“Non.He will be very discreet.”
“He can’t go into my office building.”
When he opened his mouth to object, Lainie put her finger over it, mirroring his actions.“That’s nonnegotiable.”She pulled her finger away, but not before she caressed his soft lips.His eyes darkened to a stormy gray.
He captured her trailing hand and kissed the tips of her fingers, his tongue flicking out to pull her finger in his mouth.Those silver eyes, now churning with desire, studied her as he sucked her finger, his mouth closing around it, surrounding it in his heat.She pulled in a breath, her insides turning to liquid, warmth pooling between her legs.She closed her eyes, concentrating on the scrape of his tongue against her skin.A low moan vibrated through her hand.
She whispered his name, a benediction, a plea.Good thing she was sitting down because her legs wouldn’t be able to hold her.
The more he sucked on her finger, the weaker she got.
She swallowed, amazed at what he did with just her finger.She could only imagine what would happen if she let him loose on her whole body.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled her finger out, licking the tip.A sensuous smile touched his mouth.
He swooped her up in his arms, carrying her effortlessly out of her room.
“Um.Where are we going?”
“I want you inmybed.”
She shivered at the thought of the decadent velvet bedspread and the draperies hanging from the bedposts.
“Can we close the bed curtains?”
He pulled back to look at her and she shrugged.“I’ve been fantasizing about making love to you in your bed with the draperies closing out the world,” she said.
He groaned.“Good God, woman.”
She laughed and was unceremoniously dumped on his bed.She ran her hands over the velvety softness of the spread and looked up at Christien as he untied the bed hangings from each of the posts, then crawled in beside her, closing the rest of the world off.
“Ah, Madelaine, what you do to me.”He placed an elbow on either side of her head and looked down on her.“You cannot imagine all of the nights I have lain here, aching for you.”
She ran her hands up his arm.“Why didn’t you ask me to join you?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid?”She couldn’t imagine Christien ever being afraid of anything.Especially of her.
He dipped his head and nuzzled the spot below her ear, making her squirm and her belly tighten.
“I was afraid to hurt you even more.You were so bruised when you first arrived.”
She brushed his hair away from his forehead.“I would have come if you had called.I lay in bed listening to you pace your room night after night, wondering what was wrong with me that you didn’t come to me.”
“Then we are both fools.”
“But not anymore.”
“Nay.Not anymore.”
“Make love to me, Christien.”
Christien sighed and closed his eyes.For so long he lived with the regret of not bedding her seven centuries ago.All these years he cursed and damned his chivalry, living with the knowledge that he would never have what he truly wanted.Even now he wouldn’t let his mind believe it, fearing it would all be taken away from him in the blink of an eye.
Everything she accused him of was true.He wanted to lock her away, to keep her in his quarters forever.Protecting her was merely part of the reason.Deep down, he was selfish, wanting her only for himself without the distractions of her job or his.He wanted to know she would always be here, waiting for him.His to hold and make love to.
