Free Reunited by Kate Hoffmann Page A

him good-night. But instead, Keely grabbed the lapels of his jacket and yanked him into the room. Then she slammed the door closed behind him. The force of the door echoed in the silence, marking the exact moment when the risk of interruption was eliminated. And as if it were some signal to begin, they did.
    His fumbling fingers worked at buttons and zippers. There was no method to his seduction, but he didn't care. This wasn't some game; this was lust, pure and simple. As soon as tempting skin was revealed, Rafe stopped to explore, first her shoulder, then her hip, then her belly. And she did the same. They didn't bother to remove clothes fully, only pushed them aside.
    "God, you are beautiful," he murmured, his mouth finding the swell of her breast. "And you taste good, too." Rafe was surprised he was even able to put together a complete sentence. His brain was no longer running the show. Instead, he was driven by instinct and impulse and experience, and the anticipation of moving inside her, slowly, patiently. He knew how to make a woman ache with need and he wanted like hell to make Keely need him. Need him so much that she'd have no choice but to surrender.
    Rafe gently steered her toward the huge bed and when they reached it, they tumbled onto it in a tangle of limbs and half-discarded clothing. Only then did he slow down and enjoy the process of removing her blouse. At first, she seemed uncertain. In truth, Rafe knew she was. Unlike other women he'd known, she wasn't playing coy. She was simply being Keely McClain.
    "Tell me something," he murmured, bracing his head in his hand as he toyed with the strap of her bra.
    "Yes," she replied firmly, answering his question before it was asked.
    "'Yes'?"
    "Yes, I want to do this. That's what you were going to ask, isn't it?"
    Rafe nuzzled her breast, his fingers slipping beneath the satin-and-lace scrap that hid her from his gaze. "No."
    "All right, no."
    "No," Rafe repeated. "No what?"
    "No, I've never done this before," Keely said.
    Rafe froze, his fingers still twisted in her bra strap. He bit back a groan. "Never?" he asked.
    "Never," Keely replied.
    "Then, you're a--"
    "Oh, no!" she cried. "I thought you meant had I ever--done this. Brought a man to my hotel room. A strange man. Not that you're strange. You're a strang er. Although you're not really that, either, because I feel like I've known you for a long time." Keely took a ragged breath and reached for the front clasp of her bra. "Can we please stop talking now?"
    His gaze drifted down to the necklace she wore. The pendant hung at a spot between her breasts and he picked it up and distractedly slid it back and forth on the chain. "I think that might be best," Rafe said. And when her bra fell away, he couldn't help himself. He knew he had to taste her again, and this time, he found the sweet tip of her breast. With his tongue, he slowly brought her nipple to a peak. Satisfied, he moved to the other side, determined to keep the pace slow.
    But Keely wasn't quite so patient. She pushed her hands up beneath his sweater, insistently, until he was forced to tug it off over his head. Her fingers splayed over his naked chest and he watched her, each movement, each caress driving him closer to the brink. But when she dipped lower, to his belly, then to his belt, and to the button on his trousers, he brushed her fingers aside and stripped off his clothes himself, stopping at his boxers. And then he finished undressing her.
    When nothing stood between them but lacy underwear and silk boxers, Rafe paused. This was no longer about him and his needs, this was a chance to finally share something intensely intimate with a woman. He was almost afraid to go any further, afraid that he might screw it all up, afraid that he might fall back on old habits.
    But the moment she touched him, ran her hand along his erection, Rafe's past became just that--past. Every ounce of his need was focused in the present, in the feel of her fingers