Whoa. Why had she doubted his ability to dance even for a second? Clearly, a man filled with so much song would know how to move…and damn, but he did it oh so well. The solid weight of his hips fluidly slid against hers, creating friction so delicious it had her biting her lip to hold back a gasp. But when she sensed the growing hardness against her side, there was nothing she could do to stop her soft little moan.
Dagan’s lips slid down to her ear, grazing the delicate flesh when he murmured, “This is a bad idea, Lina.”
“Seems like the best idea I’ve had all day.” She wanted him, and she wasn’t going to fight it. Not this time.
“But Ronin—”
“Isn’t here…and he’s the farthest thing from my mind right now.”
“You know he doesn’t approve,” Dagan whispered, his voice husky and tortured. “He doesn’t want this for you.”
Lina pulled back just far enough to look him right in the eyes. “Are we really going to continue to let others dictate our lives?”
She sensed the moment he processed her words, saw the uncertainty in his eyes.
“No, but…”
“But nothing. If you want me, then it’s simple. Be with me.”
“Oh, Lina,” he whispered, his gaze tight with desire.
A sense of triumph wound through her body, melding with the heavy currents of lust tightening her skin and tensing her thighs. She had him now, and she wasn’t about to let go.
“Kiss me, Dagan.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dagan’s eyes blazed with rising heat, and hints of swirling red peeked out from beneath their turquoise glamour. “Lina, we don’t know—”
Before he could say anymore, she closed her arms around his neck, lifted herself on her toes, and pressed her mouth to his. His lips stayed firm and tight against hers, his body frozen in place.
What was wrong? Didn’t he want this? Maybe she’d misread the signs…maybe he didn’t feel the same way she did.
Just when she was about to pull away, he let out a soft groan, and his mouth slackened, his tongue snaking out to rub across the seam of her lips. That sensation alone was enough to break her body out in full-blown sensual shivers, but when he compounded it by tightening his hold on her, bringing her flush with the hard heat of his erection…
Wow, it was all but unbearable.
She lost track of how much time they spent like that, their mouths locked together, their tongues tangling over and over in an erotic dance. But then, with his lips still on hers, he slowly and gently lowered her back to her feet and began to sway to the beat once again.
A rush of air escaped her lungs when he slowly moved his lips from hers, using his mouth to trail a blazing path of heat down her throat. His hands slid down her sides, fingers tracing circling patterns along her hips while he slowly tugged the T-shirt she wore further and further up.
“Wow,” she managed, and he chuckled against her skin.
What had she expected, that he would lunge at her and tear her shirt off? Take her in a wild frenzy up against the wall? Maybe not that, but she certainly hadn’t expect this…this slow and steady seduction that was surely bound to kill her.
In retrospect, she should have known the man would make love like this. Slow and sensual, like the soft and steady lapping of the ocean waves on a warm, calm night.
Well, if it was seduction he wanted…two could play at that game.
She slid her hands down the front of his shirt, then underneath the hem. He sucked in an audible breath when her fingers trailed along his lower abdomen, circling the happy trail she’d been admiring a short time ago. His abs contracted sharply against her touch, and she took the opportunity to study each and every curve and ridge.
Though Dagan was slender, his muscles were rigid and well-defined. Yeah, the man definitely gave new meaning to the term “six-pack abs.”
“Feels like I’ve wanted you to do that forever,” Dagan said in a sudden rush of breath.
She pulled back to meet his gaze. “Forever?”
One side of his luscious, full mouth curved into a lopsided grin. “Well, since I met you at least.”
Nice to know she hadn’t been the only one to feel that punch of desire when she’d first laid eyes on him back at Keegan’s apartment. It had been almost as unexpected a surprise as seeing Ronin again.
“Now here we are.” She glided her hands further up to his chest and the heat from his skin warmed her palms, sending waves of friction down her body. Her nipples beaded in response. Suddenly the fabric separating them seemed like too much.
“I want to see you,” she gasped, tugging the hem of his shirt up.
He wasted no time in helping her slide it over his head, carelessly tossing the shirt to the side. His honeyed skin glowed in the dim lighting of the cabin, highlighting the curves and angles of his chest, biceps, and stomach. What she wouldn’t give to see him rising from the ocean, the water sliding down his chest, playing off the heat of his skin. Easy to see what made sirens so irresistible. Why some gave their lives diving into treacherous waters, all in hopes of catching the elusive species. It was no doubt the same with their morphing mermaid cousins.