Shoving up her sweater, Will pulled and tugged until it popped off over her head, her head sticking up, her arms flailing as she tried to get free. Then to his total amazement, she reached back and unhooked her bra and tossed it to the side, exposing her very lovely b.r.e.a.s.t.s, bare shoulders, and flat belly to him. Will forgot to breathe.

Then he couldn't prevent a guttural growl from coming out of his mouth as he bent over and took her nipple into his mouth, cupping the soft weight of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his hands. She gasped, pinching his shoulders. That sound, the way she expressed her pleasure, her voice the same one he knew so well, yet so different, was as big of a turn-on as the taste of her tight flesh under his tongue.

Sliding his hand down, he caressed the front of her jeans, back and forth, feeling the soft give of her body beneath his touch, regretting the thickness of denim. It was just a hint, a tease, so he unpopped the snap and tore her jeans and panties down all in one desperate motion. Lacking in any sort of romance or finesse, definitely, but he was about to suffer bodily harm from excessive arousal. He'd make it up to her later.

Charlotte was obviously of a same mind, because she gave him a hand by stepping out of her jeans. Kicking them to the side, she dropped down to her knees, before he even got a glance at her nakedness. Her knees. Hands reaching for his fly.

Holy s.h.i.t. He hoped he knew where this was going.

It was. In two seconds she had his c.o.c.k out and in her mouth. No hesitation, no playing around, no lick, no flick, just deep down into her throat, enclosing him in her slick, moist heat. He grabbed her head for balance and closed his eyes. "d.a.m.n, sweetheart. You're killing me."

She pulled back completely, mouth shiny, eyes hooded and still trained on his erection. "I've been wanting this for a long time."

Then she enclosed him again, forcing a quick, hot rhythm on him that had his b.a.l.l.s tightening and his teeth grinding. It was so f.u.c.king good, but too much, too soon. He jerked away, and shoved his own jeans down and dropped onto his knees. Charlotte rested in front of him, lips puffy, chin glistening with moisture, her chest pink with excitement and exertion. Giving her a searing kiss, Will put his arm around her shoulder and urged her back onto the carpet.

Pausing to take a look, to savor the moment, to run his gaze over her beautiful, s.e.xy body, Will whispered, "You are amazing."

She gave him a brief smile and mouthed, "I love you," soundlessly.

It about tore his heart out, and he felt the most overwhelming sense of tenderness and grat.i.tude toward her. He couldn't imagine his life without Charlotte. He wanted her forever, as his, body and soul. Time to slow this down, get control, make love to her slowly and completely.

Then she spread her legs in a seductive offer.

All plans went out the proverbial window. He accepted that he was a selfish brute as he trailed his fingers through her damp curls, swirling around her c.l.i.t, and opening her for him. She gave little gasps of pleasure and wiggled her hips, drawing her legs farther apart and exposing her pink, moist s.e.x to him. Will put his palms flat on the carpet, moved between her legs, and thrust inside Charlotte, filling her completely.

He paused to regroup, mouth dry, erection throbbing at the first feel of her body wrapping around his, at the sight of her beneath him, chest heaving, eyes rolling back in pleasure, hair damp with sweat, nipples peaked and deep red. He wanted to savor, but he was too on the edge, too out of control.

And when she said, "Will, please, G.o.d, you feel so good," he gave up trying to stop himself. He just pounded into her, over and over, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. She made frantic little sounds of pleasure, her cries getting louder each time he sank inside her, and Will knew she was almost ready, felt her legs squeeze around his thighs and her inner walls tense, constricting on his c.o.c.k. Then she came, back arching up, eyes wide in shock, cry petering off into a strangled gasp, her hips stilling, even as he felt the tremors deep inside her. It was beautiful, surreal, arousing as h.e.l.l, and he stroked through her o.r.g.a.s.m and straight into his.

Charlotte watched Will above her, and couldn't imagine that she could ever love him more than she did. She had wanted this, hoped for this, h.e.l.l, pined for him and a moment like this, but never could she have imagined that when it actually happened, she would feel this whole, this loved, this completely and deeply happy.

Almost as good as the s.e.x itself was the way he collapsed on the carpet and pulled her tight in next to him, her legs entangled with his. Almost. The s.e.x had been really hot. But it was sweet and comfortable, serene, lying naked with him, the hard planes of his chest warm beneath her hand, his body still partially inside hers.

"I completely forgot about a condom," he murmured, his hand stroking her back slowly. "I'm sorry, that was totally irresponsible."

"It's okay, I forgot, too." And truthfully, Charlotte wasn't worried about it. She knew Will and where he'd been and it wasn't anything to be concerned about. As for getting pregnant, she was twenty-nine years old, a successful business owner, and involved with her best friend, the man she loved. A child wouldn't be a crisis. In fact, she got a little warm and fuzzy inside at the thought of starting a family with him someday. "Would it be awful to say I'm glad we didn't have latex between us for our first time?"

"It's not awful, considering I was thinking the same thing, but it sure as h.e.l.l isn't politically correct." He sighed, and kissed the top of her head. "d.a.m.n, sweetheart, that was a good time."

She laughed, feeling too satisfied to move. Ever. Despite a shiver that went through her from being naked in December on the floor.

But Will noticed and said, "You cold? Let me grab a blanket." He slid out from under her and walked toward his bedroom.

Charlotte rolled onto her side, resting her head on her arm so she could have a clear view of his tight b.u.t.t and muscular thighs, his strong back, and chiseled forearms. Will was a fine man in more ways than one, starting with his intelligence and compa.s.sion, and ending with that naked a.s.s in front of her. It made her want to lick her lips and start all over again.

But he disappeared into his room, and when he returned a minute later, he was wearing jeans and holding a blanket in his hand. Her disappointment at having him covered was profound. He looked amazing in jeans, she'd give him that, but she'd been gawking at him clothed for eight years. She'd wanted to linger a bit on his nudity, really get a good eyeful before he covered it all back up. She would have to content herself with the knowledge that she'd be seeing a whole lot of his bare body from there on out.

"I know it's freezing outside," he said as he dropped onto the floor and spread the blanket over her and brushed her hair back off her shoulder. "But would you want to go for a ride? There's something I'd like to show you."

She had absolutely no interest whatsoever in getting dressed and going outside in the snow and freezing wind, but if he had something to show her, she wanted to see it. "Sure." Trailing her fingers over his bare chest, she smiled at him. "Then when we get back, we can finish putting your tree up. And other things."

"What other things?" He grinned.

"I'll leave it to your imagination."

"I have a very good imagination. I've spent a good long time picturing all the things I can do to you." His eyes had darkened.

Sounded perfect to her. "Then let's go. Sooner we go, sooner we get back."

WILL LIKED THE GRAY HOUSE. IT WAS SMALL, AMANDA hadn't exaggerated about that, but it was double the size of his apartment, and it was structurally sound. It had two bedrooms, and a funny little extra room that must have been an outside sleeper porch originally, one and a half baths, and a kitchen, dining room, and living room. Lots of thick woodwork, a brick fireplace, and an old milk chute cut out in the kitchen wall.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Will stopped in the living room and looked at Charlotte. Her opinion meant everything in the world to him, because he had every intention of seeing her living in the house with him.

She had walked through the whole house with him, quiet, but eyes sharply inspecting everything. She'd seemed surprised he was considering buying a house, and maybe a little offended he hadn't told her. It hadn't been a secret, he just hadn't been sure. He'd been waiting for something before he made that big investment. Now he knew just what that was. He'd been waiting for Charlotte. To make the decision to buy a house together.

He'd almost given up on that dream. But now here it was, right in front of him, everything he had ever wanted.

"It's cute, charming. I like it, Will." She ran her hand over the fireplace mantel, still the original oak. "It has character. Good bones."

"Good. I'm glad you think so, because I like it, too." Will searched for the right words to convey to Charlotte what she meant to him, how she was his family, his life, his heart. "And I only want to buy this house if you can picture yourself living in it with me."

Her head whipped around and her eyes met his, wide with shock. "Excuse me?"

Will didn't even hesitate. They'd wasted enough time, he didn't intend to waste any more. "Charlotte, I know this is moving fast, but we know each other better than a lot of people who've been dating for years. I am completely and totally in love with you...You are my very best friend, you are amazing, and I want you to live with me. In this house, or a different one, if you don't like it. But I want you with me, now, forever."

He closed the two feet between them and took her hand. "Will you marry me?"

Even he hadn't known he was going to say that last bit. But it just came out, right and strong.

Charlotte thought Will's proposal was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard in her entire life. It should have felt surreal, strange, that after all those years of just being friends, they would leap straight to a commitment, but it didn't. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Will Thornton was the man for her. And now he was going to be her husband.

Tears popped into her eyes and she touched his cheeks, studying his strong, handsome face. "Yes," she said, nodding her head rapidly. "G.o.d, yes, I will marry you."

Then she was kissing him, or maybe he was kissing her, she wasn't sure which, and it didn't really matter because they were together, as one, and it was a kiss of pent-up love, past frustrations, present pa.s.sion, and future happiness.

"I love you," he whispered, pulling back a hairbreadth.

"I love you, too." And all the amazing things his tongue was suddenly doing to her neck.

"This house still has some furniture in it since it was a rental," he said as his tongue splayed across the swell of her breast, her neckline stretched down again. "Couch or bed?"

"Will! This is Mrs. Stritmeyer's house...we shouldn't."

"So? We're buying it, aren't we? It's going to be our house soon."

Their house. Holy c.r.a.p. She almost had an o.r.g.a.s.m just at the thought of that. Waking up with Will. Eating dinner every night with him. Sharing a bed, a shower...That image went straight to her inner thighs. "Shouldn't we look at other houses?" It was a struggle to feel practical when his hand was sliding over her c.l.i.toris through her jeans, but she forced the words out.

"I did. Didn't like anything else." Then he buried his head back in her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Besides, don't you know the story? This is the honeymoon house. The original owner built it for his bride."

How romantic was that? She almost melted right then and there, but Charlotte had heard a different version. "I heard it's haunted...that the lady cries in the mirror upstairs because her husband left. That's downright sad."

"She cries from missing him because they were so in love. That's romantic. We can bring love back to this house, sweetheart." He peeled her bra down and licked her nipple. "Starting right now."

"Okay." She did like the house. And it was the spot where Will had proposed. And he was doing really amazing things to her nipple, which made really just about everything make sense. "Let's buy it."

"It might be cool living in a haunted house, as long as this ghost isn't yanking down my zipper like the one in your garage."

Whoops. Guess she had never really discussed that with him. She really wasn't at all sure how he was going to like the idea of having a witch for a wife. Not that she was exactly witchy, but still, he might not be comfortable with her strange new ability to levitate objects. She wasn't comfortable with it, come to think of it.

"That wasn't a ghost, baby."

"Well, something did it. I didn't imagine it. Or the fact that someone grabbed my b.u.t.t."

Had she done that, too? Charlotte didn't see how that was possible, but at the same time, she'd been waxing quite poetic about his a.s.s right at that particular moment. "You see, the thing is, you know how Bree thinks I'm a witch?"

"Uh-huh." His mouth switched to her other breast.

Like it wasn't hard enough to force out the words. He was seriously distracting her.

"Bree says I can move objects. She says I unzipped your pants with my mind."

Will went completely still, tongue on her nipple. His breath blew hot on her slick skin, making her nipples firm even more. "Say that again."

She really wanted to just forget the whole thing and go back to foreplay, but he had obviously gotten distracted by the whole "I'm a paranormal freak" thing she'd just thrown at him. "I unzipped your pants. I was, well, interested in you, s.e.xually, you know, and I envisioned your jacket opening, and it did. Then I pictured your pants unzipping and they did. I'm sorry." She really did feel contrite about that. It wasn't fair to unzip his pants without warning and she was going to have to learn how to control her so-called talent.

Will stood up, leaving her chest half uncovered. "So, you're saying you did it? Did you know you could do stuff like that?"

"No. I'm still not convinced I can."

"Unzip my pants now."

"Will!" Charlotte felt her cheeks burn, and she wasn't sure why. "I don't think so."

"Come on. I want you to." He stood with his legs apart and hands loosely at his sides. "Unzip me. Take what you want."

Oh, my. That was a little hard to resist. Charlotte stared at his snap and zipper, pictured them opening for her. Pictured what was behind them. Pictured wanting him, undressing him. She chanted down in her head over and over, concentrating on the metal b.u.t.ton, vision blurring.

And the b.u.t.ton popped open. The zipper went down.

"Whoa," Will said.

Charlotte felt a strange sort of pride in her accomplishment. "I can't believe I can do this."

Will grinned, peeling off his winter jacket and tossing it to the floor. "Think of how many ways you can take advantage of me."

"You don't mind that I have a freakish ability?"

"h.e.l.l, no. That is seriously hot, sweetheart. Just don't ever get mad at me and wing dishes at my head."

"I'm not a dish-throwing kind of girl."

"I know." Will sat down on a fussy Victorian sofa in front of the fireplace. "But you're not really the nice girl you claim to be, either. You have a naughty side, too."

"Maybe I do. More than I realized." Because she was already stripping her jeans off, just like that, and climbing onto his lap. "We'd better make it quick," she told him, even as she ground her panties against his erection. "The heat's not on in here. And you never know who might show up."

"I can be quick."

He wasn't lying. He had somehow managed to spring himself free, and while he kissed the stuffing out of her, he got her shirt up, bra unhooked, and panties pulled to the side. Before she could barely blink, his finger was inside her, stroking her incoherent. Charlotte plunged her tongue into his mouth, needing to taste him, her hands in his hair, holding on. G.o.d, she loved him. She never wanted to let him go.

Desire spiraled into desperation. Normally, she'd always thought of herself as a little bit s.e.xually inhibited, but none of that was in evidence with Will. She just felt, reacted, took. Ripping his shirt up, she pressed her bare chest against his, dragging a moan from both of them at that wonderful collision of hot flesh on flesh.

Will lifted up her hips and brought her down onto him with one smooth motion. Charlotte couldn't have even explained what exactly happened to her panties. Somehow they were sideways, enough out of the way to accomplish the primary goal, which was him deep inside her. She let her head drift back as he lifted up into her, the angle pressing his pelvis into her c.l.i.toris in a frantic tease. Charlotte lifted her hips and slammed down onto him, meeting him thrust for thrust, frenzied and determined. She needed it hard, needed to feel all of him, needed to take them there together.

So much for slow again. Will figured maybe eventually they'd get there, in about a year. He just wanted Charlotte too d.a.m.n much to have any sort of patience whatsoever. She seemed to feel the same way, given the way she was bucking up and down on him, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s brushing against his chest, her a.s.s soft and s.e.xy on his thighs. When she came, Will thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She was so honest in her appreciation, her cries loud and unrestrained, her eyes rolled back, her fingers gripping his skull.

Her convulsion jerked his head back, and that was all it took to make him join her. Will pulsed into her, straining, holding her at the waist, wanting her still so he could fill her as completely as possible. It had some solid staying power, and Will finally collapsed back against the sofa and let out a little laugh.

"Was that quick enough?" he asked, blinking hard to focus on her.

Her skin was shiny and pink from exertion and pleasure. "That was perfect." She grinned and leaned forward to kiss him softly.

Will stroked her back lazily. Then heard a car door slam. "Uh, sweetheart, I think someone's in the drive."

She leapt off him with a dexterity that was impressive, tucking and adjusting and pulling her jeans back on. Will did the same and he was just slipping back into his jacket when they heard the front door open and giggling.

"You can see my new thong," a female voice said.

Uh-oh. Will knew that voice. He darted a glance at Charlotte, whose face had lost all the flush from their lovemaking and every other ounce of color.

Abby and Brady Stritmeyer came into the room, laughing and kissing and pawing at each other's clothes.

"Abigail Murphy!" Charlotte said, her voice filled with horror.

Abby's head snapped up and her eyes went wide. "Charlotte?" she said in a tiny voice.

"s.h.i.t," Brady said, quickly pulling Abby's shirt back down.

"What the h.e.l.l are you two doing?" Charlotte asked.

Will figured that was obvious, but he kept his mouth shut.

"The, uh, movie sucked, so we left halfway through. Brady's grandma owns this house, so we came to talk." Abby was blushing, but she was also holding her arms crossed over her chest defiantly. "I don't have to be home until midnight. What are you two doing here?"

"I'm buying this house," Will said. "I wanted Charlotte's opinion." And her body, but that was irrelevant. "And I wanted to ask her to marry me, so I did."

Abby dropped her arms, defiance disappearing. "Are you serious? OhmiG.o.d! That rocks, Will!" She ran to her sister and bounced on the b.a.l.l.s of her feet. "Did you say yes? Tell me you said yes?"

Charlotte smiled and accepted her sister's hug. "I said yes."