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  It wasn’t as though she’d missed having sex. Based on her experience and Phil’s comments, it had pretty much been another chore.

  It wasn’t until Phil was gone and the girls were off at school that she gave it much thought. Once she did, it began to consume her. Entire lifestyles and corporations were built on sex. What were people so gung-ho about?

  It was a question that had her, at forty-one years of age, looking through the self-help section of a bookstore, where she saw an ad for an erotic romance writers and readers convention. It had dawned on her that if anyone knew about sex, it would be these people. A little online research confirmed her thoughts and she had signed up and bought airline tickets before she could change her mind.

  The trip changed her life. Meeting a core group of woman, five there and one online later, women who understood her fears, her desires, gave her the most valuable tool to make those desires come true. She found out she wasn’t alone and they confirmed there most certainly was a lot to be gung-ho about.

  She just needed the courage to test the waters. It was what the group and the Cougar Challenge, was all about.

  She could do this.

  Ten minutes had gone by and she already felt better even though an email check didn’t reveal any response. She posted another message.

  Me again. You know what? I’m good! I used one of our exercises and spoke to myself rationally in front of a full-length mirror.

  I forgot to mention the reason Phil was calling. He says he can’t make his payment because his new wife sprung a leak and they want to upgrade her breasts while they’re having it fixed. The more I think about it, the sorrier I feel for her. No matter how big or what shape she makes them, it will never be quite good enough for Phil the Asshole.

  I’m going for the test drive with Kevin. My body may have some wear and tear but there’s still decent mileage left. I’m signing off for now but you can bet I’ll post later.

  Wish me luck!

  Elizabeth

  Chapter Four

  Kevin was right on time.

  Elizabeth let him in her front door, careful to latch the safety behind him. The girls attended the same college and it was local enough for them to pop in on the weekend without calling first. Rare, but it did happen.

  She turned from the door and stopped short. The view from behind made an equally great impression. He had an incredible body and the thought of having free rein with it almost sent her into V-fib. The man could fill out a pair of jeans in all the right places, no padding necessary. Of course, that was a fun fact that needed confirmation and she was up for the challenge.

  They hadn’t discussed his staying through the night and he didn’t have a bag with him. Or flowers. He did have a bottle of wine.

  “Why don’t you have a seat and take a look at the takeout menus on the coffee table,” she suggested. “I’ll open the wine.”

  “Great.” He handed her the bottle. “And hi, nice to see you again.”

  Elizabeth laughed, immediately more at ease. God, he was even more delicious than she’d remembered, and those eyes! He was wearing a royal blue short-sleeve polo shirt and when he moved she caught sight of a tattoo winding around his right biceps. His dark jeans hugged his body, though they weren’t nearly as tight as the ones he’d worn on stage. And they weren’t belted halfway down his ass with his boxers sticking out, thank god.

  Huh. Did he wear boxers, or briefs? Or did he go commando? The knowledge that she was soon to find out added to her excitement. She hoped it wasn’t tighty whities, though with a body like that he had to look better in them than Phil had.

  And why the hell was she thinking about Phil? That damn phone call!

  Motioning Kevin toward the couch and watching him walk in front of her helped get her mind back in the gutter. She continued into the kitchen, separated from the living room by a countertop, where she opened the wine and watched as he made himself comfortable by looking around.

  He paused at the pictures along one wall and then at the ones dotting her built-in bookshelves. She kept quiet and let him look his fill. He knew she was divorced and yes, there were a couple of pictures that included her ex. She’d given the girls most of them but this was still their home and he was their father.

  Kevin didn’t say anything until she came into the living room with two glasses of the pricey merlot he’d brought. When the first question came, it was one word.

  “Family?”

  Just as she’d thought, he was a very smart man. That one word left her the option to say as little or as much as she wanted. “Yes, the girls in the pictures are my daughters.”

  She didn’t expect his wince.

  “Are they off with their dad right now?” he asked quietly.

  Mental head slap. Of course he didn’t know how old they were and the last thing he’d want would be to get caught in bed with their mother. And ew, thinking like that wasn’t a huge turn-on for her either.

  She had two choices. She could simply say the girls wouldn’t be home all weekend, or she could lay the whole truth out now and get the age thing over with. It was like ripping off a Band-Aid. Do it in degrees to try to hold off the inevitable pain for a while, or do what she advised her patients and get it over with.

  She chose the quick rip.

  “Let’s sit down.” She handed him his wineglass and walked toward the couch, away from the watchful eyes of the photos. If there was any chance of success, she couldn’t think like a mother tonight.

  They sat, she on one end and Kevin choosing the middle. She took it as a good sign he was still interested when he didn’t leave a huge space between them.

  With one bracing sip of her wine, she forced herself to look straight into those incredible green eyes, which now reflected curiosity.

  His reaction mattered. She didn’t need a pity fuck. She’d had enough “try it anyway” failure in the bedroom, thank you very much.

  “Both girls are in college. In fact, they attend the same college. They don’t know I invited you here and I don’t care to find out what their reaction would be to my entertaining a thirty-year-old.” She paused as another thought hit. “You are thirty, aren’t you?”

  The question made him grin.

  “What?” she asked when he didn’t say anything.

  “I just turned thirty. Do I get to ask your age in return, or will I find myself dripping merlot on my way out the door?”

  Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I’m forty-one.”

  She’d surprised him. She could tell that by the quirk of his brow but there wasn’t anything more to it.

  “Is that what you needed to get off your chest?” Kevin sat back a bit, his posture more relaxed. “You were forty-one and had kids when we kissed at the club. Knowing your age doesn’t change that we were smokin’ hot. As long as we’re being honest here, I haven’t been able to think about anything but coming here all week long.”

  Oh, he was so getting laid! She still needed one more bit of info from him before completely jumping his bones though, knowing it would be more relaxing if his answer was yes. “Have you ever been with a woman who’s had kids?”

  He slowly shook his head and slung a shot right back. “Have you been with anyone since your divorce?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” Kevin leaned forward to put his drink on the coffee table before reaching over and doing the same with her wineglass. He sat back, managing to slide closer to her in the process. “I kind of like being on even ground that way.”

  It was all she could do not to laugh out loud. He was worried about following Phil in the sack? He could be hung like a gherkin and do better.

  But there wasn’t any time to dwell on it, or to set Kevin straight. There was only time to lick her lips, an action that made his eyes flare with heat. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer, remembering exactly how “smokin’ hot” it was the last time they kissed.

  “You have the most incredible bottom lip,” he murmured, right before nibb
ling her there. “Remembering how you felt, how you taste, has kept me hard all week.”

  Oh. My. God. All ability to think, to reason, to doubt, went out the window the second his mouth opened over hers.

  Kevin Springer wanted her. Badly.

  Christ! Something about this woman set Kevin on fire. Ten minutes and he was on her couch with his tongue in her mouth, trying to keep his hands from wandering. Not that she was protesting.

  There was a hesitation in her, though. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he felt it when they spoke and for a split second when he brushed his hand over her breast. It was why he didn’t linger there or push for more right then.

  He couldn’t blame her. This was fast, even for him. Yeah, she’d made it clear what she wanted from him and hell yeah, he wanted that too. But the more they’d corresponded during the week, the more intrigued he’d become with her.

  Finding out she hadn’t been with a man in at least a couple of years added to the mix big time. It had been about a year for him and he was ready to explode. Maybe he shouldn’t have let his desire build all week without jerking off but it was too late now.

  God, she tasted sweet. If he came right away, he knew he’d only have to kiss her to start over again with round two. He figured he might be ready to let her rest by round five. If she let him stay that long.

  Hot damn if not being able to read her wasn’t half the excitement. She didn’t need him, she wanted him. He was the one with the desire bordering on need.

  Still, he could be a gentleman and wait longer than ten freakin’ minutes in her presence before jumping her bones.

  Pulling back was hard, hard being the operative word when he tried to sit up. He couldn’t quite hold back a wince and was glad for it when she responded with a slow, sexy smile.

  Oh man. He swallowed hard. Would fifteen minutes be gentlemanly enough?

  He was giving that serious consideration when the takeout menus caught his eye. Dinner first would be good. They’d both need the fuel.

  He leaned forward and grabbed the one right on top. “Ozzie’s sounds good to me.”

  She sat up straighter. “Sure. You know the place?”

  “Yeah. My apartment is a couple of towns over. A little closer to the city but a lot lighter on the wallet.”

  He’d felt a bit intimidated when he’d driven up to her building. Elle lived in a luxury condo complex, complete with guest parking. His place was twenty minutes down the road but his one-bedroom, cookie-cutter apartment was an entire universe away in class and style.

  Thankfully, that feeling had disappeared the second she’d opened the door. The clothes, makeup, hair, condo, it all fit her and she wore it easily. He liked that a lot.

  “It’s a perk of selling off a house with equity and working longer at my career. Does it bother you?” she asked.

  Man, he got off on how straightforward she was. “Nope. By the way, you’re buying.” He handed her the menu, pleased when she laughed. He hoped to hear that a lot. If she asked him to stay.

  Maybe that was part of the key to reading her too. She’d probably appreciate it if he were as forthcoming as she’d been with what she felt and wanted. Shit. Did that mean he wasn’t usually that way? Funny, until he met her he hadn’t really thought too much about his role in the dating game. Just because he sat back and let the drama queens dictate which game was played didn’t excuse him. He still played the game. Worse, he kept dating young drama queens.

  “Is something wrong?” Elle interrupted his thoughts and he realized he was frowning.

  He shook his head and went for it. “Why don’t we go get the sandwiches instead of having them delivered? It would give us a chance to talk a bit and I can grab my bag from my car.” He paused to gauge her reaction. One raised eyebrow. He did that himself when he was surprised but still listening, which wasn’t a bad thing.

  “I know you didn’t invite me to stay the night,” he continued, “but if it works out for both of us, that’s what I’d like to do and I’ll be prepared. Hell, if it’s as good as I think it will be, I’ll stick around as long as you want. Either way my bag and I are both out of here at the first word, no questions asked, no emotional outburst. Okay?”

  She studied him for a moment, that perfect brow still raised as her intelligent, deep brown eyes assessed him. “Okay,” she finally said. “Thanks for the honesty.”

  He wanted to kiss her again but he knew he wouldn’t stop this time and he was determined to get to know her better. He sure as hell liked what he knew so far.

  Chapter Five

  Elizabeth had to admit she was enjoying herself. She’d figured, hoped, she’d be a couple of orgasms into the evening by now and instead found herself in a sandwich shop joking around with the hottest guy in the room. Knowing she was going home with him for a night of wild monkey sex made her giddy with excitement. Please god!

  The girl behind the counter had actually stuttered while taking Kevin’s order and delivered such a look of envy when he took Elizabeth’s hand that it was probably a good thing someone else was making the sandwiches.

  You bet your perky boobs he’s going home with me! If the thought put her at the maturity level of a schoolgirl, oh well. It felt damn good to have Kevin’s attention and she was going to revel in it. And she did indeed pay for the sandwiches, though Kevin drove.

  They’d talked about music on the way there and he asked her about her work on the way back. She found out he liked all types of music and playing with the band a couple of times a month was a satisfying way to have fun and relieve stress. The gigs were part of the reason he drove a pickup, which made it easier to haul equipment.

  She hadn’t mentioned it to him but letting someone else drive for the first time was always a little nerve-racking for her. It was a control issue that had developed over the time she’d spent as a nurse in the ER, where a large percentage of their patients were brought in following car accidents.

  But Kevin kept his hands firmly on the wheel and his eyes on the road even when they were talking. It only took a couple of blocks for her to relax. He was also interesting and he truly listened when she spoke. There wasn’t much time to delve into anything deep but she enjoyed telling him some of the lighter side to being a nurse.

  By the time they pulled up to her building, she was more curious about him than ever. She was also more excited than nervous when he reached into the extended cab for his bag.

  “Do you like being an engineer?” she asked, determined to keep those nerves at bay.

  “Yes.” He shouldered the bag and reached for the sack of sandwiches she carried, leaving her hands free to get them inside. Their fingers brushed and his hand lingered a second before he alarmed the truck and pocketed the key. “I like puzzles and at the end of every project there’s a tangible item that I helped build. Depending what the contract is for, sometimes those items have an important role in people’s lives. It’s a good feeling, knowing I was at least partially responsible for its creation.”

  “I can understand that,” Elizabeth said. She got her door open and latched the safety behind them.

  “Bad neighborhood?” He joked.

  “Unpredictable visitors.” She stepped out of her flats and left them by the door.

  “Ah.” He paused to kick off his sneakers, leaving them next to his bag just off the entryway. He could have kept them on. She was simply more comfortable without shoes but she liked that he paid attention. “We’re not talking ex-husband with a grudge here, are we?”

  Elizabeth put her purse down and went to the kitchen to grab plates, napkins and the open bottle of wine. “No. I don’t think his wife would appreciate that.”

  He watched her as she set the stuff down on the coffee table. If he was looking for any pain behind her disclosure, he was barking up the wrong tree.

  “Your daughters, then,” he said, coming to the right conclusion. “So suggesting we eat this in our underwear is out of the question?”

  She
laughed. The question should have made her nervous again but the pure eagerness in his voice and the heat in his eyes were exciting. Then she thought, why not? She’d have her bra and panties on and she’d get to lay eyes on him too. It wouldn’t be a bad start and they would be a dozen steps closer to the ultimate goal.

  Her hands went to the buttons on her blouse and she had two undone before she dared to look at him.

  He sat so still she wasn’t sure he was breathing. If she thought she’d heard eagerness in his tone before, the visual put that to shame. The fire in his eyes made them shine like emeralds.

  She didn’t look away and he didn’t move until she had the blouse completely undone. When it dropped to the floor, he took a shaky breath and let it out in a rush as her hands went to the zipper at the side of her slacks.

  God, was she really doing this?

  “Don’t stop now.” He sat up farther.

  Elizabeth took her own deep breath and lowered the zipper. This was it. She’d waited long enough to see what it was all about.

  The material slid down and she lifted her foot to step out of them one leg at a time. Only she didn’t realize that when she switched feet, she caught part of her pant leg with her other heel.

  One moment she was pure grace, the next the carpet was coming at her in a rush. Strong arms wrapped around her at the last second and she landed atop a hard, hot body. Definitely a softer landing for her but his giant “Ooph” didn’t bode well for her rescuer.

  Not that she was lifting her head anytime soon to see if he was okay. No, the nurse in her was going to have to stand back. She was staying right where she was, red face buried in his chest. Forever.