The words held so much more weight than implying that I wanted to date him. I saw him: the man beneath the monstrous mask. His pain and protective instincts called to something deep inside me that I couldn’t deny.
His mouth descended on mine, hungry for the trust I offered him. His tongue traced my lips, as though savoring the flavor of my fervent words. He kissed me like I was a miracle, his hands bracketing my face with aching gentleness as he claimed me in deep, fierce strokes.
I opened for him, offering him everything he wanted to take.
I trust you. I’m not scared. You’re not a monster.
I conveyed each promise with my own fierce kiss, sharing myself with him in a way I’d never connected with anyone else. He’d made himself vulnerable with me, and I willingly put everything on the line for him. I laid my soul bare, and he held me like I was something precious and fragile.
One strong arm wrapped around my waist, tugging me impossibly closer. His other hand left my face to rove lower, long fingers skating down the column of my neck. Just the light brush of his rough callouses on my throat drew a moan from my chest. Fireworks popped and tingled beneath his featherlight touch, my body crackling with awareness.
Suddenly, he cupped my breast, handling me with shocking confidence. I gasped into his mouth, and he hummed his approval, the sound rumbling all the way down to my core. His fingers traced the underside of my breast through my pajamas, and the silky sensation was almost unbearably decadent. My nipples pebbled to hard peaks, and they throbbed gently in time with the deeper ache between my legs.
He brushed his thumb over the tight buds, and hot lines of pleasure sizzled directly from my nipples to my core. Something inside me clenched, and I cried out against his lips.
He groaned, the sound torn between longing and pain. His other hand dipped lower behind my back, his long fingers sinking into my bottom as he clutched me close.
My body molded to his, and he growled into my mouth when my hips rubbed against his hard length.
For a moment, I stiffened. I’d never felt a man’s arousal before. It was intimidating and thrilling. A heated rush surged beneath my skin, a wave of feminine gratification.
I did this to him. I made him want.
My belly quivered, equal parts aroused and reluctant. As much as I craved Max, I didn’t think I was ready to have sex. Just kissing him like this was more than I’d ever experienced with any man.
Suddenly, his grip shifted, and my moment of uncertainty dissipated when the world tilted. One strong arm braced behind my back, and the other hooked beneath my knees. I became weightless as he lifted me up to cradle me against his hard chest.
He held me as though I weighed nothing, and his lips remained hungry and demanding on mine as he carried me to the couch, never once releasing me from his kiss.
He set me down so that I was nestled in the cushions, and he dropped to his knees before me as his hands began to explore my body once again. His mouth lowered, trailing hot kisses over my neck. His hot tongue traced the line of my throat at the same time as his fingers tightened around my nipples.
A ragged cry left my chest, and I arched into him. I wound my arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer, urging him to take more.
He touched me as though he wanted to learn every inch of me, to claim and own. He touched me as though he had every right, and I welcomed his exploration. I had no idea what my body was capable of, and he was wringing pleasure from me in ways I never could’ve imagined.
His teeth grazed the shell of my ear before he sharply nipped my lobe. The little flare of pain sent an answering pulse of need to my core, and the throbbing between my legs intensified to a deep ache.
A strange, needy sound whined from my chest, and I writhed in his hands. I didn’t know what I wanted him to do. I just needed more.
His deft fingers found the delicate buttons at the front of my pajama top, freeing each one with aching slowness. He trailed down my sternum, working his way to my belly, until his hand brushed the spot just above the waistband of my pants.
I gasped and clutched him to me, lifting my hips in silent invitation for more. My fingers tangled in his glossy black curls, and I tried to drag his mouth closer to mine.
It took no effort for him to resist my grasping hands. I felt his slightly cruel smile against my neck, a scrape of his teeth across my vulnerable artery. I whimpered and arched toward him, but he didn’t give me an inch.