“Suzanne,” he whispered against her mouth, “open for me. Please.”
Heady turbulence rushed through her. His voice, even in a whisper, spoke to her soul.
She parted her lips, expecting him to plunge into her mouth, but he entered slowly, cautiously, and took only the smallest taste. She let her tongue touch his, and she shuddered. He tasted of cloves. Cloves and sweet wine. She deepened the kiss. His groan signaled approval.
He thrust his body into hers, and he pushed his arousal against her. Damian trailed his lips from her mouth to her cheek and then to her neck, and he inhaled deeply.
“You taste even better than you smell, mo cridhe,” he said. “Touch me.”
“Wh-What?” Suzanne’s voice cracked.
“Touch me. Put your hands on me. Please.”
Her arms dangled limply at her sides. Touch him? Her nerves tightened in her stomach, and her arms trembled as she slowly raised her hands and grasped his sinewy shoulders.
“Ah, yes, that’s it, love.” He groaned, and his body quivered beneath her fingertips. He nibbled and sucked at her pulse point. “God, I want you. I have to fuck you. Please.”
Suzanne’s eyes clouded with lust, her pulse raced. Oh, she wanted him. Sex with him seemed like a terrific idea. At least that’s what her body thought, and her mind wasn’t far behind. How easy it would be to surrender to him. To this gorgeous enigmatic man who wanted her. What a soothing salve for her shattered ego. In one night, she could reverse the damage Wade had done. So tempting.
But it couldn’t happen.
It was unimaginably difficult to break away. Especially when she saw the agony in his smoking eyes.
“Suzanne?”
“Look, I’m sorry, but we just met.” God, you’ll never know how truly sorry I am. “I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and I promise I’ll never go to town alone again. But I just can’t sleep with you. I don’t even know you.”
“Aye, you do. You feel the connection. Don’t deny it.”
Suzanne’s skin erupted into tiny bumps. She did feel a connection, and it scared her. “This is insane.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t explain it, love, but I feel it. I’ve been hard since you came here. I hadn’t even met you, yet I knew you were in trouble tonight, and I came for you.” He raked his fingers through his mass of dark waves.
A bolt of lightning struck her pussy. He was so gorgeous. “You don’t understand. I just got out of a messy relationship. It would be a mistake for me to…” She paused, his words sinking into her mind. “What do you mean you knew I was in trouble?”
“I felt it. I knew exactly where I had to go to find you. I smelled your fear.”
“Damian, what is it with you and smell?”
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. But I am certain of one thing.”
“What?”
“That you’re mine.”
“Oh.” Suzanne sighed as his gaze seemed to penetrate her. She didn’t doubt that he believed the truth of his words. This beautiful man said more with his smoldering eyes than most people said with language. She couldn’t deny that she felt a bond with him.
But that’s textbook, she told herself. I’m attracted to my savior. Who wouldn’t be?
Damian approached her, took her hand in his, and caressed her palm with his scabbed fingertips. “I don’t expect you to understand this when I can’t explain it to myself. But there is not a doubt in my mind that you belong with me.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know your hair is the color of burnt mahogany, and it feels like silk against my skin.” He sifted her tresses with his fingers and cupped her cheek. “I know your eyes are like the night fog, with little golden sparks that pierce the thickness around my soul.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “I know your mouth tastes of wintergreen and fresh blueberries. I know your body feels like heaven pressed to mine. I know your beautiful name fits you. I know there’s an idiot somewhere who let you go, but I thank God for his stupidity.” He lightly traced the angle of her jaw line. “I know you’re mine.”
Suzanne quivered. Her nipples tightened and her clit began to pulse. This man was seducing her with mere words. She was close to climaxing already, something she had only managed previously by masturbating. Never with a man.
“I won’t force you to lie with me,” Damian said, “but I will share this room with you. That’s not negotiable. I need to be close to you.”
“I can’t allow you to stay here. If you want the room—”
“I said it’s not negotiable!”
Suzanne jumped as Damian pounded his fist into the adjacent wall.
“I need to be with you. I need your scent near me.”
“What you want is impossible.” Her voice cracked with nerves. “I refuse to share a bed with a man I just met.”