He fucking loved the uncertainty. The unsettling state of standing there exposed to her scrutiny while he couldn’t see her…was invigorating in the oddest way.
“Do you think you are entitled to such information?” she asked from behind his right shoulder.
“No, Madame,” he replied quickly and meant it. He acknowledged that she had no fealty to him. She was free to do as she wished.Here, if not out there where society’s rules caged them both. He had no right to know of her activities when he was not in this room.
But something inside him—something that had been formed long ago and was intrinsic to his being—wanted her to be his and his alone. He needed to believe this was special—that he was unique. That this meant as much to her as it did to him, though he couldn’t begin to put into words what that was exactly.
“Would it upset you to discover I spend time with others?” she whispered against his nape, her breath warm and her words a velvet caress.
“Oui, Madame.” His own voice was a ragged confession.
“Should I tell you of things I might do with someone else?”
Ralston tensed, his fingers aching with how hard they were clasped behind his head, his shoulders and thighs trembling in his effort to hold himself passive.
“Answer,” she prompted when he didn’t reply.
“No.” The denial dropped heavily from his lips. “I would not like to know.”
She sighed. The sound was light and airy. He almost missed it. But immediately after, he felt her fingertips drift down the taut hollow of his spine, then follow the edge of his breeches around his side as she stepped back in front of him.
“Bien,” she murmured huskily as she curled her finger beneath his waistband. “Because I donotmeet with anyone else. And neither shall you.”
Forgetting himself in a rush of relief and desire, Ralston lifted his gaze to meet hers—dark amber and golden fire. Though it was a grave infraction, he couldn’t look away. Nor could he stop the rough groan from escaping his throat when she gave a tug on his breeches and stepped closer to him.
Holding his stare, she brought her other hand to his face. But instead of pressing her cool palm to his skin, she used the lightest drift of her finger to trace the line of his jaw from ear to chin where she exerted the slightest pressure.
He instinctively opened his mouth, parting his lips and teeth on a harsh exhale.
Looking into his eyes, she stated clearly and forcefully, “In this room, you belong to me.” Her tongue slid across her reddened bottom lip, making it glisten. “Beyond this room…ifyou wish to keep seeing me, you belong to only yourself. Tu comprends?”
He understood. Deeply. Intently. And with a rush of satisfaction so profound, he felt nearly consumed by it.
Unable to reply while she continued to exert pressure against his chin, he nodded instead.
Her smile was slow, seductive. Dangerous. And then her gaze slid down to his mouth.
For a moment, his heart stopped beating.
“Kiss me, mon grand.”
Chapter Sixteen
Holy hell.
Ralston’s entire body ignited with glowing sparks. Every muscle, nerve, cell, came suddenly and intensely alive. He wanted to swoop her up in his arms and claim her completely, but he couldn’t. That was not what she’d instructed.
Keeping his hands linked and his eyes locked with hers, he lowered his head and leaned forward. The swift catch in her breath was like an arrow through his chest and he experienced a fleeting moment of uncertainty. There was no doubt in his mind that the memory of this kiss would remain with him the rest of his life. Then he touched his parted lips to hers.
Her hand dropped away from his chin and she tipped her face to better receive the press of his mouth.
He started with gentle pressure, savoring the lush, silken feel of her, the sultry texture of her breathy exhale, the soft hum in her throat. When he felt the unexpected dart of her tongue, he tilted his head and fit his mouth more surely over hers, chasing the action with a short thrust of his own. Her taste was heady, rich, and sweet, like sun-warmed berries and mystery. He slid his tongue deeper, craving the depths of her mouth and sheresponded with a soft sigh and a widening of her lips that felt like a smile.
Desperate to claim even a bit of her pleasure, he sucked on her bottom lip before catching it with his teeth. Her moan was low and intimate. Her body tilted toward him, but she didn’t press herself against him as he wished she would. She didn’t even touch him. And hecouldn’ttouch her.
A ragged growl rumbled in his throat as frustration gripped him. He wanted more. Heneededmore.
She pulled back then, her whiskey gold eyes fluttering open as she pressed her finger to his parted lips. For several, long, labored breaths, they stared at each other. The air around them was redolent with passion and touched his skin with warm desire.
