The Taming of a Wild Child(17)

And she wanted to know.

Don’t make this even worse.

But her legs felt wobbly and weak, and her hand was already reaching for him. She was setting herself up for disaster, but the draw was almost too painful to fight. Her hand landed on his chest, and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart under her palm and the jump of the muscle under the skin. Donovan wasn’t immune to her, and that knowledge gave her the courage to meet his eyes. What she saw there nearly took her breath away, and the heat that flooded her had nothing to do with the weather.

“Lorelei …”

It was now or never. If she walked away now she’d regret it. But this was a huge risk; if Donovan turned her down, her humiliation would be everlasting.

Rising up on her toes until only inches separated them, she dug deep and let the ache inside her force the words out. “I want to know.”

She felt the shock ripple through his body as she closed the space and let her lips meet his.

There was a pause, then everything exploded.

The sensations hit her with the force of a hurricane, cancelling out her higher brain functions. The feel and taste of Donovan was both new and familiar at the same time, giving reality to what had only been a vague craving before.

His mouth was hot and demanding, each stroke of his tongue licking her like fire and sending the sensation searing through her entire body. The solid bulk of his chest pressed against hers, anchoring her to the brick wall at her back and trapping her in a cage of warm male flesh.

It was divine.

She felt a tug on her hair and let her head fall back, allowing Donovan to press hot kisses down her neck to the sensitive skin at her collarbone. She arched against him, getting contact from breast to knee, and his hands wrapped around her waist to hold her there.

This was what she’d been trying to remember. This was what her body knew, what her skin had been trying to tell her about. Memories of the sensations butted at her brain, allowing her to savor the anticipation of the next touch, the next taste, while somehow knowing how good it would be at the same time.

Her fingers tightened in his hair, dragging his mouth back to hers. She melted under the onslaught.

“Lorelei …”

The sound of her name, whispered huskily next to her ear, sent goose bumps over her skin, but she heard the reluctant this isn’t a good idea echoing underneath.

“I know.” She could force herself not to think about all the reasons why this was a really bad idea, but they were still on a public street, only a block from the restaurant, and the shadows and the hibiscus blooms were far from the adequate privacy needed. She pressed a kiss against his neck, tasted the salt and felt the thrumming of his pulse under her lips. “I just don’t—” The words were stopped as she gave in to the urge for another taste. She tightened her fingers around the collar of his jacket, unwilling to let this moment, this feeling go. “My house is seven blocks from here.”

She felt Donovan smile against her temple as his hands splayed across the small of her back to pull her even closer. “Mine’s four.”

Her decision had been made the moment she touched him, but when he didn’t move, she realized Donovan must be waiting for a response. “Sounds good.”

The feel of Lorelei pressed against him was mind-scrambling, and the orders from his brain to his feet seemed to be getting lost.

Rationally, he knew this shouldn’t be happening, but somehow it felt inevitable, as well. He hadn’t followed her with this intent, but now he didn’t know why he hadn’t.

The four blocks to his house seemed ridiculously far when his body was screaming for him to take her right here, right now.

Move.

He reached for her hand and twined his fingers through hers. He realized Lorelei’s hand was shaking. She wore a dazed look, her lips swollen and moist, and her breath was uneven and shallow. The woman was lust incarnate, and pure want cut deep into his belly.

Lorelei trailed slightly behind as he led her quickly across Esplanade and down Dauphine into the Quarter. When he felt resistance in her arm, he glanced over his shoulder to see Lorelei’s gaze firmly on her feet and wondered if she was having second thoughts. Belatedly he realized it was those impossibly sexy shoes. The ancient and uneven sidewalks of the Quarter were treacherous, and he was practically dragging her like a caveman back to his den.

He shortened his stride and slowed his steps. Lorelei squeezed his hand in thanks without looking up.

Dauphine Street was primarily residential, and the few people out on the street didn’t give them a second glance—even though Donovan felt like his erection was leading the way and their intent was obvious.

One block up St. Phillip to Burgundy and the redbrick of his house appeared like a lighthouse. The knowledge they were that close sent blood rushing to his groin so fast he had difficulty finding his keys and remembering how to make them work.