“Your window’s open.”
She turned to stare at it, unable to believe she’d forgotten. The whole time she’d been frantically searching her underwear selection, there’d been nothing between her and the world except for a flimsy screen. “I know.”
His gaze snapped to her. “Did you open them, or did Fire?”
“I did.”
He searched her face, and then he smiled. “Good for you.”
Although she glowed with pride on the inside, she tried very hard to keep her expression blasé. “Thanks. Now are you going to strip, or what?”
After staring at her for a startled second, he laughed and yanked the shirt over his head. “Happy?”
Her eyes fixed on his chest. In the fading evening light, the shadows and highlights made him look like a piece of artwork. Daisy raised her hand, wanting to touch, but she hesitated before making contact. Losing her nerve, she started to drop her arm to her side, but Chris caught her fingers.
Pressing her palm to his chest, he held it there until she started moving her hand, stroking over the wiry hair and soft skin that covered the muscles beneath. She’d seen him without his shirt before, and she’d wanted to touch so many times. It was hard to believe that she actually had her fingers on Chris now. A laugh escaped as she raised her other hand to join the first.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, his smile starting to grow.
“Nothing,” she told his belly button as her fingers traced the grooves between his ab muscles. “I’m just glad we’re doing this.”
Skimming his hands up her arms and over her shoulders to cup both sides of her jaw, he tilted her face toward his. Dropping his head, he brushed his lips over hers, connecting with the slightest of pressure. “Me too.” He paused, hovering just over her mouth. “God, you have no idea how glad.”
Her fingers dropped low enough to dip into the waistband of his BDUs, and his teasing ended. With the kiss, he took over her mouth. Forgetting about her plan for cautious exploration, Daisy let her hands mindlessly roam over his sides. He walked her backward, his lips never leaving hers, until her legs bumped against the bed.
The need for oxygen forced her to pull away. As she sucked in air, Chris took the opportunity to peel her tank top over her head and toss it aside. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he kissed her heaving stomach, exploring her so thoroughly that Daisy could tell he was as fascinated by her body as she was by his.
“When we were working out in your gym,” he breathed, following the line of her lowest ribs with just his fingertips and leaving goose bumps in his wake, “I’d catch myself staring at you all the time. I can’t believe I actually get to touch you.”
“I know the feeling.” Her voice caught on the last word as Chris used his teeth to scrape against her skin. “Especially when you wear those pants that look like they could slip off your hips at any second. It’s hard not to stare.”
“At least I don’t wear Spandex,” he growled, moving to a new spot to torture her there. “Those new outfits you’ve gotten since the others started working out with us…” The sound he let out was full of frustration and longing. Although she knew it shouldn’t make her happy, she couldn’t erase her smug smile. It was just so satisfying to know that she hadn’t been the only one wanting what she thought she could never have.
With a final nip that made her gasp in the best way, he stood and circled her waist with his hands. Dipping his head, he kissed her lips as he slid his fingers higher, until they traced the bottom edge of her sports bra. Daisy stood on her tiptoes so she could press her mouth harder against his.
He pulled away as his fingers circled around to her back, still fingering her bra. “What’s the trick to this?”
For some reason, that made her snort a laugh.
“No, seriously.” Despite his words, he was grinning, too. “Are there hooks? A zipper? A hidden keyhole? A secret password? Because it seems awfully tight just to pull off over your head.”
She was almost laughing too hard to be of any help, but she managed to peel off her bra, yanking it over her head and flinging it across the room. “See? It’s like magic.”
“Yeah.” His face was serious, and the heat in his eyes as he stared at her bare breasts sucked all the desire to laugh out of her, leaving only need. “Magic.” He covered her with his hands and then his mouth, and her knees went wobbly. Half-sitting and half-falling, she plopped onto the bed, Chris following her down.
As he worked his way up her neck, she stroked his head and down his back, pressing into the muscles running along his spine so she could both feel and hear his groan of pleasure.