To Wed and Protect by Carla Cassidy

him down the hallway toward her bedroom, Luke’s heart boomed rapidly. He’d wanted her from the first minute he’d laid eyes on her, and that desire had grown with each and every moment he’d spent in her company.
    The morning sunlight streamed into her bedroom window, and he noticed that her room had been transformed since last time he’d peeked into it. The bed was neatly made with a bedspread that was a splash of yellow sunflowers.
    Where before there had been a stack of boxes in the corner, there were now only two waiting to be unpacked.
    He scarcely had time to take all this in before his attention returned to Abby, who stood next to the bed. As he watched her, she pulled her T-shirt over her head.
    His breath caught in his chest at the sight of her. Clad in her jeans and a wispy, pale pink bra, she appeared fragile and more vulnerable than before. But the glow in her eyes as she unfastened her jeans andslid them down her slender legs was anything but vulnerable.
    He drank in the sight of her in the few seconds he had before she pulled down the spread and disappeared beneath the sheets on the bed.
    â€œDo you always keep your women waiting?”
    Her husky voice broke his inertia, and he ripped his T-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. He felt as if his fingers had all turned to thumbs as he worked the buttons on his fly. Before he allowed his jeans to fall on the floor, he took out his wallet, opened it and withdrew a foil package.
    When he was naked, he hesitated at the edge of the bed. He knew they had stirred up powerful emotions as they’d talked of their pasts, and he wanted to give her a chance to change her mind, didn’t want to in any way be accused of taking advantage of her vulnerability.
    â€œLuke, I promise no recriminations, no expectations.”
    Her words removed the last barrier between Luke and his desire for her. He placed the foil package on the nightstand, then slid beneath the sheets and reached out to her.
    She came willingly to meet him, her body pressing against his as their lips sought each other in frenzied need. Luke had thought he’d spent the last week quietly seducing her, but he realized she’d been doing some seducing of her own. She’d stoked in him a fire of desire he’d never felt before.
    When he finally broke the kiss, he moved his lips down her jawline into the hollow of her throat. Shewrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him more tightly against her.
    His hands crept up to cup her breasts. Despite the silky material of her bra, he could feel her taut nipples beneath his fingertips. He raked his thumb across the tips and reveled at the sweet moan that escaped her.
    It took only moments for him to grow frustrated by the material that kept their bodies separate. With a groan, he reached behind her and unfastened her bra, then swept his hands downward to steal away her panties.
    She aided him in his efforts, shrugging the bra from her shoulders and raising her hips, then kicking off the lacy panties.
    He knew he wouldn’t be able to last too long, that the moment he entered her all control would be lost. And before that happened, he wanted to make love to her, to taste her sweet skin, to touch her in ways that made her wild with wanting him.
    And that’s exactly what he did. With the golden shine of sunlight slanting into the window, he threw back the sheets and made love to her.
    He loved the scent of her, the taste of her skin and the way she responded to each touch, every caress. She was an active lover, matching him touch for touch, kiss for kiss, caress for caress.
    Although he would have loved to make love to her throughout the morning hours, all too quickly he felt himself reaching the point of no return.
    â€œLuke,” she said, her voice taut with need. “Please…I want you.”
    That’s all he needed to hear. He picked up the foilpackage, surprised when she took it from him. Her eyes