Dreya sighed and turned to head toward the bedroom. “If you’d rather sleep on the couch instead of in a bed with me, that’s okay.”
She hadn’t taken more than two steps when Braden caught her hand and spun her around. Groaning, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a passion so hot, it almost scorched her skin. His tongue plunged into her mouth, making her moan as he teased her with a little taste and then withdrew to nibble on her lips, tugging and nipping gently with his teeth.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him even more fiercely and tangling her tongue with his. Mmm, he tasted delicious.
She didn’t think about what going up on tiptoe and wrapping her arms around his neck would do to the T-shirt she was wearing until he cupped her bare ass cheeks and tugged her against him hard enough that she could feel his cock pressing against her through his jeans.
She wiggled against him, just to let him know she approved. Holding on to his neck even tighter, she lifted one leg up to hook it around his waist. Then she lifted the other and wrapped it around him, too, locking her ankles together behind him.
Braden didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he got a better grip on her ass and headed for the bedroom.
She dragged her mouth away to smile at him. “I guess that means you’ll be sleeping in the bed with me tonight?”
He stopped long enough to shove her up against the wall beside the bedroom door, his hands still supporting her ass as he rocked himself against her and nuzzled her neck. She practically purred as his jean-clad cock pressed against her pussy.
“Yes,” he rasped against her throat, making her shiver. “I’ll be joining you in the bed tonight, although I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep.”
She laughed. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
Kissing her again, he pulled her away from the wall and carried her into the bedroom, then tossed her lightly on the bed. She giggled as she bounced on the comforter. It was as soft as she thought it’d be.
Braden’s eyes smoldered as she reached down and whipped the T-shirt over her head, tossing it toward the dresser across the room. It might have made it there—she didn’t bother to look. She was much more interested in watching as Braden’s eyes raked over her naked body. Men had looked at her before but never devoured her like this. It was amazing the way a simple look could make her feel wanted—powerful.
Gaze still on her, Braden yanked off his clothes. As much as she wanted him just as naked as she was, Dreya almost found herself urging him to slow down and let her enjoy it. But then she realized she wasn’t patient enough for that. She’d enjoy his body at her leisure later. Right now, she wanted him naked and in her arms.
That didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the pure artistry of his body as his clothes came off. She couldn’t believe how beautiful he was, all the way from his broad shoulders to his muscular pecs and arms, to the deep cuts of his abs and the powerful legs of a man who ran a lot.
Then there was his cock, yet another thing of beauty. It was thick and hard, pulsing with his excitement. She squirmed a little at the thought of what it was going to feel like to have him inside her. The mere thought of it made her fingertips tingle and her fangs throb with the need to let go and extend. She clamped down on that desire. The words erection, claws, and fangs didn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence together, much less be allowed in the same bed.
Dreya’s heart suddenly constricted when she saw what else was exposed as Braden’s clothes hit the floor—the evidence of his violent job. There was one well-healed scar on the front of his right shoulder, maybe an inch below his collarbone. Another graced the outside of his left thigh, the lines spreading out from it implying extensive surgery to repair all the damage that a bullet had likely done to him. There were other, smaller scars here and there on that amazing body of his, too, including thin lines that a knife might make as well as the more jagged ones that seemed more suited to a broken bottle.
But rather than mar the beauty of the man, the scars only seemed to enhance it, highlighting the fact that his body hadn’t been created in a gym or through the use of a personal trainer. It had been honed to perfection by a hard life, one that had left its mark on him in so many different ways.
After Braden cast the last piece of clothing aside, he moved over to the nightstand beside the bed to pull open a drawer and rustle around inside. She opened her mouth to ask what he was looking for when he came out with a strip of condom packets.
There was a momentary spike of something she knew was jealousy as she realized that a man only kept condoms in his bedside nightstand if he needed them on occasion. She told herself that was a stupid thing to feel, that she had no say in the life he’d lived before he met her. Still, it bothered her anyway.
But then she saw him holding the packets up to the light, turning them this way and that, and she finally figured out he was looking for the expiration date. He must have been worried about it, because a look of relief flashed across his face when he found it. Apparently, Braden didn’t use his condoms very often, a realization that made her feel warm all over. Again, it was a totally stupid thing to feel, but it made her ridiculously happy.
He turned to her, pure lust making his eyes heavy, and the urge to simply lay back on the bed, spread her legs wide, and invite him in was suddenly tempered by the knowledge that they had all night…and there were so many different things she wanted to try with him.
In a flash, she sat up and flipped over, slowly crawling away from him on the big soft bed, deliberately letting her hips sway back and forth.
“By the way,” she said, looking playfully over her shoulder at him. “You never did answer my question in Miami…about whether you think I have a sexy ass.”
Dreya knew she didn’t have a mountain of curves. She was an athletic feline shifter, more gymnast and less harem dancer. But the look that came over Braden’s face right then as he gazed at her bottom made her feel like the curviest woman who’d ever walked the earth.
“Hell, yes.” He reached out and got a hand on each of her hips, dragging her closer to him. “You have the sexiest ass on the planet.”
Dreya laughed, letting him tug her to the edge of the bed.Sexiest ass on the planet?Yeah, she could live with that. Especially since Braden leaned forward and started kissing and nibbling every square inch of her bottom, finding sensitive little areas she never even knew she had. Like that one above the cleft of her ass, right at the base of her spine. Oh boy, did his mouth feel good there or what?
As he teased her with his mouth, Braden’s hands roamed all over, running up her thighs, massaging her cheeks, even spanking now and then before moving slowly along her sides and slipping around to tease her clit. Dreya had never had a man pay so much attention to her body. Moaning, she dropped her face and arms to the downy comforter, deciding she could get used to it.
She didn’t realize how excited she was until she looked up and realized that her claws were partially extended and that she was kneading Braden’s comforter like she was a happy kitty cat getting her belly rubbed. For one wild second, she worried that seeing her claws might freak him out. But one glance over her shoulder confirmed that yes, he could see them, and no, he didn’t care. He was totally focused on her body and making her feel good.
Knowing her shifter side didn’t bother him was unbelievably amazing. It was like someone had finally given her permission to be herself.
She rested her face on the blanket again, smiling as she gave in to the experience and enjoying the fact that this man had her wrapped around his little finger.
