...The moment his coffee-flavored lips and tongue touched hers, the magic began all over again, slow, warm, and indescribably delicious. Weird, because at one time she hadn’t even liked the taste of coffee.

“Did you lock the door when you came back in?” she asked, coming up for air.

“Set the burglar alarm, too.” He stretched out, full length, pulling her down on top of him. “Now, where were we?”

“Trying to take our clothes off?”

“Oh, right. What’s the hold up?”

“Give me a minute to turn the lights out.”

“No. Leave them on.”

Maddy felt a tiny frisson of excitement zigzag down her body to the sensitive spot between her legs. “Leave on what? My clothes or the lights?”

His knowing, sexy smile made her shiver. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and exactly how much she enjoyed knowing that he knew.

“The lights. I want to watch you take off your clothes. Do it slow. Okay?”

Getting off the sofa, she crossed her arms and started to lift the hem of her sweater, then stopped. “I can’t. I’ve never done this before. I feel so silly.”

“Do it for me, babe. Please?”

He began to hum an old melody Maddy had always associated with striptease, and as she began to sway to the music, he held her gaze while she crossed her arms again and gradually removed her sweater one tiny inch at a time. When the sweater was gone, she tried to bump and grind her way out of her jeans, the way she’d seen an entertainer do in a nightclub. But what that woman had made look smooth and easy was impossible for Maddy. She’d forgotten to take her shoes off first, and she’d ended up in a heap on the floor, laughing like a fool and pulling her jeans off in the usual way.

“Come here,” Ty instructed, taking her hand and pulling her up beside him on the sofa. “Put one knee on either side of me like this. Okay?” Once he had her positioned the way he wanted, he said softly, “Now the bra.”

Maddy’s nerves were in a bunch. She wanted to giggle, she wanted to run and hide. But if this was what Ty wanted as an appetizer, then this was what he would get. She reached around and slowly undid the two hooks of her bra, one hook at time, then she took her time sliding a strap down over one shoulder, and even longer with the second.

With nothing but her hands holding her bra in place, he gently tugged the lacy garment free and dropped it on top of her jeans. Leaning forward, he laved first one breast with his tongue, then the other, until her nipples were standing up in stiff points, and she’d almost forgotten to breathe.

He tugged at her panties. “Three down, one to go.”

“Why don’t you do it?”

“I want to watch you do it.”

“Okay. But I have to stand up to do that.” Maddy got off the couch and tried to imagine she was in a girlie show and taking off her panties for money. She smiled and ran her tongue suggestively over her lips the way she’d seen it done in late night movies, then she hooked her thumbs in the elastic and wiggled her butt in what she hoped was a provocative way. But then she caught her fingers in the fabric and, to her relief, Ty stood up and took over. After he’d untangled her fingers, he pushed her panties down her legs, picked her up and slid the panties off in one easy motion, then put her down again. She stared at him in surprise. “Been doing that all our lives, have we?”

“No.” He laughed and petted the silky bush between her legs. “Beginner’s luck, I guess. I wanted to touch this so bad, I just imagined them gone, and, hey presto! What can I say?”