Her fingers found their way under his tunic, her nails lightly gliding over his bare stomach. His answering shudder and deep groan filled her with a tingling thrill. Klyde paused, panting, heavy-lidded eyes gazing at her. It was a look of craving. Of undeniable desire that flushed heat through her body and fluttered in her stomach.
It made her wonder what kind of lover he was. If he was rough or gentle. Whatever the answer, it made her body tremble. It could be that sinking into him scared her, but by the Gods, did she want him.
More than she ever thought possible.
Biting her lip, Lucenna reached for the buttons of his tunic. His heady gaze held hers, and her pulse sped with each button she released until she exposed his chest to the cool air.
Good Gods. He may as well be sculpted from marble. It was suddenly very difficult to breathe as she admired the endless plane of strength and masculine beauty. Klyde’s lashes drifted closed at the first graze of her hand. She lightly traced the scars over his chest, trailing her fingers over his perfectly honed abdomen to his navel.
“Lass.” Klyde grabbed her hand. “I’ve had too much to drink tonight to maintain the pretense that I’m a gentleman. If you continue to touch me like that, there’s no telling what I’ll do.”
Tremors fluttered on her skin with the warning. But any resistance she once held had long fallen away. There was only him, the gentle patter of rain, and his scent on the evening breeze.
“What will you do?” she whispered.
Taking her waist, he pulled her flush against him and his hips where she could feel very clearly the undeniable effect she had on him. She quivered at the flush of heat it sent through her.
Klyde’s nose skated from her cold cheek to her neck, breathing her in. His lips met her ear, and the heated rumble of his voice sent an electrical current to the very center of her being with his confession.
“Every ungodly desire I’ve ever imagined doing to you.”
Lucenna’s pulse climbed with the ardent sincerity burning through his words. She playfully dodged his next kiss and moved around him toward the garden. Holding his heated gaze, she kicked off her heels. His chest heaved with a breath as she reached for the ties of her corset. She watched his eyes dilate as she tugged at the laces. He didn’t make a move, but she felt his anticipation hovering on the surface. The strap of her dress loosened with the corset and slid down her shoulder.
Klyde swiftly cut the distance between them and caught her hands again. “Love, your beauty could topple a nation. If you remove that dress, I may not survive it.”
“Hmm…” She smiled. “Tempting. Don’t move.”
He remained still, allowing her to slip the tunic completely off his shoulders and it landed at their feet. Lucenna canted her head, continuing her perusal. She heard his intake of breath as he watched her pale hand move over his tanned chest.
Klyde groaned faintly and lowered his nose along her shoulder. His hot breath wafted along her skin. “I am trying to keep my restraint, but you’re making it very … hard.”
Lucenna laughed softly. She curled her fingers in his hair and brought his face to hers, holding her mouth a breath away from his. She held him there, not allowing him any closer.
Klyde growled in response, gripping her hips tightly. “Don’t play with me, woman. Last warning.”
His voice was strained. All of him shook, his body hot, and she knew he was on the verge of falling over the edge because of what she did to him. She felt it in the way he held her, undeniable in the press of his hips against hers. And Lucenna fed off that power. His chest rumbled as she slowly ran her nails across his back, and she pressed her mouth to his throat.
Klyde’s control snapped.
He grabbed her possessively in his arms as he kissed her wildly. They ended up on the grass, a tangle of limbs and lips. His rough hands slipped up her thighs, roaming over her heated skin, leaving tendrils of fire in their wake. His mouth possessed her, demanding entry. She gave into him, accepting of his caresses and touches, clinging to him with as much desperation.
Her loose dress strap slipped down her shoulder. The cool air fell over her bare skin. His mouth brushed over the curve of her breast. Inhaling her. Kissing. Licking. Lucenna gasped and her spine arched, pressing against the length of him, wanting more of him and everything he could give her.
His knee pressed between her legs, and a rush of desire swept through her with a gasping moan. Klyde suddenly paused. He panted as he stared at her. Perhaps debating whether they should do this here.
“Don’t stop.” Lucenna pulled his face back to her. His grip on her dress was tight, possessive, and she heard the fabric tearing in his shaking fist. Yes, that’s what she wanted, for him to tear it off and take her here and now. He kissed her, but it wasn’t deep enough for her liking. She kissed him harder, only for him to pull away again.
“Wait…” Klyde blinked at her, slowly rising out of the fog of lust, and he sat back.
Lucenna rose up on her elbows, biting her lip. A ball of insecurity gathered in her chest. Had she done something to ruin the mood? “What’s wrong?”
He shut his eyes. “I can’t.”
Her heart pounded, shock and confusion washing away the heat from her body. “Can’t do what?”
Klyde moved away from her, and she wasn’t prepared for how much the action stung. “I shouldn’t have done this. We both had too much to drink tonight. This was a … mistake …”
“A mistake?” she whispered.
