Her buoyant mood lasted through dinner and well into the evening. Yet by the time Kyle made their excuses and led her upstairs, some of her old uncertainty had starting bleeding through her newfound calm.
Kyle closed the door to their bedroom and leaned back against the sturdy panel. “You’ve been talkative and smiling all evening. Why are you so tense now?”
She averted her face as she considered the question. Trying to think clearly while she looked at him was an utter waste of time. He attracted her physically, challenged her mentally and complemented her emotionally. How was she supposed to resist him?
Or why did she feel the need to try to push him away? Most people spent their entire lives searching for that one special person who was compatible with them in every way. If she’d been lucky enough to find hers, why should she fight the attraction?
She licked her lips and glanced away, not sure she could make him understand her hesitation. Not sure she understood it herself. “This has always felt sort of…preordained.”
“Is that a bad thing?” His tone was quiet, nonconfrontational.
“I hate being manipulated.” She looked at him, needing to see his reaction to the statement.
His brows drew together and his lips thinned. “Do you feel like I’ve manipulated you?”
She shook her head. He’d been nothing but gallant. “That’s not what I meant.” She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her boots. “You haven’t had any more of a choice in this than I’ve had. I don’t blame you for any of it.”
His gaze gleamed like expensive emeralds and the soft lighting in the room accented the lighter streaks in his tawny hair. He watched her with the lazy intensity of a predator that had already cornered his prey. “Many things in a Therian’s life are triggered by instinct and seem ‘preordained’. I suppose I’m just used to being manipulated by forces more powerful than myself.”
“Well, I don’t like it.” Before he could react to her statement, she pulled her shirt off and let it drop from her fingers. “I won’t pretend I don’t want you. Hypocrisy is not in my nature, but the vision gave me a glimpse into the future. It assured me that this is my chosen path, but it also gave me back control over when and with whom the bond is formed.” He started to reply, but she unzipped her jeans and wiggled out of the snug denim. “I know it’s your nature to take control and I’m not trying to change you. But tonight I need to reclaim control over my desire.”
His gaze meandered from her face to the swell of her breasts. “What’d you have in mind?”
“I want to make the decisions.” Adorned in her bra and panties, she crept toward him, pulse increasing with each step. “I need you to follow my lead. Just for tonight.”
His gaze locked with hers, fierce yet amazingly tender. “You can have whatever you need, as long as I’m the one who gives it to you.”
“I don’t want anybody else.” She tugged his t-shirt out from inside his jeans and slipped one hand under the soft cotton. “I don’t think I never will. I just need to remain in control tonight, to know this is something I’ve chosen.”
“I’m yours to command.”
A sexy growl threaded through his voice, making her nipples tingle. “Take off your shirt.” His fast, focused movements pushed his body against hers, further arousing her senses and accentuating the ache rapidly building between her thighs. His torso was corded with well-defined muscles, compact and lean.
He didn’t touch her. Instead he silently waited for her next move. She ran her hands across his chest then down his arms, enjoying every dip and curve of his amazing body. As her hands explored, she pressed her lips to his chest, absorbing the heat of his skin and the steady thumping of his heart.
She kissed her way to one of his nipples, wondering if he’d enjoy the firm pull of her mouth as much as she enjoyed his. Closing her lips around the tiny peak, she could barely form a circle. Rather than abandoning the task, she used her teeth, nibbling and pulling until he pushed one hand into her hair and released a throaty moan.
Excitement rushed through her body and she switched to the other side, determined to hear the sound again. Responding to Kyle’s skill had been easy. All she’d had to do was surrender and receive the most powerful orgasms of her life. Giving him pleasure might require more concentration, but each time he tensed, each gasp and groan sent desire cascading through her body.
Her hands drifted downward as her mouth continued to play. His hand remained in her hair, yet he didn’t tighten his grip or try to control her. She wasn’t sure how long his mood would last, so she took full advantage of his willingness to indulge her.