Too Hot to Handle: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Sandra Chastain

and pulled them away, breathingraggedly as he tried to slow the tide of desire that threatened to overwhelm them. “Wait, Caroline.” His lips struggled with the words at the same time that his body was grinding itself against her. “We’ve got to talk about this.”
    “Talk? After all these weeks, you want to talk, now?” Callie felt reality swim through her thoughts, momentarily stilling the passion that had racked her.
    “No, it’s just that we have to be sure. I mean, Callie, are you certain that you want us to make love?” He’d been stunned by her boldness. He’d planned to woo her very carefully. Now she was unbuttoning that old dress and pulling it down her golden shoulders. He’d have to speak quickly or he wouldn’t be able to. “I mean, well, are you … Hell, this is very hard.”
    “That’s nice. If my biology serves me right, that’s just how you’re supposed to be.” She chuckled, uncertain about how to handle the next few moments. She slid her arms out of her dress, revealing the thin cotton camisole that she substituted for a bra when the weather was hot.
    Once again Matt thought, she had made him fumble for words and lose his polished control. He felt like a schoolboy, uncertain of what he was expected to do next. She slid the dress down her thighs, and he stared at her white panties.
    “Undress me, Matthew,” she urged tenderly.
    His reservations took flight at the sight of the glowing welcome in her eyes. He took her hands as she stepped out of the dress and pushed it away with the toe of one sandal. She kicked the sandals off. Her legs were long and sun-kissed, with only afaint indention of paler skin along the lower edge of her panties.
    Matt let go of her hands and ran his fingers across her thighs. She moaned as he eased her panties down. The soft brush of hair at the V of her legs was lush and full. He touched it reverently, and she quivered. Then he slid his hands up her stomach and cradled her breasts under the camisole. A second later, the camisole lay on the floor.
    “Well, Matthew?” What was meant as a teasing challenge came out as a husky whisper. “Are we going to give this mismatched pairing a try?”
    “Oh, Caroline.” He swept her off her feet and carried her the few steps into the bedroom. He settled her on the bed and lowered himself over her, sucking in his breath as she began touching him.
    “Lovely, so lovely,” he murmured as he caressed her breasts. His fingertips skimmed every inch of their surface before his lips captured one dusky nipple. He delivered a loving examination of every inch of her, delighting her until she thought she would explode with need.
    She wanted to touch him, to return the pleasure, but she couldn’t do more than cling to his shoulders, his head, his neck as he kissed her. His hands moved languidly, sliding between her thighs. She opened herself to him willingly, arching against his exploration. She closed her eyes as his lips moved to where his hands had been. She felt a great ripple begin to build, a ripple that threatened to explode inside her.
    She tried to squirm out of his reach, to hold back, to stop the release of … Then it was too late, and she heard a cry of pleasure that rang through the room. Callie realized dimly that it came from her.
    “Oh, Matt.” She bit her lip as he raised dark eyes to look at her. “I’ve never made love that way before.”
    “Neither have I,” he confessed. The wonder in his voice fell across her like a gentle ray of heat. “Callie, do you know what miraculous changes you’ve wrought in me?”
    “No,” she said breathlessly.
    “Neither do I, but don’t ever stop.”
    They laughed softly. “I’d like to do more,” she whispered. “But you’re wearing too many clothes.”
    He stood up and began to strip, his eyes never leaving her face. When he was naked he waited silently for a moment, for her reaction. Her sharp intake of breath spoke more loudly than words.
    “Oh, Matt,