She gives me a lazy smile. “That was a good moment, right?”
“The best,” I say and kiss her again.
She lets out a soft sigh. “Don’t you dare stop anytime soon, okay?”
“I won’t,” I say, and it’s the last coherent thought I have before I scoop her into my arms and carry her to my bedroom.
Chapter Six
Naomi
I wait desperately for Thorne to come back to his bed and continue where we left off on the couch, but he’s busy lighting candles. Things have shifted between us. The quips about stealing trees and back-and-forth joking from earlier are gone. When Thorne looks at me, there’s no teasing in his eyes anymore. Just focus. Intention and determination.
And hell, I want it. Want him. I’m going to let him claim every inch of me.
Before I can give it any thought and doubt my sanity, my hands are on the seam of my sweater. Thorne stops mid-movement, his eyes zooming in on my fingers.
I’ve never done anything like this. No man has ever seen me naked, but with Thorne, it feels easy. Right.
“What are you doing?” he asks, his voice low.
“Taking my clothes off.”
He draws a sharp breath and lets the matches fall to the floor, already moving toward me.
“No, not yet,” I say.
He stops in his tracks, just like I asked him to.
“You’re going to ruin me, Naomi. You know that?”
“Don’t you want me to?”
He laughs as if I said something wild. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
My fingers tremble as I lift the sweater over my head. I’m all too aware of the fact that he can see everything. Every single curve. Every imperfection. But instead of flinching, Thorne looks at me as if I’m a dessert buffet. He even licks his lips.
“You’re staring,” I whisper.
“Can’t help it. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he says, his voice almost breaking.
I think about all the times I’ve stood in front of a judge and jury, commanding the room with my words. I’ve built a career on confidence, on never letting them see the real me. But this? This is different. Standing here in front of Thorne feels more vulnerable than any closing argument I’ve ever delivered. The difference is that in court, I play a role. Here, I’m just me. And somehow, that makes me braver.
My hands move to my jeans. I slowly slide the zipper down and kick off my pants.
“Naomi,” he whispers.
His hands are clenched into fists, as if he needs to do that to refrain from reaching out and touching me. And shit, it makes me feel so wanted. So powerful. So feminine.
I’m wearing nothing but my underwear now, and it’s not even my best pair. My bra is a simple black one with no frills, and my panties are also plain.
But the way Thorne is looking at me? You’d think I was wearing the most expensive lingerie in the world.
“You’re killing me,” he says, voice strained.
Good. I want to drive him wild. I want him to feel the same desperate need that’s coursing through me. Want to make him as hard as I am wet.
My hands tremble, but I move them behind my back and unclasp my bra. The straps slide down my shoulders, and I let itfall. Thorne’s eyes lock on me, reverent and hungry. He clenches his jaw and lets out a grunt.
