“What?”
He stripped her jeans from her and made short work of her panties. She was naked beneath him in moments.
“Beautiful,” he told her, pressing an openmouthed kiss to her navel. His hot breath trailed over her stomach and she bit her lip to stop from begging for more.
Lower and lower he slid, until she felt his breath against her most sensitive skin.
“You don’t have to,” she said, trying to think straight with him between her legs.
“I’m right where I want to be,” he replied, kissing her inner thigh. “You might not trust me outside of bed but in this I excel. Promise.”
He drew his tongue along her slick folds before she could protest.
Darcy nearly shot off the bed at the touch. Her body radiated pleasure, begging him to continue. Jaral ran a finger along the sensitive skin and drove another cry from her.
“Still want me to stop?” he teased.
“Stop and I really will kill you.”
Jaral grinned as he returned to his play. He teased a fingertip along her slit before plunging it inside her.
Darcy threw back her head. Her heels dug into the mattress as her body writhed against him.
He drew his finger out slowly, taunting her with the easy rhythm when she wanted to race toward gratification. She opened her mouth to protest when Jaral lowered his mouth to her clit.
Darcy twisted on the bed above him as he drew his tongue across her sensitive nub. She writhed under him, her hands flying out to grab the mangled bedspread.
Only when her pleas for more were incomprehensible did he rake his teeth over her clit and slip two fingers into her.
She cried out as her climax crashed down on her. Her body stiffened, pleasure exploding through her. Never before had she felt such a powerful orgasm and he’d brought her here with just his mouth. Who knew what the man was capable of when he wasn’t working under her restrictions?
Her body was still twitching in the aftermath of her release when he gathered her into his arms.
“That was incredible,” she puffed against his chest. “Give me a minute and I’ll return the favor.”
He groaned at her words. “Darling, don’t tempt me.”
“You’re good with your tongue,” she murmured, tipping her head up to brush her lips. “But so am I.”
“And one day I will take you up on it,” he growled. “Rest assured. But tonight is too important.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “You need to learn I can be trustworthy. I can be someone you rely on. Someone who puts you first. Tonight is about you, not me.” Jaral pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Though I promise, my darling, there will be other nights.”
She blinked up at him. No man she’d ever dated would have turned down her offer. In fact, none of her past lovers would even consider putting her pleasure above their own. But her demon kept surprising her at every turn. He had given her release without asking anything in return, even when she’d practically begged him to come inside her. Instead, he’d stayed true to the rules she’d set and not pushed for more.
The action was…honorable.
“You confuse me,” she whispered.
A slight smile crossed his face. “Good. Once we’ve stripped away all your preconceptions, maybe you’ll start to see me as I truly am.”
“Someone I can trust?”
“Yes.” His eyes seemed to glow in the dim light as he watched her. “Someone you can trust.”
She shifted so she could look up, folding her hands over his chest and resting her chin on them.
Though she knew he must be feeling the frustration of their incomplete embrace, there was no tension in his face. Only a satisfied smile curved his lips. He looked almost happy.
It was an expression she’d never seen on his face before.
His fingers threaded through her hair in an absent touch, as if he couldn’t bear to end the contact. After everything Jaral had done for her, she wanted to give something back to show her appreciation.
“It was my mother.” The words were out before she could stop herself.
The hand in her hair stilled but he didn’t speak. She smiled at his restraint. Patience was not a word she’d associate with Jaral, yet he was trying to be good, for her.
“My mom had the problem with pills. She’s the reason I won’t touch them.” The words poured from her without filter. She’d never talked about this with anyone other than Blake. Never with a lover. “They ate her alive,” she whispered, “and I’m afraid if I let myself slip like that, they’d take me too.”
“You’re too strong to ever let that happen,” he told her. No prying questions, just a quiet assurance of her strength. Her heart raced just a little bit faster.