With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath, as if he was savoring the fresh sea air. When he opened them, his pupils were dilated again. How strange—she’d never seen eyes like his before. He looked eager, and yes, almost hungry, but not angry like he had before. His expression was softer, almost gentle.
“I’m terribly sorry if I came off as rude earlier. I know I did. You are just so startlingly beautiful, it caught me off-guard, and I lost my head for a moment. Normally I’m much more...in control of myself than that.”
She raised her eyebrows. What an odd thing to say. “I had no idea I’d elicit such bizarre responses from people with what I wore tonight. Maybe I should’ve come in jeans.”
“That wouldn’t have made a difference. Forgive me.” There was an edge to his voice and the moment the words tumbled out, he scowled.
In a sudden burst of courage, she steeled her shoulders and turned away to face the city lights again. Forgive him? “I’ll think about it.”
Neither spoke for a moment, just looked out at the water and the lights twinkling on the distant shore. But her brain didn’t register much except for a strange but delightful sound flickering in her head and the warmth emanating from his body. The little hairs on her skin stood on end as if they were reaching out, pulling her toward him.
“Will this take long? Your thinking?” His voice whispered roughly in her ear. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
The backs of his fingers brushed aside a few wind-whipped pieces of hair from her shoulder and when his warm breath heated her skin and his lips grazed her neck, she had to lock her knees to keep from wobbling.
She was strong, but not that strong. He was so damn hot, and she hadn’t felt a man against her in ages. What harm would there be in a little kiss? Even though it really wasn’t like her, she turned to face him again and snaked her arms around his neck. What the hell. She could suspend her better judgment for tonight and imagine his apology was sincere.
His mouth crushed against hers, parting her lips, and she felt the tip of his tongue. Mmmm. He tasted so good. She melted into him, her fingers twining around his ponytail, as if they operated independently of her brain.
Through the haze of all the wine, she knew she was capable of getting carried away, succumbing to more than just his kisses. Maybe she should just walk away. Right now, before things got really out of hand.
Yeah, right. Everything about him was perfect. The taste of him, the smell of his hair, the feel of his chest against hers and the way his urgent hands caressed the bare skin ofher back. Although she remembered drinking only a couple glasses of wine, she had to be drunk because his overwhelming presence muddled her rational sensibilities until she doubted she possessed the strength to pull away from him.
Not that she really wanted to. If she couldn’t have long-term happiness, what would be the harm in a little short-term fun? She might be tipsy, but at least she was still practical. And who better to be practical with than someone like Dom?
His warm palm slipped down her back, lower until it cupped her bottom, molding her body to his. His length was a steel ridge against her stomach, and for some outrageous reason, she rocked her hips, imagining no fabric between them.
He froze. His hands and lips stopped moving along her skin. With her eyes closed, she could sense the tension in his face, in his body, as if it was her own. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Shhh. Hold very still.” His voice came out in a ragged whisper.
They stood that way, clasped together, for what seemed like an eternity. She barely felt him breathing. Then it hit her. Was he about to have an orgasm? Fully clothed? Was that even possible for a man?
She could’ve sworn she felt the rumble of laughter in his chest. The tension seemed to melt away beneath her fingertips, and when his lips caressed her skin more fervently than before, it was as if he’d been rejuvenated. She ran her hands through his hair, the leather cord loosened, and his dark locks spilled down around her upturned face.
He kissed her neck, her hair, her shoulders with such intensity, she wasn’t entirely sure she could get him to stop if she wanted him to. A delicious chill, almost a numbness, radiated outward wherever his lips touched. Did he just graze his teeth along her sensitive skin? The blood sped through her veins andshe clutched the muscles of his arms a little tighter, felt her nails dig into him, drawing him even closer.
With a swift movement, he cupped her buttocks again, but this time he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She was vaguely aware of her no-panty situation but didn’t care at that point. She was hungry for him and any misgivings had thawed with that first kiss.
He stepped toward a darkened back wall, ran his hand up her thigh and hesitated. “Are you okay with this?”
How could she not be? Did she act like she wasn’t?
“Yes,” she mumbled against his lips and grabbed his hair in her fist. “I want you. I wantthis.”
He didn’t act surprised when he encountered no panties, his fingers easily finding her center, slipping carefully inside. She moaned into his mouth as he explored her sensitive folds, the pad of his thumb massaging her clit. The feeling was so sudden, so intense, it almost hurt.
The night air, the city sounds, the cold wall against her back. Gone. The only sensations she was conscious of were those caused by him as he touched her.
“Dios mio.”He spoke so softly, almost to himself. “I can hardly believe...”
Her body rocked automatically against his hand and he mirrored her movement. Already slickened and ready from the drawn-out foreplay of the evening, she sighed as the night began to crescendo around her.
He pressed his thumb more tightly against her, circled it ever so slightly. “Yes,” he whispered into her ear. “There you go. Give in to what you’re feeling.”Give in to me.And something inside her broke loose.
An intense surge of pleasure, unlike anything she’d ever felt before, crashed through her. Starting in the center of her body, where his fingers were, it shot upward, outward until she felt shemight burst. Somehow, through it all, her legs with their silver-heeled shoes stayed clasped around his waist.
When she finished trembling, he gently lowered her to the ground, as if he knew her knees were capable of buckling. She wasn’t entirely sure she could stand on her own after that.
