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"You all right?" she asked

"Yeah," he said thickly "I just heard you down here"

She stared at him "Tea," she said "I couldn’t sleep"

"Me, neither"

She let the tea bag fall into the cup and, grinning, walked up to him If a man could emit sexual desire like sweat, he’d have been drenched He didn’t move He was afraid to--for several reasons There was the way he felt There was his lack of attire She was so close he could breathe in her scent, and if he moved, he’d have to touch her

"This is ridiculous," she said

"This?"

"Us Here Not, umnot You and ree"

"I mean, after all," she told him seriously, "I’m quite prepared I’m on birth control It doesn’t make sense for two people to abstain when the desire is there And, well, it’s the age of Fifty Shades of Grey--andI want to have sex"

"Hmm Just sex?"

"Yes, just sex"

"Oh"

"Oh?"

"What kind of sex?" he asked, but he knew she saw the grin twisting his lips

He thought she was about to say normal sex But she stopped herself andhi out to hiht "Let’s see Hot, steaetic, explosivesensual, vital, vibrant, aet everything else in the world"

"Okay," he said Still, he didn’t touch her Not yet Then he asked, "Did you want that once--or twice? If you’d like it twice, I’ll dotells ood"

"Just pretty good?"

"Possibly excellent This is all still theory, you know?"

"Theories need to be tested," he said "That’s the only way to prove them" He didn’t knohich one of them moved first She eased up on her toes; he crushed her into his ar in his effort to control the force of everything he wanted She returned the kiss and it was passionateand hot, wet, steamy His hands were on her and the robe seemed to slide from her skin in slowof hie for tea Maybe she’d even hoped he’d co in the kitchen--pots, pans appliances--seeth of her body where they stood, his kisses covering her flesh, his fingers sweeping along it Desire stoked energy, and each tih soo He felt her hands on his shoulders, heard her sweet urgent whispers and sought her with ever greater inti out at last, as she slipped into his arms Theirher on the counter She was breathless and beautiful, lips parted softly, eyes intense with sensuality

Heabout his boxers, but so on the counter crashed to the floor Neither of the to each other

He’d wanted her He denied hiency, was almost unbearable Hisin hi explosion

It was inevitable; the h hi force of a windstorainst hiht, shaking, all but melded to him

And there they were, on the counter in her kitchen Tremors continued to rack his body so that he almost feared he wouldn’t be able to stand

He s aard because, as he’d feared, soh it had been incredible sex

"I think we nailed the sweaty," he told her, trying to lighten the mood

He felt her smile before she pulled away to look up at him Her arms locked around his neck as she leaned her head back

"Pretty good on the passionate, too," she said

"And vital, I think"

"Oh, yes" Her so-round?"

"There’s nothing like checking and rechecking the facts," she agreed

"Always important," he said

She slid off the counter and into his arms He ducked down to retrieve his boxers and her robe They ran up the stairs