She quickly amended her answer to, “On the bed would probably be best.”

“Clothes on or off?”

Her cheeks grew even rosier as she said, “How about shirt off, pants on?”

He whipped his T-shirt off and threw it across the room. “Ready whenever you are.” But she didn’t move, didn’t say anything, just stood there looking a little uncertain. “Ash, you don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

“I know. I want to do this.” She licked her lips again, and then the next thing he knew, she was reaching for the buttons on the front of the shirt she was wearing and opening them one at a time.

By the time the first button was undone, Drew was already on the verge of dragging her onto his lap to devour her. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he didn’t want to mess up Ashley’s final birthday gift for him.

The first hint of what her gift might be was revealed by the opening of the third button—very sheer black lace bra cups that just barely covered her nipples.

“You were wearing black lace all night?”

She nodded, looking shy again as she undid the final two buttons and let her shirt fall to the floor. “I felt different in it. Sexier.”

“You’re always sexy,” he said, “no matter what you’re wearing. But if I’d known—”

The rest of his words dried up in his mouth as she undid the button on her jeans and drew the zipper down to reveal more sheer black lace. She shimmied out of her jeans, then stepped out of them, leaving her skin barely covered by a bra and thong.

“Ash...” He couldn’t keep his hands off her for another second as he reached out to drag her onto his lap, his hands caressing the bare skin at her hips, his mouth playing over the sweet swell of flesh above her bra. “If I’d known about this,” he finally managed to say, “I wouldn’t have been able to remember a single word to any of my songs.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it?” He kissed her hard. Long. Deep. “This is another of the best damned birthday presents anyone has ever given me.”

She looked pleased. “There’s more.”

“More?”

She nodded again, her skin flushing as she said, “I thought maybe we could put on some music and I could...” She put her hands over her face. “I can’t believe I’m still shy with you.”

“I love it, when you’re shy and when you’re not. All sides of you, Ash, they’re all beautiful. Tell me what you’re going to do once you put on some music.”

“Well...you’re always saying that you love seeing me dance in the audience at your shows, so I thought maybe I could dance for you in private tonight. First with the lingerie on. And then—”

“—with it off,” he finished for her.

It took every ounce of control not to take her right then and there, just to rip off the lace and silk and give them both what they were dying for.

“I really do love watching you dance, Ash, and I’m dying for you to do it now in black lace. But you have to know, I’m not going to be able to wait too much longer to have you tonight.”

“I can’t wait too much longer either,” she whispered.

When her tongue flicked out to lick his lower lip, he nearly fast-forwarded past her striptease, but she had already slid off his lap and was scrolling through her phone for a song to play.

She settled on an instrumental with a sensuously driving drumbeat, one that matched the pounding in his chest. He’d have to remember to ask her later who this was they were listening to, but for now, all he cared about was the way she was moving her hips, swaying from side to side. Her back was still to him as she let the music rumble through her, anticipation ratcheting up and up and up as she slowly began to turn toward him at the same time that she inched the straps of her bra down over her shoulders.

He held his breath as the lace slipped lower and lower, and by the time she was facing him completely, the bra cups were barely staying in place over her nipples. “Take it off, Ash.” Each word was raw. Hungry. Desperate.

Still moving her hips in time to the tribal beat, she brought her hands to the hook at the center of her chest and met his eyes at the exact moment that she snapped it open.

“Beautiful.” He exhaled the word in one long breath.

Her lips turned up at the corners as she slid her hands down over her bare breasts and over her rib cage and stomach. Once she reached her hips, she slid her fingers beneath the thin strip of lace holding up her thong. Not once did she look away from him as she slowly slid the fabric down, then let it fall to the floor.

The next thing Drew knew, she was lying beneath him on the bed. He couldn’t remember reaching for her, just that he couldn’t wait another second to have her.

Drew put his hands on her hips and gripped her tightly, her skin soft beneath his fingertips. He wanted to touch her everywhere, wanted to memorize every inch of her skin, first with his hands and then his mouth.

Her eyes were dilated nearly to black as she looked up at him, her breath coming fast, her skin flushed a gorgeous rose. “Drew.”

God, he loved it when she said his name like that. With so much need. With so much emotion. She tried so hard to stay rational all the time, to keep from letting her passions spill over. But when they were together this way, she could never hold anything back from him.

Everything she felt, everything she seemed to think she needed to cage up, poured into him in her kisses. In the way she looked so deeply into his eyes. In the way she whispered his name.