Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss(8)

                 “You’re beautiful, Ash. So damn beautiful.”

                 Some of her trembling stopped as she absorbed the look in his eyes. The eyes didn’t lie and she could read arousal and appreciation in those golden depths.

                 He took her shoulders, gently pulled her to him and kissed her again. Hot. Forceful. In turns fierce and then gentler as though he had to remind himself not to overwhelm her.

                 She wanted to be overwhelmed.

                 She may be a virgin but she was no stranger to lust, desire and extreme arousal. She wanted Devon with a force that bordered on obsession. He’d fired many a fantasy that had kept her up at night.

                 And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been tempted in the past. She’d been courted by other men. Some she felt absolutely no desire for but with others she’d experienced a kernel of interest and had wondered if she should pursue a sexual relationship. In the end, she hadn’t been sure and if she wasn’t absolutely sure, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t take the plunge.

                 Not so with Devon. She’d known from the moment he introduced himself to her in that husky, sexy-as-hell voice that she was a goner. She’d spent the last weeks breathless in anticipation of this night. Now that it was here, her entire body ached for him to take her.

                 He pulled away for a moment and she stared at him with glazed eyes. He touched her cheek, tracing a path down her face with his fingertip. Then he kissed her again. And again.

                 Hot. Breathless. His tongue slid between her lips and feathered over her own. Warm and decadent, his taste seeped over her tongue and she drank him in hungrily, wanting more.

                 His harsh groan exploded into her mouth and the rush of his exhalation blew over her face. “You make me crazy.”

                 She smiled, some of her nervousness abating. That she had this effect on this gorgeous, perfect man infused her with a sudden rush of feminine confidence.

                 He fastened his mouth to her jaw and kissed a line down to her neck. He pressed his lips just over her pulse point and then lightly grazed his teeth over the sensitive flesh.

                 Shivers of delight danced over her shoulders. His hands glided up her arms and then gripped her just above the elbows. He held her in place as his mouth continued its downward trek. Over the curve of her shoulder and then down the front.

                 He went to his knees in front of her so that his mouth was barely an inch from her nipple. She sucked in her breath, afraid to move, wanting so badly for him to touch her there. His mouth, lips, tongue… She didn’t care. She just knew she’d die if he didn’t touch her.

                 He lowered his head and kissed her belly instead. Just above her navel. She sucked in her breath, causing her stomach to cave in. He moved up an inch and kissed her again, tracing a path between her breasts until finally he pressed a kiss directly over where her heart beat.

                 A slow smile turned his lips upward, the movement light against her skin.

                 “Your heart’s racing,” he murmured.

                 She remained silent. It didn’t require acknowledgement from her—her heart was beyond racing. It was damn near about to explode out of her chest.

                 But her hands wouldn’t remain still. Drawn to the light brown wash of his hair, she threaded her fingers through the short strands. In a certain light, she could see the shades of his eyes. Amber. Golden. That warm, liquid brown.