His lips parted and he looked at the small vertical slash of skin exposed through the open zipper.

Maggie turned and walked into the hallway, leaving her pullover unzipped. She went down the stairs and heard him follow her. Calmly, she sat down on his couch, turning to look at him when he joined her. His pupils were huge, his breathing shallow.

He pulled her close. “What are you up to, Red?” His voice was a lazy purr and suddenly, she felt a bit like prey.

“Nothing, it’s just a bit warm,” she said breathily. His nearness affected her, sped her heart. Warmed her from the inside out.

The corners of his mouth tugged up. “Are you teasing me, Red?”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m promising you.”

“Good lord, woman. You trying to kill me?” He nuzzled her neck.

“Huh uh.” It came out slow and soft as her head lolled back to give him more access. “I’ll need you later. Or now.”

“Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

She sat up and laughed. “Sheesh, Kyle, I know you’ve slept with like a hundred women. Haven’t any of them teased you? Or am I doing so poorly at it that you don’t get it?”

“There’s the Red of my dreams. I love it when you go all sassy on me.” He pushed his face into her cle**age and breathed her in. His goatee tickled the sensitive skin there and shivers of delight and anticipation broke over her.

“I was hoping you meant you wanted to make love. But I wanted to be sure because I respect you so much. I just don’t want to push past where you’re willing to go.”

She leaned over and pressed her lips to his ear. “Kyle, can you respect me while you’re inside me? Because I really—and I mean really—need you to f**k me.” She knew she was blushing but it felt so good to say what she’d been thinking.

She saw the shiver run down his skin and he moved to look into her face. “Do you know how sexy you are? I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted anything as badly as I want to make love to you.” Standing up, he held out his hand to her and she took it. Hand in hand, he led her up the stairs to his bedroom.

Closing the door behind them, the rest of the world felt far away. While she stood and watched him, he pulled out some matches and lit the candles that ringed the room.

“They’re new. I bought them thinking about how you’d look with the candlelight flickering off your skin.”

“Dude, you say the best stuff. You’re so getting lucky.” Smiling, she grabbed hold of the bottom of her pullover and yanked it over her head.

He blinked a few times. “Damn it, woman, you’re gonna kill me. Just full of surprises, aren’t you?” With a grin, he reached to turn off the overhead light. “Yeah, just what I thought. You and candlelight—a very sexy combination.”

“I’m sexy? Kyle Chase, do you look in the mirror very often?” Maggie went to him, reaching out to slowly unbutton his shirt. She gloried in the feel of his skin as she slid the shirt down his arms and off. The warmth of his body and the scent of him hit her face. She closed her eyes, leaning in to take a deep hit of him.

Drowning in hormones she stepped back to take a long look at him. His upper body had the long lean muscle of a runner or a cyclist. He was hard and packed but not bulked.

“Dear lord, you’re beautiful.” Leaning back toward him, she flicked her tongue over one of his ni**les, delighting in his hungry moan. The heated salt of his taste set her taste buds on fire. She wanted more of him. All of him.

Needing to touch him, she slid her palms down the muscled plane of his abdomen. Her fingers tucked just inside the waistband of his jeans, tracing around the edge and the sensitive skin there. Getting down to business, she unsnapped each of the seven buttons there. Every pop seemed so loud—vibrating off her spine as she uncovered a bit more of his body.

Kneeling to help him step out of his jeans and socks, she looked up, thrilled when she saw the inescapable evidence of just how much he wanted her—how much Kyle Chase wanted Margaret Wright.

“Now there’s a picture to last me many a cold and lonely night,” he murmured, looking down at her kneeling. Heart hammering in his chest, he reached down to caress her face. Every nerve ending in his body lit when she rubbed a velvety cheek along his thighs. Her fingers and nails grazed down the backs of his legs, kneading the muscles of his calves.

Her caresses came back up his legs and into his boxer-briefs to cup the hard muscle of his ass. Grabbing the material, she pulled them down, leaving him totally naked to her view. He should have felt exposed. But instead heat spread through him at the sight of the greed in her gaze.

She’d intended to stand back to look at all of him but the heated velvet of his c**k called to her and she didn’t want to resist. Instead, she grabbed him in her hands, holding him so that she could take him into her mouth. Her tongue slid over the bead of se**n that pearled at the head and his taste burst through her.

“Holy shit, Red,” Kyle stuttered as his hands fisted in her hair.

She hummed her appreciation around his c**k and continued to taste him. Her nails lightly scored over his balls and he sucked in a breath. “This is going to end before it begins. Come on, Red, stop for a minute.”

She sat back with a kiss to the head of his cock. And then one more because she needed him so much. With a sigh of longing she took his hand and let him help her stand. She stepped back so that she could look her fill at him. And she could have done it for ages, he was so handsome.