Page 57 of Armed ’N’ Ready

“Our pleasure.” Kade followed Matt out the front door.

No sooner had the door clicked shut than Nick’s mouth crashed down on hers. His arms were iron bands around her back, holding her tightly against him.

She parted her lips, and he took full advantage until her head swam and her heart thudded crazily. When he finally pulled away, he was breathing hard. “Andi.” His voice was ragged, gravelly. Steel-gray eyes looked down at her, fierce with emotion. Hunger and heat radiated off him in waves.

She half expected him to throw her over his shoulder and carry her upstairs like a conquering hero. But he didn’t. Not that she would have minded if he had, because she wanted him. God, how I want him.

Gently, he trailed his fingers down her cheek, stroking across her lips, then along her jaw. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back, giving him complete access to her neck.

His lips were warm as he kissed the sensitive spot near her ear. The stubble on his jaw grazed her flesh, sending tingles to her belly. To keep from slipping boneless to the floor, she fisted his T-shirt in her hands. Her nerve endings crackled, sensing every inch of his body pressed against hers. She opened her eyes, and what she saw took her by surprise. Flooring her, actually. Because in addition to the volcanic heat she’d glimpsed, something else simmered in the depths of his gaze, something that speared a hole straight through her heart.

Tenderness.

This man…this gorgeous protector who could undoubtedly have every woman whose name graced the napkins he’d thrown into the garbage, wanted her.

She didn’t know what he felt for her, but she wasn’t fool enough not to know her own feelings when they smacked her in the face. Despite her initial reservations, she was falling for him, and couldn’t have prevented that fall if her life depended on it. It was that simple.

His lips closed again on hers, urging them apart as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. He tugged her blouse from her skirt, skimming his hands along the sides of her rib cage then over her breasts.

Her nipples instantly puckered, and the muscles in her lower belly clenched. I want this. I want him.

It was a risk, perhaps the biggest of her life, but she was willing to take it. Wordlessly, she clasped his hand and led him to the base of the stairs.

“Pass auf,” he said to Saxon, whose head tilted in obvious curiosity at what they were doing.

In response, Saxon let out a guttural sound and sat straighter, as if coming to attention. She didn’t know German but understood Nick had just commanded Saxon to guard the house.

As they climbed the stairs, her nerves ratcheted tighter. By the time they got to her bedroom, her heart was beating way too fast.

Light from the upstairs hallway spilled onto the bed. She turned on a lamp and found Nick surveying the room.

The bed was antique brass with a cream-colored cotton duvet, matching pillowcases, and a half dozen colorful fringed pillows in various sizes. A few equally colorful throw rugs dotted the wood floor. Since her bedroom windows faced the lake, she’d opted for no curtains, giving her an unobstructed view of the water.

“Pillows.” A smile tugged at his lips. “I like it.”

She swallowed, trying to slow her uneven breathing. He looked so out of place in her bedroom. Not that she’d decorated with frilly, girly things, but he was so big and masculine he was a stark contrast to the neutral serenity she’d been going for.

Her hands shook. His presence in her bedroom pretty much blew any semblance of serenity out the window.

“You’re nervous,” he said, brushing the backs of his knuckles down her cheek. “You shouldn’t be. I already know you’re beautiful. Inside and out.”

He smiled, and something in her heart went into overdrive, skipping every other beat yet hammering harder.

Getting a grip on her nervousness, she tugged his shirt from his waistband. He lifted his arms, so she could peel it up his chest and over his head. She sucked in a tight breath. His body was beyond beautiful. It was a work of art that she couldn’t wait to explore. Dropping the shirt to the floor, she ran her hands down his bare chest, reveling in the warmth of his thick pectorals and undulating abdominal muscles.

When his body quivered at her touch, she froze. “You don’t like that?”

He laughed, a deep, throaty sound that reminded her of what an amazing voice he had. “Are you kidding? I love it. Don’t stop.”

She didn’t.

His skin beneath her fingers was warm and taut. His shoulders and arms were as thickly muscled as his chest. As she sifted her fingers through the thin coating of hair arrowing down his torso and disappearing beneath his beltline, her hands trembled again. This was all happening so fast. They hardly knew each other.

Then why does it feel so damned right? She didn’t know, but could only hope Nick felt the same.

Wanting him this much was both exciting…and terrifying.

She unbuckled the belt, then unbuttoned his jeans before tugging down the zipper. Snug, black undershorts covered the bulge of his massive erection, and she couldn’t resist dragging her fingers over him.