She took his finger in her mouth and only then realized what she was doing. Ellie glanced up at him and slowly pulled back. “Yum,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.

They stared at each other for a long moment and Ellie held her breath, waiting, wondering what would happen next. Then suddenly, Liam tossed the carton to the floor, grabbed her Rocky Road and threw it down, as well. In an instant his hands were on her body, cupping her face, spanning her waist, slipping beneath the football jersey and smoothing over her bare skin.

He kissed her as if only her mouth could satisfy his hunger, delving deep, tasting fully. Ellie’s head spun and her limbs felt weak, his kiss like a drug, wiping away the last traces of inhibitions. She’d never wanted a man as much as she wanted Liam. The need was so intense, it frightened her. His lips moved to her throat and Ellie tipped her head back, sighing softly. Her fingers furrowed through his hair and she sank against him.

Skimming her hands over his chest, she reveled in the way he was made. She’d always admired the male physique but had never experienced a man quite as perfect as Liam Quinn. Every inch of his body was taut and toned, muscle and sinew covered by smooth skin.

When he pulled away for a moment, Ellie took the chance to explore. She kissed the hollow at the base of his neck, the few soft hairs there tickling her lips. Then she marked a trail across his chest with her tongue, circling his nipple. She didn’t want to leave any doubt at all about what she needed from him.

He sighed softly and Ellie pressed her body against his as his mouth came down on hers again. She felt his need, hard and hot through the thin silk of his boxer shorts. With deliberate intent, she moved her hips, tempting him with pleasures that they had yet to share. He couldn’t refuse her. Every movement, every subtle reaction, told her that he wouldn’t.

Ellie had never considered herself a highly sexual woman, but with Liam her inhibitions seemed to vanish. She wanted him, his body above her, beneath her and inside her. She wanted to lose herself in the rhythm of their joining and then experience his release, the ultimate surrender. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud.

She moved her hand along his belly but he grabbed her fingers at the last moment and brought them back up to his chest. “We should go to bed,” he murmured, his breath ragged against her ear.

A stab of disappointment shot through her. But then Ellie realized that maybe he was offering her an invitation, not calling an end to this seduction. She took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. “Your bed or mine?”

6

LIAM GAZED DOWN into Ellie’s eyes, watching the doubts and insecurities flicker there. He couldn’t deny the need he had, this irrational yet overwhelming desire to possess her body. But it wasn’t just a physical need, a desire to lose himself in warmth. He didn’t want just any woman. He wanted Ellie Thorpe.

In his mind there was no other woman, no one more beautiful or clever or interesting just over the horizon. He’d reached the horizon and he’d found a woman who satisfied him in every way. And now he wanted to satisfy her. But he felt as if he were out of his league. This wasn’t just sex anymore. It was something new…unfamiliar…and completely unexpected. “Are you sure?” he murmured.

A tiny smile touched her lips and she ran her hand down his chest, her fingers leaving a warm trail on his skin. “That I want you? Yes, I’m sure. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my life. If you’re sure, that is.”

Liam hooked a finger under her chin and forced her gaze away from a careful study of his chest. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “I’m sure,” he said.

Ellie frowned. “We are talking about sex, right? And not about sleeping in the same bed?”

“One usually follows the other,” Liam replied. “But that was my interpretation of the conversation.”

Ellie sighed softly. “Good. All right. So that’s settled, then. I think you should take me back to bed.”

God, she was sweet. He loved how she just spoke her mind, refusing to play the coy little games that had been so common with women in his past. It wasn’t hard to know what Ellie Thorpe was thinking. She usually said it the moment it raced through her head. Liam reached out and slipped his hands around her waist, tugging her near.

He bunched the hem of the football jersey in his fists as he kissed her again, lingering over her lips, giving her a chance to respond. Unlike their last encounter, Liam was determined to take it slow this time, to enjoy every moment…every caress…every long, deep kiss.

A tiny sigh slipped from her throat and Liam felt his control waver. In truth, he wondered if he’d have any control at all once they reached the bedroom. Maybe they should just stay in the kitchen. The bathroom had been good in the past and the kitchen also worked well. But, in the end, Liam picked her up and carried her to his bedroom, her legs wrapped around his waist, her backside cupped in his hands.

Liam had never brought a woman to his own bed. It had been an unwritten rule of his, far easier to leave her place than his. But now all the rules seemed to be falling by the wayside with Ellie-and Liam was glad to see them go.

He set her softly on the bed, then reached down and tugged the Patriots jersey over her head. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her, her narrow shoulders and her perfect breasts, the way her skin shone in the light from the moon filtering through the bedroom window. Slowly he reached out and ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. Ellie caught his fingers in hers and gently pulled him down on top of her.

He was already hard and ready and Liam knew he’d have to be careful. And when Ellie reached to run her hand over his shaft, her fingers warm through the silk of his boxers, Liam knew he was lost. He groaned and she took it as encouragement, wrapping her fingers around him. Suddenly he was grateful for the barrier of fabric between her touch and his need.

He pressed his mouth against her neck and then her shoulder, slowly moving down her body, exploring her flesh with his mouth. Her nipple peaked as he teased at it with his tongue. But this time she didn’t give over to her own passion, but matched him kiss for kiss, caress for caress.

They took turns, each of them slowly tracing a map of seduction over limbs and down bellies, around nipples and under earlobes. He’d never taken such time with foreplay, but Liam found himself more aroused than he’d ever been before, constantly teetering near the edge of release.

Through it all, she spoke to him, moaning his name, teasing him, telling him what she liked and asking him what he wanted. At first Liam had been uneasy voicing his needs, but after a while it became so arousing that he couldn’t help himself.

When he slipped his hand beneath her panties, she moaned softly. “Oh, yes,” she said, her words coming out on a breath. “Oh, there.”

While he touched her, Ellie’s fingers delved beneath the waistband of his boxers. As he found the damp entrance between her legs, she stroked his hard shaft, her touch cool and tantalizing against his heat. Liam knew if he just let himself ride the wave of sensation that he’d find his release in her hand. But that wasn’t where he wanted things to end. There was so much to share with Ellie and, tonight, he wanted it all.

“Slow,” he murmured. “God, Ellie, I’m too close.”

Determined to continue, Liam had no choice but to stop the torment. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him. Then, he fixed his gaze on hers and slowly skimmed his hands over her body. Ellie smiled at him, leaned forward and kissed him, her breasts brushing against his chest, her nipples hard. “Tell me what you want,” she murmured.

“You. All of you.”

“I think we might be overdressed.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

With a sly smile, Ellie hooked her fingers around the waistband of his boxers and slowly tugged them down over his hips, sliding back as she pulled until she sat at his feet. And then she moved back up, sliding her body along his legs. When her breasts brushed against his erection, Liam moaned softly. But then Ellie backtracked and began to tease him with her lips and tongue.

Liam tried to keep a grip on his control, but this new torment was almost too much to bear. “Ellie, don’t.”

Still, it was as if she could read his reactions, knowing just when to slow or to stop her gentle assault. She caressed him with her mouth and he arched toward her, lost in a wild storm of sensation. And then she would retreat, leaving him hanging on the edge, his desire building until it threatened to explode without warning. “Oh, Ellie. Don’t do that,” he murmured.

But she didn’t heed his request, taking him closer to the edge again, then letting him slip back. It was as if she wanted to prove herself to him, to return the pleasure that he’d given her that night in the bathroom. Her hair tickled his belly as she continued her sensual torture and Liam clenched his teeth, sucking in a sharp breath and holding it. And just when he didn’t think he could stand another second of torment, she stopped.

A moment later she was lying beside him, her body curled against his. Ellie kissed his shoulder. “I’m feeling a little tired,” she teased. “Maybe we should go to sleep now.”

Liam growled playfully, then pulled her beneath him. “You’re the kind of woman my da warned me about,” he said, pressing his hips against hers, his erection hot on her belly.

“Do you always listen to your da?” she asked.

“Never,” Liam said.

“Then make love to me, Liam Quinn.”

Liam opened the drawer of the bedside table, grabbed a box of condoms and handed them to her. “We should probably take care of this first.”