Free Haunted by Cheryl Douglas Page B

they would ever make it to the bed or if it even mattered.
    “I need you,” she whispered when he set her
down in the middle of his king-sized bed.
    Need. An
emotion Caleb had never been better acquainted with. He pulled his T-shirt over
his head and tossed it aside as he crawled on top of her. In the months since
he’d broken up with his last girlfriend, he hadn’t met anyone tempting enough
to lure him into the bedroom. He hoped his hunger for Elle wouldn’t diminish
his performance and disappoint her.
    She arched her back to unfasten her bra
before she tossed it aside. Her eyes darkened as she wrapped her legs around
his waist, pulling him closer. Caleb chastised himself for rushing as he kissed
across her collarbone before plumping her breasts. He wanted to go slower, to
enjoy every second of their first time. He knew it would be one of the best and
most memorable experiences of his life, but he couldn’t bring himself to slow
down. The only thought going through his head was how amazing it would feel to
be inside of her.
    “Mmmm…” She arched her back as she pushed
her palms into the mattress. “Yessss….”
    He quickly learned her hot buttons and was
thrilled to find there were many. She was a hot, sexy, passionate woman who
clearly enjoyed sex as much as he did.
    “I’m warning you,” he muttered, gliding his
mouth down her stomach. “This may take all night.” He made quick work of
shedding her panties, smiling at the naughty twinkle in her eyes.
    “Do you hear me complaining?”
    He loved that she was in no hurry. For the
first time in his life, forever didn’t seem nearly long enough. “I don’t intend
to give you reason to complain… about anything.”
    Even if it killed him to restrain himself,
he vowed to love her like no one ever had, paying attention to every moan and
sigh. He studied her reactions, learning what would make her want him to be her
one and only lover. The most intimate of kisses earned him the response he’d
been seeking—an excited gasp followed by a throaty moan before his name slipped
past her lips.
    He loved her thoroughly, thinking he never
wanted to stop. She throbbed and pulsated, begging for relief from the
sensations rolling through her before she dug her heels into the mattress and
reached for him. After shedding the rest of his clothes, Caleb stretched out on
top of her, mindful of supporting his weight with his forearms.
    “You’re so beautiful with that blush on
your cheeks.” He kissed her tenderly, smiling. “That sparkle in your eyes, that
sexy tousled look that tells the world you’ve just—”
    She grabbed his neck, kissing him deeply.
She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his.
    It took everything in him to find the
wherewithal to reach into his nightstand for a condom while his brain
functioned on a limited blood supply. “Gimme a minute, baby.” His hand trembled
as he tried to roll on the condom. “Jesus, I haven’t been this anxious since I
was a teenager.”
    She smiled as she flattened her hand
against his chest, feeling his racing heart. “For the record, I feel the same
way.”
    He knew she was trying to put him at ease,
to remind him she was a regular person with the same fears and anxiety he had,
but she wasn’t. As he glided inside of her, kissing her deeply, he tried to let
go of the feeling of dread washing over him. What if she regrets letting
this go so far? What if she blames me for rushing her or thinks I brought her
here just to get her into bed?
    “Are you going to make love to me or
psychoanalyze me?”
    He had to laugh, which he was sure had been
her intent. “Make love to you. Definitely.” He moved slowly, savoring the way
her body reacted to every stroke. “I’ve been thinking about this since the
first time I saw you on your front porch.” He closed his eyes, remembering the
way he’d felt the first time he saw her. Speechless. Star-struck .
    “You’re not the only one.” She lifted her
hips as