"Something like that. But it'll heal and then I'll be back to my usual studly self."

"Are you?"

"Studly, you mean?"

"Yes. Would you say you're handsome?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "Hell, no. Definitely not handsome. Don't get me wrong. I'm not scaring small children or anything, but I'm definitely not going to be on the cover of a magazine anytime soon. Why? Still think you'll be able to describe me for the sketch artist?"

"No. I'm just curious. I mean, I know it shouldn't matter, but this would be easier if I was pretty sure you weren't a complete monster." She brushed one thick eyebrow with her index finger and felt his long eyelashes flutter against the palm of her hand.

"You mean you'd feel better about being attracted to me?"

"I didn't say I was attracted to you. I'm just making the best of a horrible situation." She jerked her hand away from his face and brought it down until her arm was crossed protectively over her breasts.

"Oh, baby. You don't have to say it. I know you are." He leaned forward and whispered against her temple. "You see, while you've been fondling my mug, I've been studying you. There's a flashlight aimed right at the bed and I can see every beautiful inch of that sweet little body of yours."

She shook her head in denial. "You have not!"

"Afraid so. And I just love the way your mouth has dropped open just enough that I can see your adorable pink tongue. Every once in a while you lick your lips and it's driving me crazy, I want to taste you so bad. And don't even get me started on your breasts. You can try and hide them all you want but your nipples have been as hard as pencil erasers for the past ten minutes. Just begging me to suck on them."

"It's cold in here. I can't help that. And my lips are dry."

A deep chuckle escaped his throat as he nuzzled the side of her face and flexed his hard flesh against her stomach. "It's like a sauna in here, and I'd be willing to bet that your lips aren't dry at all. In fact, I'm pretty certain that they're soft, moist and very, very sweet."

Holly gasped. He was most certainly talking about another set of lips entirely. Why did his words make her even wetter? The crotch of her lavender boy-short panties w as a soggy mess and she felt heat flood her cheeks at the thought of him discovering the evidence of her arousal at some point this evening.

Unaware she was even doing it, she licked her lips nervously and was startled when he groaned and pulled back to a sitting position.

"Honey. You have got to stop doing that or I am going to lose it. I'm boiling in my own skin here and watching you do that is just making it worse"

She heard some rustling and was aware that he was removing his shirt.

"Heww. That's better." Leaning down again he gently removed her hand from where it had been resting on her shoulder and brought it back up to his face. She resisted for a moment, unwilling to expose her treacherous nipples to his gaze again, but he pulled insistently until she conceded. She was feeling a bit self-conscious about her emaciated frame, but judging by his behavior and his massive erection he didn't find her body distasteful in the least. Besides, the thought of him watching her while she was completely in the dark was incredibly erotic.

He kissed her fingertips again and pressed her palm against his unscarred cheekbone. "Now, are you done mapping my face or can I choose the next touch zone? Cause I think it's time to take this road trip south. Way south."

"I'm not done," she nearly squeaked, panicking at the thought of touching that great column of flesh pressed into her stomach. She was fascinated by the impressive size and shape of him but her incompetence in this area would be too shamefully obvious if he was serious about choosing his penis as the next touch zone. She needed more time to get used to the idea.

Trying to distract him, she slid her hand up until it was sifting through the silky strands of his hair. She couldn't tell the color, of course, but she imagined that it was dark. There was a bit of a wave to it, and it felt shaggy under her fingers, like he needed a trim, but couldn't be bothered.

Experimentally, she wound her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled gently on the short strands at the base of his skull. He had tugged on her hair earlier, and she had been surprised at how pleasurable the sensation had been. Judging by the long, low groan that escaped him and the way he was flexing his hardness restlessly against her stomach, he was enjoying it just as much as she had.

He pressed his head into her palm, rubbing back against it like a big cat. "That feels so good," he growled and leaned forward. "Don't stop. I want to taste that pink tongue of yours while you do that."

Not waiting for permission, his mouth was suddenly pressed against hers. He had lifted her chin with one large hand and his kiss was not gentle or sweet. It was hard and insistent and incredibly enticing. His tongue licked at her mouth and then delved between her lips, taking what he wanted and devouring the last hint of her resistance.

Against her better judgment, Holly found herself responding to the undeniable sensual energy of his kiss. The playfulness was gone from his demeanor and all that was left was intensity and a deep-seated urgency. His passion was the most powerful aphrodisiac she'd ever encountered. She, who'd never inspired more than a lukewarm reaction from any man, had drove this dream man to this white-hot level of passion without even trying.

She'd never felt so wanted in her life. Without thought, she opened wide to allow him access to her own eager mouth and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to have his silky tongue thrusting deeply between her teeth, showing her how he wanted to take her body with the same rough force.

As he kissed her he slid the hand that been stroking her throat down to cup one pert breast. He molded the soft mound with his palm, learning its shape and contours through the camisole, but avoiding the ripe nipple entirely.

Holly nearly whimpered in frustration as he stopped kissing her just as his talented fingers left her breast. For a moment she was confused. Until she felt his callused palm sliding under the hem of her camisole and tugging the soft material up her body until it pooled at the base of her neck. Her breasts were exposed now and he was completely still. She could feel his eyes on her and had to fight the impulse to cover her chest again, but she kept her free hand firmly anchored in the soft hair at the nape of his broad neck and waited.

"Jesus," he said softly. "You're even prettier than I imagined." And then he was squeezing both breasts together to create a deep valley which he licked in one long sweep. He flicked one tight nipple with his tongue and then the other, switching back and forth between the two as if comparing their taste and finding them equally delicious. Finally he settled on one and sucked the crest deep into his mouth. He tugged at it rhythmically while circling the tip of the opposite breast with the center of his palm causing a delicious friction that seemed to ignite every single nerve in Holly's body.

"Oh. Yes. That's good." She sighed, shifting restlessly beneath him.

"Do you like that?" He whispered against her breast.

"Yes. Oh yes." Rubbing her thighs together, she lifted her hips, searching for something to ease the ache between them.

"How about this?" He gently scraped one nipple with his teeth and then latched onto the tip once again, circling it with his tongue to soothe it. Then he nipped it again, harder this time.