The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

her skin as he moved it up her ribs to the underside of her breast, and a pulse of need like nothing she’d ever experienced thrummed through her veins. Heaven help her, she wanted to feel his hands on her body, wanted him to touch her in ways no man ever had. But when he released the front clasp of her bra, then pushed the lace aside so he could take the weight of her in his palm, Abby thought she would surely burn to a cinder as waves of heat washed over her.
    When her knees failed completely, he caught her to him. “Does that feel good, honey?”
    “Mmm.”
    He grazed her hardened nipple with the pad of his thumb, and she felt as if her soul caught fire. “Why don’t we get rid of some of these clothes so I can make you feel even better?” he asked.
    When she opened her eyes and met his blue gaze, she realized he wasn’t just asking to remove her clothing. He was asking for her trust. Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded and brought her own hands up to the top snap on the front of his shirt.
    “Let’s do this together,” he said, removing his hand from her breast. “I’ll take off our boots, then you can remove my shirt.”
    As he led her over to the couch to remove her bootsand socks, then his, she realized he was setting a slow pace, allowing her to feel comfortable with each step of their lovemaking before they moved on. Emotion filled her at the care he was taking.
    When he straightened, he reached for her and pulled her up to stand in front of him. “Your turn,” he said, bringing her hands to the lapel of his shirt.
    Abby knew Russ was trying to help her feel less vulnerable by having her remove his shirt first. Touched beyond words, she placed a kiss at the top of his exposed collar and delighted in his sharp intake of breath and the darkening of his blue eyes to navy.
    Encouraged by his obvious pleasure, she tugged his shirt free from the waistband of his jeans and set to work on the snap closures. She’d never removed a man’s shirt before and she found the experience both exciting and empowering.
    But when she released the last gripper and pushed the shirt from his wide shoulders, her own breath caught as she reached out to touch the well-defined sinew of his broad chest with trembling fingers. He stood completely still and let her test the thick pads of his pectoral muscles, then outline the ripples covering his flat stomach.
    A sprinkling of light brown hair covered his warm skin, then narrowed just below his navel. Unable to stop herself, she traced the thin line until it disappeared beneath the waistband of his low-slung jeans.
    Glancing up, she noticed that Russ’s eyes were closed, his head thrown back. She was driving him wild, but he was allowing her the freedom to explore his body without interference. Emotion welled up inside of her at his sacrifice.
    “Russ?”
    “What, honey?” His chest rose and fell with his labored breathing.
    Before she lost her nerve, she took his hands and placed them at her waist. “Take off my shirt.”
    His head snapped forward at the same time he opened his eyes, and, holding her captive with his heated gaze, he did as she requested. Dropping it to the floor where she’d tossed his shirt, he reached up with both hands to slide his fingers under the straps of her bra. Her heart raced, and she wasn’t sure that her knees would support her when he slowly slid his palms down her arms, taking the scrap of lace with them.
    “You’re so beautiful,” he said when he cupped her breasts.
    He teased the hardened tips with his thumbs, then dipped his head to capture first one nipple, then the other, with his mouth. Abby thought she would surely die from the intense sensations his teasing created, and she had to brace her hands on his biceps for support.
    When he lifted his head, he took her into his arms, and the feel of the downy hair covering his chest as itbrushed the sensitive tips of her breasts sent ribbons of desire swirling throughout her entire being. Feeling as if warm honey had replaced the blood in her veins, she shivered with a need stronger than she could have imagined possible.
    “You feel so damned good, I think I’m going to go off like a Roman candle,” Russ said, his voice sounding like a rusty hinge. Setting her away from him, he guided her hands to the button at the top of his jeans. “I don’t want to rush you. But if we don’t get these off, I’m going to end up hurting something.”
    Her heart pounded as she pushed