And he let her. Not even moving as she dropped a trail of kisses from his neck downwards. His lack of reaction might have concerned her, but his breathing was too harsh, too shallow, and it betrayed him.
She inched closer, felt the unmistakable evidence of his growing arousal pressing instantly against her hip just as she heard the catch of breath in his throat. He hadn’t been rejecting her at the door before—he’d been trying to respect her. But there was no doubt that he wanted her—really wanted her—as much as she wanted him.
It made her feel powerful, suddenly. In absolute control. Before he could stop her she hooked her fingers around the towel, unsecured it and then dropped to her knees in front of him. Finally a side of herself which she’d always wished she had was making itself known.
And it was all because of Tak Basu.
Her head was spinning with desire. With exultation. With the way Tak was completely at her mercy and apparently more than happy to be so. He was male—so utterly, gloriously, solidly male—and yet he was letting her do whatever she wanted to do to him.
It felt intoxicating to be entrusted with such power, such control. And, whatever happened next, she was determined that she would have this one perfect night with him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HE SHOULD STOP HER.
Dimly the thought moved around Tak’s head. But he couldn’t. Not when she was kissing him, licking him, torturing him the way she was right now. An exquisite kind of torture which he thought might be the perfect death of him.
And then she took him in her hand, tilting her head up to him, her eyes clear and wanton, her lips curled up mischievously, and he felt a kick, low and hard, in his abdomen.
But that was nothing compared to the blow that hit him when she opened her mouth and took him deep inside her mouth. A blow which almost felled him.
He couldn’t even breathe.
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Effie. His Effie.
He couldn’t say it. He had no right even thinking it. But she undermined his walls with every conversation and every revelation. And now with every wicked flick of her tongue. She was so incredibly perfect, and all he could do was thrust his hands into her hair in some kind of attempt to root himself to the ground, to keep himself from exploding there and then.
Slow and lazy at first, her mouth and her tongue were playing, teasing, toying with him. Every flick of her tongue sent rivers of need cascading through his entire body, drowning out every other thought in his head. Carefully, she built up the pace. Taking her time as though she was enjoying every second of the lethal control she had over him.
And she did have control over him, Tak realised with a jolt, and not just because she had her mouth wrapped around him in this moment. She’d been gaining dominance over him every day since that first night at the hospital gala. Making him wish he really was a different man from the one he’d always feared he might be. He hadn’t done a damn thing to stop it, and now he feared he never could.
She was under his skin, in his veins. Her touch, her scent, her voice. And he never wanted to let her go.
Her teeth grazed gently over his tip and with a start Tak realised he was embarrassingly close to losing himself.
‘Stop,’ he bit out. ‘Not this way.’
It took everything he had to brace his fingers against her and pull back, hoisting her up into his arms as he did. His fingers were reaching for her zipper and releasing her from her dress until she was standing there in just her underwear. Not that it helped.
The black lace bra and brief set with its tiny red bows would have been enough—feminine yet seductive, transparent enough for him to see everything. But then his eyes dropped to the matching suspender belt, the sheer stockings which only seemed to emphasise those impossibly long, sexy legs, and the heels which enhanced already shapely calves.
It was a devastating collection. Heady in the extreme. And Tak couldn’t contain himself any longer.
In one move he scooped her into his arms, carrying her to the bed and lowering her as softly as his throbbing, aching body would allow before nestling between her legs and pressing his mouth to her where she needed him the most.
She was feverishly hot, magnificently wet, honey-sweet. She gasped instantly, bucking her hips, making him feel more turned on than he thought he’d ever been in his life. More desperate for her than he’d known possible.
‘Tak...’
‘Call it payback,’ he growled, sliding his hands beneath her rounded peachy bottom and lifting her to him again. Wrapping those incredible legs around his shoulders. ‘And I intend to exact every last bit. With interest.’
Then he hooked the fabric of her briefs to one side and simply licked into her. Over and over as she moved against his mouth and on his tongue.
The guttural sounds ripped from her throat were becoming more urgent and more needy by the second. And he didn’t think he would ever be able to get enough of her. Of this. He traced whorls around her core with his tongue and his fingers, slipping them inside her, revelling in her gasps and the way she opened herself up to him as if she couldn’t help herself. All the while maintaining a steady flick over the tiny bud at her core and stoking the fire which burned so brightly inside her.
And then he felt her changing, beginning to pull away. He heard a weak protestation on her lips, something about wanting to do this together, and Tak couldn’t help himself. He held her in place and sucked deep and hard at her core, refusing to let her go.