Free A Steele for Christmas by Brenda Jackson Page A

haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t take dares very well.”
    He could see amusement lurking in the depths of her dark eyes. “You don’t?”
    His response was given in a slow grin. “No, I don’t.”
    Eli’s gaze then roamed up and down her body before returning back to the one leg he still held in his firm grip. He smiled at her ankle bracelet. It did something to enhance the look of her leg, made it appear even sexier. He caught one of his fingers in the thin gold chain and gently rubbed it back and forth against her skin. “Nice.”
    He picked up on her ultra-soft moan and knew she was getting aroused from him rubbing her leg that way. She hadn’t seen anything yet and her response to what he was doing sent shivers all through his body, and caused a throbbing ache in his groin that was so intense, he knew he had to get out of his clothes now or suffer irreparable damage.
    “Eli?”
    “Hmm?”
    “What are you doing to me?”
    He held her gaze. “Something called foreplay. At least the start of it, anyway.”
    “There’s more?” she asked.
    “Definitely. As much as you can handle,” he managed to get out in a thick voice.
    Seeing her naked on his bed did something to him and for a moment he felt it had more to do with just assuaging a physical need. He shook off such an absurd thought. The only reason Stacey was here was because of needs—all physical—and it seemed she had them as well as he. That thought had intense heat seeping into his bones, and he suddenly felt his erection get even harder.
     
     
    When it came to Eli, Stacey wasn’t sure just how much she could handle. His mere touch on her leg was making it difficult to catch her breath. The pads of his long fingers were evoking arousal unlike anything she’d ever felt.
    And then he left her ankles and his fingers traced slowly upward toward her thighs, caressing the muscles in her legs as he went. She’d never had a man pay so much attention to her legs before. And his warm hands on her sent shivers racing all through her body and sharpened her senses.
    He was staring at her and the look in his eyes was filled with passion and the promise of things yet to come. The thought of her lying there naked for him should have embarrassed her but it didn’t. Instead, for the first time in her adult life she felt empowered as a woman.
    “I could stand here and look at you this way all day,” he said, releasing her leg. “I’m a man who appreciates beauty and you have the most gorgeous pair of legs that I’ve ever seen.” His words stroked her all over, caressing her skin like a feather duster, and the voice saying them was as hot as the pads of his fingers on her skin.
    Sensations stirred within her and as she watched, he slowly began removing his own clothes. She almost bolstered enough courage to tell him she would do it, then decided she much preferred stretching out on the bed to enjoy the strip show.
    First off was the jacket that he carelessly tossed aside. Next was the Forzieri dress shirt which exposed what Stacey thought was the sexiest chest any man could possess. It was muscular, rock hard, hairy. As her gaze traveled lower she could see his erection pressing tightly against the zipper of his pants and immediately knew what that meant. He wanted her in a big way.
    The thought that she could do that to him, or any man, to bring him to such an aroused state touched something deep within her. And it was a part of her that wanted to experience everything with him.
    “Now for my slacks,” he said, reclaiming her attention. She drew in a deep breath, almost too overly anxious to watch this part. He would be exposing himself, and a part of her couldn’t wait. She inched closer, making sure she had a good view.
    He smiled, evidently reading her thoughts. “I won’t disappoint you, Stacey.”
    Never for one minute did she think that he would. It amazed her how in just a little time, after one hell of a kiss, he could go from grunting his