Duty At What Cost?

As if in a dream state Wolfe smoothed his hands down over her thighs, encouraging them up around his hips. ‘Put your legs around my waist.’ His voice was so rough it was barely recognisable as he hoisted her higher.

‘I hate it when you get macho,’ she teased, locking her ankles together and squeezing his hips.

Wolfe’s eyelids grew heavy as he felt her heat against his abdomen. Her breathlessness inflamed him even further. ‘You want me to put mine around yours?’

Her husky laugh turned into a low, keening cry as he adjusted her so that she rocked against his erection exactly where he knew she needed it the most. A deep sense of satisfaction hit him hard at the thought that he could please this spirited woman so easily.

He kissed her all the way back to his room, only breaking contact to switch on the side lamp and lie her back on his bed.

This was what he wanted—what he had dreamt of since Gilles’s wedding. Ava, hot for him. Spread out on his bed, aroused and waiting for him to take her. To possess her.

The warning in his head that he wanted her just a little too much was driven out by the sheer, unequivocal desire to take and brand her as his own.

Forgetting all about technique and—heaven help him—finesse, he pulled the front her shirt open, uncaring as some of the buttons tore free.

Her breath caught, pushing her breasts higher. Her nipples were already standing up and begging for his mouth. ‘I need a shower.’

‘No.’ He shook his head slowly, his eyes drinking in her naked perfection. ‘You need me.’

And he needed her. So badly it was a physical pain. He needed to be inside her and he gave up trying to work out why.

When she was naked, spread out before him like this, it would take a whole army to pull him off her, and he had the insane urge to beat his chest and chain her to the bed so that she could never leave.

More than a little disturbed by that gut-wrenching notion, Wolfe shoved it aside along with his jeans. Nothing, not even the whispered warnings of self-preservation in his head, was going to stop him from taking her now. He climbed over the top of her, his mouth nipping her skin wherever it landed.

Her hands stroked up his arms, trying to pull him down over her, but he resisted. He had no intention of rushing this. Instead he straddled her hips, imprisoning her legs with his and brought his hands up to cup and pleasure her breasts.

She tried to arch into his caress, but she was effectively trapped and he smiled. ‘I know you hate this type of macho stuff.’ He lightly brushed over her nipples as if by accident, enjoying that little catch in her breath. ‘So feel free to tell me to stop at any time.’

Her eyes flew open. ‘I should...I should...’

She stopped breathing again as he circled ever closer to her rigid peaks. She squirmed, making his erection throb, but he deliberately held off giving her what she wanted—what he wanted—building the anticipation between them, making them both burn.

Her hands stroked down over his chest towards his throbbing erection, a look of power and delight tilting her smile.

‘Uh-uh.’ He secured both her wandering hands in one of his above her head and dropped a kiss on her open mouth, lingering long enough to tease her with his tongue.

‘You said “I”,’ he reminded her.

‘I will never speak to you again if you don’t put yourself inside me right now,’ she vowed.

‘What about this?’ he asked, watching her face as he rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

She sighed in rapture, her body tightening as if she was a weapon he was fine-tuning.

He let go of her wrists and brought both his hands into play to pleasure her gorgeous breasts. The sight of her like that was highly erotic. He let his eyes roam over her flushed face and chest, enjoying her pleasure as he slowly increased the pressure to a torturous level.

‘Oh, that. Oh, yes. Don’t stop. Wolfe!’

Her arms fluttered and moved down, her hands sculpting his chest and abdomen until finally one was cupping him while the other palmed his aroused length. The bandages on her palms were cool where her fingers were hot. He bit back a pleasurable oath, his eyes closing as he continued to tug on her sweet nipples and absorbed her sensual touch at the same time.

‘Wait,’ he advised softly. ‘Ava, baby, if you keep doing that I’m going to lose control.’

He shifted out of her hold, smiling as the sound of protest she made in the back of her throat turned to relief when he took the tip of her breast into his mouth.

She writhed beneath him and he released her imprisoned legs to stroke his hand between her thighs. She was hot and wet, so close to her climax he could feel the tiny tremors of her release beneath his fingers.