Surprise crept through her postorgasmic haze at his words. For her, their lovemaking, the way he’d made her feel, had been nothing short of miraculous, and in her naïveté she’d just assumed it was the same for him as he’d always seemed satisfied. But when he’d suggested they take a break, see other people, she’d concluded that he obviously hadn’t been so satisfied after all.
His hands dropped to lightly knead her bottom through the material of her skirt, effectively dissolving every thought from her head. “Believe it or not,” he said in a husky voice, “it wasn’t my intention to pounce on you the minute I walked in the door.”
“Oh? Bummer.”
He leaned in and chuckled against her neck, the vibration curling spirals of warmth down to her toes. “I like to think I’ve acquired a little more finesse than that, but, well, I find you…” He straightened and looked into her eyes. “Irresistible.”
Mallory looped her arms around his neck and rubbed her pelvis slowly against the hard bulge in his jeans. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think I’m the one who pounced on you.”
“Uh-huh. And how many complaints did you hear?”
“None. But I’m the one who reaped all the benefits.”
His clever fingers walked her skirt up and his hands curved over her bare butt, lifting her higher against him. “I wouldn’t say that. Besides, the night’s still young.”
“Hmm. Already I can see what will be my biggest weakness in any dealings with you.”
“What’s that?”
“My knees.”
“Ah. Which would mean a lot of lying down. A terrible problem, but I’m all kinds of empathetic.”
“Lying down…now that sounds like a great idea.” Reaching around, she slid her hands over his and gently slipped from his grasp. Entwining their fingers, she was about to lead him toward her bedroom when the lights suddenly flickered. She paused and they flickered madly again, then went out, plunging the room into darkness.
7
Saturday, 9:00 p.m.
“HEY, WHO TURNED OUT THE lights?” Adam asked, mourning the fact that the best view in all of New York had disappeared from right in front of him in the blink of an eye. He moved to stand directly behind Mallory, his chest pressed to her back. Settling his hands against her smooth stomach, he lightly brushed his thumbs along the soft undersides of her breasts. “Did you forget to pay your electric bill?”
She leaned back against him, raising her arms up and back to encircle his neck. “Nope. Power must have gone out. It’ll probably come back on in a minute. Mmm…” Her voice trailed off as his fingers lightly teased her nipples.
“In the meanwhile, I’ve got you all to myself in the dark.”
“So it would seem.” She wriggled her bottom against his straining erection and a low growl rumbled in his throat.
“If you keep doing that, we won’t make it to the bedroom,” he warned, nuzzling her soft nape. A delicate shiver ran through her and he inwardly smiled. Ah, yes, she still liked that particular spot. And she was still as incredibly responsive. Uninhibited. Fascinating. Exciting. But then, everything about her had fascinated and captivated him, in and out of bed. Her laughter. Her spirit. Her kind, generous nature. Based on all the magic she’d made him feel, there was no need to question why so many songs and poems were devoted to the wonder of first love.
“We might not make it from this very spot.” She turned in his arms, one hand skimming into his hair to urge his mouth to hers while her other hand glided down to stroke him through his jeans. “I don’t suppose you have a condom handy?” she asked in a breathless whisper against his lips.
He instantly cursed the fact that he hadn’t slipped one into his back pocket. “In the bag I brought.” Which meant his supply was less than ten feet away-which at the moment seemed like ten miles.
Her fingers slipped beneath his waistband and brushed over the head of his penis through his boxer briefs. Heat shot through him and he sucked in a hissing breath.
“Hmm. You brought wine, a rose and condoms,” she murmured in a smoky voice. “Good combination.”
Trailing his hands up and down her bare back, he said, “I thought so. But I’m thinking maybe I didn’t bring enough condoms.”
“Oh? How many did you bring?”
“Only a dozen.”
She chuckled and grazed her fingertips over him again, dulling his vision. “That should last us till dinner. After that we can dip into my supply. Of course, if the power doesn’t come on soon, cooking isn’t going to happen.”
“No problem. I’m happy with the cooking that’s going on right here. Kitchen-not necessary.” He slid his hands beneath her skirt, loving the way her breath caught at the gesture. “It’s not what you have for dinner, it’s who you have it with.”
“Glad you think so, although I had planned to impress you with my pasta.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve already impressed me. I’d be happy with peanut butter. Believe me, the way to a man’s heart isn’t through his stomach-it’s farther south.”
“I see.” With a flick of her fingers, she opened the button on his jeans, and a breath of relief escaped him. “You’re going to get hungry eventually, Adam.”
“I’m hungry right now.” He leaned down and lightly bit the side of her neck. “Starving, in fact.”
She slowly lowered his zipper, and he went still in an agony of anticipation for her touch.
“So…do you prefer the bedroom, or the sofa?” she asked. Her fingers wrapped around his erection and lightly squeezed, derailing his entire train of thought. After several seconds of stroking him, she made a tsking sound then said, “You seem to be having difficulty making a decision.”
He said the only word he could manage. “Huh?”
His eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness and he saw the sexy smile that curved her lips while she continued her driving-him-insane caress. “Bedroom or sofa?”
For an answer, he swung her up into his arms and carried her toward the den’s long sectional sofa as it was closer-only a room’s length away.
“My choice is you,” he muttered, nipping kisses along her jaw as he crossed the room. “On the sofa. In the bed. I don’t care. As long as it’s you. Now.”
“Now sounds good to me.”
He deposited her on the plush cushion where she landed with a gentle bounce. Even in the dim light, there was no mistaking the arousal glittering in her eyes. His gaze skimmed over her, taking in her lush mouth, her full breasts topped with aroused nipples and her hiked-up skirt that revealed the triangle of dark curls at the apex of her thighs. His temperature jumped up a few more degrees and he clenched his hands to keep from reaching for her. Much as he hated to leave her for even an instant, he knew he’d better get a condom now. Once he touched her again, all bets would be off.
He quickly strode back to the shopping bag in the foyer and rummaged through the assortment of things he’d purchased. He’d just snatched up the box of condoms when a sharp knock sounded at the door.
For several seconds he remained still, breathing hard, then his gaze jumped to Mallory, who looked startled. Before either of them could say anything, or even move, another series of sharp knocks sounded.
“Mallory?” came a muffled female voice accompanied by more insistent knocking. “Are you there, dear? It’s me, Mrs. Trigali. Hellllooooo. Are you there? Oh, I hope you are. Please answer the door.”
Based on the way Mallory jumped to her feet and struggled to pull up her top, Adam suspected that he unfortunately wasn’t going to be needing a condom quite as soon as he’d thought.
His suspicions were confirmed when she called out, “I’m here, Mrs. Trigali. Just give me a minute.”
Still adjusting her straps, she hurried over to him, and said, “I’m so sorry… If it were anyone else, I’d ignore it.” She reached down and scooped up her panties and his shirt. “But she’s my next-door neighbor and she lives alone and she sounds worried.”