One corner of his full mouth lifted. “I never tortured you. I may have teased you occasionally.

“Ha! When I was in third grade you told me that Reggie Overton stole little blond-haired girls and fed them to his Dobermans. I was terrified of Reggie for years.

“And youve spent most of your life walking around with your nose in the air as if I smell bad.

“No, I havent. Delaney didnt think shed ever looked at anyone like that.

“Yes, you have, he assured her.

“Than why did you kiss me tonight?

His gaze slid to her mouth. “Curious.

“Curious to see if Id let you?

He chuckled quietly and let his eyes move down the row of buttons closing her dress. “No, he said as if a rejection had never occurred to him. He looked back up into her eyes. “Curious to see if you taste as sweet as you look.

She stood as tall as she could and took a few chugs of beer for courage before she asked, “What did you decide?

He crooked his finger at her and said in a low and sensual voice, “Come here, wild thing.

Something in his voice, what he said and the way he said it, drew her to him like they were connected by string and he was just reeling her in. A funny little tickle pulled at her stomach.

“Ive decided you taste like my Uncle Josus huckleberry wine. Definitely sweet, but with a warm kick.

She hid her smile behind the Coors can. She wanted to be like wine. “Is that bad?

He took the beer from her hand and set it behind him on the hood of the car. “Depends on what you want to do about it. He set his beer next to hers and stood in one smooth motion. He placed two fingers beneath her chin and stared into her eyes. “Has anyone ever kissed you until you were so hot you were burning up?

She didnt answer, not wanting to admit that shed never been so consumed or burned up with passion that shed lost her head or her fear of Henry.

Nick moved his hands to the sides of her neck, and he looked into her eyes. “Until you didnt care about anything else? He lowered his face to her ear. “Has anyone ever touched your breasts? he whispered. “Under the shirt, beneath your bra? Where your skin is warm and soft?

Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.

“Slipped his hand inside your panties? His hot open mouth moved across her cheek. “Felt between your legs where youre slick and ready?

Besides health class, no one had ever really talked to Delaney about sex before. What she knew, shed learned from movies and from eavesdropping on other girls at school. Even Lisa assumed she was a prude, but apparently not Nick. Nick saw what no one else did, and instead of being offended at his language, she turned her face and kissed him. For years shed heard rumors about his sexual conquests. She didnt want him to think her naive and boring in comparison, and she purposely turned up the passion and devoured him with her lips and tongue. She let herself fall head first into the dizzy heat burning her flesh. Her young body filled with the hot juices of desire, and for the first time in her life, she let go of everything else.

The kiss shattered their differences, sweeping them away on a glut of passion. His hands moved to her back and slid to her behind. He palmed each cheek, then dragged her on to the balls of her feet and crushed her breasts against his chest. He pulled her against his pelvis and let her feel his long hard erection. She wasnt afraid. Instead she felt free. Free to explore for herself what other girls her age knew. Free to be a desirable eighteen-year-old on the verge of becoming a grown woman. She was flushed with new sensations and wonder, and she wanted him to touch her like he would any other girl. To lose herself in him.

He pulled back and let her slide down his body.

“We better stop right there, wild thing.

Delaney didnt want to stop. Not yet. She slid right back up his chest, fitting her body to his. She licked her lips and tasted him there. “No. A shudder ran through him and he stared at her as if he wanted to shove her away but couldnt quite bring himself to do it. She looked into his eyes then let her gaze skim his handsome face. She kissed his cheek and just below his ear. “Im staying right here. She opened her mouth and licked his warm flesh. He smelled of soap and skin and cool mountain breezes.

His hands moved to her waist, then slipped up her sides, bunching the material of her dress. The hem rode up to the top of her thighs, and he pressed his erection into her abdomen. “Are you sure this is what you want?

She nodded.

“Tell me. Tell me so theres no mistake.

“Touch me like you said.

He filled his palm with her right breast. “Here?

Her nipple tightened into a hard point. “Yes.

“You never answered my question. Has anyone ever touched you like this?

She looked into his eyes, and it was like she was seeing a whole other side of Nick. For the first time she saw past the breathtaking face to the man inside. She didnt know this Nick. His gaze was intense, yet he caressed her as if she were made of something delicate. “No.

“Why? He lightly brushed his thumb over the tip of her breast, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning out loud. “Youre beautiful, Delaney, and you could have anyone you want. Why me?

She knew she wasnt beautiful, not like her mother. But the way he looked at her and touched her, and the tone of his voice when he said it made her almost believe him. He made her believe anything was possible. “Because you make me not want to say no.

He groaned deep in his throat and lowered his mouth to hers once again. The kiss started as a light brush of lips but quickly turned hard, wet, rough. The carnal thrust of his tongue touched something equally carnal within her and she squirmed against him. She wanted to crawl inside Nick, feel surrounded by him. When he finally set her away from him, her breathing was heavy. He reached for the buttons that closed her dress, and he gazed into her eyes as he worked downward until the pink cotton lay open past her waist. A twinge of apprehension penetrated the warm haze clouding her head. No man had ever seen her naked, and while she wanted him to touch her, she didnt necessarily want him to look at her. Not a man like Nick whod seen more than his fair share of naked women, but then he pushed the dress apart and it was too late. The cool air beaded her already taut nipples, and he lowered his gaze to her bare breasts. He stared at her so long her apprehension grew and she raised her hands to shield herself from him.

“Dont hide from me. He grabbed hold of her wrists and held them behind her back. Her spine arched, and the straps of her dress fell down her arms. He again leaned his behind against the hood of the car, bringing his face level with her naked breasts. He whispered her name, then kissed between her cleavage. His cool cheek brushed the inside slope of her breast, and she forgot all about her apprehension. “Youre beautiful. His words warmed her skin and tugged at her heart, and this time she believed he meant what he said. He rested his forehead against her, his dark hair in stark contrast to her white flesh. “I knew you would be. Ive always known. Always. Then his hot mouth drifted across her breast and he slid the seam of his lips across the very tip. “I knew youd be pink right here.

For one fleeting second Delaney wondered how he knew, but then his tongue circled her nipple and her brain shut to cohesive thought. Her breathing became shallow as she watched his tongue curl, licking her.

“Do you like this?

Behind her, Delaneys hands tightened into fists. “Yes.

“How much?

“A... a lot.

“Do you want more?

Delaney closed her eyes and her head fell to one side. “Yes, she answered, and he drew her nipple into his mouth. His lips tugged and she felt the pull between her legs. It felt good. So good she didnt want him to stop. Ever. His mouth moved to her other breast and he sucked that nipple also. His tongue licked and stabbed and drove her fidgety for more. “Nick, she whispered and pulled her wrists free of his grasp. Her dress fell to the ground and pooled about her feet. She dug her fingers into his hair, holding him to her breast.