Hauling her against him, he crushed her lips with his.
No more compromise. She was his—and he wasn’t going to let her walk out that door. Right now he didn’t care what it cost him. Her eager tongue curling against his offered all the reason he needed to change his doctrine, rethink his expectations.
Hell, he’d give up everything for her.
He broke their kiss and held her face, feeling her sweet minty breath against his lips. “I want you,” he growled. “I’ve wanted you since the day I saw you. Nothing will change that. Not Marcus. Not the sale. Nothing. I want you to belong to me.”
“I do,” she breathed.
God, he couldn’t ask for a better invitation. He answered with his whole heart and soul.
Pacing himself, he forced himself to slow down. He wanted to make love to her the way he’d promised in the tower. So he probed her mouth gently with his tongue, coaxing her, drawing her into him. She came so willingly, his chest hurt with the passion he barely contained.
“I’m going to make love to you, Mindy. If you want me to stop, tell me now.”
She shook her head. “I want this, too.”
The urgent request nearly undid him. Their lips met again and he swept his tongue deep into her mouth, seeking her essence.
When her head fell back into his palm and she relaxed in his arms, he realized how completely he wanted her, needed her. He’d never felt this way about a woman. She was it. She was his. For eternity—even if she didn’t know it yet.
Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed. At the edge, he set her down and looked into her eyes. The crystal blue depths held heat and longing and a touch of innocence he found intoxicating.
Slowly he lowered his head and claimed her mouth yet again. The urge to be inside her now nearly brought him to his knees. But they’d only have one first time, and he wanted to do this right. Take it slow. Learn what she liked and what turned her on.
Explore every inch of her.
Thoroughly.
Staring with her mouth.
He parted her lips and stroked her tongue with his. Gentle, deep caresses. She shivered and his arms went around her, holding her tight. He absorbed the way she molded herself to him, her petite figure soft and pliant beneath his searching hands. She made him throb everywhere.
The caveman part of his brain loved how small and delicate she was in his arms, how dominant and powerful he felt holding her, possessing her.
The rush of endorphins lit his veins on fire. His hands slid down to cup her rounded bottom, pulling her tight against his hard length. Her palms glided over his chest, her touch eager yet uncertain. He knew someday he would take her out in this fantastic dress. But right now it would look way better on the floor.
As if she’d read his mind, she reached for the side zipper.
He caught her wrist. “Let me.”
Nodding, she licked her lips. He pictured her pink tongue darting across the head of his shaft and he swallowed a groan.
As he lowered the zipper, he admired the path it took down her hourglass figure, the swell of her breasts, the indentation of her waist, the gentle flare of her hips. Tiny and curvy and mouthwatering, she was the perfect gift made for him to unwrap. He could hardly tell the difference between the silky fabric and the soft texture of her skin when he smoothed the straps from her shoulders. He glided his palms down her arms and the outer curves of her breasts.
The dress slithered to the floor. She stood before him in a black lace bra and matching panties.
Possessiveness spiked his desire. He couldn’t believe he’d almost let her leave. His heart pounded against his ribs and he dragged her against him.
All his noble intentions for slow seduction burned to ash in the fire of need consuming him. Then she tucked her arms around his waist. Using one finger, she circled the waistband of his underwear from back to front, grazing his hip bone.
Holy hell. He throbbed so hard, a spot of moisture appeared on the navy blue fabric.
Determined to know if he affected her that way, he kissed her neck as his hand slid from her breast to cup her mound. Dampness soaked her panties and he moaned, running his middle finger along her covered crease.
Picking her up, he easily positioned them at the center of the bed. He craved her taste and wouldn’t be satisfied until he sank his tongue into her. But her pink nipples poking through the black lace of her bra called to him first.
Settling his hips between her thighs, he unclipped her bra and captured those luscious peaks one at a time. The hard beads contrasted with her silky soft breasts. She fit perfectly in his hands. Like she’d been made for him. Her skin smelled like lavender. The light touch of her perfume made him picture laying her down in a field of clover. He soaked her in with all his senses, awed by her feminine softness and beauty.