‘Wh—what?’
‘Prove we’re not animals. Walk away. If you can.’ His thumb performed another pass, then rested on her frantic pulse.
‘Bastien...’ she protested. Feebly.
‘I won’t stop you if you want to end this. But do you want to deny yourself this exquisite pleasure?’
‘I...’ She couldn’t conjure up more than that single word.
‘By morning we will have dealt with it. Then we simply return to the way things were, minus the desperate need to tear each other’s clothes off.’
Ana opened her mouth to refuse. Her lips brushed
his. She tried to pull away. He stayed her with a firm touch. But reality had intruded enough for her to know that accepting his offer would be madness, tantamount to retracting every vow she’d made to herself.
The harsh consequences of her mother’s promiscuity warned her against giving in to her baser instincts, against surrendering to this heady, insatiable need to satisfy the craving that tore at her soul. No matter how painful.
She shook her head.
Bastien’s chest expanded on a deep, slow breath. There was a mildly stunned look in his eyes. Then he released her.
Ana felt as if part of her had been ripped out. He was walking away. The thought tore a jagged path through her mind, bringing with it the knowledge that cracked open a belief she’d never contemplated.
She wasn’t her mother. Which meant she could take what she wanted and not destroy anything or anyone in the process.
She wasn’t stringing anyone along or making false promises.
There was a finite outcome to this. Bastien had offered the perfect solution. She could take this unique journey with this man who set her world on fire, explore what promised to be untold pleasure, and still keep her dignity and her heart intact.
Deep in her heart Ana knew she’d never experience this level of chemistry with another man. Bastien was the only man who’d ever elicited such riotous, incredible feelings within her. What if this was her only chance of pleasure at its headiest? Could she deny herself this?
His expression shuttering, he started to turn away. She grabbed his hand and returned it to her cheek.
Fierce eyes, demanding and powerful, locked on hers. ‘Ana?’
Turning her head, she kissed his palm. ‘Yes.’
His nose flared. ‘There’s no going back from here. You have to know this.’ His voice emerged thick and deep.
She swallowed. ‘I do.’
One arm snagged her waist and lifted her away from the door. Before she could form another word he swung her into his arms, entered the hallway and strode for the stairs.
She buried her face in his neck, breathed in his potent smell and tried to stem the flicker of apprehension inside her.
In his room, he lowered her to her feet and eased off her top. His hands slid up into her hair to tilt her face to his. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he stated simply.
Ana cleared her throat, aware that she needed to warn him about her inexperience before it was too late. ‘Bastien, there’s something you should know. I’m not... I don’t do this lightly.’
He dropped a long, sensual kiss on her mouth. ‘Oui, I know. It is why I will make this special for you,’ he rasped, his gaze devouring her as he reached behind her and slowly unzipped her skirt.
His gaze didn’t stray from her face as the material pooled at her feet. Nevertheless Ana’s body flamed. She felt more naked than she ever had in her life.
Desperately, she cleared her throat. ‘I don’t mean that.’ She licked her lips, frantic for the right words to explain what she meant. ‘I mean my experience is somewhat limited.’ She couldn’t bear it if he were disappointed.
He paused, his chest expanding on a breath. ‘Ana, I’m almost at breaking point. So are you. Now is not the time to apprise me of your experiences—limited or otherwise.’
‘But there isn’t—’