He was impossibly sexy.
And he was all mine.
He helped remove the rest of his clothes until he was sitting in just his jeans. Firelight made his flesh glossy. Touching a palm to his chest, I ran my nails down, enjoying how he inhaled briskly.
Clasping my wrist, he said, “My turn.”
I got the hint and started to slide my jacket off. Ronin squeezed my arm to stop me. Meeting his heated stare, I gleaned his intention; he didn't want my help.
Shutting my eyes, I arched into his touch while he stripped me. His deft fingers scooped under my shirt, peeling me like a grape, revealing my skin. I didn't have tattoos or scars like him, but perhaps I was unique in my own, unmarred way.
His subtle growl said he thought so.
I was blinded when the clothing came over my head. Blinking, I looked up into the vortex of his eyes. The air around this man was resonating, demanding I never stop paying attention. Never had anyone—anything—in my life felt so paramount.
“You're beautiful,” he breathed. I flushed pink, and he saw it spread over my chest. The edges of his eyes crinkled. “Don't go getting shy on me.”
“I'm not.” Reaching back, I tugged my bra free, wanting him to understand I was in control of my actions. His sly grin and open appreciation made me shift on the ground.
I expected him to reach for my breasts. They were firm because of the cold, but even more so from my desire.
Ronin avoided them, cupping my skull, leading me to his hungry mouth. This time, when we kissed, I saw my own veins glowing behind my eyelids.
Our naked bodies caressed together, hard muscle on my yielding skin. I couldn't bite back a groan, enduring a new rush of arousal. The tension building in my lower belly was bordering on painful; I wanted this man so badly, and I had no reason to deny it any longer.
He collapsed around me in the grass, shielding me from the light. When I looked up, past his temple, I saw the spray of stars above. His gaze burned fiercer than they dared.
Between us, the rough material of our jeans scraped. I couldn't see, I just felt the rigid, massive shape of his erection. The playfulness in his smile taunted me.
It reminded me of my awful seduction ploy at the bed and breakfast.
Thinking of that night, how I'd come so close to freeing his hungry cock from his pants, I bit my cheek. I wasn't proud of my deception.
This would be different.
Gliding my palm down, I fumbled with his belt. He copied me, unhooking my brass button, our zippers slicing the night air as one. The hard thump of my gun was out of place among our activities. Ronin tossed it aside.
Shimmying my pants down my ankles, Ronin sat up on his knees. As he did, I saw the elastic top of his boxers. The outline of his thick cock was as good as a lighthouse. I gawked at it, at him, and he just watched me in his amused way.
Eagerly, I pushed a finger to his hip, running it along the seam of his boxers. Then I went further, trailing my touch down the entire length of his shaft. Beneath the cotton, his cock twitched. “Holy hell,” I mumbled, shaking.
“Let's leave the higher powers out of it.” Flexing back on his heels, he rolled his arms behind his head. I saw every tendon along his ribs flaring, the man was formed from genuine marble. “You're all mine tonight.”
Those words were a dark purr. His deep pupils turned his joke into a promise he meant to keep.
The thrum in my chest warned me not to doubt him.
Sitting up, I kissed his shoulder, the corner of his lips. One of his fingertips brushed down my belly, resting on the rim of my panties. I ached for him to explore further, I knew he wanted to; his flesh was pulsing under mine. We had enough kinetic energy to power a fucking rocket.
Finally I blurted, “You're killing me here.”
Laughing, his tone was as luxurious as caramel and silver mixing together. “There are worse ways to die.”
I was ready to argue, wriggling in my compounding lust. He didn't make me try to convince him; Ronin pushed me back, hiking my hips up so that my ankles were by his ears. The abrupt nearness of my pussy to his sharp smirk stole my air.
Lifting an eyebrow, he inhaled, nostrils flaring. His enjoyment was clear, his cock arching through his boxers against my thigh. Rolling my panties down, he exposed me to the breeze. I was soaked, there was no way to hide it.
Like a man who'd suffered for weeks fasting, he dove in, nuzzling the inner part of my thigh. His stubble itched my silky skin, making me hyper aware of each breath he took. Spreading me with his thumbs, Ronin kissed right above my swollen clit. “When I fuck you, you're going to scream,” he said flatly.
Blinking, I writhed helplessly. “No, I can be quiet, no one will hear us—ah!” I squealed, his tongue curling along my wet lips.
Pure seriousness, Ronin watched me from between my legs. “I never said I wanted you to be quiet.”