“You do?”
She nodded. Now or never, she needed to impress him and the opportunity was slipping away. “Please don’t touch me. Not yet.”
He cocked his head to one side and tapped his lower lip with bemusement. “Very well. Show me.”
Chapter Fifteen
As he rested his tense body against the door, Zara stripped. Transfixed by the brazenness of her undressing, Galen admired the way she did it—seductive and slow—and it calmed him. He needed to calm down; he’d nearly lost her that afternoon.
She must never know how dangerous Karrow was and what he’d done as he’d crossed the continent in search of his targets. The news of the security breach had come when he was already on his way home. Seeing her half-naked on the floor, screaming as Karrow dragged her along, had filled Galen with anger and dread. He feared he was too late and that she’d already been violated. Now, as she swung her hips from side to side and kicked off her skirt, he knew she was untouched. Apart from the fingerprint bruises forming on her arms, she was unblemished.
However, that wasn’t quite true. She was marked by the inks and the colors were moving in a coordinated fashion ac
ross her breast and belly into a specific pattern. He straightened up and glanced down at his own bare torso. The roaring lion on his chest had formed swiftly, and without conscious thought. Now it was an inappropriate choice. As she closed her eyes and focused on her inks, he did the same.
Galen conjured up a new creature—the tiger. He’d mastered forming the stripes that morning as she slept in his arms and now, he added the finer details—the bright eyes and whiskers. The mouth he kept closed—no bared teeth to frighten his girl.
When he opened his eyes, he gasped. The colors of her arousal she couldn’t control, they were darkening quickly, but where they bloomed into color was a different matter. Her tattoo lacked the detail of his because of the form she’d chosen. The lines were blurred in places and hidden among the vines and hearts that formed the original pattern. However, he recognized the little creature poking its face out: two soft eyes stared out from above her nipples, two pointed ears and a stubby nose, which was half hidden by her cleavage.
She blushed. “I love the tiger. What do you think of my feeble effort?”
Galen traced the outline of the creature with his fingers. “How appropriate. Feline, like mine, but young. A cub?”
“A kitten.” She lowered her eyes and swung her hips from side to side. She nipped her lower lip with the edges of her brilliant teeth. How beautiful she looked when acting coy and bashful.
“A baby cat?”
She nodded.
“I like it.” He rested his hands on her narrow waist. Soon he would be buried deep inside her, filling her with his essence and watching her tattoo explode with bright colors. “Very sweet,” he added.
“My tattoos will fade soon, won’t they?”
“Yes. Probably in a couple of days. They’re not as stark as they once were. I don’t need them anymore. I can read you without them.”
She believed him, but that wasn’t what bothered her. “I would like you to ink me again using ones like yours.” She slipped her hands up under his and spread her fingers across his chest. He felt warm inside and his cock had hardened into a rod. It tented his pants and craved for release.
He ignored the discomfort and laughed. “My pleasure. I shall teach you to tame the inks, so that they can be whatever you desire.”
“I like being a kitten because she’s sweet and cute. Sometimes, perhaps…” She dipped her chin and he lifted it back up.
“Speak!” he commanded.
“A naughty creature maybe. Like a playful puppy who doesn’t sit when told. Or nips when they should lick or runs away when they should come.” Her eyes sparkled and she licked her lips.
“You will be punished for such behavior, my little human.”
Around the tattoo, her skin was flushed pink and she squirmed under his hands. “I can’t be good all the time,” she said sheepishly. “I’m only human.”
“Then, perhaps you need a reminder.”
Her eyes widened as he slid one of his hands down over the curves of her bottom and around her thigh to between her legs. He cupped her naked mound and slotted his fingers along her fold. She eased her legs apart and rose up on tiptoes. She stretched easily as he dove two fingers inside her wet pussy.
“This is mine. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” She leaned forward and hooked one of her legs around his, opening her pussy wider.
“This is our way. There is no other.”