From her gasp, he knew he had startled her, but she slipped her hands up over his chest and twirled a length of hair loosened from his ponytail, her breath warm against his cheek. With every ounce of willpower, he waited until she dipped her head to his again. He didn’t want her to regret any of what was going to happen. He wanted—no—needed for her to come to him willingly, of her own accord. His mouth hungrily met hers as she tugged at the thin leather tie at his nape, spilling his hair to his shoulders.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” Her fingers dug into his hair.
And the beast inside him roared.
He cupped her bottom, yanked her hips forward against the stiffened erection straining beneath the fabric of his jeans and moved against her core. She arched her back and pressed her breasts to him. When he grasped the zipper at the back of her dress, he paused one last time which surprised him. Normally at this point, it would be all about fucking, pushing himself into the female fast and hard. The fact that he hesitated shocked the hell out of him. He cared about Mackenzie, what she thought now, whether she was completely ready for this, and he cared about what she’d think tomorrow and next week.
Her half-closed eyes were heavy with passion and she clutched at his shirt, maybe a little desperately. Oh God, he hoped so, because he was certainly desperate for her. He pulled the zipper down slowly, giving her the chance to stop him, but she didn’t. It slid past her shoulder blades, the curve of her spine, down to her waist, where it stopped at the small of her back. The straps fell of their own accord, baring her skin to him, and he ran a thumb over her delicate collarbone. Her pulse vibrated at the base of her neck and called out a sweet invitation just inches from his deadly smile.
No, I will take her as a man only.
With a flick of his wrist, her dress was gone and she shimmied out of her tights. Glorious, she straddled his lap, naked except for the thin meaningless triangle of her thong. Although he’d seen her without clothes before, this time was different. This time she was naked for him.
“God, you are so beautiful, Mackenzie. So very perfect.” Her breasts sat in his hands, neither too large nor too small, and he marveled at the softness of her porcelain skin as she trembled beneath his touch.
“I’ll bet you say that to all your honeys. Wait. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“I have never told that to another woman.” When she lifted her eyebrow he added, “I speak the truth, whether you believe me or not. I do not lie.” About that.
His palate ached, his canines threatened to elongate, but he was ready for his body’s automatic reaction. He ran a precautionary hand around the leather band at his wrist. Although the barbs had poked into his skin all evening, the movement jostled and reopened the tiny wounds. He stifled a hiss and his primitive instincts were again consumed and dulled by the searing pain rather than by taking her blood.
She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized his face, no doubt trying to figure out what just happened. Of course she sensed what he was feeling, although she couldn’t have known how or why. “Is something wrong? I…I… Are you okay? I’ve got the strangest sensation that you…” She had been unbuttoning his shirt but stopped.
“Shhh. Don’t worry. I am more than fine. Much more.”
When he took her nipple into his mouth and ran a thumb over the other one, he heard the ragged hitch of her breath. He circled his tongue against the delicate flesh already peaked from the cool night air and coaxed them both to even greater stiffness.
It was too cold for her to be unclothed like this, and his impatient sex would stay imprisoned no longer. With a grunt, he stood up, her legs clutched around his waist, and he carried her to the large canopied lounge and covered them with a down blanket.
He smelled her desire, stunned by its sweetness. It seemed to wrap around him, drawing him closer, pulling him in. Although he was familiar with women’s passions, this was much different, deeper, as if she called to him on another dimension.