The sound he made went straight through me.
He was hot and heavy in my hand, and for a second I could only stare. He was bigger than anything I’d imagined, and nerves flickered through the desire.
“You don’t have to,” he said, voice rough.
“I know.”
And that made all the difference.
I touched him because I wanted to. Because he would let me stop. Because with him, no didn’t feel like a word I had to defend.
I stroked him carefully, learning him the way he’d learned me. His forearms tightened. His jaw clenched, and his whole body shook with the effort of holding still for me.
I’d never felt powerful like that before.
Not because he was weak.
Because he wasn’t.
Because he was enormous and dangerous and shaking under my hand, and he still wouldn’t take one thing I didn’t offer.
When I touched him again, his hand closed around my wrist.
“Stop,” he said, the word nearly a growl. “If you keep doing that, I’m not going to make it to the bed.”
My whole body went hot.
I let go.
He lifted me off the counter and carried me down the hall. I’d seen his bedroom once before and forced myself not to think about it.
Now I couldn’t think about anything else.
His bed was massive. Of course it was. Dark wood, heavy blankets, built for a man who made normal furniture look liketoys. He lowered me into the middle of it, and the mattress dipped beneath me.
Then he climbed in after me, and the frame creaked under his weight.
I tried to wrap my legs around him and couldn’t even get close.
A nervous laugh slipped out of me. “There’s too much of you.”
His mouth curved. “We’ll manage.” Then he kissed me, and the laugh turned into a sigh.
He took his time with me. Even now, when I could feel how badly he wanted me, he didn’t rush. His hands moved over me, slow and sure, until the nerves faded and the need came back stronger than before.
By the time he settled between my thighs, I knew what I was choosing.
James was still out there. The Agency could call tomorrow. Kazan had a contract that said he wasn’t supposed to touch me like this. My file had some kind of flag on it that could ruin everything.
None of it disappeared.
I just didn’t care enough to stop.
For the first time in years, I wanted something more than I was afraid of losing it.
So I reached down, put my hand over his, and guided him to me.
He pushed in slowly.
