Unblinking hypnotic eyes focused on her. “Are you certain? There are many other ways to pleasure one another. We don’t have to—”
“I want to. Desperately. Unless you don’t want to?” She hadn’t considered that possibility, but of course he might not want to. “Is there someone else?”
“Justine, no. Definitely not that—and I absolutely want to fuck you. I just need you to be certain.”
He never wrapped the words in pretty euphemisms. For a charmer, he had a dirty, dirty mouth. And she liked it. He was real and raw, a man half the city feared. To her, however, he was her knight in tarnished yet impenetrable armor.
She trusted him. To keep her safe, to watch out for her. To slay her dragons. No matter what happened between them in the future, she wouldn’t regret sharing his bed.
Placing her palm on his cheek, she didn’t try to hide her emotions from him. “Have you ever known me to be uncertain about anything?”
He chuckled, looking so handsome and carefree that her heart stuttered. “True. You are a woman who knows her own mind.” His smile fell. “This isn’t some sort of repayment for speaking to Keller, is it?”
The idea hadn’t even occurred to her. “No, absolutely not. I would never . . .” Sleep with you as a way to trade favors. She couldn’t even say the repulsive concept aloud.
“I didn’t think so, but some have tried. I apologize.” The side of his mouth hitched. “I forgot for a brief second that the most noble and trustworthy woman in the city was here in my bed. Spread your legs for me, chérie.”
She did as he asked, trying not to think about the other women in his past. Then his fingers swept along her folds, through the moisture at her entrance, and her worries disappeared. He slipped a digit inside her, the thickness dragging against her inner walls. She threw her head back, the sensitive tissue magnifying the pleasure rippling through her. “What about your clothes?” she asked when her ability to speak returned.
“Soon.” He drew on her nipple while his finger slid in and out, stretching her. “We need to ready you first.”
The sensations created by his mouth and hands were amazing. Better than amazing, actually. “I’m ready,” she breathed and clutched at him.
She felt him smile against her skin. “Not quite. I wouldn’t like to hurt you.”
Hurry, hurry, hurry, she wanted to tell him. Instead, her hands started on his vest buttons, pushing them through the holes. When she couldn’t reach any more, he finished then shrugged out of the garment. Next came necktie, studs, shirt collar . . . He was able to focus on several things at once, getting undressed while still touching and licking her. If she weren’t so desperate she would’ve been impressed.
He removed his fingers for an instant as he whipped his shirt over his head, and then returned to pleasuring her. More pressure as he added a second finger. “You are so hot and wet. So tight. I cannot remember ever wanting something more.”
“Now.” She was wheezing, barely able to draw in air fast enough. “Please, Jack.”
He ignored her. Teeth gently scraped her nipple before his tongue soothed her. She moaned, helpless.
A third finger had her rolling her hips once more, chasing the bliss that lay just out of reach. His thumb swept over her clitoris and her back bowed. Her lids slammed shut and every muscle tightened. “Oh, God.”
Close. She was so close.
The fingers disappeared as he shifted. He unfastened his trousers, hands working quickly and efficiently to get them off. Then he moved between her legs, his big thighs pushing her wider as he worked on the tiny buttons of his undergarment. The cloth was tight, clinging to every part of him, making her mouth water. She couldn’t wait to taste and touch all that rough skin.
He took his erection into his fist. His eyes were wild as they focused on her sex. Pressing forward, he notched the crown at her entrance. Then he caught her gaze and held it. “You may change your mind, you know.”
“I won’t. I’m not. Please, Jack.”
His throat worked as he swallowed, then he pushed inside. There was no pain, only a heavy fullness. He didn’t look away from where they were joined, while she watched him. Skin flushed, muscles bulging . . . he was the most beautiful man.
She wanted to see all of him.
Her hands reached for the tiny buttons on his remaining garment, intent in