Forbidden Craving(68)

"No buts," she said.

"In this case, I'll make an exception." He let his hands and knees fall on the mattress. Slowly he crawled forward.

Eyes wide, she tried to scoot back even farther. The wall blocked any escape.

"Did you hate the thought of leaving me?" he asked.

She scowled at him. "Yes, but-"

"No buts."

She pounded a fist into the mattress.

"You feel the connection between us, I know you do. Give me one chance to convince you to stay. If I fail, I'll take you home."

She gasped.

His gaze swept over her, and he suddenly wished he possessed the fire of the dragons so he could burn away her clothing. "I know you've never been with a man, but have you ever engaged in love play?"

Stubborn to the end, she pressed her lips together. "That's none of your business."

He paused, his hands on either side of her knees. The fact that she didn't try to kick him was more telling than she probably knew.

Untouched. His mate was untouched by any man. He would be her first. Her only. He'd be careful with her.

"I like that you're a virgin, Moon."

She flicked a piece of lint off her shirt. "That's hypocritical, don't you think? You've been with thousands." 

"I'm sorry that I don't come to you pure." Nymphs never saved themselves for their mates; they were too sexual, their needs too great. But now he wished he'd waited for her. "Perhaps every other woman was merely practice for the day I met you."

She swallowed, bit her lip. "That's, like, the corniest line I've ever heard."

"Is it?"

"For sure."

"Is it, though?"

"Maybe," she conceded grudgingly.

Blood heated to a sizzle inside his veins. Possessiveness and pride stormed him as surely as his army had stormed this palace. No man had ever sneaked past this woman's cool facade to discover the passion underneath, but Valerian was close.

I will give her so much pleasure she'll scream and beg for more.

He crawled the rest of the way up her body, until they were nose to nose. "You fear the unknown. You fear the pleasure I will give you. You think you'll become a slave to it. To me. So I'll dispel your fears or I won't. There's a chance I could screw this up. Ruin it for you. Then you can leave Atlantis with a clear conscience. You gave it your best shot, and the blame rests on me." He placed the softest kiss on her lush mouth. "You want to make an informed decision, don't you?"

Her mouth parted on a gasp-perhaps a sigh. "I'm not dumb. You're working this situation to your favor."

"To our favor, Moon. Our."

Her eyes narrowed in an attempt to hide the emotion banked in their depths. "Yes. Okay? Yes. But are we going to talk all day or are you actually going to get this seduction routine over with?"

"So I have your permission to touch you?"

"You have all the permissions!"

Trying not to grin, he reached out and palmed the fullness of her breast. Her eyes closed, her hips arched slightly, a look of divine pleasure consuming her features.

Satisfaction speared him. He plucked at her nipple with his fingertips. "Do you hate me when I do this?"

A moan shuddered past her lips. "It feels...it feels terrible." He thought she added, "If terrible is the new word for wonderful," but he couldn't be sure.

He loved seeing her cheeks deepen with rosy color-with arousal. "Just think how much worse it will feel when I suck this hard little morsel into my mouth. I hope you can endure."

She groaned, a sound so laden with need he responded on a primal level, his muscles clenching, his bones vibrating. When he removed his hand-only for the barest of seconds-her groan became a growl. He slid his fingers under her shirt, gliding over the smooth skin of her stomach, surely the softest, sweetest flesh he'd ever encountered.

Rapture glowed from her like a halo, and she trembled.

"Does this make you shudder in revulsion?" he asked, his voice strained. His fingertip brushed the underside of her breast.

"Shudder," she gasped.

"Me, too. Oh, me, too." He held up his hand, his fingers quaking. "I'm disgusted."

"Yes, oh, yes. It's the...worst thing...ever," she said, panting. "Don't stop."




 

 



I SHOULD SO make him stop, Shaye thought. Should make him stop...in just a...little while. This was crazy.

His fingers were white-hot, searing, and everywhere they touched, a fire kindled below the surface of her skin.

Her mind blanked; she was consumed only with pleasure as his hand closed over her bare breast. Instinctively she parted her legs, a silent invitation for him to pin her completely.

He didn't accept. In fact, he lifted slightly.