The Pleasure Principle

“Ah.” She let out a low sigh of resignation. Or of disappointment. Or of something else she wouldn’t allow herself to feel fully. Heartbreak, perhaps? “And here we are. At the end.”

“No,” D.T. said, his voice strong and full of conviction. Which confused her all the more.

His body was all but melded to her, and his large hand reached for one of hers. As their fingers tangled together, heat raced through every inch of her, nearly singeing her to her core. She sucked in another deep breath to steady herself. He pulled her forward through that inch or two of space that had separated them.

“Another beginning.” As their bodies touched, his black eyes glowed with lust. “A second chance.”

Gizelle worked down a hard swallow. She felt breathless and a bit swept away, though she fought both feelings. Because, as usual, there was just too much at stake for her to give in to him.

Damn the war and all the strife it caused!

With another slight shake of her head, she said, “I can’t give you a second chance, D.T.”

“Why not?” His voice lowered and his head dipped. He inhaled deeply, as though he found the scent of her intoxicating. His soft lips grazed her temple, causing a moan of desire to lodge in her throat. “Didn’t I just prove I’m not a complete heathen? That I support The Cause?”

She nodded her head, speechless as his mouth whisked over her cheek before his lips pressed ever-so-lightly to the corner of her mouth.

Gizelle’s breathing accelerated and her chest rose and fell more rapidly against his. She suddenly wished he weren’t wearing a shirt because she desperately wanted to feel his heat and muscles pressed against her, surrounding her.

“I need the gold, D.T.,” she mumbled breathlessly. His lips blazed a trail over her jaw and down the long column of her throat, causing her head to fall back to give him better access to her burning flesh. With his mouth on her, Gizelle almost forgot the reasons why she needed the gold.

That he could still turn her on this quickly scared the hell out of her. It also excited her beyond belief.

“Tell me what the gold is for,” he said just before his tongue laved at the hollow of the base of her throat.

Gizelle’s fingers tightened around his as he held her hand. Her other palm pressed to his muscular chest, almost in an attempt to push him away so that order could finally be restored to her sexually charged thoughts. So the passion-induced haze that suddenly clouded her mind could dissipate.

But she didn’t push him away. Rather, Gizelle’s fingers curled around the soft material of his shirt, which was opened at the neck to reveal the full swells of his pectoral muscles. Her back arched slowly as her hips bowed forward, so their lower bodies were more tightly pressed together. It was a completely involuntary reaction to D.T. and the desire he so easily evoked. Gizelle couldn’t help herself.

“Tell me why you need the gold,” he said again as his head bent further and his tongue slid over her collarbone.

“Provisions.” Her fingers unraveled from the material she clutched and instead threaded through his thick, dark-as-night hair. Every inch of her still responded so vehemently to their closeness. To his touch. The fingers of her other hand remained twined with his. Gizelle was caught in his sensual spell, unable to break it.

As D.T.’s arm snaked around her waist, he held her tightly to him. Gizelle sighed into his ear. He felt so good. And he was giving her the gold. That made it so easy for her to give herself over to the passion he sparked.

“Tell me you’ll be careful skirting the blockades,” D.T. said in his soft, intimate voice. His breath teased the sensitive skin on her neck, making her shiver with need.

But his words made her pull away slightly. She stared up at D.T., seeing the concern reflected in his onyx eyes.

He eased her back into her arms. “No,” he whispered as his warm lips grazed her temple. “Don’t go anywhere, Ellie.”

Gizelle melted a little. She’d always loved his passionate nature. His soft whispers. The nickname only he used with her—despite her earlier complaint. All of these things made every moment with D.T. exciting and intimate. Even if she’d been fuming moments before and was still totally lost when it came to figuring him out. Figuring them out.

As his lips brushed her skin and then glided ever-so-softly over her mouth, Gizelle fell a little more under his spell. A soft sigh escaped her parted lips just before D.T.’s pressed against them with a certain possessiveness that excited her all the more. An uninhibited desire made her entire body melt against him as her arms slipped around his neck. When his tongue delved deep into her mouth, she welcomed the sweet invasion. The erotic taste of him. The fire he ignited.

His arms tightened around her and flames of desire crept up Gizelle’s spine, making her burn with need. Her fingers twisted in the silky strands of his jet-black hair and she gave herself over to the fever that blazed through her.

Breaking their kiss, she whispered, “I’ll be careful.” Hell, she’d say anything at this point to placate him and keep his body pressed to hers.

When his mouth claimed hers again, Gizelle forgot all about being angry with D.T. She forgot that she’d come to the Pleasure Planet for the sole purpose of recovering lost gold. And when his tongue slipped inside her opened mouth once more, tangling with her tongue, teasing her senses with silent, erotic promises, she almost forgot about the war.

D.T. could do that to her. In a heartbeat. With just a heated look or a scorching kiss.

Everything besides her intense desire for him retreated to the far recesses of her mind—including Trey, her sexy standby man, who she wouldn’t need now. Gizelle let D.T. lead her into an impassioned kiss that went far beyond setting every inch of her on fire. She felt the sizzling sensations from her head to her toes. Everything in between burned with the intensity of D.T.’s kiss, the excitement he so easily evoked.

Her body pressed tightly against his as her fingers twisted in his thick, silky hair. Within seconds, Gizelle was drowning in her need for him.

D.T.’s hands roamed her body, up her spine, down her sides, his thumbs brushing against the outer swells of her breasts, and then over her hips to slip around to her ass. Gizelle thrust her tongue against his, engaging it in an erotic dance. His large hands cupped her cheeks and gave the globes a hard squeeze in response to her deep kiss. A thrill of excitement and anticipation shot through her. Gizelle moaned into his mouth, an unchecked reaction to the passion he incited.