“I’m sorry,” he mumbled almost unintelligibly.
“Don’t be.”
His throat convulsed. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he croaked, as if he didn’t know which sensation to respond to.
“Liam?”
“Yes?”
“Move. Please,” she implored.
A wild gleam shone in his eyes. He flexed his hips and she gasped. When he paused, thinking she was uncomfortable, Natalie placed her hands on his buttocks and guided him.
His grunt sounded incredulous…wild.
Feeling him move in her was a miracle. Natalie focused on the sensation to the exclusion of all else. Her entire world narrowed to Liam stroking her as she held him in her deepest embrace. She moved with him, knowing this dance instinctively, recognizing this partner at her very core.
When she sensed his tension and heard his erratic breath, she positioned herself to take him deeper, wanting nothing more than to offer him surcease.
“Natalie,” he rasped. He lowered his head, his mouth finding hers as they continued to move in tandem. His possession became more demanding, more frantic. His lips moved against her temple, his breath hot and ragged. Natalie closed her eyelid and felt his kiss on her scar like a benediction conferred in fire.
He gave a low, desperate sounding growl and covered her mouth. She felt him jerk within her, his entire body convulsing. The sensation made a flame rage into an inferno. She clutched his shoulders as she succumbed to the unbearable friction Liam created with every look, every touch, every stroke.
His groan of release penetrated her wave of pleasure, striking her as poignant, beautiful—the essence of male surrender.
Chapter Eleven
They lay so entwined Natalie wasn’t sure where he began and she ended.
“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” he asked as he kissed her ear. She shivered at the sensual impact of his deep, rough voice.
“Quite sure.”
“Huh,” he muttered, now kissing her neck with warm lips. “You come by it naturally. How lucky am I? Hey—” His lip examination of her throat broke off when she swatted him on the rear. It was the natural thing to do, since her hand was right there. “It was just an observation.”
Natalie grinned as she examined his mussed hair, the shadow of whiskers on his jaw and the humor in his eyes. He looked good enough to eat. She shook her head in admonishment.
“Don’t give me that innocent look,” she murmured.
“What?” he asked in a low growl. He bent his head and spoke next to the upper curve of her breast. “The days of being businesslike are done. Now you have to put up with me saying all kinds of unprofessional things. Hmm….” He trailed off as his lips ran over her skin. “I can’t believe how soft your breasts are,” he murmured, his teasing tone segueing to one of masculine hunger and awe.
“Unprofessional things like that, I suppose,” she said on a sigh of pleasure.
“Yeah, things like that, and things like this—” He lifted his tawny head and whispered hoarsely in her ear. Heat rushed through when she heard those sweet, illicit words. Her cheeks burned. So did other parts of her body.
“I had no idea you were such a dirty talker, Liam Kavanaugh,” she murmured, hugging him closer as he began kissing her ear in earnest.
“You haven’t heard anything yet.”
Natalie chuckled. Her body was responding wholeheartedly to Liam’s erotic playfulness. Because they pressed skin to skin, it was pretty obvious he was aroused once again. They’d already made love once after that first time, and it’d been as sweet and tender as their first time had been anguished and wild. From Liam’s present actions, Natalie surmised this time was going to be different still. Apparently, Liam’s lovemaking had as many faces as his complex character.
His kisses were getting so hungry and hot that Natalie opened her eyes in disappointment when they stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered when she noticed he was staring down at her, his eyes lit like banked flames.
“I think I’ve put you through enough this morning.”
“You make it sound like you were pulling teeth or something. It was hardly grueling,” she told him with a grin.