“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out ever since Payne planted the temptation in my mind.”
“You find me tempting?” She cringed at the vulnerability revealed by the question. It made her sound desperate for affirmation.
“Gods yes. I’ve always enjoyed spending time with you, but I never allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to touch you.” He brushed the hair back from her eyes, his fingertips skimming over her skin. “Now I can’t think of anything else.”
She took another quick drink, trying to hide her smile. He watched her silently, desire smoldering in his eyes. “My attraction to you has overshadowed every relationship I ever had. I tried not to compare them to you, but you were always there in the back of my mind.”
Ian took her plate from her and set it inside the hamper. “I say we eat after.”
“After?” Her heart flipped over in her chest and heat pooled between her thighs. She wanted him there, deep inside her, filling the empty ache.
He took the bottle from her as well and set it next to the hamper where he’d placed his half-full beer. Then he brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss into the center of her palm. “Dorothy told me I need to go slow, let you set the pace.”
Devon moved closer, understanding the predicament. Ian was a leader, his network’s Prime. Following anyone was unnatural to him. “I don’t disagree with her, but part of what attracts me to you is your strength. I need to feel safe and protected. I need…” She sighed. “I’m not sure what I need.”
Taking her hand, he pulled her forward as he unfolded his legs. She crawled onto his lap, straddling his thighs. “Let’s find out together.”
His lips touched hers and then he pressed his hand against the nape of her neck. She tilted her head so their mouth fit more naturally, but he was in no hurry to deepen the kiss. He caressed her lips, pausing to nibble as he explored her texture and inhaled her breath.
She tugged on his shirt, needing to touch his skin and feel the strength so evident in the shape of his body. He tore the garment off over his head and tossed it aside, only separating their mouths long enough to allow the maneuver. Her hands wandered across his flesh with hungry appreciation. She’d dreamed of the day when she’d have this freedom, have the right to touch him any way she pleased.
He traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue then pushed into her mouth. She welcomed him with open lips and an eager stroke of her tongue. Part beer, part aroused male and part something unique to Ian, his taste awakened her most elemental self, that part of her soul that hungered for mating and definition.
Emboldened by the urgency in his kiss, she pushed against his chest until he lay back across the blanket. Then she kissed her way down the side of his neck, scooting lower on his legs as she went. She explored one of his flat brown nipples and then the other, fascinated by the tension rolling from his chest into his abdomen and back.
Suddenly he sat and dragged her mouth back to his, the kiss deep and demanding. He frantically worked the first few buttons on her blouse then pulled it off over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and he cupped both her breasts as his mouth returned to hers. She arched into his touch, craving the connection of having his hands on her. And she touched him just as boldly, squeezing his shoulders and stroking his chest.
He bent to her breast, sucking her nipple deep into his mouth. She gasped and let her head drop back as sensation shot from her chest and lodged between her thighs. She felt wild and wanton, and the depth of her need echoed through her memory.
This was how she’d felt in the lab. Her body had been so consumed with lust that it hadn’t mattered who touched her as long as they brought her release.
She pushed Ian back, trembling with conflicting emotions. She wanted this, wanted him, but she wasn’t sure how to respond without reliving that horrible day. “I don’t think I can do this.”
He pulled her closer, pressing her breasts against his chest and guiding her head to his shoulder. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to figure it out.”
“I don’t want to give this power over me. I just don’t know how to get past the images.”
He eased back far enough so he could look into her eyes. “Talk to me, love. What triggered your fear? What specifically do we need to avoid—at least for now?”
His sexy smile and the warmth of his gaze kept her from feeling hopeless. He was willing to do whatever it took, even if that meant they’d do nothing at all. Well, she wasn’t willing to postpone their intimacies any longer. She’d waited long enough to share this with Ian.