She tilted her head. “Could you? Leave, I mean.”
He didn’t answer for a long moment, and then he shrugged. “I could try.”
He could, and she would let him. But they both knew where they would end up. Right back here on her bed or on the floor or wherever they landed with him inside her.
And then, to her absolute joy, he stripped off his tee.
Dark glorious muscles revealed to her hungry gaze. Broad shoulders, perfect flesh. Except for the scar on his face, there were no flaws. Not even a mole. Probably a benefit of being a shifter, she realized. Then he toed off his shoes and pushed down his jeans.
His penis sprang free, large and proud, and though she’d seen it before, she again marveled at his size. He was a big man everywhere, and her body was only average. But even as she had the thought, she knew they would fit. At this moment, she believed even her bones would adjust to accommodate him.
“Lie back,” he commanded.
She did. It took her a moment to scurry backward on the bed, but pretty soon she lay dead center, her hands spread at her sides, and her legs softening open though her knees still touched. He prowled closer to the bed. No other word for it, especially since she’d only flipped on the far light. That put him in silhouette as his dark form slipped through the shadows toward her and the bed.
Her heartbeat sped up and her mouth went dry. Wild thoughts ran through her head of what he could do to her. God, she’d only known the man for a day and here she was willing to let him do…what? Whips? Chains? Would she even say no?
And then she stopped thinking as he made it to the edge of the bed. She opened her mouth to speak. His name. A question. Hell, she didn’t know what. But the tension in her body was growing unbearable. She wasn’t used to being on display like this, and though his gaze was more than complimentary, it still made her feel self-conscious.
But when she opened her mouth, he made a swift sound of denial. Half bark, half growl—it silenced her before she’d even found her voice.
“I’m going to go slow, Cecilia. Very slow. The only word you can say is, ‘no.’ Do you understand? It’s the only thing that will get through.”
She nodded, too mesmerized by his intensity to risk anything else. He was still prowling, his motions steady as he seemed to stalk her. First one side of the bed, then sliding around the base to crawl up by her feet.
She heard him inhale, long and deep. Then he released a kind of purr from the back of his throat. Appreciation, and she flushed at the sound.
He moved up the bed on all fours, his powerful arms outlined by the light. He set his mouth to just above her left ankle, skating his teeth across her skin enough to make her shiver. Her legs loosened then, slipping even farther apart.
He scooped an arm under her left knee, drawing it up as he kissed up the side of her leg. Lips, tongue, teeth. He moved up her leg, thrusting his tongue in the crook made by the bend of her knee, and then drawing her leg wide as he kissed the inside of her thigh.
She tried to draw him higher on her body. She crooked her foot behind his back and pulled, but he went at his own pace. Slow, steady, and inevitable. She was dripping by the time he made it to her groin.
This close, she could see the tension in his body. There was sweat on his forehead and a trembling restraint in his movements. And yet, he still worked her body as if he were helping with a leisurely bath. A squeeze on her thigh, followed by a lick and a kiss. Every inch of her leg was held or caressed. And when he had adjusted her left leg to where he wanted it, he moved back down to her right knee.
At least he didn’t start back at her ankle. Was it possible to orgasm just from a tiny bite on her kneecap?
He pressed his nose to her inner right thigh while his hand stroked up to the crease between leg and groin. He kneaded her there, dipped his fingers into her moisture, and thrust two fingers inside.
She arched up with a cry. Finally, penetration. Not the kind she wanted, but her body didn’t care. She gripped his fingers and squeezed her legs around him until she grew weak with the effort. It didn’t move him an inch, though he did continue to scrape teeth and tongue along her inner thigh.
He kept pumping into her. Two fingers. Three. He did it casually, as if he barely noticed the rhythm he set inside her while his mouth tasted her thigh.
His mouth was so close that he had to adjust his position. Her legs were fully spread, blocked open by his broad shoulders. His fingers were large and callused as they thrust inside one last time before pulling out to play in her curls.
She should have felt embarrassed. Hell, she did feel embarrassed by her own lack of shame. But the need was too strong and she was without words to cry out, so she did everything she could to encourage him silently with her body.
He found her clit. His thumb rolled over it while she bucked beneath him.
Orgasm hit like a freight train, speeding through her mind and body as it obliterated everything. But when it eased, she realized he hadn’t moved. He was poised above her, apparently ready for when the first rush passed.
She lifted her head an inch to see him better. It was all the strength she had. She met his gaze and saw a dark triumph there. Joy at her orgasm. Pride that he had given it to her. Then he ducked his head and put his tongue to her clit.
Another contraction hit, fast and hard. Her belly pulled with the force of it, and she cried out in shock. He eased off her for a second, maybe two, then he returned. His tongue was thick and sweet where she was most sensitive.
She nearly said it then. “No” was on the tip of her tongue. It was too much, too soon, and she didn’t need more oral. She wanted him inside her, but he was gentle as he worked her, never pushing her quite to that place. He eased off to let her catch her breath, then swooped back in when she began to gather her wits.
Each moment became a rolling orgasm of yes. Of Hank. Of pleasure so intense she wanted it to end as much as she hoped it went on forever. Until she couldn’t catch her breath and her belly hurt from the tension. She pulled upward, grabbing his head and forcing him to look at her.
