plucking at her nipples. His mouth found her shoulder, placing teasing kisses along the slope, sending tiny chills of pure delight rippling down her spine.
Arching back, she thrust her breasts more firmly into his keeping, tilting her head to give him better access to her shoulder and the side of her sensitive neck.
Pleasure ran in rippling waves through her body and down her limbs, creating an inferno of desire like nothing she'd ever known.
Straightening, he tugged at the ties a slight bit more and the gown slipped down over her hips and away, baring her to the chilly air. Before she could turn around, Harrison's hands gripped her waist and lifted her out of the gown, leaving her in nothing but the soft boots she always wore. As he set her on her feet again, he turned her in his grip until she faced him.
His gaze traveled down the length of her body, lingering on her breasts, her waist, the thatch of hair between her thighs, then down her legs and slowly, so slowly, back up again.
When his gaze finally reached hers, the look in his eyes nearly melted her on the spot. His breaths were labored, his hands shaking where he held her. With a low rumble in his chest, he pulled her against him and kissed her fiercely, one hand holding the base of her head as he walked her back until she felt the cool plasterboard of the wall behind her.
His other hand slid around the back of her thigh and pulled her leg up, her knee against his hip as he ground his fabric-clad erection against her, rubbing her in exactly the right spot.
"Harrison," she gasped against his mouth, sliding her hands up his bare chest. "I need you inside me."
One hand pulled off her boots while the fingers of the other slid behind her, between her legs, inside her. As two fingers thrust deep, she flung her head back, banging it against the wall and not caring. His mouth dove for her throat, his lips suckling the curve of her neck. Her fingers dove into his hair, cradling him against her, holding on as pleasure skated through her body, as pressure built between her legs.
"Harrison."
His mouth moved, raining kisses madly along her shoulder like a man possessed. His passion fueled her own, every touch of his mouth sending the fury higher.
While his fingers worked her from the inside, his lips traveled up the sensitive curve of her neck, his teeth nipping at her ear.
With a shuddering sigh, he released her suddenly, lowering her leg. With quick, deft movements, he removed her other boot then pulled back, his hands on his belt, his hot eyes melding with hers.
"I have to feel you against me. All of me."
"Yes."
He discarded his own clothes, pushing the pants down lean hips, revealing a pair of tight, white underwear that molded his man's body, imprisoning it.
With delight, she watched that thick, hard length spring forth as he pushed the underwear down, too. He was as ready for her as she was for him.
Before she could reach for him, he lifted her into his arms, thrilling her with a strength no full-blooded Esri male possessed. Striding across the apartment, he shouldered his way through one of the doors, then stopped abruptly.
Ilaria's gaze swept the room. A bed, a desk and a chest of drawers, just like the hotel rooms she'd seen. But unlike the hotel rooms, this one possessed nothing more. No pictures upon the walls, no curtains at the windows. No linens upon the mattress.
Harrison's grip on her tightened and she could feel his frustration.
"Nothing like having to make the bed to kill the mood."
Ilaria lifted her hand, making him look at her. "I don't need a bed. The floor is fine. Or the sofa. Or standing against the wall. I don't need comfort or finery." She ran her thumb along his firm, full bottom lip. "All I need is you."
"I'm not making love to you on the floor. Not if there's an option."
"Because I'm a princess?"
He smiled, a sweet, quick flash that illuminated his eyes. "Because I want it to be perfect for you."
Inside her chest something soft set up a deep, pulsing ache. A fullness squeezed her heart until she could barely breathe.
He turned and carried her to the sofa in the living room. Laying her down with gentle care, he sat beside her, his gaze moving over her face and body like a heated caress.
She drank in the