And, oh, how he savored.
No one had ever kissed her like this, taking the time to taste every last inch of her mouth, from corner to corner, from the upper bow of her top lip to the lush center of her bottom lip. Her hands opened and closed on his shirt as waves of pleasure moved through her. And then his tongue was moving back inside her mouth to find hers, causing another sweet shock of bliss to shoot all the way down to her toes. Without a bra on, her full br**sts were peaking hard against the bodice of her dress, and she instinctively moved her hands from his chest to wrap them around his neck so that she could press herself into him.
That was when he lifted his head to stare down at her with such heat and more desire than she’d ever seen on a man’s face. "You’re amazing."
"I’ve never felt like this before." With anyone but Rafe, she might have been shy about expressing her desire, might have been unable to put words to her erotic feelings. But she knew she was safe with him...even as the lust that spiked inside her was the most dangerously beautiful thing she’d ever known. "I’ve never needed anything, anyone—" His teeth bit into her lobe, and she gasped with pleasure. "—as much as I need you."
A moment later his mouth caught hers again. She lost herself in his kiss, in his delicious taste, in the shockingly sensuous feel of his tongue stroking over hers.
"Tonight," he murmured heatedly against her lips, "isn’t nearly long enough for all the things I want to do to you."
"You can have as long as you need," she told him, her arousal ratcheting up even higher at the thought, the question, of what all of those things might be. As he lowered his mouth to the curve of her shoulder, she couldn’t wait to find out.
His teeth nipped into her skin at the exact moment he slid one slim strap down. Oh, how she loved the slick of his tongue over the small bite, and then the incredible sensation of his full mouth sucking against a part of her body she would have sworn wasn’t the least bit sensitive or sensual. A moment later, he was giving her other shoulder the same treatment, stripping her even as he tasted her flesh with a small bite followed by the warm lash of his tongue and then a split second of suction against her skin that had her trembling in his arms.
When he lifted his head, his eyes were blazing with the same heat and need she knew must be reflected in her own.
"I need to see you," he said, his low voice rasping over her skin as if he’d touched her instead.
"Yes," she whispered. "Please."
With the utmost gentleness, he moved his hands to her bodice and slowly slid the material down over the upper swell of her br**sts, just to the point where her ni**les were about to show. He stopped then and looked up into her face.
"You’re not wearing a bra."
"Only the dress," she confirmed for him.
His eyes widened. "Only the dress?"
She nodded and boldly reached for his hands, placing them over her hips so that he could feel the truth of her words for himself. His eyes closed and his nostrils flared as he cupped her bottom, then slowly ran his hands over her.
"So damned beautiful, Brooke."
She’d never heard anyone speak to her, about her, with such awe. But before she could tell him she thought he was beautiful, too, he was sliding his fingers through hers and tugging her toward the bedroom.
"I’ve already waited twenty-four of the longest hours of my life for you. I can’t wait another second."
They had just walked inside the bedroom when a loud knock came at her front door. Both of them stilled and looked toward the front porch, then back at each other.
His hand tightened on hers. "Were you expecting someone?"
"No. Maybe if we ignore them they’ll go away."
But, of course, the knocking came louder the second time. Rafe ran his free hand through his hair in clear frustration. A moment later, he was pulling Brooke’s dress all the way back up and sliding the straps into place on her shoulders. He lowered his mouth to hers for one last, hard kiss that would have spiraled off into more were it not for the continued pounding out front.
"Go answer your door before they break it down."
Rafe went with her into the living room, and when she saw who was standing on her porch through the picture windows, utter shock made her temporarily mute as she opened the front door.
"Oh my gosh." Mia Sullivan pulled a completely surprised Brooke into a warm hug on the front porch. "Look at you! You’re absolutely gorgeous, Brooke."
Adam Sullivan’s arms came around her next, the second Sullivan brother to hold her in the past fifteen minutes. When he let her go, his eyes were warm as they moved over her face, and he agreed, "Absolutely gorgeous."
The next thing she knew, Rafe was standing on the porch with the three of them, glowering at his siblings.
Chapter Eleven
Rafe couldn’t believe his luck. He’d waited twenty-four goddamned hours to have Brooke naked beneath him...and that was when his brother and sister showed up unannounced?
It had to be some kind of sick joke, karma coming back around to kick him in the ass for every bad thing he’d ever done.
Or, he thought with a tight clenching of his gut, was it a sign that he should keep his hands off of her?
Normally he would have been happy to see his sister and brother, but tonight all he wanted, right or wrong, was for them to turn around and go home to Seattle so that he could have Brooke all to himself.
"What are you doing here?"
"Surprise!" Mia said as she lifted a bottle of sparkling wine. "We came to toast your new house with cousin Marcus’s finest bubbly from Napa and to see what we can do to help you fix it up tomorrow before we head back to Seattle. Mom and Dad would have come, but they’re off sailing with Dylan for a couple of days. And for all we know, Ian may never return from London."
Rafe should have been grateful for his siblings’ help. Instead, all he could say was, "So you’re staying the night?"
"Rafe, it’s late. Of course they’re staying." Brooke gestured for everyone to follow her inside with a wide smile for his brother and sister. Where she’d been so loose in his arms just moments before, now her movements seemed a little stiff. "I’m so glad you’re both here. It’s been way too long."
Mia and Adam weren’t stupid—not even close—and they had to know something was up. It wasn’t hard to put the signs together: his crankiness at their unexpected arrival combined with her just-kissed mouth, flushed skin, and the fact that she was wearing the sexiest little white dress on the planet.