UP IN FLAMES

Alaric kissed her again, and panic clawed at her chest. From everything she knew about him, he wasn’t the type of man to settle down, and from what she knew about his needs, she wasn’t sure she could ever fulfill them. And she was also sure that every moment she allowed this to continue, the further she slipped under Alaric’s sensual control. But she was no coward.

She wanted to feel this-whatever this was. As long as she kept her head on straight and above water, she could handle him and her own conflicting feelings. Couldn’t she? The flutter moved from her stomach to her chest. Maybe she wasn’t even thinking straight, but who could blame her? This man was walking, breathing sin.

“Vanessa,” he murmured, brushing his lips over hers. His breath was enticingly hot. “Tell me.”

Blinking her eyes open, she barely contained a sigh when her eyes met his. “You are really impatient.”

He grinned, and her chest spasmed at the almost boyish quality to it. “You have no idea.”

Her hands smoothed out against his chest and trembled. He didn’t look away, holding her stare with a level of passion that stirred tendrils of yearning deep inside her. “Should we be doing this?” she whispered.

“This is the only thing we should ever be doing.” He pressed his forehead against hers and slid his hand through her damp hair, twisting his fingers into the mass. He captured her in his hold. “I can promise you that there won’t be a second of this you won’t enjoy.”

She wet her lips nervously and his gaze heated. “What about afterward?”

“What about it?”

Good question, but a dull ache pierced her chest. She pushed it away. “I don’t just sleep around.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing any sleeping.”

Her fingers curled as his words sent a spasm through her. “I don’t have sex with just anyone.”

Alaric made a deep sound in his chest. “I’m happy to hear that.” He shifted slightly, drawing her closer to the edge of the tub. “You want this just as badly as I do.”

God’s honest truth, she did. Her body trembled with the thought of it, but it had been so long since she’d been with anyone that she doubted her vagina would even know what to do. “I do, but…”

His tongue flicked over her lips with a dark promise as the hand under her breasts slid around the small of her back. “How about this. No sex.”

“No sex?”

He laughed. “Let me clarify. No penetration. We’ll take this slow.”

Alaric understood what he was saying, but her brain was slow to process it. He didn’t want to have sex with her? At least not full-out sex? There was a tiny part of her that was stupidly disappointed, but she refused to give much thought to that.

The hand on her back slipped lower, and she bit down on her lip to stop the moan building in her throat from escaping. What did she have to lose by taking what he was offering? They weren’t going to actually have sex and she was a grown adult, more than capable of having a little fun.

As their eyes met, Vanessa was struck again by the hunger in his gaze. He wanted this-wanted her-and there was something unequivocally powerful in that. Before she could change her mind or let common sense intrude and leave her aching all night without fulfillment and in an even worse mood tomorrow, she nodded.

Alaric froze, his mouth inches from hers. “Is that a yes?”

She nodded again.

“Say it,” he said in a low, almost dangerous voice. “Say you want me to please you.”

“Yes.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and she was unable to look away from those dark-lashed eyes of his. “I want you to please me.”

Alaric didn’t hesitate. Those words seemed to unlock something primal in him. He snaked an arm around her waist and lifted her from the tub. His strength shocked her, though she shouldn’t have been surprised. While she’d hid-i. e. sulked-upstairs after she’d kissed him, she’d seen him disappear into a room downstairs full of weights and exercise equipment. The man was all muscle.

Her feet didn’t touch the floor until they were beside the bed. With a barely contained urgency, he stripped away the towel, and cool air rushed over her flushed skin. She moved to cover herself, but he caught her arms.

“Don’t hide from me.” His gaze traveled over the length of her body, lingering in some areas longer than other. “You’re beautiful.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “I’m already naked. You don’t have to ply me with compliments.”

“I mean it.” He took her hand as he sat on the bed. Lifting his head, he stared up at her. Staying before him completely naked while he was clothed had her at a disadvantage. He tugged her between his thighs and then settled his hands on her hips. “I want to look my fill, so when it’s later and I’m alone, all I have to do is close my eyes to see your body while I make myself come.”

Holy God, her ears were scorched.

“Do you do that a lot?” she asked, breathless.

“Jerk off?” His lips tipped up as he moved his large hands along the curve of her waist, stopping below her aching breasts. His searching gaze seared her body. “Or jerk off thinking about you? The answer is yes to both.”

Her breath stilled in her chest as he felt the light weight of her breasts, his fingers coming tantalizingly close to their peaks. “You’re lying.”

“I never lie.” The conviction in his voice was undeniable. “Every single fucking night since you showed up at that club. I’d send you running if I told you what some of my fantasies involved.”

She wanted to know. Details-lots of details, but then his fingers moved over her breasts and the ability to speak went out the window. Catching her nipples between his fingers, he watched her closely as he rolled them with his thumb and then plucked at them. They hardened and ached for him.

“You were having a nightmare,” he said quietly, teasing her.

“W-what?”

“When you were bathing. I heard you cry out,” he explained. “That’s why I came in there.”