The Captive - By Joanne Rock Page 0,32

from a Latin text.

This is a Titan, Gwennie. A race of giants.

Wulf looked like that illustration. The memory had faded and would have been lost if not for this moment with Wulf. He could have walked among the Titans with his strong, straight shoulders and his steely chest cut like armor but sheathed in warm skin that came alive beneath her touch.

She was so enamored by all she’d unveiled that she scarcely noticed her own clothes disappearing until a wave of cool air hit her bare legs. He dragged her under dress up her body and over her head, exposing her completely. Even her stockings had given way to his hands, drooping down her ankles and sliding away from her feet.

“You are much better at this than I,” she complained, returning to the fastenings of his braies.

“It is a matter of focus,” he explained, as if undressing her were a topic for serious consideration. “I force myself not to get distracted by the prize so that I can work quickly.”

He reached to help her with the ties, then arched up to remove the pants altogether.

“I’m afraid there is a great deal more to distract me,” she admitted. “In fact, I can’t take my eyes off the prize.”

She marveled at the size of him. Everywhere. Her mouth went dry as a whisper of the old reservations returned.

Wulf hastened to lie back down beside her and cupped her chin, forcing her gaze to his.

“Do not worry,” he ordered, charming her anew with his oddly thoughtful demands. “You will think about the kisses.”

His chest pressed to hers and she felt her body mold to his. Would the rest fit so well?

“I wouldn’t have to just think about them if you were providing some.” She arched up off the fur-lined pallet, her mouth already watering for the taste of him.

“We can start here.” His breath curled against her cheek, and she turned toward his lips. Anticipating.

Lightly, she rubbed her mouth along his, hoping it whet his appetite the way it stirred her own.

“But I’ve got another kiss in mind,” he whispered. His feral smile sent sweet shivers over her skin.

She hummed with readiness, her head tilting to one side as his lips grazed her neck. That kiss sent a roll of heat to her breasts, the peaks tightening until they ached. She raked her nails lightly over his shoulders, urging him on. He seemed to follow the trail with his mouth, soothing each place in turn while inciting another beyond reason.

She twisted and moaned at every contact of his lips. He flicked his tongue carelessly over each nipple, as if he had all day to find the spot that pleased her. Then, when she could bear those teasing strokes no more, he drew her into his mouth, suckling and tugging while heat built in yet another place…

Raw need had her squirming beneath him, ready for more. She gripped his shoulders and lifted herself, attempting to make her wishes known by fitting her feverish body to his. She was ready for this. More ready than she ever guessed a woman could be for coupling.

And for this first time, she glimpsed how rewarding the act might be. Her body craved Wulf.

When he eased back, opening a gap between their overheated bodies, she cried out at the loss. She could see his gaze narrow in the dull glow from the low-burning coals, and she shivered in response. Would this be the moment?

She parted her thighs, willing and ready.

But he did not position his hips between hers as she expected. Instead, he cradled her waist in his palms and slid his hands down her sides. Down, down. She reached for him, wanting the feel of him tight against her, but he knelt between her legs and gave her the most surprising kiss of all.

The shock of it made her squeal. His mouth pressed to her sex, his warm breath streaming over places that ached for a firmer touch. When his tongue darted out along the most sensitive bud at her tender center, she couldn’t even think of protesting. Waves of keen sensation blinded her to anything but the exquisite feel of him kissing her there.

At first, she stilled, too overwhelmed to respond. Then, bombarded with decadent delights, she could not help but twist against him. What sweet madness was this? But no power could have stopped her arching hips and clenching thighs. She knew the feel of her completion from his touches before, but this was different. Unique.