he remembered the IV line snaking out of her hand and broke away from the kiss to make sure he hadn’t injured her.
She took advantage of the distance between their mouths to examine him. Boldly, she touched his face. She grazed her fingertips over his cheek and along his jaw. As a general rule he never allowed anyone to touch his face, not even medical personnel. He didn’t like the sensation of being scrutinized or feeling vulnerable to injury from a skilled hand.
Yet he found himself leaning into her touch. He closed his eye, letting himself enjoy the sensation of her fingers as they moved across his jaw and over his lips and then along the puckered scar of his ruined eye. She traced the old gouges and suture lines and swept her fingertips to his brow and hairline.
When her hand settled along his jaw, he turned his head just enough to kiss her palm. It seemed to be the invitation she needed to move even closer. She hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her pert breasts to his chest. Her hitched breaths wafted over his skin a moment before her plump lips brushed his in a seeking kiss.
He let her control this kiss and was rewarded with the sensual slide of her perfect, pouty lips on his. Her soft hands caressed the back of his neck and his shoulder while her mouth moved against his with the unfamiliar discovery of an innocent. He wasn’t surprised. After all, how much time would she have had to date or flirt or kiss when her entire life was spent on the run?
This might have been new to her, but she wasn’t shy. She gripped his shirt tightly in one hand while the other grasped his neck and held him right where she wanted him. She licked at the seam of his lips, tentative at first and then brazen. He flicked his tongue against hers, and she moaned into him, rocking her hips in a way that made him grunt. His throbbing cock ached, and thoughts of stripping her naked and burying himself in her raced through his lust-addled mind.
It had been so long since he had been with a woman. Even before he had been taken captive, it had been weeks since his last visit to a poppy. After his rescue, he had been too weak to even think about sex. Now, though, his libido raged, and he knew if he took her to bed right now, he would hurt her. He would ruin her. He would make her hate him.
So, he tamped down his blazing lust and simply enjoyed the novelty of making out with the woman he had craved for so long. He hadn’t ever been the sort of lover who allowed long sessions of kissing and touching. He was always on a tight schedule, even on his rest and relaxation leave. He went into his sessions with a poppy with a plan and timetable and stuck to it. Languid, heated kisses and gentle caresses had never been part of those plans.
Combing his fingers through Maisie’s long hair, he decided he had been an absolute fool to never make time for this. The weight and heat of her on his lap was incredibly soothing, and the tangle of their tongues was surprisingly relaxing. No wonder Vicious had mellowed so much since Grabbing Hallie. The rush of happy hormones from having a beautiful mate to enjoy like this would make any man more patient and content.
When she lightly scratched her short nails across his scalp, he shivered and groaned. The sensation traveled down his spine and settled low in his groin. He shifted her just a bit, enough to feel her womanly heat right against the taut bulge in the front of his pants. She gasped against his mouth, and he smiled before capturing her lips in another kiss, this one more punishing and possessive. She clutched him tighter and rocked against him, meeting his kiss with the same fervor.
Instead of pushing forward, she eased off their fervent kisses with short, soft pecks. Leaning back just enough to gaze at him, she smiled tenderly and stole his fucking heart. Her lips were red and swollen, and her drowsy expression ignited his protective side. He tucked her into an embrace, and she wiggled until her head rested on his shoulder, her lips pressed against the crook of his neck. She nuzzled into him, and he rubbed her back, silently reassuring