“Shall I give you a clue?” he asked as the fingertips of his right hand trailed feather light over my arm. The sensation was both sweet and erotic, and it was all I could do not to turn in his arms and claim his mouth with my own.

“I could entice you with words,” he said. “Someday, I want to touch you only with my voice and tease you only with my words. I want to watch as you quiver with longing, as your body goes soft and slick. I want to watch the fire build inside you, and I want to make you explode before I even brush a finger over your skin.”

I trembled, knowing with full and humbling certainty that he could do exactly that.

“But not tonight,” he whispered as he gently brushed his hands over my shoulder blades. “I don’t have the strength tonight. Tonight, I need to touch you.”

[signoff]