Jace caught her expression in the mirror and dropped his razor into the sink. He turned, tugging the towel from his waist, using it to wipe away the rest of the shaving cream as he strode forward.

Caroline tried to turn away, but her husband caught her wrists, pulling her close, encircling her waist, and hugging her tightly to his chest before she could move. “Of course I couldn’t share you easily,” he murmured near her ear, kissing her neck the way she liked. She braced her hands against his shoulders and pressed back, letting him know his advances weren’t entirely welcome. “Caroline, you dazzle me every time I look at you. From the very first moment I ever laid eyes on you, I was hooked. Nothing’s going to change that. Pleasure to me is just that—pleasure. I’m not looking to find a new connection with anyone. I just want to find what makes us tick and, from there, make it extraordinary.” He lingered over her collarbone and made his way slowly to her ear, ending with his lips tugging her earlobe. “Last night was completely amazing. You have to admit it,” he whispered in her ear. “We haven’t had sex like that in a long time.” He slid a hand up and used his thumb to caress a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. She shivered. “It could’ve been a coincidence, but I don’t think so. What Michael and Piper told us had everything to do with it. It was like they doused us with lighter fluid and lit a match.”

Caroline had fallen for her husband the first time she’d seen him, too.

She angled her head up. “Fine, I admit it. It might’ve been sexy to hear about someone else’s indiscretions—in that very moment.” She shook her head. “But what you’re suggesting is dangerous. I think we tick together just fine without anything extra. And I don’t believe pleasure can be wrought without an emotional bond. A person needs to be connected to hit all the right notes. If we did something like inviting others into our bedroom, there would be a steep price to pay. It’s not something you just do willy-nilly.”

Jace chuckled. “I love it when you talk Southern to me.” He walked her backward toward their king-size bed, his arms still tightly wrapped around her, the towel long gone. When the backs of her legs touched the end of the bed, he gently untied her robe. “I agree with you, by the way,” he said as his hands brushed over her bare shoulders, coaxing the soft terry cloth to the floor. “This isn’t something we should consider doing without a lot of thought, and I don’t want to share you either, believe me. But last night the sex was cataclysmic and I don’t care how we got there. If it took our neighbors to get us that horny, so be it. You were on fire, and I loved every minute of it.” He eased her back on the rumpled covers. “You were dripping wet by the time we got to the bedroom, and I couldn’t get your clothes off fast enough.” He braced himself over her, his arms on either side of her head. He dipped lower, his mouth sliding over hers, melding perfectly as their tongues entwined.

She let out a soft sigh.

The sexy talk last night with their friends had indeed turned her on.

It had been exactly like Jace had described—it was like Michael and Piper had poured gas on a bonfire by spilling their sexual secrets. But in Caroline’s mind, it had been no different than watching porn or reading a sexy story, something that always made her hot for her husband and no one else. What she didn’t want to confess to Jace right now—or even to herself—was that while Michael had been divulging the dirty details about their extracurricular affairs, his hand had slid onto Piper’s thigh, and at his touch, Piper had uttered a small moan.

Caroline’s eyes had been riveted to his hand as it’d crept upward. To her relief it’d stopped a respectable distance from Piper’s upper thigh and had ended up being very innocent.

Titillating, but nothing untoward.

“I was on fire,” Caroline admitted. Jace kissed her again, and when he finally broke away, both of them were panting hard. “But it was for you. There’s a big difference. I didn’t want Michael in my bed, I wanted you.” Michael was a very handsome man, ridiculously so, but for Caroline, he didn’t hold a candle to her husband’s natural charm and all-American good looks.

Jace lay down next to her, propping himself up on an elbow, smiling. “I knew it got to you. It made me hot for you, too. And just like right now, while we’re talking about it, it’s turning us on again.” He placed two fingers between her breasts, brushing them lightly down her chest to her stomach, ending in her soft curls.

When his fingers encircled her wetness, she let out a very unladylike moan. “Oh,” she breathed. “You’re right. It’s turning me on again. But this is because of you, not our damn neighbors.”

“You know, you’re very sexy when you’re disgruntled.” Jace leaned over and nuzzled her neck, his delicious fingers keeping up a steady pace. “And you only swear when you’re really hot and bothered, and for that reason alone, I’m going to take my time.” He licked her ear and whispered, “Because I like you wound up, about to explode.” His fingers entered her with a quick thrust, and she arched her pelvis to meet them.

He began to draw them in and out slowly, and her head lolled to the side. His lips lingered near her shoulder, his teeth grazing her skin. She sighed. “You drive me wild.”

“I want to hear you say you want me to fuck you,” he murmured, giving her a wicked grin. “Or maybe should I stop all this fun and go get ready for work?” He withdrew his fingers, and she couldn’t help but whimper.

There was no one in the world who could stimulate her with sexual banter better than her husband.

At least, she couldn’t imagine anyone doing it better.

This man could arouse her to the point of orgasm by his dirty words alone. They were like jumper cables hooked right to her libido. To her, it was even hotter that his bedroom demeanor was markedly different from his everyday life. This was a man who rarely used a cuss word in public.

The best orgasms for both of them came with the right amount of stimulation and foreplay. Over time, Jace had encouraged her to use dirty words as well, and she did, but she wouldn’t be caught dead saying them outside the bedroom. But she knew her naughty talk worked the same way on him as it did on her—often taking him right over the edge.

She always saved it for when she was absolutely on fire for him.

Like right now.

She thrashed in frustration until he finally brought his fingers down again, circling her clit, teasing her. “Well, what will it be, beautiful Caroline? Heading to work or my hard cock inside you?”

“I want you to fuck me.” She uttered the last two words on a low, drawn-out breath as she squirmed to show him how ready she was. But instead of giving in to her demands, he plunged two fingers into her again and leaned over, taking one hard nipple into his mouth. He feasted on one, and then the other, pulling and sucking, as his fingers worked hard and fast. She plowed her hands into his thick, dark hair, forcing him tighter against her chest as she arched her hips, meeting his hand thrust for thrust. “Jace,” she moaned. “I need it harder. I want to feel all of you, everywhere.”

He broke the seal on her breast and licked his way down her stomach. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “I’m going to make you come hard this morning, just like last night. But like I said before, I’m not going to make it easy.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice. “I will lick you here.” He flicked his tongue against her clit. “But you have to wait until I’m deep inside, riding you hard, until you get to come. Do you hear me?”

Her brain was fuzzy with pleasure, but she nodded, following along with his plan.

His possessiveness made her toes curl, and her belly tightened at his words, but her body was already buzzing under his careful attention. He was right, she was going to have a huge orgasm. She wasn’t sure she could wait. She let go of his hair and stretched her arms out, grasping on to the covers, fisting her hands tightly as his talented tongue hit her in the perfect place over and over again. As he licked, his fingers continued to draw in and out slowly, abrading the sensitive ridges inside. Caroline arched her back and rode his mouth, rocking her hips against him as he fucked her with his hand.