35
Palmer
Myheartracedsofast, it felt like it might climb out of my chest and get lost in Roman’s gaze. He wasn’t my first, but it had been a long time and I had never felt anything like this—as if I were on the edge of a fall I could never come back from.
Roman’s eyes seared into mine, as if he were memorizing every minute detail of me. I pressed my lips together when his hand moved to the buttons of my pajama shirt, but he hesitated.When I didn’t stop him, he flicked open the bottom one. His deft fingers worked slowly, as if forcing patience on himself.
I panted as an overwhelming wave of heat bloomed beneath my skin. Roman had barely touched me and already every nerve was awake, hypersensitive in the best way.
His knuckles brushed my stomach as he worked the next button free, and the small, accidental contact made my abdominals tighten. My fingers fisted into the sheets beneath me by instinct. A spike of pain shot through my palms from the burns that were still healing, but it hardly registered.
A wave of confusion washed over me as Roman suddenly stilled. A flicker of awareness crossed his face, and he removed one hand from my shirt and held it out to me.
“Give me your wrists,” he instructed.
A frown tugged at my mouth, but I obeyed. Both of mine fit easily in his one large palm. He carefully raised my hands over my head, and pressed my wrists into the pillows until my knuckles skimmed the headboard.
His eyes flashed. “I want you to keep your hands here.”
My brows pulled together, confusion surfacing.
“They are injured,” he said, voice gruff. “Keep them right here.” He pushed down like he was trying to fasten them above my head. “Are you going to be a good girl for me?”
My body ignited at the slightest hint of danger, a thrill coursing through me like electricity. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Yes,” I said, entirely too eager.
A dark, sultry smile ghosted his lips.
God. This man was going to ruin me, and I was going to relish every second of it.
“Good.”
I sucked in my bottom lip. I had never been so turned on in my entire life.
Roman let my wrists go. I instantly missed the pressure, but I didn’t move.
He finally returned to the buttons on my top.
When he reached the final one, he paused. Controlled desire flickered in his gaze before he pulled the fabric of my shirt open.
Cool air brushed over my skin, sending a scatter of goose bumps racing across my chest and down my arms. I shivered despite the warmth building inside me.
A low sound rumbled from him—something between a groan and a growl—and the raw approval in it made my stomach flip.
“So goddamn beautiful,” he murmured.
Roman’s hand slid over my stomach; the roughness of his callouses sent tingles across my body. I arched into his touch as his fingers traveled upward, lingering on the soft contours of my chest. He teased me, skimming the sensitive peaks.
It felt so good. Shockingly good. He knew exactly how to tighten the coil of tension inside me.
A quiet hum rumbled from Roman’s chest at the sounds slipping from my throat, but I couldn’t stop them even if I wanted to. Keeping my hands pinned above my head suddenly felt like the hardest thing I’d ever done. Every instinct screamed at me to reach for him—to pull him closer.
I didn’t move.
His mouth replaced his fingers, and I gasped. The sensation sent sparks racing through my nerves, leaving me dizzy and writhing.
All I could think about was how badly I wanted him closer.
