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Immediately after, she reached down and took his hard length in her hand. She stroked her hand up and down the velvety, pulsating skin, and he groaned deep in his throat.

She had only stroked him a couple of times when he rolled her over on her back and moved between her thighs. In the soft illumination from the nightstand lamp, she could see the burn in his eyes as they held her gaze for a long moment.

Then he slowly moved into her. He buried himself inside her and then stopped as his mouth took hers in another scorching hot kiss. When the kiss ended, he began to stroke in and out of her.

Intense sensations rushed through her. She was mindless with pleasure, and once again a sweet pressure began to coil inside her. He increased his pace, moving faster and faster in and out of her. She met him thrust for thrust as her heart beat frantically in her chest.

Then she was there once again, tumbling into an abyss of such intense pleasure it stole her breath away. He found his own relief at the same time, stiffening against her as he groaned out her name.

After several moments, he rolled over on his back and collapsed, and they remained quiet as they each waited for their breathing to return to normal.

He finally rolled to his side and held himself up on an elbow, his warm gaze on her. “That was beyond wonderful,” he said, a smile curving his lips.

“I definitely agree,” she replied tremulously. He had not only lived up to, but far surpassed her fantasies of him. The lovemaking had been everything she’d wanted.

“I must say, Mrs. Michaels, you are great between the sheets.”

She laughed. “You aren’t so bad yourself, Mr. Daniels.”

He pushed a strand of her hair away from the side of her face and then leaned down and kissed her softly. “I haven’t had a snuggle buddy for a very long time. Maybe tonight you could sleep in here with me and fill that role?”

“I think that could be arranged.” It had been years since she’d slept in a man’s arms, and the idea of sleeping in Seth’s arms tonight was exceedingly appealing. With Sammy gone for the night, it was an opportunity that might not happen again for a very long time.

Seth rolled out of the bed and grabbed his boxers from the floor. Once he was up, she also got out of the bed and grabbed her clothing. “I’ll see you back in here?” he asked.

She smiled at him. “Give me fifteen minutes or so.”

As she padded down the hallway, she realized night had completely fallen outside. When she reached the bathroom, she turned on the light and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Who was the woman who stared back at her? Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was mussed from the lovemaking. It had been years since she’d seen this woman, and she realized now it had been unrealistic for her to vow to stay true to her dead husband.

She’d loved Davy with all her heart and soul, but memories of hugs and kisses weren’t enough to sustain her now. She was a relatively young, healthy woman, and ultimately, she knew Davy would want her to move on and be happy.

She turned away from the mirror, cleaned up and then left the bathroom and ran across the hallway to her bedroom, where she pulled on a clean pair of panties and her pink nightshirt. She heard Seth walking down the hallway toward the kitchen. She assumed he was probably taking Lady out.

She sat on her bed and brushed out her hair and then returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth before going to bed. By that time, she met Seth coming back down the hallway with Lady in his arms. He had on a pair of jeans, and she spied his gun tucked into his waistband.

He grinned at her. “All business taken care of, lights all turned out, doors locked and bodyguard on duty.”

“Sounds like you’ve taken care of everything,” she replied.

She followed him down the hall to Sammy’s room, where he placed the puppy in the dog bed on the floor. He moved several dog toys near the bed as Lady whined with displeasure and tried to jump up on Sammy’s bed.

“Sorry, Lady, you’re on your own for the night,” Seth said. Then he gestured for Suzanna to leave the room, and he exited and closed the door behind him. With a grin, he then pulled her into his arms and kissed her once again. They were light, teasing kisses, and when he was done, he released her.

“Ready to get some sleep?” he asked.

“Ready,” she replied.

Together they went back to his room, where she slid beneath the sheets while he placed his gun on the nightstand and took off his jeans, leaving him clad in a pair of boxers.

He then turned off the bedside lamp and got into bed with her. A shaft of moonlight danced into his windows as he immediately pulled her into his arms and spooned around the back of her body.

The feel of his arm around her waist and his strong body against hers was beyond wonderful. She hadn’t realized she’d been so hungry for this kind of human touch. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed a man’s touch…a man’s embrace… Seth’s embrace.

“Good night, Suzanna.” He kissed her gently on the cheek.

“Good night, Seth,” she replied. She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of him. He smelled like safety and laughter. More than anything he smelled like home.