Nora Roberts Land(82)
He fingered the black lace edging. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.”
“Good to know.” She moved closer, hoping the connection would silence her mind. Will I please him? Will I be enough?
He touched the swell of her breasts and ran his hands down the front eye clasps of her bustier. “Do you always wear this fancy stuff?”
She wanted to press his hands to her chest. Why did he have to talk so much? “No. It’s part of my new…persona.”
He rubbed the material. Her nipples tightened. Take it off, she wanted to demand.
“Should I ask why?” He nudged her backwards. Finally! The right direction.
“No.”
“Good, I don’t want to be distracted.” He framed her ribs in his big hands. “Christ, you look like one of those underwear models.”
She snorted.
He tipped her chin up again, making her meet his eyes, all dark and smoky with desire. “You calling me a liar?”
She fidgeted. “It’s…an overstatement.”
His face gentled as he caressed her cheek. “He really did a number on you, didn’t he? Meredith, your ex is an idiot and an asshole. He didn’t deserve you. And I’m glad he’s a prick.”
“Why?”
His smile warmed her heart. “Because you’re here with me, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Now, let me show you.”
He lifted her mouth to his, and her heart swelled as he touched her. Yes, this was what she’d been waiting for.
He took his time, sipping at her lips until she grabbed his hair, pulled him closer, and opened her mouth. Then the kiss went crazy. His tongue met hers, lighting all the matches inside her. She tugged on his bottom lip and reached for his fleece, tugging it over his head. He helped her, and when she pulled at his shirt, he jerked that over his head too. The sight of his bare chest made her mouth go dry. She ran her fingers down the arrow of hair on his belly and reached for the zipper of his black pants. If he knew the fantasies she’d had…
“Oh, God, not yet.” He set her hands aside. “I lied earlier. I’m not made of stone.”
He cupped her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her nipples. Her head fell back. God, his touch made her body hum. She wanted to belt out an alleluia. She could still feel this way. When he put his mouth to her neck, she moaned from sheer desperation.
“You have no idea how much I want you.” He flicked his tongue against her ear lobe.
“I want you more.” She clutched his waist.
He kissed her again, guiding her deeper into the dark longings of her body. The intensity of their connection shocked her. She knew he could take her places she’d never been. The woman inside broke free of the last chains holding her in check. She undid her pants and kicked them free. When she sat back on the bed, she held out her hand. It was time to take back her womanhood and put the past in the past.
“Make love to me, Tanner.”
He peeled his pants off, stealing her breath away. The man’s body was star quality. He settled between her legs, kissing his way down her neck to her breasts. She fell back, her eyes closing as he took her breast into his mouth through her bustier. Her back arched, her hands tangling in his hair.
“Take it off,” she finally demanded.
He leaned back and tugged. “I’ve gone all thumbs, it seems.”
She was past the point of laughing. His hips pressed into her as she propped herself up, and she could feel his hard length against her. He wasn’t lying. He did want her. Feminine power coursed through her. She threw the bustier aside and pulled his head to her breast. The touch of his mouth had her body tightening, readying for him.
God, it had been so long since she’d felt anything like this. Hot, steamy, wet, and wanted. She couldn’t remember feeling more.
She turned into one long line of electrified sensation. Her body focused on the feel of his warm, wet mouth. When he kissed her belly and tugged off her underwear, she trailed her fingers down to his black briefs. He set her hand aside.
“Not yet,” he murmured darkly, kissing her thigh. “I want you as hot as I am.”
She thought she couldn’t get much hotter, but she was wrong. Before she’d rather dreaded this part, but with him, it was intense. Perfect. His mouth made her legs open wider. His tongue made her hips lift off the bed. He knew exactly where to touch, and how she needed it.
He was a sorcerer who trailed his magic across her body and sent her over the edge. She was panting when she opened her eyes. He kissed her belly.
“I want to be inside you,” he rasped.
Her feelings overwhelmed her. She couldn’t speak, so she raised her leg and rubbed it against his back, that gorgeous line of muscles that made her insides quake. He riffled in the bedside stand and drew out a condom. She reached to help him.