Which meant my clothes came off. But his stayed on.
“I can stop.” His deep voice got raspy when he spoke quietly. “Or I can keep going. Your call.”
My throat felt thick. It was a mix of cool disappointment and hot desire. I could have Declan, but not all of him.
“Do you want me?” he asked when I didn’t answer right away.
I nodded wordlessly.
“Do you need me?”
“Yes.”
“Then keep your hands like this.” He pressed them up against the headboard, curling my fingers around the cool metal rails.
I drew in a breath. “So I can’t touch you at all?”
“Those are the rules.”
I gripped the headboard tighter. “Fine. Your move, dhampyr.”
A shadow of a smile played at his lips, and he sat back on his heels, his feet still clad in his heavy-laced boots, and slid the palms of his hands down the front of me between my br**sts. His hands were calloused and rough against my skin—it made my ni**les tighten and I shivered. I arched my back off the bed unconsciously to meet his touch.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“So are you.”
He chuckled deep in his throat. “You’re lying. My scars—”
“Are part of you. And that makes them beautiful. I think we’ve had this conversation before.”
“Jill—”
“I wouldn’t be in a situation like this with somebody I found unappealing, Declan. Trust me on that. You make me so hot I can barely sit still.”
He leaned over, his mouth only an inch from mine. “How hot?”
I inhaled sharply as I felt his hand slide under the waistband of my leggings and down between my legs where he’d easily feel the proof of just how much I wanted him. My grip on the headboard tightened.
“You’re right,” he whispered. “Very hot.”
I gasped. “You’re teasing me now.”
“Maybe a little.” He hooked a finger in either side of the elastic waistband of the leggings and slid them down my legs until they were off. I lay naked on the bed, my arms still above my head, while Declan, fully dressed, swept his gaze over me.
I had to admit, me being naked and vulnerable at the moment and him being fully dressed and totally in control was hotter than I thought it would be.
“How’s the experiment going so far?” I asked, my voice breathy.
He raised an eyebrow. “Good, I think. You?”
“Excellent. A-plus.”
He kissed me. My lips parted and he slid his tongue against mine, which made me groan low in my throat at the chance to taste him deeper. My breath caught as his hand returned between my legs and he stroked me there until I felt boneless with need.
He didn’t say anything as he kissed his way down my body. I watched him, my hand now held against my mouth as he parted my legs and pressed his mouth against me there. I cried out and let go of the headboard completely so I could grip the back of his head when I felt his tongue slide over me.
“Declan—” But I couldn’t form actual words anymore. His name was barely understandable.