She turned, her back to the suites where her bedroom had once been, and sucked in a crisp, little gust of air, steeling herself to spend her first night above. As mistress of this house.
She made it around the corner.
Six steps.
Maybe seven.
Almost eight.
And then she felt his hand encircle her arm, just above the elbow, pulling her around to face him as he backed her against the wall, the full warmth and power of his body looming over hers as he pressed all of that delicious, shimmering heat into her gown.
Her hands came up immediately, her fingers curling into that thick, dark hair, the heels of her hands sliding along the sharp angles of his jaw as his mouth fell onto hers, his tongue rolling into her mouth.
She whimpered into it, tasting him in turn, wrapping herself in the indulgence of it as the storm cracked and the rain unleashed in her senses. She felt her body arching, pulling him closer, willing him into every recess of her very flesh. She slid a leg between his, inviting him to pin her completely, to make her one with this wall to his heart’s desire as his teeth raked over her lips.
“God, I want you,” he breathed, his hands trailing down over her throat, whispering over the sides of her breasts as he anchored her waist into place.
Hearing it, hearing him say it nearly broke her. The beautiful chords of his voice, wrapping around those words while he loomed over her, tasting her, feeling her. She could have melted into a puddle on the spot if not for her grip on him, anchoring her on this plane.
“Have me,” she begged. “Elias, please.”
He groaned, his hands flexing on her, thumbs creeping up to trace the bottoms of her breasts, so close to crossing the line, to touching her in a way that could not be undone. He rocked his hips against hers, showing her in no uncertain terms that his want was real.
She gasped, her hands faltering, digging deeper into his hair as she dragged him closer, deepening the kiss, desperate for more of it. “Elias,” she said again somehow.
“Hattie, we can’t,” he breathed, returning every kiss, making no move to release her. “Not yet.”
“We can,” she argued, letting her hands slide down his face, over his shoulders and the planes of his chest. “We should.”
He made a helpless, primal sound, his hands quivering on her. “You want me to have you in Willa’s bed?” he asked against her mouth. “Before we’re married?”
She nodded, flicking her tongue against his lips.
It seemed to break some of his resolve, his hands coming up to cup her breasts, thumbs brushing over the lace that hid them from him as he gave another press of his hips against her. “We have to stop,” he grumbled, raking his eyes over her like this, under his thrall. “Oh, Jesus God.”
“Why?” she asked, burning from the inside. “Why do we have to stop?”
“Because I am going to devour you if we don’t,” he groaned, squeezing her breasts in his hands and licking his lips at the effect of it. “Jesus,” he said again.
She let her fingers trail down to his hips, tracing the line of his waistband as her eyes flickered shut to enjoy the sensation of him touching her this way. She wanted to touch him too. To cross that threshold, to run her fingers over forbidden parts of him.
And he seemed to realize it too.
It was the only thing that appeared to actually bolster his resolve. His damned resolve.
He kissed her once more, very hard, his breathing labored and hot. “Patience,” he said against her mouth.
“I don’t have any patience,” she said, helpless with want as he pulled away. “Elias, why?”
He took her hand with him, dragging her palm to his lips, his eyes sparkling with heat and desire. “Because,” he said. “The torment is part of the pleasure. If nothing else, my Hattie, there has always been the sweetness of torment between us.”
She sighed, dropping her full weight back against the wall and wrapping her arms around herself. “I do not wish fortorment,” she told him. “But if you do, I shall endeavor to provide it.”
Elias blinked. “That’s not what—”
It made her smile, a little thrill that spoke to the truth of his statement darting up her spine. “Good night, Elias,” she said to him. “I hope your dreams provide all the suffering you crave.”
Chapter Seventeen
