“That’s where you’re wrong. A battle wound. You survived.” As I continued fingering the designs, he finally stopped squeezing,now simply holding my hand in an attempt to keep me from touching it. “I’m sorry you’re in pain.”
“You didn’t do it.”
“No, I didn’t. Whoever did is a monster.”
His sigh was followed by a slight snort, a sound creating wild and filthy thoughts. How crazy was that? “My French flower. You want to believe in the best in everyone.”
“Trust me, Montgomery. Not everyone. I’ve worked long and hard not to wish terrible things on people. Maybe that’s the healing you need to do.”
He cupped my face, his hands slightly callused in comparison to the smoothness of my skin. He forced me to look him in the eye, uncertain how to take me. That made two of us.
With another subtle yet powerful laugh, he rubbed his thumbs back and forth across my jaw. Once again I was thrown by the sensations coursing through me as well as the fog flickering across my vision.
“Another compliment. And coming from a wild, unpredictable gypsy.” With his lips mere centimeters from mine, I could barely keep my eyes open. I pressed my hands against his chest, allowing my fingers to knead his skin.
“Gypsy. I don’t know about that.”
He tilted his head until his heated breath was skipping across the side of my neck. When he darted his tongue into the shell of my ear, my body rocked involuntarily, a single breathless moan escaping. “Then we’ll call you a free spirit.Un bel oiseau chanteur.”
A beautiful songbird.
“You’re not bad with compliments yourself.” Why was every inch of me shaking?
He nipped my earlobe and I shifted my hands to his arms, wrapping my fingers around them. Even on my knees, I was fearful I would lose my grip. Or perhaps my sanity. This wasn’t supposed to be romantic, merely a way of satisfying intense hunger. He was completely different than I’d originally believed. That was the only reason I’d feel any guilt about tonight.
When I moved my head slightly, his lips finally touched mine. That was all either one of us could take, the desire immediately exploding. With more questions than answers regarding everything about him, I rolled my hands over his shoulders, pulling him more tightly against me.
As before, the kiss was a heated moment of magic, a telling statement about the sheer electricity we shared. He swept his tongue inside, immediately dominating mine. He was so powerful in everything he did, commanding by nature, but I didn’t mind being led down a path of utter filth.
If this was what was meant by getting dirty, I was all for it.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, savoring every moment. There was no way of knowing how long the kiss lasted, but when he pulled our lips free, I reacted, biting his bottom lip as he’d done with me before.
Rapture.
The word spun in my mind, exactly what I was feeling at that very moment. Every touch of Montgomery’s hand, the way he’dkissed was powerful and tantalizing, pushing the limits. True perfection.
Moments later, he guided us both down on the comforter, keeping his hands on either side of me. When he pushed up from the bed, hanging his head low over me, I rubbed his arms. With every touch of my hand, I was rewarded with the sly smile that had taken me goading him several times to witness.
“You’ve longed for a controlling man.”
“No, not ever.”
With the flat of his hand, he brushed his fingers down my face and neck to my breast, flicking his finger across my nipple. “You’re lying.”
“I never lie.”
My denial was rewarded with a brutal twist of my already aching bud. I jerked up, panting as he tossed me a hazy look. “Try that again, my French flower.”
“Fine. Yes.” The spicy, masculine scent of his aftershave tickled my nose, bringing a smile to my face. He caught the look, the slight smirk almost adorable where I’d believed it a slight before.
He shifted on the bed, keeping his body aloft with one hand while he tormented my other nipple. Instead of pinching my tender tissue, he rolled the rough pad of his index finger around the pointed nub, watching me intently while he dropped his head.
As soon as he pulled my nipple between his lips, I clenched the bedding with one hand. Expecting pain, when he sucked on the tip tenderly, I was pushed into a sweet lull. He took his timemoving from one to the other, his raspy tongue teasing me into another wash of excitement.
I was thrown by both the electric vibration and the rush of emotions, the latter unacceptable. This wasn’t the beginning of anything. This was an interlude, a slip into fantasy.
He peppered kisses under both breasts and down to my stomach, darting his tongue every few seconds. By the time he reached my belly button, I had my head lolled to the side, the fingers of one hand tugging on his thick tufts of hair.
