As she stood almost completely nude in front of him, sexual tension seemed to fill his large frame and she knew, without actually looking, that he was staring at her bare breasts. She tried to stand straight and tall while she fisted her hands at her sides to keep them from reaching up and covering her naked chest. Dreaming about this had been one thing, being almost naked before him was an entirely different matter.
His hands found hers and clenched around them, holding them to her sides, but his touch was gentle, his thumbs running back and forth over her skin in a soothing manner. He cleared his throat and spoke. "I want to make sure you know something--just for the record." As she continued to look down at the floor, he released one of her hands and a masculine finger put pressure on her chin until she was forced to lift her face to his.
Her eyes locked with his as his thumb ran back and forth along her bottom lip in a caress so soft and gentle that her knees almost gave away. As she waited for him to continue, her pulse jumped erratically. He watched her in silence, their breaths coming in tandem, his face set in lines of gentle homage. His eyes reflected something she'd only caught bare glimpses of in the past; now it was there, unhidden, out in the open between them.
At his expression, her heart began hammering in her chest, and she was startled to feel a tear roll down her cheek, in anticipation of what he might say. He let out a crooked half-smile and wiped the tear away with a gentle finger. He took a deep breath and seemed to brace himself, and then he declared unequivocally, "I'm in love with you, Courtney."
Sheer, unmitigated happiness exploded within her. She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a heartbeat. When she opened her lids and their gazes locked again, her eyes filled with tears as she smiled tremulously. At her reaction, he gave a choked, joyful laugh and his fingers left her chin to spear through her hair. His other arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her against his torso. "I love you, sweetheart," he reiterated. "I always have and I always will."
Her throat closed up. She tried to say something, tried to tell him that she loved him too, but she couldn't find enough strength to accomplish the words. Just the act of breathing was using every bit of oxygen she could find. She wiped at the wet trail on her cheeks with the back of her hand and cleared her throat. She began nodding her head up and down vigorously and his mouth formed a full-blown smile. Releasing her scalp, he trailed his fingers down to the piece of jewelry that hung by a chain and rested on her chest. He lifted it, held it tightly in his fingers and asked almost hesitantly, "Do you love me?"
She opened her mouth and her lips quivered. "Yes," she whispered; it was all she was capable of.
He closed his eyes for two seconds and she read profound relief on his face. When he opened them, he released the charm and wrapped his fingers around her chin again. "Can you tell me?"
An arrow of fierce longing shot straight through her when she heard the trace of vulnerability in his tone. "I love you, Nick."
"Do you?" he asked, his voice dropping a notch, as he searched for confirmation.
Her voice came back fully. "I do. I love you with all my heart and I always have, since I was a teenager. I've always loved you, Nick. It's always been just you."
Her words seemed to be the balm he needed, as an expression of ease filled his features. And then in a lightning quick shift, his features turned to unadulterated possession. As his grip enclosed her more firmly, her stomach flipped at his sudden transformation. When he spoke, his tone conveyed a captivating threat of unequivocal ownership. "That's it then. You're mine." The arm around her waist tightened inexorably. "You've always been mine, but now it's out there."
Courtney sucked in a breath and laid it all out there. "If I'm yours, then you're mine." She made her voice firm; she wasn't asking a question, she was stating a fact. And that was difficult to do when she was standing in nothing but high heels and briefs and his large body was planted around her, radiating full-blown masculinity, his immediate intentions apparent.
But he didn't take exception to her demand; his lips formed a tantalizing smile that caused a molten heat to fill her veins. "Yeah. That's how this thing between us is going to work," he stated with inflexibility. "You're mine--I'm yours, and if anybody tries to get between us, they'll find out quick-fast that that shit won't fly. My family seems to think you belong to them. But that's not the way it is, and that's not the way this is going to work, not any longer."
His hand left her face and trailed down to her breast and encompassed it in the palm of his hand. She let out a tiny gasp as he ran his thumb across her nipple. "Right, baby? Nothing and nobody will get between us. We're moving forward with this. You agree?"
"Yes," she answered simply.
As he continued to drag his finger back and forth across her turgid nipple, Courtney's eyes began to slip closed as arousal shot through her veins.
She felt his lips on her forehead as he held her close. "I'm going to give you whatever you want."
"I only want you," she mumbled against his chest.
"That's easy, then." With that, he lifted her up, with an arm under her back and the other under her knees and carried her across the room, prowling with the fluid movement of a jungle cat to the bed.
He dropped her on the king-sized mattress, in the center of the bed, and then without missing a beat, he stepped back and began undressing.
His eyes stayed riveted on her face as he pushed off his shoes and socks. His nostrils flared and with her heart banging in her chest, she watched as he pulled the designer belt from its loops. When she glanced back up, he began tearing at the fastening of his shirt and with a shrug of his shoulders, dropped the garment to the floor where he stood.
His chest was massive and toned with hard muscle. She pulled in a ragged breath as she watched him undress. She'd seen his chest before, of course, at the swimming pool in his mother's backyard. But never before had she seen his naked chest as it was now, his pectorals lifting and falling as he fought for oxygen.
As he reached for the zipper of his pants, his eyes dropped to her breasts. A tic began beating in his cheek, and as he began sliding his pants down his legs, Courtney felt a moment of nerves and glanced away. With a hurried motion, she slid her sandals off her feet, pulled the covers back and slid underneath. There was no question that she wanted to do this, but she'd feel calmer about it if they were in the bed and not on top of it.
As she settled underneath the covers, she saw a blur of motion. Hard muscle, tanned skin and pure, unadulterated naked man slid under the sheets with her.
She was lying on her back and he slid in beside her, the sheet dropping to their hips. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he lay on his side, the long length of him pressing against her as he leaned over her. His hand tightened on the indentation of her waist and Courtney felt a sharp, sexual tug as she glanced down and saw his dark, masculine arm against the paler skin of her belly.
He dropped his head down and fastened his mouth around her nipple, and that fast, a wave of heat encompassed her. The fingers at her waist clenched and caressed; his touch on her nipple was a gentle lick and then another.
And then the soft touch disappearing, with a growl he sucked her nipple into his mouth and pulled on it, drawing it toward the roof of his mouth with a suction so strong she felt it course down and land between her thighs.
Desire exploded inside Courtney's head. At her moan, the hand at her waist slid up and enclosed her other breast and he began playing with it, holding its weight in the palm of his hand and then stroking her nipple with his fingers and thumb. The twin caresses on both breasts caused Courtney to lift her hips off the bed in immediate reaction. She felt herself flood with wet heat as Nick's lips tugged at her nipple, firmer, harder.
She moaned again and he let out a tight groan in response and then trailed his hand away from her breast, down her torso to land between her legs. He cupped her there, over the silk of her underwear, and then with a sudden motion, he reared up from her and stripped her panties down her legs and tossed them aside.
He balanced on his knees as he stared down at her nude body and Courtney felt inflamed with a rush of fire. As he ran his eyes over her, he slid a single finger from between her breasts, down past her stomach to land just at the spot where her legs met. Her stomach muscles quivered as slowly, he moved his hand down and cupped her again, only this time she was naked and the feeling was even more exquisite. She whimpered and his eyes lifted to hers and locked on her with the same intensity as his fingers locked at the juncture of her thighs.
They stared at each other while Courtney tried to control the breaths coming in and out of her lungs. He was breathing just as heavily. As he stayed focused on her, his fingers separated her folds and found the heart of her. She gave a responsive jerk and was lacerated by his territorial look. The skin on his face tautened as he said, "Whatever you want, baby." As he spoke, his finger circled her damp opening. "It's okay, sweetheart. I want what you want, okay?"
She nodded her head. "I want the covers."
His eyes swept down her nude body one last time and quickly, he lifted the covers over them and lay back down to his original position at her side. His hand slid back down to her wet heat and he cupped her there. "You'll have to get used to me looking at you."