Claiming His Wedding Night

Pushing his chair back, Malachi stood and held out his hand.

Coffee was waiting for them in the lounge area.

Addie took a sip and frowned. ‘What is that flavour?’

‘Cardamom. If you don’t like it I can get them to bring some different coffee.’

She shook her head. ‘No, I like it. It’s kind of spicy.’ His eyes narrowed and she felt her stomach clench. ‘M-maybe not spicy,’ she stammered. ‘More...hot without the heat.’

His gaze locked on to hers and she felt a shiver run down her spine as he reached out and ran his hand up and down her arm, grazing her breast with his knuckles.

‘Hot without the heat? Sounds interesting.’

Heart pounding, she forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘I’m talking rubbish. And I haven’t even had that much wine. It must be all that oxygen earlier. I’ll probably be seeing mermaids next.’

His hand stopped moving. It felt warm and steady on her arm, matching the warmth and steadiness of his gaze.

‘I’m already seeing them. Or one, at least.’

Her breath felt suddenly thick and hot in her throat. ‘It’s just the dress...’ she said hoarsely.

‘No. It’s this as well.’ Gently he slid his hand up into her hair, threading it through his fingers. ‘And these...’

Tilting his head, he brushed his lips across hers gently, so that her head was swimming.

‘You’ve bewitched me,’ he murmured and, lowering his mouth, kissed her again more deeply.

It was the closest he would get to expressing any feelings of tenderness.

‘So how come I’m at the bottom of the ocean in your submarine?’ she whispered.

He smiled—a long, slow, curling smile that made her stomach disappear. ‘Do you want me to take you back up to the surface?’

His eyes were huge and dark above her face, so that she felt as though she were drowning in them.

Slowly she shook her head. ‘I want to stay down here for ever.’

‘That could be arranged.’ His voice was hoarse, his eyes burning into hers.

She stared up at him unsteadily. ‘Wouldn’t we run out of air?’ she asked. She felt his fingertips graze her collarbone and slide slowly under the chin, lifting her face.

‘Eventually. But we’d use it up slower if we shared.’

Her pulse was racing. ‘How do you share air?’

‘It’s easy,’ he murmured. ‘You just do this.’

And, lowering his mouth again, he kissed her. She gasped, her lips parting, heat flooding her body. Clutching on to his arm, she felt her pulse jerk as his tongue probed her mouth. Heat, sharp and raw, flared up inside her, and suddenly her fingers were pulling at his shirt, tugging clumsily at the buttons.

Tangling her hands through his hair, she kissed him fiercely, pressing against the hard muscles of his naked chest. She felt him respond, deepening the kiss, his hand sliding around her waist, pulling her up against him. It felt so, so good. So right. No other man could make her feel this way. Only Malachi.

He broke the kiss. ‘Are you sure?’

His face was tight with concentration, his arms shaking with tension and desire. The raw need in his voice reached inside her. Heart thudding, Addie breathed in shakily. Her eyes lifted and locked on to his and she saw that he was holding himself back, his muscles straining, his longing spilling over her skin like molten lava.

Dry-mouthed, Malachi held his breath. The last few days and nights his mind had been tormented by erotic images of Addie, but none had come close to how mind-blowingly sexy she looked right now. With her long red hair tangling around her shoulders, that incredible blue dress clinging to every curve like a second skin.

For a moment she stared at him, her eyes narrow blue slits, and then she nodded slowly and he felt his self-control slip away.