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lower, cupping her curves with ease. Ainsley’s breath caught. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized how close his fingers were to the wet folds of her sex. Another inch and he’d realize for himself she wasn’t wearing panties under her sleep shorts.
    One. Tiny. Inch.
    A phone rang, a shrill sound that broke through the lust-fog surrounding her brain. Ainsley jumped, jerking away from him as though they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t.
    “Fuck. Ainsley.”
    They were both flushed and panting. Clay had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the counter, as if it were the only thing keeping him from reaching for her again.
    “Sorry.” She laughed and clamped a hand over her heaving chest, trying to slow her racing heart. “I didn’t mean to … you should probably get that.” Since her cell phone wasn’t turned on and her house phone never rang, she knew it wasn’t hers.
    Ainsley moved to the other side of the table. Space. She needed space to catch her breath. Not an easy thing to do with Clay’s rock hard body sucking up all the oxygen in the room.
    The man devastated her senses. One touch and her control had gone out the window, replaced by her body’s demands of more and now .
    Clay cursed as he pulled the phone from his pocket. His molten stare fixed on her, he answered. “Yeah?”
    He ran a hand through his hair, his palm coming to rest on the back of his neck. “Yeah, I forgot. Sorry.”
    Pause. He closed his eyes and his chest rose, as though he purposely sought patience. Or a way to relieve the impressive erection straining against his jeans. Ainsley groaned softly and forced her gaze away from his crotch.
    She didn’t care who he was or what name he carried. She wanted to fan the sparks between them until they burned.
    “Christ, Erin. I said I was sorry. I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes, but y’all go on and eat. Don’t wait on me. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Bye.”
    He shoved the phone back into his pocket, his expression a mixture of hunger and apology. “I’m sorry, Ainsley. I’ve gotta go. I’m supposed to meet my family for breakfast.”
    Ainsley felt a twinge in her chest. She glanced toward her empty table, wondering what it would be like to have people she loved surrounding it. Call her old-fashioned, but the thought of preparing a meal and taking care of those imaginary people made her happier than she cared to admit.
    Clay came to her, his hand sliding up to cradle her face. “Looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to explore this thing between us.”
    “Looks like,” she agreed, suddenly fascinated by the hard line of his jaw. She talked herself out of touching him last night. Who knew when, or if, she’d get the chance to do so again. She traced the curve from his ear to his chin.
    “You gonna object if I come back?”
    “Nope.” Ainsley continued her exploration. She slid her finger down the line of his throat and followed the edge of his T-shirt from collarbone to collarbone. She’d count the minutes, if he wanted to know the truth.
    Clay snagged her wrist, stopping her exploration. He brought her hand to his mouth and he kissed her fingers, one by one.
    “Soon, Ainsley.” He nibbled the inside of her wrist, followed by a gentle kiss. “Very soon.”
    Not soon enough for her.

Chapter Five
    Ainsley didn’t watch Clay leave.
    The moment he closed the door, she took the stairs to her bedroom, two at a time. Going through to the adjoining bathroom, she cranked the cold water on the sink and splashed her face.
    Her body quivered with unresolved lust. Her neck was red, chafed from the scruff on Clay’s cheeks. Her hands trembled as she ran her fingers through her hair.
    Last night, she’d guessed at the intensity of the man. She’d been way off base in her assumptions. Intense didn’t begin to describe that kiss.
    Mind-boggling, soul-shattering, life-changing kisses weren’t real. Things like love and forever were foreign concepts—fairy