Ever since he’d claimed me as his hostage, he’d prowled around the edges of my personal space, as though separated from me by invisible iron bars. Now, he came straight for me without hesitation; a ravenous animal that’d slipped from his cage.
His body heat sizzled against my skin, and I stepped away with a gasp. My back hit the wall, but he didn’t allow me a reprieve. He loomed over me, so close that my breasts would graze his chest if I dared to arch toward him. My lips parted on shallow, panting breaths. A rich, deep scent infused the air around me; as calming as basking on the cool earth beneath a warm sun.
His jade eyes weren’t hard and dark like I’d always thought. With his chiseled face so close and his intense gaze fixed unflinchingly on mine, his eyes seemed to capture and contain light. It filtered out in rich shades of verdant green, like sunlight playing through a thick canopy of leaves.
He moved slowly as he lifted his hand to my face, as though I might shatter if he wasn’t careful with his immense strength. The strange mixture of vulnerability and power swirled through my system, intoxicating me. This soft, feminine aspect of my sensuality had been battered by heartless men, and I’d buried that part of myself long ago. Indulging in a man’s strength only led to pain.
But Raúl wasn’t hurting me. He was handling me as though I was delicate and precious.
The massive hand that’d been brutalizing Daniel only minutes ago now hovered a hairsbreadth over my cheek, but I didn’t flinch. I stared up into his forest green eyes, all thoughts melted away by his warmth. The fearful tension I’d been carrying in my muscles for longer than I could remember eased, soothed by his calming scent and the heady sensation of my power over this fiercely strong man.
His fingertips grazed the line of my jaw, rough callouses tracing a line of tingling sparks along my sensitized skin. Two fingers curled beneath my chin, lifting my face. Light danced in the mesmerizing depths of his eyes as they roved over each of my features, studying me with rapt attention.
“He didn’t hurt you?” The question left his chest on a low rumble. His tender concern held a possessive edge, and something quivered low in my belly.
I shook my head slightly to reassure him that I was unharmed, but the movement was little more than a tremor that raced through my entire body. His gentle fingers beneath my chin held me locked in place more effectively than if he’d pinned me to the wall with his hands around my wrists. If he’d been aggressive with me, I would’ve resisted. I would’ve defied him, even if I didn’t have a hope of physically overpowering him.
But this intense, tender attention rendered me more powerless than his fists ever could’ve managed. No man had touched me like this in an achingly long time, and my body was starved for the intimate contact.
My gaze dropped to his mouth. Just as he seemed to have lost the ability to resist studying me, I couldn’t find the necessary fear to prevent myself from fixating on the delicious contradiction of his soft lips on his granite face. I focused on the small scar that furrowed his upper lip, fascinated by the mark of violence that only enhanced his sensual appeal rather than marring his features.
“He touched you,” Raúl repeated on a primal growl. Suddenly, his free hand gripped my hip, his long fingers wrapping around the exact spot where Daniel had held me in his unwelcome, lecherous grasp.
Heat flared beneath Raul’s hand, and my body jolted at the lightning strike that sizzled through me. His touch beneath my chin remained achingly gentle, but his grip on my hip flexed tighter, keeping me pinned exactly where he wanted me. His possessive hold seared away the toxic taint of Daniel’s grasping hands, branding me more deeply than the younger man’s violation could’ve ever marked me.
My breath caught in my throat, and a shiver raced over me as my skin tingled with sensual awareness that I thought had been beaten out of me.
My parted lips and quivering body seemed to be Raúl’s undoing. Whatever shred of restraint he still possessed snapped, and his mouth descended on mine.
I opened for him without hesitation, just as starved for him as he was for me. His tongue surged into my mouth in a deep, unrepentant claim. His thick fingers left my chin, sliding up my nape to tangle in my hair. A sharp tug drew a gasp from my chest as thousands of tiny pain points prickled my scalp. Rather than frightening me, his hungry aggression fueled my own, and I tipped my head back to welcome him to take more.