Madelyn rose to add another log to the fire, stabbing at it with her slight hands wrapped around an iron poker. As she bent to the fire, the weight of her breasts fell forward. The flames shot up as the new log caught. Harry wasn't sure if he was reading her signals correctly, so he stood also. He didn't realize just how close he was until she turned around and nearly collided with him. Reaching out instinctively, he grabbed her upper arms to stop her from falling. He could feel the additional heat pouring from the stoked fire as it licked around the room.

Damn, he was tall! And close. Madelyn wondered how he had gotten right up behind her without notice. At the moment she was looking directly at the middle of his chest. There was a lot of it, and she could just make out the darkness of his nipples beneath his t-shirt. The cotton looked soft, as though he had owned it for years and laundered it many times. He had a hold of her arms and rather than stumbling into him, she had instinctively braced her hands on his hips. It felt intimate. She could smell him now. How had she not previously taken notice of his aroma? Beneath the smell of something barely there, clean and spicy, was his own musk and the faintest tang of perspiration. Inhaling deeply, Madelyn lifted her eyes to his. As dark green as hers were, his eyes were light and playful.

Harry raised one side of his mouth in a smirk. Forgetting himself, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. His hair fell forward to swing around their faces. Her lips were supple and had some give to them. However, as quickly as he had bowed and stolen the kiss, she turned her lips away. His voice choked in his throat so that when he spoke it sounded gravelly. "I, uh, I apologize. I didn't intend to overstep. It's late, I should head out, it'll take a while to drive back to town with the snow." He felt like such an ass!

Releasing her arms, he busied himself collecting the remains of the meal she had shared with him. Brushing past her he made for the kitchen to drop what he had gathered up and to pull himself together. Shit, shit, shit! What had he been thinking? Obviously he had read too much into her laughter and the way she had leaned toward him as they had conversed over dinner. Then he had gotten lost in her movements as she had tended the fire. Her body was mesmerizing as she had bent herself this way and that, her breasts swaying slightly, her pert arse on display. Harry had never read a situation like this wrong before. Now he was feeling inept and completely out of his depth. The best he could do at this point was apologize for being an assuming asshat and get the hell out of there. Forcing himself out of the safety of the kitchen, he moved to the entryway where he had dropped his boots. He rapidly pulled them on skipping the laces.

"Thanks for dinner, Madelyn, I enjoyed your company. Again, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Throwing his parka over his arm and reaching for the doorknob, he looked at her directly. "I'll, uh, just get out your way now."

Until that moment, she hadn't moved from her position in front of the fireplace. There were bells going off in her head. He had taken her off guard with that kiss. For the past two hours, they had chatted and enjoyed the wine and warm company. Sure, she was attracted to him physically and he must have been picking up on that; but there was also something about him as a man that was drawing her in. He was clever and witty; he was smart, and although he was deferential, there was a streak of cockiness that flowed just beneath the surface. Madelyn appreciated it when a man could value her independence but knew when to take control. Although he was younger than any man she'd been with, she thought Harry might be able to do just that. So what was holding her back? Was she concerned about the age difference? No, she was self-assured enough to know that she could hold her own. He wouldn't have kissed her if he hadn't felt the same pull. If she wanted him, it was now or never. It was time to make a decision.

"You didn't offend me, Harry. The roads are going to be hell by now, and you've had almost three full glasses of wine. You don't need to leave." She didn't sound as certain as she felt.

"It's fine. I messed up. I read the signals wrong. I can go." His hand was already on the doorknob.

"You didn't mess up, Harry. You didn't read me wrong." Her voice was getting stronger.  "Stay, Harry. I want you to stay." She spoke with conviction now.

He stood stock-still as several seconds ticked by. He thought she looked adorable standing there with her hair piled up on top of her head, her glasses forgotten in the mess, the wrap she wore having completely moved aside her breasts, her filmy shirt letting just a hint of raised nipples and pink areola show through, thick wool socks bunched over the ankles of her snug leggings. Harry took a deep breath, kicked his boots off and threw his parka to the ground. He took three long strides towards her. She released a gush of laughter as he crashed his lips into hers.

He wrapped his arms around her torso, placing his left hand at her lower back, and his right between her shoulder blades. As Harry pulled her closer, Madelyn ran her palms up his chest. She held them flat and felt his heartbeat increase under her touch but he seemed to be holding back. She didn't like it. Letting out a tiny hum, she gently bit at his lower lip. That was all the encouragement Harry needed. Her nibble ignited a fire in his gut. If he was going up in flames tonight, he was taking her with him. He brought his right hand up into the thick hair at the back of her head, the other hand slipped lower over her ass as his tongue traced the line between her lips. She sighed heavily and parted them.

Harry moaned, darting his tongue into her mouth. The tiniest whimper escaped her throat causing him to deepen the kiss. His tongue was engaged in an aggressive exploration. He ran the tip from the back of the roof of her mouth forward so he was tickling just behind her teeth. She lifted her chin and danced her tongue against his. He smiled when she tried to catch his between her teeth. Breaking his lips away, he kissed along her jaw and up to her right ear. He gently tugged at the outer shell with his teeth then nudged the lobe with his nose before clamping down just behind it. Madelyn inhaled sharply. Raising her arms, she grabbed at the back of his head with both hands, scrunching his curls between her fingers. Ah-ha! He had found a sweet spot, and he was in no hurry to vacate the area. She began to breathe more heavily as he bit down, sucking and licking. Just as the pain began to outweigh her pleasure, Harry kissed the spot and blew cool air over her skin.

Her skin prickled and her nipples tightened in response to Harry's attention to her neck. She felt suddenly lightheaded and leaned more heavily into him. He responded quickly by using the hand on her bum to pull her higher and closer to him as he rutted into her abdomen. Standing was becoming a challenge for him. She was several inches shorter than he was and he wanted to feel more of her. Carefully, he backed her up to the chaise. He reached back and eased her hands out of his hair, placing one of them on the short back of the piece of furniture. Quickly he leaned down and spread the down blanket over top.

Looking directly into her eyes as he stepped back to her, he took her miniature hands in his large ones and led her to sit down, guiding her legs so they extended along the length of the lounge. He straightened, reaching his arms back over his shoulders and pulling his shirt up and tossing it off. Madelyn felt her eyes roll back slightly at the sight of his bare chest. He had tattoos. They were scattered about his well-defined chest, stomach, and arms. The amount of ink was unexpected and sexy as all get out!

Leaning forward, Madelyn began to remove her socks. "Let me," Harry spoke softly. He coaxed her woolies off one at a time, revealing coral painted toes. He smiled that rather than the expected racy red; she would choose a softer, more feminine color. Harry sat at the bottom of the chaise and took a foot into each of his sizeable hands. Firmly, he kneaded the soles, running his thumbs up the arches. Falling back in bliss, Madelyn wondered if this might be better than the sex she was hoping for. He continued up her legs, stroking the insides of her thighs until he reached their cusp. Harry watched her bite into her lower lip, sliding it through her teeth as he palmed her. "You're so warm." He wrapped the fingers of both hands into the waistband of her leggings and waited. Madelyn gazed at his long fingers and the weighty silver rings he was wearing. She raised her hips and he knew that was his cue. Ever so slowly, he slithered the leggings over her hips and thighs, kissing and nibbling as his mouth followed their downward progression. Dropping the garment to the side, he let his eyes travel back up her body to meet her gaze.

"Harry? Don't stop," she pleaded.

"Mmmm, I have no intention of stopping." The playfulness that had been in his eyes earlier, vanished; his irises darkened to a deep forest green and his pupils dilated with anticipation.