landing on his massive shoulders, thick and corded with power, that pendant resting between his pecs while the ribbed, cut muscles of his stomach stood out like speed bumps on a highway. The light dusting of hair on his bronzed skin took nothing away from the tattoos she suddenly needed to explore at her leisure.
“You’re beautiful,” she breathed, her mind swirling with pleasure at the sight of him. The intent in his eyes was as intoxicating as the sensual half smile that flashed as he came forward, sinking his knee deep into the mattress next to her hip. He crowded her until she had no choice but to lie back on the pillows, and then he trapped her by placing his fists on either side of her head. His lips trailed down the side of her neck and along her collarbone, drawing a moan from her when his teeth grazed the sensitive area right below her jaw. As she stroked her palms over the raw power in his shoulders, she felt his fingers skim the neckline of her dress, knuckles brushing over the top swell of her breasts.
“I’ve been dying to do this all night. Are you ready?” The dark promise in his voice vibrated right into her bones.
“Yes.”
With a sharp, unexpected jerk, he tore her dress right down the front to expose her nearly naked body.
“Gabriel!”
“Now you can’t wear it again,” he murmured with a dark satisfaction as her hands came up in an automatic attempt to cover her bare breasts. “God, don’t do that.” His whisper was tortured as his hand moved in to halt the modest gesture. He sat back on his bent leg, his gaze boldly possessive as it swept over her, lingering on her beaded nipples, then going lower to travel down her stomach and past her hips to take in the small triangle of gray silk covering her sex.
Eva felt a flush creep up her neck. She wasn’t blind to her attributes, but she’d certainly never had them on display like this before. What if he found her lacking? Should she pose? Try to be alluring? What if she didn’t measure up to the other women he’d had?
“You are. Fucking spectacular,” he growled as his eyes locked with hers.
Oh. Okay. Her anxiety fluttered off when he slipped a hand under her ass to lift her hips…
But he simply removed what remained of her dress.
After lowering her back to the mattress, he stood and moved to the foot of the bed, his wide palm stroking over the top of her thigh and knee, then down her calf to her ankle. The lights of Seattle winked through the massive windows behind him as he removed her shoes, dropping each of them to the floor with a soft thud. His gaze never left hers, it held, connecting them as he hooked a finger under the narrow strap at her hip.
“This I don’t think I have to destroy,” he murmured, letting his fingertips glide lazily under the elastic, front to back, front to back. Eva’s muscles quivered every time he neared the inside of her thigh.
Unable to lie still any longer, she shakily rose to her knees, making his finger slip out with a snap. She cupped his strong jaw and ran her thumbs over his lightly bristled face, thrilled by the freedom she’d been given to touch him like this. Moving down, she feathered her fingertips across his lips and smiled when he inhaled sharply.
Total male perfection, she acknowledged as she shadowed a path down the length of his neck, watching his body ripple. Sweeping over the powerful hardness of his bare chest, she got a close-up of his ink. Her attention was captured by the beautiful piece covering his left pec. Black and gray, like all the others, this one was a destroyed steel cage, its door hanging off the hinges. Like someone had just escaped.
Making a mental note to ask about it later, she cautiously moved to the waistband of his pants and slipped the button free, moving right along to the zipper. When she peeked up again, she found him staring at her breasts. Her back arched all on its own, offering, her body wanting his touch.
His warm hands were on her immediately, and she gasped as pleasure flooded through her. He cupped and kneaded the sensitive mounds, driving her to distraction when his fingers rolled her nipples.
She slid the zipper of his pants down and almost protested when he released her to pull