Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

Then he was kissing her. Her lips were soft, her mouth a hot spark igniting a stick of dynamite that seemed to explode, so the fire inside him raged out of control when everything else about him was always controlled. She took him to another realm where there was only pure feeling. Electricity snapped and crackled between them, sparking on his skin, while inside his body, blood turned to a molten stream, burning with need. His heartbeat pounded through his cock, until he was so thick and full he doubted anything could contain him if he continued.

He pressed his forehead to hers. “We have to stop.”

“I don’t especially want to.”

He smiled in spite of his body making painful, urgent demands. “Neither do I, but nevertheless. Doc hasn’t given permission for you to be doing anything but recovering.”

Her eyes went wide, and she drew away. “You asked him? Discussed with him whether or not we could have sex?”

“Naturally. Oral sex, physical sex, rough, games, toys, positions, every kind of sex. I don’t want you hurt.”

“I can never look at him again.” Her declaration was accompanied by that delicate rose color that swept up her neck to heighten the color in her cheeks.

He laughed softly, noticing she didn’t protest that he thought they would be having sex—and as soon as possible. “He’s a doctor, gattina. He knows men and women have sex.”

She let her breath out. “What did he say?”

He couldn’t help kissing her again, although it was dangerous to his fragmenting control. His woman was becoming a terrible temptress. She was learning fast, and every stroke of her tongue sent lightning strikes through his veins straight to his groin. Still, his role was to guard her health first, before his pleasure. He would have seen to her pleasure had the surgeon given the okay, but even that was forbidden for another week. Even after that, he would have to be careful.

“Is he still saying no?” she asked when he lifted his head. There was a note of teasing along with the deliberate seduction.

“I can see I’m going to have my hands full with you.” He loved that she was willing to try seduction even though he couldn’t allow her to succeed. It was becoming difficult to be with her and not think about sex.

He stood up to give himself a little reprieve, then instantly realized what a bad idea that was. His cock was at her eye level and her gaze went straight to the thick bulge. Her hand followed, fingertips sliding over the material covering his heavy erection.

“I could . . .”

“No, you couldn’t,” he said decisively. But he didn’t move. The way she stroked him felt electrifying.

Her tongue touched her top lip and then moistened her bottom one so that her lips glistened invitingly. He suppressed a groan.

“I’ve never actually had my mouth on a man’s . . .”

“Cock,” he supplied. “Never?”

“There was always Haydon to worry about. I never had the chance to see if I wanted to be that intimate with a man.”

Her fingers kept stroking. Once she stopped to toy with the tab at the top of his zipper and then began dancing her fingers up the woven steel again. She lifted her green gaze to his and it was all he could do not to groan aloud.

“I want to be that intimate with you.”

His Grace. She wasn’t shy. The more those mesmerizing fingers caressed him through his jeans, the more his heart felt as if a hand was squeezing it tightly. Hot blood pounded through his cock. Hunger for her burned through him at her confession. Discipline was the only thing he had that could save them.

“Grace, more than anything, I want you. Right now. This minute. But the doctor said no, so it’s no.”

“What would it hurt if you helped me figure out how to please you, Vittorio? It isn’t like I’m going to be really great at this. You’ll have to give me step-by-step instructions.”

Her green gaze clung to his and a slow smile only added to the seduction in her eyes. “It’s not like I can YouTube on how to do it without my phone.”

She was beautiful. His. “I don’t deserve you, il mia bellissima gattina. You are fast becoming vita mia. I don’t know what will happen if you decide you can’t live with me.”

Her lashes lowered, and she shook her head. Very slowly, with obvious reluctance, she removed her hand. The lashes lifted so he was looking into her unwavering green eyes. “I’m not going to pretend it will always be easy, but I can’t imagine not being with you.” She made a little face at him. “It is a little annoying to be told no when I really, really want something.”

Relief was a fast current, running through him like a river. “What is it you want, gattina?” Her gaze began to shift, and he caught her chin. “Keep looking at me when you tell me, Grace. It pleases me to hear you say what you want, whether it’s sexual in nature or not. When you look at me while you tell me, the pleasure is so much more.”