"Do you?" he asked, retuning his lips to my neck and suckling again.
"Do I... what?"
"Taste divine?"
Oh God. How the hell did I answer that?
"Um..."
He chuckled, the rumble coming from deep within.
"Yeah, I think you'll taste divine," he declared. Then I lost all train of thought as his lips finally met mine.
Firm, hard, soft, gentle, purposeful. A nip, a stroke, hot breath, hotter tongue. The world burst apart as his mouth devoured mine. Tingles starting in my fingertips, ending up at my toes, and exploding everywhere in between.
I groaned before I realised the sound was coming out. He stoked the fire, slanting his head, searching with his touch, tasting what I had to offer.
And if I tasted half as good as he did, then he was right; divine. Although I was aware that the taste he'd referred to was not on my lips, in my mouth. Which made me blush and wonder if he'd locked the door. And if he had, did he intend to take advantage of our privacy and... taste more?
Panting, I met him stroke for stroke, touch for touch, taste for taste. Climbing up his body, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, hands up into hair, fisting. Chest to chest, groin to groin. A blast of heat and fire and sparks of electricity arcing between us, just as he promised.
"I want you," he rasped against my lips. They felt bruised, smoothed, plumped up on his touch. "Tell me you want me too?"
God, yes! I did and I was adult enough to admit it.
"Yes," I breathed.
"Yes what?"
"Yes I want you too."
And then my feet were on the floor, his hands were on my upper arms, steadying me or holding me away from his body, I'm not sure. And his forehead came down to rest on mine.
"I want you," he repeated. "But I want all of you. Including your beautiful daughter."
He was breathing rapidly, flushed, wild eyed. Sexy.
I sucked in air while I tried to understand his words, his meaning. The intense look in his eyes.
His thumb came up and gently rubbed over the furrow in my brow. He smiled; a small, sensual smile.
"Marie," he murmured. The sound of my name, right then, on his lips was erotic. "I want to be a part of your lives. Not just a satellite. Not just a fading star. I want to be your sun. And I want you to be mine."
I blinked up at him, unable to form words. Unable to comprehend what he was saying. But knowing in my heart he couldn't have said it better.
"Now get dressed," he ordered, making a startled and disappointed breath of air escape me.
His thumb found my open mouth and gently closed it with a press against my lip and a finger grip on my chin. He could be so commanding sometimes, in such a tender and intimate way.
"I need to catch Dominic before he leaves. I've got an idea," he murmured a little distractedly, then pulled me close again for a quick kiss.
I missed the electric one. I realised just then, that he was right. I wanted more. I wanted it all. And I wasn't going to let him go either, even though I hadn't had a taste yet.
Heat flushed my cheeks and he let a sexy growl out. His lips giving me exactly what I craved in the next instant.
When he pulled back finally, it was with great effort, and a husked promise of, "Later."
Then he was out the door and gone, and I was left feeling shaken. But conversely thrilled.
I stood for several long moments in the middle of the room, my shirt from earlier discarded on the floor. I hadn't even realised I'd dropped it, when I'd climbed his body like a monkey and delved my fingers through his hair. But there it was, on the floor taunting me. A bubble of laughter sprang from my lips, a smile spreading them wide. Despite what lay ahead, despite the unknown danger that lurked, I was happy. A deep seated happiness from right inside my heart.
How was that even possible?
I shook my head, dumbfounded, and reached down to pick the shirt up off the floor. And before my mind could conjure up any more beautiful recollections, I started to get changed, putting on dark jeans and the dark shirt, and following it all up with a dark jacket. I'd hidden the ledger in the most inappropriate place. A place Roan McLaren would never dream of looking. But to get it, we'd have to blend in, use the shadows and hope we didn't get seen.
I'd taken a risk hiding the book where I did, but sometimes the most ridiculously simple places are the most overlooked.
When I came out to the kitchen everyone was once again sitting around the large dining table, this time drinking cups of coffee and nibbling on muffins Abi had obviously made.
"I can't promise anything," Dominic was saying, as he stood up from his chair. "This isn't a Police TV drama, you know. Real life situations involving immunity are few and far between in New Zealand law. But I'll do everything that I can."