Once Bitten, Twice Burned(51)

Her clothes were irritating her body. She wanted them gone. Wanted only his flesh against her.

This wasn’t natural. Sure, she liked sex as much as the next girl. But right then, hell, she felt like she was in heat.

Heat. Great. Fantastic. That was probably normal for a phoenix, right? Another fun side effect that she could deal with?

She heard the tread of his footsteps then felt the light brush of his fingers over her cheek. “You’re sure you aren’t hungry?”

Why did he keep harping on that? “Not for food,” was her whisper.

Crap, she hadn’t just meant to say that.

His fingers slid under her chin. “I can give you whatever you need.”

The man needed to be careful what he offered. They’d been away from Genesis for just a few hours, and she was about to rip his clothes off.

“I think—I think you might want to get away from me.” She curled her fingers down, making fists. The better not to grab him and hold tight.

“That’s the last thing I want to do.” Then Ryder made a very, very fatal mistake.

He put his lips on her.

Ignite.

Fire seemed to explode within her. With a gasp, she gave in to that heat. Her hands flew up and wrapped around him. Her mouth opened wide beneath his.

His tongue touched hers. Light, gentle.

Hell, no.

“I want more,” she whispered against his mouth. She had to have more. She was desperate. Too wild. Nothing could hold back the fire.

She didn’t want to hold it back.

Then his hands were on her ass—yes!—and he was pulling her up tight against him. There was no missing the full, thick length of his arousal. She rubbed against him, wanting more and then—

He lifted her into the air. Her legs locked around him, and she kept her mouth on his. He was carrying her someplace—the guy seemed to like doing that, and, hey, if it floated his boat . . .

She nipped his bottom lip. It was his turn to growl. She liked that rough, animalistic sound from him.

“Hold on, love, hold on.”

She wanted to hold on to him, but he’d taken her into the bathroom. He eased her back onto her feet. Yanked on the water. Oh, that shower was lush. Given the size of the cabin, she hadn’t expected this paradise. Big, granite, with steaming water that poured out instantly, the shower was pretty close to a dream.

And, yes, okay, she had dried blood on her clothes. On her. Not exactly sexy. Jumping into the shower with him seemed like a fine idea to her.

Sabine started to strip.

Ryder exhaled on a long breath and took a step back. He was . . . watching her.

She offered him a fast smile. One that she hoped looked sexy and not as sex-crazed as she actually felt. “You don’t have to just watch.” She tossed her clothes onto the floor. “I’d love it if you touched, too.” In fact, she had to feel his fingers against her skin.

Ryder all but ripped his own clothes away, then his hands—big, strong, yes!—were on her. Caressing her breasts. Teasing her nipples. She and Ryder stumbled into the shower. The water was heaven. The steam whispered against her lips when she breathed his name.

He lifted her up. She was seriously loving his strength. Then his mouth closed around her breast. Her breath hissed out between her teeth. His tongue rasped over her nipple. The steam didn’t seem to just be coming from the water then. It seemed to be rising right off her skin.

He sucked her breast. Kissed. Nipped lightly. She twisted against him because he had her body aching. She wanted more. Her fingers sank into his hair. The water streamed down their bodies. “Ryder . . .”

She needed relief. Her sex was so eager for him. Forget the first-base routine. She wanted to head right for home plate.

She bent her head and put her mouth on his skin. Bite. She’d never had the urge to bite anyone before. But in that instant, the urge was so strong. Too strong to ignore.

Sabine bit him. Not hard enough to break the skin. Just hard enough to show him . . . I want to be wild.

He shuddered beneath her. Then his head was lifting. He pushed her back against the tiled shower wall. Her toes curled in the stream of water.

“Spread your legs.” Guttural.

Right, like she had to be told twice. Um, and, yeah, they actually were already parted but she could spread them a little bit more for him.

His hand drifted down her stomach. Her breath came faster. “Don’t play,” she told him, tossing back her wet hair. “Touch me.”

His fingers slid between her legs. Found the center of her need. Her toes stopped curling. Mostly because she’d just jumped right up on her toes as her body went bow-tight.

He stroked her lightly. That wasn’t enough. But then . . .

Then he pushed one finger into her.

“Tight,” his growl. “Hot.”