“I stripped for you. Time for you to return the favor.”
My stomach flips. The room suddenly feels too warm. Too bright. The golden lamplight spills across the space, casting no shadows, no places to hide.
Just him. Watching. Waiting.
I can’t help but feel self-conscious about everything. This man is definitely much more experienced than I am. I’ve had sex before, but have never been too adventurous. What if I’m not what he wants? What if I take off my dress and the fantasy fizzles out? What if I disappoint him?
As if able to read my thoughts, Declan’s features soften and he steps forward again, cupping my cheek in his large hand. The gesture is tender, at complete odds with the man who was devouring me with his eyes seconds ago.
“If you’ve changed your mind,” he murmurs, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone, “that’s okay. I don’t want you to feel pressured or forced. I just…” His jaw flexes. “I haven’t felt this sort of connection to someone in a long time. I may have gotten a little carried away.”
I meet his gaze, the sincerity within almost too much. He’s not just saying it to make me feel better. He’s saying it because he means it.
It only makes me want him more.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” I whisper.
Relief flickers behind his eyes, but I press on before doubt can creep back in.
“I just…might need you to take charge. Tell me what to do. That way I don’t have to think too much.”
He arches a single brow. “Is that what you want? To not have to think?”
I nod. “I can be an overthinker. So right now… Yes. That’s what I want. What I need.”
He studies me, his gaze unreadable as he steps back and sits on the edge of the bed. My pulse skitters, nerves tangling in my stomach. For a moment, I worry he’s about to change his mind.
Then his expression shifts, no longer soft or teasing.
It hardens.
Darkens.
Demands.
“Strip,” he orders, his voice thundering through the stillness in the room. “Now.”
CHAPTER FIVE
DECLAN
Silence stretches between us,the air thick and charged, as I wait for her to do as I asked.Pleadwith her to do as I asked.
I’ve seen my fair share of naked women in my forty-two years.
I’ve never been so damn desperate to seethiswoman naked.
There’s something about her. Something different from any other woman. She strips me bare without touching me. And yet, I’m already unraveling.
Her eyes remain glued to mine as she kicks off her heels one by one before untucking her blouse, her fingers slipping beneath the hem to find the side zipper of her skirt. I don’t move. I don’t speak. I just watch. Captivated. Aroused. A man brought to his fucking knees by a woman who doesn’t even realize the power she holds over me.
Her skirt pools around her ankles, and she steps out of it with an effortless confidence that shouldn’t be as erotic as it is. Then her fingers move to the buttons of her blouse. One by one, they pop open, revealing soft, luminous skin with each slow flick.
My fists clench. My cock throbs. She’skillingme.
I’ve never wanted someone the way I want her right now. Not just the physical, though that’s a storm all of its own. But theway she looks at me. Like she knows me. Like she sees straight through every barrier I’ve spent years building.
Her blouse slips down her shoulders, baring more of the smooth skin I ache to touch, and she’s standing in nothing but her bra and panties. Pale pink. Delicate. Feminine.
