EXCERPT:

The minute Lori reached him; he grasped her hand in an unyielding hold as if he were afraid she would slip through his fingers. If she was capable of forming words, she would’ve told him she wasn’t about to go anywhere. The hard roughness of his touch had her nearly purring. She was putty.  

He pulled her directly in front of him. The entire length of his body pressed against her back. She trembled and closed her eyes. The picture was forgotten.

"Look at yourself. Open those pretty eyes and see what I see."

Gideon’s deeply whispered words effectively drew her out of the web of desire he’d wound around her. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at a stunningly beautiful woman. Lori was struck speechless by the alluring shadows and lines on the canvas.

"That can’t be me."

"Don’t be nervous, sweetheart. You are so unaware of your own appeal. How could you not know how sweet and sexy you are? I draw what I see, Lori. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It looks so…" She was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to make him understand she wasn’t the ethereal beauty he’d created with his talented hands.

"It looks sensual and so damn tempting it makes me want to fuck you right here," Gideon groaned.

Lori shuddered. "Oh god."

He turned her around until she faced him. "In fact, there’s the small matter of the purple stool."

She couldn’t think with him so close. His scent filled her; his body turned her mind to mush. "Stool?"

He pointed to the middle of the room. She followed his finger and realized he was talking about the strangely shaped octagon she’d noticed when she’d first arrived. She had no idea why he was suddenly interested in that particular piece of furniture though. "What about it?"

"Do you remember when I told you it was custom-made?"

"Yes, but I was a little preoccupied at the time and not really paying attention."

 "It’s designed for sex."

Her gaze darted back to the stool. "It looks like a normal stool. Only bigger. I don’t think I’m following you."

"How about a demonstration?"

"Uh, okay."

Gideon led her across the room to a remote control. He picked it up and took her over to the stool. As he pushed a button, one end of the stool raised up. She watched, spellbound, as he pushed another button and a headrest emerged from the other end.

"I’m still confused."

"You lay on your back with your bottom raised in the air. It provides better penetration."

Her face heated. "Oh."

"Take off your gown, baby."

It seemed taboo to make love in such a way in broad daylight. "Gideon, I don’t know about this."

He bent and licked a spot behind her ear then whispered, "You’ll forget about this shyness the instant my cock is inside you. All you’ll feel is me, filling you."

When he put it like that, she was loath to refuse. Still there was one thing she wanted first. "Take off your clothes; then I’ll do whatever you want."

"Be careful saying such things to a man like me," he warned. "I’m likely to take more than you’re willing to give."

He started unbuttoning his jeans. Lori couldn’t breathe. She’d just pulled the proverbial tiger by the tail.

   Lori was riveted to Gideon as he slid his jeans down his muscled thighs and calves. She watched him bend and pull them off then shove them aside. Now he was naked. He hadn’t bothered with underwear, and his cock jutted out, hard and pulsing. She licked her lips.

"Your turn."

Those two little words had the power to make her quiver. Lori slipped her fingers beneath the hem of the purple gown and raised it inch by inch up her legs, slowly revealing her body to him. The heat in his gaze made her more brazen than normal. When she had the nightgown just below her breasts, she let go with one hand and cupped her mound. Like him, she hadn’t bothered wearing panties. Deliberately tempting him, Lori massaged her fingers over her clit. She was so wet and ready, it was hard to stay standing.

His hands came up to cup her breasts. He squeezed and flicked his thumbs over her nipples, and Lori pushed into his palms, ready to plead for more.

"Christ, just look at you."

Her entire body revved to life at his deep voice and soft touches. "Do you like watching me, Gideon?"

"I could watch you touch yourself for hours and not get bored. Hell, I could come watching you finger fuck yourself."

His candor shocked her. "I-I wouldn’t want that."

"What do you want? Tell me."

On impulse she blurted, "I want to use the stool. I want you deep inside me."

Gideon dropped his hands and ordered, "Then take off the gown, sweetheart."

She yanked the gown over her head and tossed it on the floor. His eyes feasted on her, leaving a burning path everywhere his gaze touched.

When he bent and picked up his jeans then pulled out a condom, she froze. "You had a condom in your pocket?"

"I told you last night I wanted to take you in the shower and I did. I also said I wanted to see you on my stool. Now I will."

She narrowed her eyes. "You were awfully confident."

He grinned shamelessly. "Yep."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You aren’t even aware how arrogant you sound, are you?"

He tore the foil packet and rolled the condom down his heavy erection. She couldn’t look away from him. Everything he did fascinated her. He stepped toward her, took her face in his, and held her still for his kiss. Her knees turned to Jell-o.

"I’m not arrogant. But I do want you, and when I want something this bad, I tend to work extra hard until I get it."

She was out of her comfort zone with him. "It’s never been like this."

"Like what?"

"No man has ever been so passionate with me."

"Fools, the lot of them," he growled then tugged her forward. "Sit on the stool, baby."

Anne Rainey

http://annerainey.com

Touching Lace, 3/08--4 stars, Romantic Times

"...this hot and sexy romp is a  delight!"