’m not mad at you,” she said through the door. “I’m just-” he heard a clunk and knew she’d set her head against the wood “-just feeling stupid here.”

He had to press his ear up to the wood to hear her. “Why?”

“See! This is just what I mean! It’ll seem really silly to a man who’s never doubted himself for a single second.”

“I’ve doubted myself plenty.”

“Uh-huh. Over what?”

“You,” he said bluntly. “Over you.”

“I’m just one of too many women.”

“That’s pretty much my point.”

Another short laugh. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

“What I mean is, this has never happened before.”

“What hasn’t?”

“I can’t walk away. I can’t stop thinking about you. I dream about you, ache for you. I need you, Katie.”

“You…need me?”

“Open the door and let me show you.” At her silence, he sighed. “Please? I have a present.” Another trick learned from his sisters, all of whom could be bribed. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist a present.

Except this woman, apparently.

“You said no presents,” she said accusingly.

“Open the door, Katie.”

She cracked it. “Why?” she asked warily, one cautious eye greeting him.

“Could you maybe open it just a bit more?”

“Well…okay. Just for a- Hey!” she cried when he used his superior strength to let himself in.

“Sorry,” he said, anything but as he gazed down at her. She was rumpled, her hair wildly rioting about her sleep-flushed face. She wore a pale-rose bathrobe that swallowed her up. Two bare feet poked out beneath the full hem.

He loved bare feet.

“This is crazy,” he said, wanting to devour her sleepy, mussed self on the spot. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“You mean besides everything?”

“Well…yes.”

She looked heavenward, then studied her feet.

“Katie?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s about yesterday.”

“I figured out that much.”

“You’re going to make me say it specifically?”

“Well, since I’m clueless, yes. You’ll have to say it. Specifically.”

“Okay. You saw…my panties.”

He stared at her, wanting to laugh, needing to laugh, but at the glare on her precious face he didn’t quite dare. “Well, since I’ve been wanting to see your panties for some time, preferably on the floor, on the door handle, on the ceiling fan, anywhere but on you, I can’t apologize.”

Her mouth opened, as if she had to do that to breathe. He took the opportunity to reach for her, haul her close and put his mouth to hers. To help her breathe, of course.

She let out a little sound, which he swallowed. Then she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. He liked when she did that, a lot, but this time she happened to get a few chest hairs in with the material of his shirt and he was surprised at how much a few little hairs, slowly pulled out of his skin, could burn like fire. “Uh…Katie?”

“Mmm.” She buried her face in the spot between his shoulder and neck, and he decided he liked that, too, so much he could live with the fire in his chest.

For her, he’d do anything.

Which pretty much terrified him now that he thought about it. “It wasn’t the panty thing,” he whispered, holding her as tight as he could. “Admit it. You’re just scared. Hell, so am I.”

“I don’t like being scared.”

That made two of them. Not knowing what else to do, he kissed her again, a hot, wet kiss that had them both breaking off, panting for air.

“Where’s my present, Bryan?”

Uh-oh. Damn, he should have known better. “Um…close your eyes.” When she did, he reached inside his pocket for a scrap of red ribbon from wrapping his family’s gifts. He’d intended to let her cats have it. “Okay,” he said after a moment.

Katie opened her eyes and took in the red ribbon tied in a crooked bow around his neck.

He sent her a crooked smile to match it.

“You’re my present?” she asked, her voice soft and hesitant.

“Don’t tell me you want to return it. I didn’t save the receipt. Plus, I bought me on sale, so-”

“Is it for keeps?”

Oh, boy.

“Never mind,” she whispered, covering his mouth with her fingers so he couldn’t deny, couldn’t sooth away that slightly stricken, embarrassed light in her eyes. “I don’t want for keeps, either.” Then she replaced her fingers with her mouth.

Katie kissed him hard, her heart squeezing so tight she thought it was a miracle she could kiss at all. She’d take what she could get with him and be okay with it. She’d be more than okay. She’d thought she’d never get over her humiliation from yesterday, but somehow he’d done it, he’d made everything okay, just as he had from the moment she’d made her Christmas party mistake.

Only maybe it hadn’t been a mistake at all. “Keep kissing me,” she murmured, and the words were barely out of her mouth before his head descended again. He kissed her over and over, until they were panting, straining against each other. He ran his hands down her back to her bottom. With a hoarse murmur, he drew her to him, burying his face in her hair.

“I can’t feel anything but warm woman under this robe,” he said, his voice so hoarse it was nearly gone.

“I was just about to get into the shower,” she admitted.

He groaned, and with characteristic bluntness, opened her robe. Never reserved or shy, he bent his head and looked at her, his eyes so hot she was surprised she could stand so close and not get burned.

A flash of doubt hit her, because it had been a very, very long time for her, and because she’d never felt particularly comfortable in her own skin. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling his sudden stillness like a weight. “I’m not- My body isn’t- I really hate to exercise,” she finished lamely.

His unfocused gaze met hers. “What?”

“I’m not exactly…you know, perfect.”

His eyes blinked and focused. “Are you trying to tell me you feel the need to apologize for this body?”

“Well…” Miserable, she nodded.

“You’re kidding me.”

“No. My tummy isn’t flat.” He touched it and her breath faltered. “And my breasts…they’re not exactly…perky.”

He switched his attention to them now and she could hardly speak. “And my hips…”

“Your hips?” he encouraged, but she didn’t want to even go there.

“Forget it,” she muttered.

“Never.” He studied her, apparently not in the least disturbed by her curvy figure because he made a low, rough sound in the back of his throat, almost a growl, and hauled her close. “Perfect,” he murmured. “Soft, round, sweet and perfect. You’re beautiful, Katie.”

“But-”

“But you do talk too much,” he decided sinking to his knees and taking a love bite out of her belly before he dipped even lower, effectively shutting her up. Without another word, he opened his mouth on her. His hands, splayed wide over her bare bottom, drew her closer, then closer still as he nibbled, sucked and licked her halfway to heaven.

Unable to help herself, she cried out, because what he was doing to her simply caught her on fire. She had started to shake the moment he put his mouth on her. When she could no longer stand, he simply scooped her up and, following her breathless directions, took her to her bedroom. He set her down on the bed, but not before he spread her robe wide, gently tugging it away.

Morning light streamed in the windows, streamed over her nude body, but the last of her doubts faded in the light of his naked and fierce desire. Then he began to undress and she forgot all about herself. His shirt fell to the floor, revealing wide shoulders molded to a broad, muscular chest. Desperately ridding himself of clothes as fast as he could, his jeans hit the floor. His belly was flat, his thighs powerful. Between them he was heavy and hard.

“Oh, my,” she whispered, staring, and he let out a groaning laugh. “Bryan, that’s not going to- You’re not going to be able to-”

“Fit? Oh, yes I am.” He crawled onto the bed and reached for her, running his hands over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs and in between, all the while murmuring husky, sexy, earthy promises that mixed with his greedy and oh-so-talented fingers, arousing her to the point of no return.

He kneeled between her legs, his eyes hot and hungry, watching her closely as he put on a condom. He touched her then, making her cry out his name. He said her name, too, on a tight breath as his fingers slid over her hot, glistening center, and then opened her legs farther and entered her. “See?” he whispered roughly, covering her with his deliciously heavy body. “I fit.”