“Take off your shirt, baby, and come here.”
She hesitated.
“I want to feel your skin against mine when you touch me.”
Her heart beat so fast it felt like it might just fly right out of her chest. Shaking, she kicked off her shoes, then slowly reached for the hem of her shirt and dragged it over her head. It landed on the cold concrete floor next to his.
“Bra too.”
Her pulse skyrocketed. But she did as he asked, reached back, unhooked her bra, let it slide into her hands, and dropped it to the floor as well.
“Gods, you are so beautiful.”
The awe in his voice, the passion, overrode everything else. Hunger stole through her, a deep, intense craving to be close to only him. She moved to the foot of the bed and carefully pressed her hands against the mattress. Silk brushed her palms. The mattress dipped as she climbed over him.
She made sure her hands and knees weren’t close to his skin, sweeping her hair to one side so it didn’t hit him in the face. But seeing him bound like that below her…waiting… She licked her lips and fought back the burning arousal…she wanted him. Needed any part of him she could get.
“I—I want to kiss you,” she managed. “Is that okay? I won’t touch you anywhere else yet.”
“Yes,” he exhaled. “That’s more than okay. Just go slow.”
Carefully, she lowered her face to his, making sure to keep her weight on her hands and her knees wide. Her hair skimmed his shoulder. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t tell her to move back. And his warmth—how could she have ever thought he was cool?—enveloped every part of her.
She paused when she was a breath away. Looked deep into his eyes. And knew no one—in the history of the world—had ever felt the way she did right now. “I love you, Titus.”
“Show me.”
Her lips lowered to his. A whisper of a kiss. The softest caress of skin against skin. Beneath her, she sensed his whole body contract. But he didn’t pull away, so she did it again. Added a tiny bit of pressure. From the corner of her vision, she watched his hands curl into fists.
She pulled back. “That hurts, doesn’t it?”
His eyes were tightly closed. He breathed heavily through his nose. “A little, but I can handle it. I want you to do it again. And this time I want you to do it like you mean it.”
She couldn’t stop the smile playing with the corner of her mouth. Gods, she wanted that too. What he was giving her… It was the biggest sacrifice he could ever make for her.
Slowly, she leaned forward again. Her hair fell against his cheek. She lowered her mouth to his once more. Trailed the tip of her tongue against his bottom lip, then gently kissed the corner of his mouth. He groaned. Her adrenaline surged with fear and doubt. She was hurting him. She had to pull back.
“Titus—”
He lifted his head, captured his name from her lips before she could get more than an inch away, and slid his tongue into her mouth.
Heat spiraled through her body. And the connection she’d felt to him before—the passion and love he’d ignited in her—swirled like a firestorm, overwhelming everything, even her fear.
She moaned, sank into the kiss, tangled her tongue with his, and reveled in the taste of him all over again.
He kissed her back, his lips turning greedy against her own. She wanted more. Needed more. She nipped at his bottom lip and licked into his mouth again. Could go on kissing him like this forever.
“Gods, Tasa,” he groaned. “Touch me. Use your hands.”
Slowly, she transferred her weight to one hand and brushed the other over his bare shoulder.
He jerked at the first touch. She pulled back from his mouth and yanked her hand away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Skata, don’t stop now.”
His voice was strained. Every muscle in his body tight. And he was still breathing so fast and shallow. But there was a look in his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. One she couldn’t quite decipher. Yes, there was pain, but there was also something else.
Pleasure.
He was enjoying this.
“You’re killing me, baby. Touch me, dammit.”
Her heart thundered. She leaned back so she was resting her weight on her thighs. The fabric of her jeans just barely pressed against his ribs. Starting at his shoulders, she slid both hands against his bare skin, then ran her fingers down his naked chest.“
His body jerked like he’d been shocked. “Oh gods…”
His eyes fell closed. Between her knees, his entire body tensed. When she would have pulled away, he hissed, “Don’t stop. Keep going.”
Her pulse was a roar in her ears, but she kept going. And knowing what he was going through for her, her heart cracked open wide for him. If she’d loved him before, it didn’t even compare to how much she loved him now.
Lightly, she ran her hands across his pecs, down his six-pack stomach, then up again, circling the tips of his nipples with her thumbs. He groaned, so she did it again. Tiny quakes shook his body, but he seemed to like them. Gaining confidence, she leaned forward. Her bare breasts grazed his stomach. He moaned low in his throat. She breathed hot against his chest then licked his dusky nipple.
“Oh…fuck.”
His whole body bucked beneath her. Startled, she drew back. His face was beet red and he was straining against the cuffs. Pleasure condensed into panic. “I’m hurting you, aren’t I? Titus?”
“Let me go,” he rasped. “Unstrap me. Right now.”
She scrambled off him and unlatched the leg restraints in seconds. Horrified, she rushed around the bed and reached for his right arm, freeing it. He lurched away from her, freed his other arm. He couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Tears burned her eyes. She’d known this was a bad idea. Why had she let him talk her into this? Why…?
He whipped back to her. His arm hooked around her bare waist. Her feet left the ground. She yelped as air rushed over her spine.
Her back hit the mattress, and he climbed over her. She gasped, and then his mouth was on hers. Hot. Hungry. Greedy. And she felt him. His bare skin pressing against hers. His hands…everywhere.
Cloth tore. He ripped off the rest of her clothes, stripped himself of his own, never once slowing his assault on her mouth. Her hands streaked up into his hair. Fisted. She tried to pull him closer. Tried to taste him deeper. She lifted her hips. Wrapped her legs around his back. Needed him. So much…
He thrust into her violently, and she screamed in absolute pleasure. He wasn’t gentle, and she didn’t want him to be. She wanted this. Him, wild for her. Not holding back. As frantic and desperate and crazy for her as she was for him.
He plunged deep again and again. Ravished her mouth, her body. One hand found hers. His fingers entwined with hers. He slammed her hand against the mattress near her head. His grip tightened. She gave herself over to him, tried to hold back but couldn’t. Her climax exploded before she saw it coming, sending ripples of energy and white-hot light through each cell, warming every place inside that had gone cold these last weeks without him.
“Tasa…” He shook hard against her. And she felt him spilling inside her. Felt his racing heart, his sweat-slicked skin sliding over hers, his tight muscles quivering with the power of his own release.
It went on, longer than she expected. Longer than she remembered. And then he collapsed against her. No longer taut and rigid but like liquid honey against her flesh.
She pried her hand from his, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, sifted her fingers in his hair, and kissed him temple, his forehead, anything she could reach. Happiness swept over her like a blanket, cocooning them, warming them, protecting them.
He twitched.