But she couldn’t finish her sentence. Not when she saw the heat flaring in his eyes. Heat that ignited a matching fire in her body. “Ryan?”
He swore under his breath. “I promised I wouldn’t do this again, Cassie, and I meant it. But you do things to me.” His jaw tightened. “Just walk away. Go to bed. Leave the house if it scares you too much.” He swore again. “I didn’t mean for you to ever find out. I’m a real bastard. I’m sorry.”
She stared at him. “You want me,” she said, not quite able to believe the words even as she spoke them. Wonder filled her. Wonder and longing.
“Of course. Who wouldn’t?”
She could probably come up with dozens of names, but right now that didn’t seem important. He didn’t love her, but he wanted her. It shouldn’t be enough, but it was. She would rather have a little bit of magic with Ryan than have a lifetime of almost with someone else.
“I’m not afraid,” she told him. “You’re not a bastard. I’m not leaving the house. In fact, I don’t think I’m going to bed for a long time.”
“One of us has to be strong.”
It took all her courage, but she took a step toward him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He tensed. She leaned a little closer and felt his arousal pressing into her belly.
“I’m not feeling especially strong,” she told him. “Guess it’s up to you.”
They stared at each other. She thought he might back off, or push her away. Instead he sucked in a breath, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THIS KISS WAS better than the one she remembered. Cassie let herself lean into him, absorbing the heat that flared instantly. His mouth was hot and firm against hers, his body hot and hard. Passion swept through her, like a rush of light, filling every pore, every cell. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t imagine ever wanting to stop. All she could do was kiss him back.
Ryan brushed her lower lip with his tongue. She shivered as she parted to admit him. He moved inside, stroking her, circling around, exploring and teasing. He tasted of wine and himself, a potent combination that left her light-headed.
His hands were everywhere. On her back, slipping down to her waist, then cupping her hips. He squeezed her derriere and pulled her against him so that she could feel all of his arousal, then brought his hands up her arms and began the journey again. In turn, she allowed herself to rest her fingertips on his broad shoulders. He was so strong. Every muscle tightened as she traced a pattern down his back. She could feel his rippling tension.
What was that old line? “If this is madness, then let me live with the insane.” Or something like that. It didn’t matter. The concept captured her feelings perfectly. She wanted to be crazy, if it meant sharing this incredible moment with Ryan. Her breasts ached and swelled until she wanted to beg him to touch her there. Her legs trembled. Between her thighs, that most private part of her dampened. She could feel a heaviness low in her stomach and it took all her strength not to rock her hips against him.
Ryan cupped her face. He trailed kisses across her cheeks and nose, along her jaw to her ear. There he nibbled on her earlobe. Her breath caught as the impact of his teasing made her softly cry out. It was too delicious, too incredible, too unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“Ryan,” she breathed, wanting to say his name again and again so that she could know this was really happening.
He pulled back and stared at her. The fire she’d seen before had exploded into a raging storm. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn that his hands trembled as he held her face. She noticed that his mouth was damp…from her kisses! She had done that to him. Somehow, despite her inexperience, she’d managed to arouse him and his passions.
“I want you,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I want you, Cassie. In my bed. I want you naked, underneath me. I want to touch you and taste you everywhere, then I want to bury myself inside you and make you mine.”
His words created an image that took her breath away. She couldn’t do anything but stare at him. She’d never been naked in front of a man before, nor had a man touched her intimately. She waited for a feeling of nervousness or a voice to whisper that what they were doing was wrong, but there was only the silence of expectation.
“I want you, too,” she murmured, then ducked her head as she blushed. Had she really said that?
He touched her chin and forced her to look at him. “No regrets?” he asked. “I can stop now, if you want me to.” He gave her a crooked smile. “I’ll want to die, but I can stop. I need you to be sure.”