He hit the light switch and stared at her.
She stood in the centre of the historically preserved room like a pagan offering, her lips already moist and swollen from his kisses. She sucked in a deep breath and he thought he saw a shadow of vulnerability chase itself across her face.
It gave him a moment’s pause.
He had avoided thinking about a woman in any serious capacity his whole life, after having to clean up the damage his mother had caused by her actions. But this wasn’t serious. Making love—having sex, he amended—with Ava de Veers was not a threat to his wellbeing in any way, shape or form.
It was about pleasure. Mutual, unadulterated pleasure.
‘I like the light on,’ he rasped.
She moistened her lips. ‘I don’t...mind.’
Satisfied that he knew exactly what he was doing, Wolfe shoved away from the door and paced towards her. He stopped a breath from touching her and gazed into her wide-spaced smoky eyes, searching out any further signs of apprehension, promising himself he would stop if she showed even a hint of uncertainty. Fortunately he didn’t have to test that theory, because her gaze could have melted iron when it met his.
His iron will.
Shaking off the insidious devil of doubt that told him once was never going to be enough with this woman, he curled one hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her up onto her toes. She steadied herself by placing her hands on his shoulders. The air between them turned to syrup as she tilted her head back into his hand, presenting him with the elegant arch of her neck.
Wolfe felt his lip curl upward as he thought of the recent vampire craze in the cinemas. Suddenly he understood the draw. Lust pounded through his blood and he brought his other hand up to trace the tender skin she had exposed to his hungry gaze. She opened her eyes, stared into his, and then did something he hadn’t expected—she took charge and pressed her lips to his.
He let her sip and nibble at his mouth for maybe ten seconds before that primal feeling she dredged up in him took over. Then his hands and lips firmed and he forced her mouth wide, demanding that she cede everything to him.
And she did. Without hesitation. Her slender arms snaking behind his neck, her body arching into his.
Wolfe told himself to ease off before he scared both of them, but her mouth angled more comfortably under his and he didn’t know how it was possible but she took the kiss deeper. Wrapped her sweet tongue around his and made his head spin.
Without really being aware of his surroundings he wrenched his jacket off and pushed her fumbling fingers aside to tear at the buttons on his shirt. Shucking out of it, he welcomed the bite of cooler air on his overheated flesh and the layer of sensation it added.
He released the dark mane of her hair from its tight coil and felt his heart wrench as it cascaded past her delicate shoulders.
Ignoring the swirling emotions ebbing and flowing through his mind, he cupped her breasts and moulded them in his hands. Soft and round, the nipples already poking through the silky fabric of her dress like tiny diamonds. He kneaded and shaped her, his eyes on her face as he roughly dragged his thumbs across both her nipples at once.
‘Oh, Wolfe. Mon Dieu.’
Her husky groan urged him to draw the hidden side-zipper of her dress down until her pale, perfect breasts stood proud and taut in front of him.
‘Ava, you’re—’ He swore as words failed him and bent to draw a dusky pink nipple into his starving mouth. The taste of her made him throb, and when she clutched his head to hold him closer he gave up any pretense of finesse, scooping her into his arms and yanking off the ugly floral bedspread before depositing her on crisp white sheets.
She leant up on her elbows and watched him through heavy-lidded eyes as he dragged the silky gown from her long legs and tossed it aside.
Wolfe took her in as he stripped off his remaining clothing: her wavy hair a dark ripple down her back, her sweet breasts rising and falling in time with her heavy breaths, her narrow waist, and the sheer purple panties that revealed more than they hid.
Her woman’s scent rose up to tease him and he climbed onto the bed and came over her, his hands braced on either side of her face. ‘Now, my lovely, I have you right where I want you.’
Her hands came up between them, curling into his chest hair. Her smile was full of womanly provocation. Her actions thankfully belying her earlier hesitation. ‘You like to think you’re in control, but I am stronger than I look.’ She scratched her nails lightly against his skin like a cat.
She shuddered beautifully beneath him and turned her head to capture his mouth with hers. He groaned, sank into the kiss, let himself become absorbed by it. His free hand smoothed down over her torso, learning her wherever he went.