He took her mouth then, and his tongue—hot and wet—scraped across her teeth. He tasted like mint-flavored candy. No, she wasn’t going anywhere, and she twisted the collar of his shirt in her fingers, locking herself to him. Lifting up, he stared at her for a few seconds before angling his head and devouring her mouth again.
The buttons on his shirt rubbed over the bare skin of her stomach, reminding her he was still clothed. Wanting him skin to hot skin, she tried to undo the first one. When her fingers fumbled with the button, she pulled the two sides of his shirt apart.
He raised his head and watched the button fly across the room, then ping against the closet door before dropping to the carpet. “Damn, Chiquita, this is my best shirt.”
She popped the next one. “I’ll sew them back on later.”
For the first time since she’d let slip that Fortunada had attacked her, amusement lit his eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“Okay, then I’ll buy you another one.” Why were they talking about shirts and sewing? “Either take it off yourself or the rest are going too.”
He nudged her legs apart with his and knelt between her thighs, popping off the remainder of his buttons with one pull. After yanking off the shirt, he tossed it to the floor. His gaze roamed over her, his hazel eyes now darkened to a mossy green.
Captured by the hunger she saw in them, she lifted a hand to touch him. Before she could, he seized it and the other one, lifting her hands above her head and holding them there. Something fierce glittered in his eyes, sending liquid heat straight to her groin. She tried to squeeze her core muscles together to keep from soaking her panties, to keep him from knowing what he did to her with just a look.
His eyelids slid closed and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. A wicked smile curved one side of his mouth. He was smelling her! Warmth crept up her neck and into her cheeks.
“Does it embarrass you that I can smell your arousal?” he asked, following the words with a chuckle. Not waiting for an answer, he pushed under the elastic of her panties and swirled his finger inside of her. “What about if I taste you? Will that turn your cheeks red too?” He stared at his finger, glistening with her juices, as if contemplating something. “What about if we taste you together?”
Unable to form words, she watched as he rubbed his finger over his mouth. A low ache began and grew with each throb of her pounding heart. “I-I—”
“Don’t talk,” he said just before lowering his mouth to hers.
Her taste combined with his in an exotic mix of musk, mint, and saltiness. One of them moaned as their tongues dueled in a furious battle for supremacy. That she wanted him to win, to take command of her and her body, was a surprise and not something she’d ever thought to want from a man.
The questions scattered to oblivion when he rocked against her, his erection rubbing over her clit. Even with the material of his slacks and her panties between them, she could feel how hard and big he was. She tried to pull her hands free so she could touch him, but he tightened his grip.
“Here’re the rules, Chiquita. You keep your hands above your head. Grab hold of the pillow if you have to. No touching until I say you can and no talking.”
“Who made you—”
He tsked. “Already, you’re breaking them. Before you say another word, you might want to know your punishment.”
At the rise of his brow when she opened her mouth to respond, she snapped it shut. This arrogant, dominant side of him shouldn’t be such a turn-on.
“Good, you’re catching on.”
He lowered his mouth to a breast and sucked on the nipple through the lace of her bra before biting down with his teeth. Pleasure pain spiraled through her bloodstream. If this was her punishment, she had no complaints.
“Like that, do you?” he murmured, then blew on the damp material, soothing the ache.
“Yes.” God yes. The sly glint in his eyes clued her in to her mistake.
“You should know I can be a cunning devil when it suits me. That’s two punishments on the score sheet so far. Care to take a guess what you can expect?”
Priding herself that she learned from her mistakes, she pressed her lips together, nor did she chance even a nod of her head.
A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “Smart girl. I’ll take it for granted you want to know.” He put his mouth next to her ear. “I’m going to make you want to come so bad it hurts, Maria, but I’m not going to let you until I decide you can. Two times now, I’m going to torture you. And again if you break another rule. Before I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me.”