He’d never done this before, going through a woman’s closet. He’d sure as heck never considered doing so could be such a turn-on, but picturing Beth in the clothes-or partway out of them-was making his dick hard as a rock and his brain short-circuit.

“Are you about done?”

He didn’t have to look at her to know what he’d see. She’d taken off her heels but left her stockings on and was sitting on the edge of her bed. One leg swung gently while she had the other lifted so she could lean her head on her knee. Dark brown eyes watched him with mysterious thoughts that he’d give his spot on the next bungee jump for.

Despite the fact that her skirt was short and her leg was lifted, nothing showed. She’d made sure of that with a quick tug on the hem of her flowy skirt, but if she moved just a little bit, he would be able to see her panties. He was killing himself wondering what type she was wearing and how much else he would be able to see. If she moved her leg just a half an inch to the side.

Had she done so already? That was another thought that was tormenting him.

He turned to face her, to see. He made no effort to hide his erection. If she was looking below the waist, she was going to see the effect going through her closet and dresser had had on him.

But her doe-brown eyes were trained on his face and he wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or disappointed by that fact.

“Yeah…I’m done. In here. I’d like to look over the rest of your apartment some more.”

“Okay.”

“Tomorrow night you can come to my place for dinner and do your own reconnaissance.”

She bit her lip and damn if he didn’t want to help her out with that little habit. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“Yes.”

She sighed…and shifted. And he got his wish. She was wearing black panties. Not a thong. They were sheer, but not at the crotch. There was a small dark splotch right in the center. She was wet. So wet that she’d soaked through her panties. His knees nearly buckled. His dick had been hard. Now it throbbed. He was not going to make it out of the apartment without at least kissing her.

But what he really wanted was to bury his face in that little bit of silk and take in her scent and her taste until he was drowning in both.

She gasped and he realized she’d just become aware of where he was looking.

She didn’t move though. Or say anything.

“You’re wet,” he ground out.

“You’re hard.”

“I wondered if you’d notice.”

“It would be impossible to miss.”

Primitive male pride filled him. He was no monster, but he was big enough. And from the tone of her voice, she liked that…and was a little awed by it. Good. He liked that.

Their gazes met…locked.

“I would have expected you to be more sophisticated in your tastes.” She was probably trying to sound caustic, but her voice was too breathy for that.

He smiled. “What do you mean?”

She licked her lips. Nervous…or excited? “I’ve never seen you as the type of man to get his jollies from looking at a woman’s underwear.”

“I didn’t get my jollies, I got a hard-on, and it wasn’t the little bits of fabric you call underwear that turned me on. It was the image of you in them.”

“Oh.” Her leg moved a little more and her skirt slipped, showing her stocking top, the smooth, pale skin of her thigh, and the dark curls of her mound through the sheer fabric of her panties.

He inhaled deeply, the scent of her arousal turning his up another notch. “What about you?”

“I haven’t seen your underwear,” she whispered.

And that added to his excitement. Hell…everything about her did that. “Want to?”

“Yes…no…this is a bad idea.”

He didn’t agree. He undid his pants and slid them down his thighs. His cock sprang free. The air brushed against him like a caress. It felt good, but not as good as she would feel.

This time she moaned…a tiny sound that nearly obliterated his control. “You aren’t wearing any.”

“I like commando.”

“I can see that.”

“Now, tell me why you’re so wet you’ve soaked your panties.”

“It’s not a new thing around you,” she admitted with a choked laugh.

They were looking into each other’s eyes again and hers were glistening with need.

“You fantasize about me?”

“Yes.”

“A lot?”

She blushed. “Yes.”

“And the pink handcuffs.”

The blush spread down her throat to cover the tops of her breasts revealed by her neckline. “Yes.”

Hot damn. “I’m not looking for a long-term commitment right now.”

He just could not get the image of her and orange blossoms out of his head. Most women he dated didn’t need it spelled out for them, but she was special and he owed her honesty.

She didn’t look hurt…or bothered even. “I’d never want that with you.”

For some reason, despite his arousal and his brain telling him that was exactly the way he wanted it, her response made him mad. But he had enough intelligence not to tell her so. It was just his ego taking a hit and he wasn’t going to let that get in the way, not of an attraction this strong.

“Do you want me?” he asked.

“You can see the effect you have on me.”

“Wanting is more than a physical reaction, Sunshine. I need to know if your brain wants this too, because if it doesn’t, I need to tuck my hard-on back in my pants and get out of here. Fast.”

She was silent. A long time. Too long.

He might have pushed another woman, but probably not and definitely not her. He’d learned long ago that both the sex and the aftermath were better when a woman was absolutely sure of what she wanted. It was agony, but he started the painful process of tucking himself back into his slacks. His body protested, but his brain told him this was the right thing to do. He had few relationship rules, but this one was firm.

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t say no.”

He couldn’t quite manage a smile, not when his cock was so hard it felt like it was going to shatter. “You were taking too long to say yes. If it’s that hard to decide, you aren’t ready for what I want from you.”

She blinked in confusion. “Sex.”

“Mind-blowing sex.”

She stood up, her face flushed, her bottom lip caught in her teeth again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I thought I wanted it… I do want it, it’s just…”

“It’s okay, baby.”

“I teased you,” she said in an agonized voice.

“I liked it.”

“But I’m not ready to follow through,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I ever will be.”

He had more confidence, but he knew she’d have to deal with whatever was holding her back.

“It’s okay.”

“It is?”

“Yes.” She looked unhappy with his agreement, like it bothered her.

She should be grateful. A lot of men wouldn’t have been as understanding, but he wasn’t a kid. And he liked her. He wasn’t pushing her into a sexual relationship she wasn’t ready for. The things he wanted to do with and to her required a lack of inhibition that wasn’t going to come if she was doubting the rightness of letting him touch her.

He crossed the room and brushed his thumb over her lip, disengaging it from her teeth. “If you don’t stop doing that, you’re going to end up bruised…or bleeding.”

She looked up at him, the sensual longing in her eyes so strong he had to exert iron control to keep from stripping her naked and showing her how much she really did want him.

He kissed her, softly-almost chastely-on her lips, but his tongue took an irresistible swipe of her taste before he pulled away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded, following him silently to the door.

He stopped there. “Remember, dinner at my place. Right after work.”

“I’ll have to come home and feed the kittens first.”

She was sugar sweet and that was another thing that was different from the women he usually dated. He liked it. “Okay, make it six-thirty.”

“I’ll be there.” She didn’t sound sure, but on this…he didn’t have the luxury of waiting or being understanding.