“Got it. Hang on a second.”
He vanished into his room. She waited for him to reappear, wondering what was going on.
A moment later he walked out onto her balcony.
“Made it,” he said. “Rest assured, no extreme risks were taken.”
She shivered but not from the cool night air. He was standing very close to her, so close that she could detect a lot more than his psi power. She was intensely aware of every aspect of him. Her pulse was already thrumming faster, and she could feel the now-familiar flutter in the pit of her stomach.
“Good to know,” she whispered. “Because I really don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He smiled slowly. “I appreciate that, even if the only reason you want me around is because I’m your shield against the Cadence Guild.”
The intimacy of the night and Davis’s own uniquely compelling aura enveloped her, affecting all of her senses. Sensual excitement effervesced through her veins. Mr. Almost Perfect.
She was suddenly sure that she could not only leap from one balcony to the next, she could probably tap dance along the railings. Who cared about the risk?
“That’s not the only reason I want you around,” she said.
She was amazed by the sound of her own voice. It was downright sultry. She was positive that she had never sounded sultry before in her entire life.
Davis gripped the lapels of her robe with both hands and tugged her closer. “You’re sure?”
She was having trouble breathing now. But in a good way. A thrilling way.
“I’m sure,” she managed.
He tightened his grip on her robe and kissed her.
Impossible as it was, she was certain that Davis’s energy and her own somehow came together in a resonating pattern that set fire to the night. She was suddenly swept up in a delirious cascade of invisible psi.
Just like last night, she thought. She should probably call a halt to things before they went too far. Just as she had last night. One-night stands were against all the rules.
But with this man she no longer cared about the rules. She didn’t want to waste time planning for the future because, given Davis’s attitude toward matchmaking and Covenant Marriage, they probably didn’t have one. Tonight might be all they had together, and she intended to seize the moment.
That realization alone was enough to tip the scales of common sense.
She closed her hands fiercely around his shoulders, glorying in the feel of sleek muscle and warm male skin. He responded with a heavy groan and deepened the kiss.
When she sighed a little and parted her lips, he shifted his hands, tightening them around her waist. He was heavily aroused. She could feel him and knew that he wanted her to be aware of the effect she was having on him.
Exhilaration arced through her. She suddenly felt incredibly sexy and wildly feminine.
Boldly she broke free of the kiss to press her lips to his throat. A shudder went through him. Without warning he scooped her up into his arms, high against his chest, and carried her into the darkened bedroom.
She thought he was going to put her down on her bed. Instead, he took her through the connecting door into his room and stood her on her feet. She saw that the covers had been kicked down to the foot of his bed. Davis had obviously had as much difficulty sleeping as she had.
She was so intoxicated with the heady, exuberant wonder of what was happening that she almost lost her balance.
Davis caught her with one hand, undid the sash of her robe, and peeled the garment off her shoulders. It pooled around her bare feet, leaving her in her pale green satin nightgown.
Davis smiled slowly at the sight of the gown. He ran his fingers under the edge of the tiny straps, just touching her skin.
“Nice,” he said. “Very nice.”
“I got it on sale last month,” she confessed, before stopping to think. “I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”
He looked pleased. “Like tonight?”
She smiled. “It certainly looks that way.”
His laughter was sexy and incredibly intimate. “Looks like this is my lucky night.”
He picked her up and put her on the rumpled bed. Straightening, he stripped off his trousers and tossed them aside. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
A tremor of unease went through her. But before she had a chance to reconsider the wisdom of what was about to happen, Davis came down beside her on the bed. He leaned over her, trapping her between his braced elbows, and began to kiss her hungrily.
The kisses rained down, dampening her mouth, her throat, heating her blood. Hot energy pulsed, Davis’s and her own, resonating once again in a pattern that drove both of them to a higher level of excitement. It had never been like this with any other man, she thought. Perfect.
She forgot her momentary misgivings. Eagerly she explored him, savoring the muscular contours of his back and hips. When her fingers closed around him, he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath.
“I won’t last long if you keep that up,” he warned, his voice low and husky.
Thrilled, she tightened her fingers a little, challenging him. This time his low laugh sent small, exciting chills up and down her spine.
He slid the satin straps off her shoulders and eased the gown down her body, all the way to her ankles. He dropped it onto the floor beside the bed.
He found her breast with his mouth, and she forgot all about teasing him. She gasped and sank her nails into his back. Her entire body ached with need. Every inch of her skin was shatteringly sensitive.
Davis’s big, warm hand slid down her waist, across her stomach. He curled his fingers into the hair at the juncture of her thighs.
She kissed his shoulder, licked him, and then, on impulse, tested his skin with her teeth. He made a soft, hoarse sound and then he caught her nipple very gently between his own teeth His fingers slid lower, seeking secrets.
She stopped breathing. Everything inside her tightened to an unbearable degree. She could feel her own slickness and knew that his hand must be covered with the moisture.
When he moved on top of her a short time later, she was trembling with anticipation and desire.
He positioned himself, and then he started to ease his way into her.
“You’re so tight,” he said, his voice ragged. “Relax for me.”
“I’m trying,” she gasped. “You’re too big.”
“No. You just need to take it easy.”
She took several deep breaths. “Okay. I’m relaxed.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Instead of pressing forward, he withdrew. She caught him closer, panicked that he had changed his mind.
“No,” she said, clutching at him. “Don’t leave me.”
“I wasn’t going anywhere. Trust me.”
He found the little nubbin hidden between the protective folds of flesh and stroked it again. Almost immediately she felt herself begin to soften and open.
“Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes, please.”
He continued to stroke her until her pleas turned to demands. Then he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.
She sprawled on top of him, knees on either side of his thighs. He found her again with his hand, using thumb and forefinger to drive her mad.
The climax struck out of nowhere. She was unprepared for it because she had never felt anything like it in her life. Pulsing waves of exquisite energy swept through her, releasing a burst of sheer euphoria.
She heard someone scream softly in the shadows. Belatedly she realized that she was the screamer.
Davis gripped her buttocks and pushed himself into her in one smooth, relentless move. He thrust twice, three times and then he went quartz-hard all over. She opened her eyes to look down at him and saw his mouth open in a grimace that could have been either great pain or unbelievable pleasure.
He roared.