Hot and Bothered - Erika Wilde Page 0,15

gaze touched his eyes, lingering long enough to make him feel as though she could see all the way into his soul. She took in the rest of his features slowly, as if scrutinizing each one, then finally came to rest on his mouth.

“I remember kissing you,” she said abruptly, her voice low and husky with awareness. She dampened her bottom lip with her tongue, and her breathing deepened. “Come here,” she whispered.

Mesmerized by her request, he moved the small table in front of her completely out of their way and leaned toward her, bracing a hand on the pillow beside her head. The position caused his chest to press against her full, generous breasts, and he had the fleeting thought that he wished they were both naked so he could feel her skin on skin.

He was uncertain what she intended, but whatever she had planned, he was a willing participant.

Her soft, slender hand traveled up his arm to his shoulder, then her fingers slipped through the hair at the nape of his neck and she drew his head down to hers. Lost in the need reflecting in her eyes, he complied, watching as her lashes fluttered closed and her lips parted for him even before their mouths touched.

While their first kiss had been an act of desperation, this one was born of the sensuality that burned bright between them. She nibbled on his bottom lip, and he let her have free rein to taste and explore to her heart’s content, no matter the cost to him physically. He was already hard and thick, completely aroused—a normal, lusty reaction when it came to her.

When she deepened the kiss, he welcomed the damp heat and slow, penetrating slide of her tongue, and met it with his own. He stroked long and slow, hot and deep, and she kissed him back the same way, eagerly and instinctively. So much passion. So much heat. Intense and uninhibited.

A purr of pleasure rumbled in her throat, and he groaned in appreciation, too. She was an irresistible temptation, a searing drug to his deprived libido, and she made him restless and hungry for more of her.

By the time she let him go, she was panting for breath and his own pulse was racing wildly. Their faces were still only inches away, and he wanted to drown in those trusting, velvety blue eyes of hers. Wanted to strip away the sheet and the flimsy gown separating them and bury himself deep inside her lush body.

The latter wasn’t an option. Not here. Not now. Not until she regained her memory and could better define her emotions. It was obvious to him that she didn’t realize that she’d been avoiding him and her attraction to him for months now. But this Natalie was giving into desires that had always been inside of her, desires she’d hidden from him before today.

Interesting.

A lazy smile hitched up the corner of his mouth. “And that was for…?” he murmured questioningly.

She caressed her palm along his cheek and skimmed her thumb along his full bottom lip, though her gaze never left his. “I needed to make sure what I feel for you is real.”

“And is it?” He had to know.

“As real as I know it to be. You feel good and right, and I really like kissing you.”

He laughed, relieved, and ran the tip of his finger down the slope of her cute nose. “Just so you know, you have permission to kiss me anytime you’d like.”

Smiling, she settled back against her pillows, suddenly looking tired. While she might appear okay physically, he knew it would take a couple of days for her to fully regain her strength again. And right now, she needed more sleep.

He straightened, making a quick decision that would benefit them both. “I’m going to leave, but I’ll be back in a little while.”

Dread flared to life in her eyes. “Where are you going?”

Her panic-stricken expression clutched at him, and he instantly tried to soothe her anxiety. “I need a shower, shave, and a change of clothes. And you need to rest. Are you afraid to stay alone?” he asked gently.

“Just a little nervous,” she admitted, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. “I feel so out of place and disoriented, and you’re like an anchor in this storm I seem to be caught up in.”

“I’m sure that’s very normal.” Reaching for the call button, he set it within her reach. “Tell you what, here’s the buzzer for the