“I’m going to feed you,” he replied. “You can object, but only if you can manage to get off my lap. Do you think you can?”
He was still grinning. She knew very well he could keep her there if he wanted to. “I would guess you’re making a point?”
“Several, actually. It’s going to give me pleasure to feed you, and I choose not to ask permission because I know you will enjoy it, too. It gives me even more pleasure to keep you on my lap, an unfair advantage over you, but if you would shed the propriety you cling to, you might even admit you enjoy that, too. You bring out the barbarian in me, Alana mine. Do you really think that’s such a bad thing when I would never hurt you?”
She couldn’t get rid of her blush because he was right. If it gave them both pleasure, his taking advantage with his strength shouldn’t bother her at all. Was she still clinging to propriety, insisting the marriage come first? When they’d already made love, that seemed pretty silly.
“Perhaps some of my beliefs are wrong,” she allowed.
He smiled. “No, not wrong, just inappropriate at this point. The moment we had your father’s blessing, what occurs between us became no longer a matter of ‘Should we?’ but instead ‘Why don’t we?’ ”
Did that mean what it sounded like? Surely not, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask when her blood stirred simply from the thought! And he didn’t expect any answer. He leaned closer to her, bringing forth a slight gasp from her, but he was only reaching for one of the platters that had been placed on the table, to slide it within his reach.
With his fingers, he picked up something sweet and put it in her mouth. Dessert first? She almost laughed, but grinned instead.
“That’s very good, whatever it is. Try a bite,” she suggested.
“You don’t want to feed me?”
She drew in her breath again, more sharply. The look in his eyes was fascinating. She did want to feed him, actually. She turned slightly to see if she could figure out which type of sweet he’d just fed her.
He whispered by her neck, “Anything will do. We’re going to eat it all—or none of it.”
She shivered from his warm breath. None of it? “Did I pick a time too early for you? You aren’t hungry?”
“I’ve been hungry, very hungry.”
Even the timbre of his voice was causing a pleasant stirring inside her! “Well then” was the most she could say before she thoughtlessly picked up a dollop of something creamy with one finger. Too late, she remembered the night of their first meal, when she had licked her own finger. She turned, hoping he wouldn’t remember that, but she saw it in his eyes, he did. While the intensity in his gaze completely arrested her, he took her wrist and slowly brought that finger to his mouth. She stared, she stopped breathing, while he sucked every bit of that cream off her finger. Something deep inside her began to heat up and flutter, it was such an erotic sensation having her finger in his mouth. When he was done, she still couldn’t stop staring at his mouth, and those feelings inside her wouldn’t subside, either.
“I’m wondering if I have the strength to feed you, after all.”
She didn’t mistake his meaning. He was talking about strength of will now, because eating wasn’t exactly on his mind anymore. But what was on his mind flustered her too much, so she turned again, shoved the dessert platter out of the way, and, stretching, was just able to reach the edge of the platter with a choice of meats on it and pulled it close and picked up one of the plates.
She held it between them and suggested, “Perhaps if we hurry?”
He laughed and picked up a piece of meat with a spicy sauce and held it to her mouth. “Trying to prove you’re stronger than I am?”
She accepted his offering and gave him a piece of the same. “No, I—”
“In this case, I’m sure you are.”
“Maybe. Perhaps.” She didn’t really know what she was saying, but she was staring at his lips too long. “No . . . actually . . .”
She leaned forward and licked a bit of sauce off his lower lip. She could have removed it with her finger, but she wanted to taste him so badly that never occurred to her. His indrawn breath told her he didn’t mind, and suddenly she was kissing him! Sweet, spicy, him, an irresistible combination that she tasted fully with her tongue.
When she finally realized what she was doing, she drew back in surprise, suddenly overcome with shyness. He saw it, tilted her chin until her eyes came back to his.
“You have Lubinian blood, Alana mine. Don’t be afraid of your passion.”
“Is that what it is?” she asked thoughtfully, but then slowly shook her head. “No, I think it’s just you.”
He groaned, and it sounded like real pain when he said, “I’m trying.”
She knew what he meant. He was trying not to overwhelm her with his own passion, to let her decide when they were finished eating. Not very barbaric of him, she thought with a smile.
She said simply, “Stop trying.”
He stood up so fast, she laughed. He carried her straight to the bedroom. She braced herself to be tossed on the soft bed. But he laid her down carefully and kissed her once before he stood and started removing his clothes. She leaned up on her elbows to watch him. He was tearing out of his jacket.
