Exposure - Kelly Moran Page 0,16

shut, waiting for his kiss, heart pounding in anticipation. Her fingers clutched the soft cotton of his tee, bunching the material in her fists trapped between their bodies. She tilted her head, offering herself to him in a way she had never done for anyone else.

Seconds ticked by. When he brushed his nose with hers, she opened her eyes and knew he was patiently waiting for…something. What?

"Say yes, Raven. See that it's me and say yes."

As if there was any other option.

"Yes."

Chapter Four

The yes from her lips nearly brought him to his knees, but Noah forced his body to slow down and take her mouth with the time he wanted to give the rest of her body.

Brushing his lips across hers, he smiled when her sigh mingled with his. Applying more pressure, he licked the seam of her mouth and coaxed entry. Hesitant at first, as if she'd never kissed before, she trembled against him. After a brief moment, she softened and opened. The second their tongues met, sanity was a memory.

He dove in, exploring her in ways he'd only fantasized. She met him match for match, warring for possession of the kiss. The taste of the wine she drank hit his tongue, the scent of rain floated in his head. Fuck. He knew she'd be his downfall. He pressed his hips to hers, pinning her to the balcony door and sliding his hands under her sweater, up her sides to brush his thumbs over her bra. Soft satin against his rough, callused hands.

She moaned, arching into his touch and fisting her fingers in his hair.

Much as he wanted to strip her bare and do this up against the glass, he needed her horizontal and needed it now. Or yesterday. Or, hell, for years.

Grabbing the backs of her thighs, he lifted her. Without breaking the kiss, she wrapped her legs around his hips and ground her heat into his erection through their clothing. The sensation brought new meaning to seeing stars.

Blind, he stumbled across the living room floor, debated whether to give up and lay her out right there, and climbed the step leading to his master bedroom. Feet dragging on the carpet, he pulled his mouth from hers to breathe and shoved his face into the crook of her neck.

Smells so good.

They fell sideways onto the bed, him on top, and her black as midnight hair spread over his white duvet. The sight brought a lump to his throat. He wanted his camera almost as much as he wanted her. He leaned down to kiss her again when she stilled under him, brown eyes wide in…

Fear? What could he possibly have done to put panic in her eyes?

"Raven?"

She made a sound of duress and scrambled out from under him, to the headboard and off the bed, backing herself against the wall. Though her hands trembled, she fisted them in an apparent attempt to stop. It wasn't working.

On his knees, he froze with his palms raised in the universal gesture for I give.

Seconds ticked by. Painful, confusing seconds. The blood roaring through his veins and his still hard erection made thought obsolete. But as time passed, his brain started clicking. Desire melded into worry and morphed into rage.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and pressed a palm to her forehead, avoiding his gaze.

"Don't be sorry. Explain." Because if she didn't start talking soon, he was going on a rampage of epic proportions. Starting with every man she ever fucked, until he found the one who'd done this to her. Women didn't go from white hot need to blinding terror without a reason.

Closing her eyes, she blew out a breath. "Wait here a minute. I'll be right back."

When his jaw dropped, she stepped from the room. He sat back on his haunches, trying but failing to process. When she came back, she clutched her purse to her chest. Shifting position, he sat on the edge of the bed and glanced around.

Yeah, everything looked the same, so why did it feel like he'd stepped in an alternate version of reality? It had to be the fact that he'd finally had his hands on her only to be yanked up short. Or just seeing her standing in his intimate space, where no other woman had ever been, could be the culprit.

"You asked if I was a dom. I'm not, but I do have to have…control. I can't have sex without it. What just happened is the result if I try."

She still wouldn't meet his gaze