But when she finally had his shirt pulled out of his pants and all the way open, she had to stop...and stare.

Only, looking wasn’t enough. Touching wasn’t enough, either.

She needed to taste him, too.

She leaned up and put her mouth over his collarbone. It was natural—so perfectly instinctive—to slide her tongue into the hollow just behind the bone.

"Mmmm." He tasted clean, but a little spicy, too. She needed to taste him again, needed to memorize not only his scent, but also his taste, so she moved her mouth lower, down over one of his pectoral muscles. She found his nipple with the tip of her tongue and as his hands threaded through her hair, she put her teeth on him, the light scrape against his hardened flesh causing him to groan with pleasure.

Or maybe it was her own groans she was hearing, because Colbie had never done anything more pleasurable than taste—and tease—Noah.

She pushed his shirt off and together they worked to strip him of the rest of his clothes until he was wonderfully, beautifully naked…and she couldn’t wait to get her hands, her mouth, on every new hard, tanned inch of skin that she’d uncovered. His muscles jumped beneath the stroke of her fingertips, the lash of her tongue as she explored him with a greed that rivaled his for her. She wasn’t even close to getting enough of him as, on a groan, he pulled her back up his body and took her mouth again with his. She didn’t know when he’d pulled a condom out, but when her fingers brushed against the package, she immediately picked it up, ripped it open and reached for him. She felt him stiffen and was surprised to realize that he was holding his breath as she rolled it down his thick length.

She knew she’d never stop thanking her girlfriends for insisting on that ski trip. She wanted to send a truckload of chocolate-chip cookies to the little girl who’d whipped past on her pint-sized skis and sent Colbie falling face-first into the snow—just in time for Noah to come by with his strong hands, his warm arms, and his beautiful smile.

She’d never felt sexier, never felt more adored, in her whole life than she did as his eyes ran over her, pleasure lighting his gorgeous features as he moved fully between her legs and gazed down at her with wonder in his eyes.

"No one has ever looked at me the way you do," she whispered.

"I never believed in love at first sight." He reached out to stroke his hand across her cheek. "Not until I saw you."

"Noah."

His name was still on her lips when she took him inside her. And even as he gave her his heart with words, while she gave hers back to him without needing any words at all, passion took them both over. What had begun in patience, in gentleness, now transcended any control either of them had been able to hold on to.

Oh, but she loved it, loved the juxtaposition of dirty and sweet, the rough with the gentle, the fast and the breathtakingly slow. It was what she was doing with her store, after all, by stocking the finest silks and laces, the headiest perfumes, all meant to recklessly seduce in the heat of the night. All intended to shatter control...and to seduce with irresistible pleasure. As their tongues danced together, their bodies were doing a dance of their own, slipping and thrusting and sliding and craving.

Loving.

He was rough, his kisses were desperate and greedy, but she was all of those things, too. There were no rules anymore, no wariness, nothing but passion and hunger, woman and man. Slick with sweat, breathless with desire, Noah slipped one hand between them and took her up higher than she’d ever been...before he sent her spiraling out over the edge, crying out his name.

She couldn’t have imagined even this, let alone more.

But, oh, there was so much more as his name was on her lips and hers was on his when their mouths crashed together again. She could feel every beat of his heart against her chest, the fast pounding that matched her own racing, out-of-control rhythm. She caught a flash of his eyes—dark, beautiful, and so incredibly full of emotion—and then his hands were gripping her hips and she was wrapping her legs even tighter around him and arching her br**sts into his waiting mouth as they both fell together this time.

Chapter Eight

The next morning…

Colbie had been drifting in and out of sleep for a while as the rare Seattle sun tried to break through the clouds outside Noah’s bedroom window, but she hadn’t wanted to wake all the way up and end what had been the most incredible hours of her life.

But then, Noah shifted against her, and she knew the moment of truth had come.

Their one night was over.

One perfect night, when all of her dreams had become reality.

Last night, she’d felt as though she belonged in Noah’s arms in a way that she’d never belonged in anyone else’s. He’d told her, "We belong together," and he’d said it to her again and again with every kiss, every caress.

The truth was that she’d been as afraid to believe it as she was not to.

But, oh, how she wanted to believe. And to trust that she’d been right to take the biggest risk of her life with him last night. Because deep in her heart, Colbie knew that last night had been more than just incredible, mind-blowing sex.

So when he slid her even closer to him, and asked, "Did I prove it to you?" in that low, rough voice that made every nerve in her body fire with anticipated pleasure, joy exploded inside her, starting at her heart and radiating out from there to fill every cell, every pore, every last corner of her soul.

Colbie shifted in his arms so that they were face to face, and the hairs on his chest tickled her br**sts in the most wonderful way, his heart beating strong and steady against hers. She pretended to think about his question, working hard to try to keep her mouth from moving up into a smile, even though her tone was clearly light. Teasing. And inherently seductive.

"What if I told you I needed another night before I could decide?"

He grinned down at her, relief mixing with the heat in his eyes. "Then I’ll work to prove it to you tonight and tomorrow night and every night after that."

She gave a happy little squeak as he lifted her up out of the bed, carried her into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.

"But for now, since I know you have to get back to your new store instead of goofing off in bed with me all morning, I’ll settle for making sure you’re perfectly clean." He grinned as he added, "Everywhere."

She laughed as he pulled her under the warm spray. Only this time, instead of being seduced, she wanted to be the one to seduce him. "You’ve given me a perfect day and a perfect night." She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her mouth almost all the way up to his. "Now it’s time for me to give you the perfect morning."