“No one is invincible. Now, be quiet and get ready to follow me.”
Samantha wrung her hands together as the lieutenant set his palms against the hatch. This wouldn’t end well. The muscles in his arms bunched and he pressed up.
Nothing happened.
He frowned and tried again. It moved up a fraction and a chain jingled. A soft curse came from above her and Christian dropped hisarms. “It’s locked.”
Thank God.
She began to take a step back as Christian slid to the floor. Before she could make room for him, he bumped into her. Her foot slid out to correct her balance but tangled in her skirt. With a little gasp, she tumbled backward.
For a moment, the dark room spun around her. And then, with a jerk, everything went still. Christian’s hands clamped around her shoulders, sending a million jolts of energy through her. All she could do was blink up at him in mute silence as she hung suspended between him and the floor. She couldn’t move if her life depended on it. Fingers of heat spread from where they touched and gathered in her core. He frowned. Could he feel it?
“My apologies, Miss Warstein.”
He pulled her upright and she stood on wooden legs. Her heart threatened to beat free of her chest as he held her gaze.Back away. But she couldn’t. The ship rolled down a swell and with her momentary loss of coordination, she pitched straight into him.
“Oof!” His chest muffled her exclamation. But the sudden full-body contact did nothing to draw her from her stupor. In fact, her entire body burned like a pile of driftwood lit aflame.
When she tilted her face up, his forest eyes blazed back at her. Was it desire? Or the lantern light? Either way, she stood paralyzed.
“Miss Warstein?” His hands loosened their grip but remained in place.
She didn’t—couldn’t—answer and his fingers splayed behind her back. Surely he could feel the pounding of her heart? Her entire body reverberated with the frantic thumps.
“Are you alright?”
Speak. Her mouth opened. But nothing came out. His gaze dropped and she licked her lips. The fire in his eyes burned brighter. If only she could read his thoughts. They rode through another swell,and his muscles tensed against her.
And then his face lowered. If he kissed her... her mind began to race. She needed to remove herself from this situation. Forming an attachment with the lieutenant as the shy Miss Warstein was the absolute worst thing that could happen. She needed to keep him away from her secrets, not closer.
His lips brushed hers in the softest of caresses.
And she ceased thinking at all.
He pulled away a fraction, hovering an agonizing hairsbreadth away. She held her breath as everything about him consumed her. The light pressure of his fingers on her back. The smooth hardness of his thigh pressed against hers. His breath coming in gentle puffs beneath her chin.
No woman could resist this.
So, she didn’t.
A tiny sound came from the back of her throat and she lifted her hands to his chest. They skimmed up to his shoulders. To his neck. His breathing hitched. And she pulled him back to her.
With a groan, the hand at her back crushed her to him. His other hand tangled in her hair, trapping her mouth to his as he pressed into the kiss. Samantha’s lips parted and he took control, darting his tongue into her mouth. The silky brush of it against her own undid her.
Her knees went weak and she sagged in his grip as the fire at her core became an inferno. How? How could he make her feel this way? Her fingertips dug into the back of his neck. He responded by catching her lower lip between his teeth and pivoting them so her back rested against the ladder.
“Miss Warstein—”
No. No talking. She mimicked him, pulling away and biting at his lip. The muscles of his arms bunched around her and he ran his tongue along hers. The room swayed around her.Breathe. She’d been holding her breath all this time.
With a gasp, she tore her mouth away and sucked in a gulp of air. Christian slid his lips along her jawline, leaving a trail of fire until he reached the tender spot beneath her ear. The burst of raw desire that shot through her when he grazed his teeth there nearly brought her to her knees.
She twisted his hair between her fingers. But it wasn’t enough. She needed more. More of him. More of this.
She dropped her hands to his chest once more and fumbled with his top button. Undone. And then the next one. One more, and his shirt gaped open enough for her to slide a hand inside. The heat of his bare skin seared into her, and crisp wisps of hair pressed against her palm. Christian went still beneath her touch.
He untangled his fingers from her hair and caught her chin, angling her mouth to his. His kiss was frenzied, his tongue moving with an intensity she could not match. Her nails scraped across his skin and he growled, the sound vibrating through her mouth.
