Page 26 of The Professor's Wife

Heat moved between us. I was aware of every inch of skin I hadn’t realized was waiting to be touched. His weight, his breath, the quiet press of him—none of it stirred panic.

It drew me in.

Everything about him drew me in.

All of him wrapped around me, making me feel a kind of protection that lived in the warmth of his chest against mine, in the steady certainty of being held and wanted at the same time.

I was lost to the feeling.

I kissed him like I was meant to. Like our lips fusing together was imperative. I moaned, and he responded with a deep growl in his chest.

His hands were everywhere, too. He couldn’t resist, and the feeling was mutual.

I pulled at his shirt, and he tore it off in one quick movement.

His skin made my mouth water.

All hardness.

All man.

I greedily trailed my hands down his long body, eager to explore his chest, his narrow waist, and farther down to where I felt his need—

“Wait,” he groaned, turning his face away and cutting our kiss short.

I almost whimpered at the sudden loss of contact. My parted mouth pulled in air as his heart beat hard against mine.

Two crazed drumbeats pounding to the same rhythm.

“What’s wrong?”

His body had gone stiff above me. He released a dry chuckle and shook his head.

“It’s been a while, Daze.”

It took me a moment to understand him. His erection throbbed against my thigh. My hand was inches from the bulge in his jeans. I had been ready to touch him when he abruptly stopped, looking pained.

“How long exactly?”

His voice was strained, his answer vague. “Long.”

I wondered how that was possible.

Any confidence I had in who I thought he was kept proving misplaced.

My lips twitched. “How close are you?”

“Just give me a minute.”

He slowly—and stiffly—climbed off me. He lay on his side, still pressed against me, his eyes cracked open.

The most apologetic expression crossed his face. “I want to touch you so badly. You look so fucking beautiful right now. Face all sweaty, cheeks all pink…” He closed his eyes. “Just give me a minute.”

A sudden giddy laugh bubbled from my lips. I immediately clamped my mouth shut, but I couldn’t stop laughing.

He opened one eye. “This doesn’t happen, all right?”

I nodded, trying hard to look serious, but I rolled over and muffled my giggles against the flat pillow.