And when a woman in a nearby booth let out a loud laugh, Hazel pulled away, making him instantly regret bringing her someplace so public. Hard to be intimate in an environment like this. Then again, that had been the whole idea, hadn’t it? To get out, let loose and have fun? He could think of a lot of fun things he wanted to do with Hazel, and none of them could be done in public.

  “How about we get out on the dance floor?” he asked.

  “Oh, I haven’t danced in . . . well, long enough for me not to be able to remember.”

  He stood and held his hand out for her. “Like riding a bike, Hazel.”

  She stood and hesitantly slid her hand in his. “For the record, I’m not very good at that, either.”

  He laughed and led her downstairs and onto the dance floor.

  * * *

  • • •

  Dancing with Linc on this lit-up dance floor where bodies were jamming and swaying was going to place in Hazel’s top-ten list of fun things she’d done.

  At first she’d been reluctant about being here, feeling out of place, like she didn’t belong. Everyone looked so young and twentysomething, and she was neither. But Linc seemed to be at ease, and despite her reservations, no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. The music was amazing, and how could she not want to dance, especially with such a hot partner? A partner who just a few minutes ago had kissed her.

  Oh, what a kiss it had been. She still felt the flutters in her stomach remembering the way his mouth had moved over hers, taking possession, offering things she definitely wanted. It was too bad they were in this crowded place where they couldn’t explore each other. Still, she couldn’t help but dive in and enjoy the moments, like dancing. She felt freer than she had in years. They’d danced through three songs before she was out of breath and epically dry mouthed.

  They went back upstairs, and she took a couple of long swallows of her drink. Bonita came by, and Hazel asked her for some sparkling water along with a refill of her margarita. Linc got another drink, too.

  “You can move,” Linc said. “I liked watching you dance out there.”

  She felt her cheeks grow warm. “Thank you. It didn’t hurt that I had you to follow.”

  He reached out his hand to lay it over hers, and there went all her nerve endings pinging all over the place.

  “What do you like to do for fun?” he asked.

  She blinked. “Fun? Uh, hanging out with the dogs. Cooking. I like the pool in the backyard. It’s great for doing laps and relaxing.” Listening to her list out her activities, she realized Linc probably thought she was the most boring person on the planet. He was going to drive them back to the house and never take her out again.

  “So you’re pretty chill, then,” he said. “I like that.”

  She waited while Bonita returned with the drinks and laid them on the table. She took a couple of sips of the water, letting the coolness of it refresh her dance-dry throat before looking at Linc.

  “You think I’m chill? I thought maybe you’d think I was dull.”

  He frowned. “Why would I think that?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t crave adventure and I don’t need constant entertainment or have a burning desire to travel the world. I’m pretty content with simple things.”

  “Nothing wrong with simple. In fact, a simple life leads to contentment.”

  She sent him a querying look. “Is that some proverb?”

  He laughed. “No, I just made it up.”

  So he was amazing-looking, great with his hands, nice, and he was smart, too?

  This guy couldn’t be for real. And she’d had way too much fun with him tonight. More importantly, she’d relaxed and had felt more like her old self, something she hadn’t done in far too long. And she liked the person she was around him. Which had nothing to do with the impressive dinner or this very cool club, and everything to do with Linc.

  “I’m ready to leave if you are,” she said.

  He looked surprised, then nodded. “Oh, yeah, sure.”

  He signaled for Bonita and paid the check, then they headed out. She was quiet on the way back to the house, her head filled with all kinds of thoughts, mostly about Linc.

  When they got to the house, the dogs were excited to see her—and Linc.

  Linc bent to pet them all, seemingly unconcerned about getting dog hair on his nice clothes.

  “Hey, kids,” he said to the dogs. “Did you do okay while you were alone?”

  The pups ate up all the attention. It surprised Hazel how attached they’d become to him. Then again, he had a magnetism about him, so it shouldn’t surprise her the dogs would gravitate to that. She certainly had.

  “Come on, babies.” She let the dogs outside, then shut the door and turned to face Linc. “I had a really good time tonight.”

  “Me, too.”

  Boldness wasn’t really her thing, but tonight she felt emboldened. Maybe it was the wine. Or the spicy margaritas. Or the new dress. She had no idea. For whatever reason, she felt exceptionally good.

  She moved in closer to him, tilting her head back to peruse his ruggedly handsome face, realizing she wanted to study all those planes and angles for hours, then map them with her fingertips. The way he looked down at her—all that pent-up desire easily readable in his eyes—made her wonder if his heart was pounding as hard as hers was right now. She laid her hands on his chest, felt the rapid beat of his heart, and smiled up at him.

  Then she rose up on her toes and wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck, pulling his head to hers.

  Before she took her next breath he had tugged her close and his mouth was on hers and everything she wanted was right there. His chest against hers, their mouths plundering each other with a needy passion, tongues intertwined in a mad dance. She was dizzy with desire, with the feel of all that muscle pressing against her, the taste of him so maddening she whimpered against his mouth, causing him to growl in response.

  She’d never felt so fully consumed before, so utterly wanted as she felt right this moment.

  She pulled back. “How about we take this upstairs?”

  He arched a perfect brow. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Absolutely certain it’s what I want. If it’s what you want.”

  “Hell yeah, it’s what I want.” He took her mouth in a hard kiss that turned her brain to mush. Then he lifted her, scooping her up in his arms as he carried her up the stairs, and she finally understood all those romance books she’d spent her entire life reading.

  This was what swooning felt like. She held on while he took the steps what seemed like two at a time, their mouths still fused together in the swirling heat of passionate need.

  How could Linc see where he was going? More importantly, did she even care?

  No, she absolutely did not, because he had a tight hold of her and she knew he’d get her there. She could bet he’d get her there in many ways.

  He pushed open the door to his bedroom and put her down.

  “We need to get you out of your pretty new dress.”

  She slanted a half smile at him, then turned around to give him access to the zipper. As he drew it down, his fingers brushed the bare skin of her back, making her shiver all over.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Definitely okay.” If his slightest touch elicited that reaction, she couldn’t imagine what would happen when . . . well, she actually could imagine. She’d imagined it a lot lately. She just wasn’t certain she’d live through it.

  The dress pooled at her feet. She bent over to pick it up and heard Linc groan. When she turned around, his lips curved.

  “You have a great ass, Hazel. And that fancy lacy underwear? Damn.”

  Her insides fluttered when he complimented what she thought was average underwear. And, okay, it was the finest she had. Maybe she’d had some insight that things were leading here. Either way, she was grateful she’d worn the good stuff. “Thank you.” She felt pretty. And desirable. Two things she hadn’t had in her vocabulary in far too long. She wasn’t going to question it or put conditions on it. Tonight, she was going with it.

  He took the dress from her and hung it up in the closet, then led her to his bed, sitting her on the edge of the mattress. He bent down and removed her shoes, smoothing his hands along the undersides of her legs, eliciting chill bumps on her skin.

  “Amazing legs, too.” He pressed a kiss to her knee, then paid attention to every nook and curve of her legs before standing and removing his shirt while simultaneously kicking off his shoes. Next came his pants, leaving him in only his boxer briefs.

  Now they were getting somewhere. And, whoa, Linc had quite a body. She couldn’t wait to get her hands and mouth all over him. In fact, she started to get up to do just that, but he leaned over her, giving her shoulder a gentle shove to lay her down on the bed. He swept his fingertip across the curve of one breast, then the other, making her breath catch.

  He captured that breath with his lips covering hers. She reached up, needing to feel that contact of his warm skin touching hers as his tongue slid into her mouth, eliciting shivers, making every part of her hyperaware of every part of him—especially that hard part of him pressing against her thigh.

  And his hands. They were everywhere, sliding along her rib cage, cupping her butt, exploring every inch of her skin and making her writhe against him because she needed him to touch more of her. She wanted his hands everywhere, and when he teased his fingertips across the top of her bra, the sensation shot straight south to her core. In response, she reached up, sliding her hands along his arms, feeling all that muscle bunch and tense beneath her palms.

  She lifted her hips against his cock and was rewarded with his deep, guttural groan. It felt good knowing he was as into this as she was, that he felt the same intense desire that swept her along like a storm.

  She pulled her lips from his, staring up at his meltingly sexy brown eyes.

  “How about we get totally naked?” she asked.

  The corners of his lips tipped up. “I like that idea.” He reached underneath her and with one deft movement had the clasp of her bra undone.

  “Hmm. You’re very good at that. I think you’ve done that before.”

  “A time or two.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then pulled the straps of her bra down her arms, removing it and tossing it aside, baring her breasts. He cupped them gently, then slid his tongue over one nipple, making her gasp.

  “Oh, yes,” she whispered, nearly dying from the excruciating pleasure.

  Until he did the same to the other. Then “yes” nearly became “oh my God,” and she was certain this was some kind of a near-death experience from having her nipples licked and sucked.

  But, hey, it had been a long dry spell, and she desperately needed some action. And this was some serious action.

  After thoroughly lavishing attention on her breasts, he kissed his way across her rib cage and down her stomach, lingering at the edge of her underwear. And then he gently started rolling them down, kissing her hip bone, the top of her sex, and finally peeling her panties down her legs. He made eye contact with her, his expression dark and delicious with intent before he spread her legs and went down on her.

  She momentarily lost the ability to breathe when his mouth made contact with her clit. The only thing she could think of was to beg her body not to come too fast. But oh, she was getting there because Linc had apparently zeroed in on exactly the right spot, sliding his tongue over and over at exactly that place that felt so good. And she couldn’t help herself; it was too good and she needed this orgasm so badly.

  She might have screamed. She couldn’t say for sure because she also might have blacked out when she came. All she could remember was lying on the bed like she’d just run a marathon, even though she was pretty certain that whole thing had taken no more than fifteen seconds.

  Linc climbed up and braced his hands on either side of her. “Needed that, didn’t you?”

  “You might say that.”

  “Then let’s see if we can give you another one.” He climbed off the bed and dropped his boxer briefs, leaving him in his naked glory.

  Wow. Just . . . wow. Lean muscle and beautiful all over. And that hard cock just waiting to slide inside of her. She rose up to a kneeling position so she could run her hands over his body, hearing his sharp intake of breath. She liked knowing she had that effect on him.

  “I like the feel of your hands on me,” he said.

  She smoothed her palms across his chest, then slowly snaked them down his stomach. “I like touching you.”

  When she grasped hold of his cock, winding her fingers around the width of him, he let out a groan. She stroked him, gently, loving how he pushed against her hand.

  “Enough,” he said, his voice going low as he slid his arm around her and tugged her close. “You’ll make me come, and I want to be in you when I do.”

  His words made her insides quiver. “Then let’s do it. I’m definitely ready.”

  “Me, too.” He reached over into the nightstand and withdrew a condom, tearing the wrapper. “I want you to know I don’t have indiscriminate sex, Hazel. I’m pretty choosy about my partners and I’m always careful.”

  This shouldn’t have been a sexy conversation to have while she watched Linc put on a condom, but hell if it didn’t turn her on like mad. She scooted to the center of the bed. “I haven’t been with anyone since my ex. And that was a while ago.”

  “It’s been six months for me,” he said, climbing onto the bed and parting her legs with his knee, teasing the skin of her leg with the tips of his fingers. “And that was a yearlong relationship.”

  Breathless with anticipation, she reached for him. “Then I’d say we’re good, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, I think it’s gonna be really good.” He nestled his body on top of hers, and Hazel wasn’t sure she’d ever felt anything so good. He kissed her, and it was deep and passionate. She lost herself in the sensation of his lips and his tongue and his wandering hands. And when he slipped his cock inside her inch by slow inch, she moaned against his lips, taking in the exquisite sensation of being filled by him.

  She wrapped her legs around him and arched, wanting him deep. He began to move against her and it was so, so good. It was as if Linc’s body had been made for hers. The barely functioning logical side of her knew that was ridiculous, but, hey, he was hitting all her happy buttons, so she could feel however she wanted about how perfect this was. All she knew was that this man was going to give her an awesome screaming orgasm, and there was zero logic involved in how she felt about that.

  It was glorious to be in a man’s arms, to feel tickling hairs as she ran her foot along his leg, to slide her hands across the sweat-soaked muscles of his back, and to reach up and tangle her fingers in the softness of his hair. His strong, masculine scent permeated her senses like the most powerful aphrodisiac, and the way he looked at her while he fucked her made everything inside her twist and tumble like an enthusiastic gymnast.

  She felt both languorous with sensual warmth and amped with energy and didn’t know what to do with all these sensations bombarding her. She finally took a breath and decided to just go with it before she ended up crying from the utter joy of this experience.

  Bottom line—this all just felt really damned spectacular, and she wanted it to last forever, but it was too good and she was so close. He swept his hand underneath her to grasp hold of her butt, which tilted her pelvis up, allowing him to drive even deeper and slide his magnificent cock against her clit, and that was all she needed to release. And oh, it was a good climax, making her cry out and dig her heels into him as she shuddered through waves of orgasm that sent him into his own climax. And when he gripped her hips and began to barrel into her with force, she kept going, surprising her with the intensity of sensation that seemed to go on and on. And on. And maybe on again. She’d lost all sense of time, so she really wasn’t sure, because now she was floating on a cloud of satiated happiness.

  “Hey.”

  She blinked to find Linc lying next to her, a sexy grin on his face. She turned on her side. “Hey.”

  “I don’t know about you, but that was pretty amazing.”

  She shrugged. “It was okay.”

  He laughed and drew her against him. “You screamed. Twice.”

  “I did?”

  “Yeah, you did.”

  “Huh. I don’t remember that. Then again, I might have had an out-of-body experience. You’re very good at this. We should do this again. A lot.”

  “Agree. But right now I’m sweaty. And thirsty.”

  She nodded. “Same. I’ll get water, you turn on the shower.”

  She threw on her underwear and shirt and went downstairs, letting the dogs in and locking the door. Then she fixed two ice waters and carried those upstairs to Linc’s bedroom.

  The dogs had already found him, so he was leaning down and petting them.

  “I don’t hear the water running,” she said as she handed him a glass.

  He got up and took several long swallows before answering. “I thought if you wanted to get sweaty again, the shower would be a waste of time.”

  She took a few sips of water, then set the glass down on the nightstand. “Good point. We can shower later.”

  She pushed him on the bed and climbed on top of him.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Linc was covered in sweat. The problem with working in Florida, especially a high-humidity environment like Orlando, was that even in the fall, it was still fucking hot. But he had work to do today, and despite the sweat pouring like a river down his back, he still had to lay flooring.