I opened my eyes and saw that Cade had taken off his jacket and tie, laying them on the chair on the far side of the room. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and I felt a stab of desire. He walked back over to me and plucked the rest of the truffle from my hand. Holding it between two long fingers, he put it against my lips. I opened my mouth and he slid the chocolate inside. I let the tip of my tongue brush against the pad of one finger as I took the dessert and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.

“Champagne?” he asked, his voice rougher than it had been.

I nodded and watched as he poured us each half a glass. It was even more wonderful than the wine had been, a perfect complement to the chocolate. After taking a drink, he set down his glass and picked up a smaller truffle.

“Another?”

“Yes, please.” I waited for him to feed it to me again, but instead, he opened his own mouth and set the chocolate on his tongue.

As he lowered his head, I realized what he was going to do and eagerly parted my lips to receive his offer. My tongue slid along his as it entered my mouth, the bittersweet flavor of dark chocolate bursting across my taste buds. My fingertips dug into his firm chest as I sucked on his tongue, savoring every last bit of dessert. He gripped my hips and pulled me tight against him. I felt him now, growing against my stomach as I released his tongue. I let myself get lost in his kiss until my lungs started to protest the little bit of oxygen they'd been getting and I had to pull away.

“Take off your clothes.” He took a step back and ran his eyes over me, as if he was already picturing what I looked like naked.

I swallowed hard, the taste of chocolate and champagne still heavy on my tongue. This was it, I knew. Sure, if I changed my mind half-way through whatever was about to happen, I trusted that Cade would stop. But I also knew myself well enough to realize that if I made my choice here, I would see it through, no matter how terrified I was. It had been the same the first time Ronald and I had slept together.

I reached behind me, my stiff fingers fumbling with my zipper for a moment before getting it to slide along its track. Once it started coming down, I raised my eyes to meet Cade's. He was watching me with an intensity that was unnerving. There was an expectation in his gaze, as if he'd never doubted I'd do exactly what he wanted. Once the zipper was down, I started to pull off the dress.

“Slowly,” he said, halting my motions.

I let the material slide from my shoulders and down, moving slightly when it caught on my hips. When it pooled onto the floor, I stepped out of it and bent to pick it up. For a moment, I thought he'd tell me to leave it, but he didn't and I was glad. It may have been a thrift store find, but it was the nicest dress I owned and I didn't want it to be accidentally ruined.

I hung it over the back of the chair next to his jacket and realized why he hadn't stopped me. He was enjoying watching me walk around in my heels, thigh-highs, panties and bra. My already damp panties grew wetter. I'd never had anyone look at me with that much heat in their eyes. I wished I'd had fancier underwear than white lace. My mind flashed to my honeymoon lingerie, but I pushed that thought aside. I still wasn't ready.

My heels went next and then the stockings. I rolled them down slowly without having to be told and set them on the seat of the chair. As I straightened, I realized he was still completely dressed.

“Aren't you going to...?” I gestured toward him, unable to finish the sentence.

“What?” He raised an eyebrow.

He was going to force me to say it. Fine. “Aren't you going to take off your clothes?”

His lips curved upwards into a sensual smile. “No.”

A flush of embarrassment spread through me. Had this all been some kind of joke? A trick to get me naked?

“You are,” he finished.

I stared at him.

“Unbutton my shirt,” he said.

I swallowed hard and walked over to him. My fingers were trembling and I glanced up to see if he would laugh at my nervousness, but his expression was serious now. His hands stayed at his sides as I began to undo the buttons. The first time my fingers brushed against bare skin, I felt a shock of pure electricity move through me.

“Touch me, Bree.” His voice somehow managed to be soft and firm at the same time. It wasn't gentle, more like quiet, but there was no doubt in my mind that he expected to be obeyed.

Not that I wanted to disobey. Not when his command was something I wanted to do anyway.

I slid my hands between the folds of his shirt, making a sound in the back of my throat as my palms skimmed over rock-hard abs and then up to a broad, muscular chest. My hands moved to his shoulders and pushed the shirt off them. Damn. He was like some sort of sculpture come to life. Well, except I didn't think Michelangelo's David had a tattoo of a Celtic cross over his heart, the letters RIP in fancy script above the word 'mom.'

“Now my pants.”

I quickly looked away from his tattoo, feeling like I'd intruded on something personal. My hands had steadied and I didn't have trouble getting the button of his dress pants undone. The zipper, however, made me hesitate. I could see the outline of his erection and knew that if I unzipped his pants, I'd be touching him, albeit through another layer of cloth.

Cade cupped my chin and tilted my face up so that our eyes could meet. “Do you want me, Bree?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Say it,” he commanded.

“I want you.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“I think it's obvious I want you.” He gave me a crooked smile. “So you have nothing to worry about.” He brushed his lips across mine, making me shiver. “Now, unzip my pants and pull them down.”

I inhaled slowly, my face burning where his skin had touched mine. My head was spinning as I reached for his zipper. Sure, Ronald and I had undressed each other, but never like this. He'd never been this direct. I’d never felt so observed.

My fingers brushed against the bulge in the front of Cade's pants as I lowered his zipper. I could almost feel his flesh straining against its confines, begging to be released, and I suddenly wanted to be the one who freed him. I wanted to see him. But, I did as I'd been told and nothing more, crouching to finish lowering his pants. At some point earlier, he must've taken off his shoes because they were already gone, as were his socks, and he kicked his pants aside.

I stood, waiting for my next instruction. I wanted this to be perfect, and I wasn't about to let my lack of experience screw things up. I'd follow Cade's lead.

“Take off your bra.”

I'd already mentally prepared myself that he'd ask for that next, so the nerves in my stomach only danced a little. I bit my lip to quell its tremor as self-doubt began to rear its ugly head. The biggest reason I was nervous was fear that he wouldn't like what he saw. My body was proportional, but that meant my breasts were a bit smaller than average, ‘only a handful’ Ronald used to say. I'd spent my life watching men ogle Adelle's much larger chest and I hoped Cade wouldn't be too disappointed.

As I dropped my bra onto the chair, I saw the heat flicker in Cade's eyes and my nerves quieted and then settled. The cool air made my nipples harden almost immediately and I flushed, the color spreading across my chest as well as my face.

“You have beautiful breasts,” he said sincerely. He took a step forward and reached out, gently cupping them in his large hands. “Don't ever let anyone tell you differently.”

I blinked. What had prompted him to say that? I knew Adelle never would've shared any conversations we'd ever had about body issues.

“Panties next.”

I swallowed hard and slowly lowered the last thing that was keeping me from being totally naked. When I straightened, it took all of my willpower not to cover myself. When Ronald and I had been together, he'd watched me undress, but he'd never stared at me with this intensity, the burning passion I felt coming from Cade. I'd never been looked at by anyone the way he was looking at me now.