‘You’re wrong.’
‘About this?’ His eyes dropped to her lips and her heart stammered; she wanted him to kiss her so fiercely it hurt.
Slowly, she shook her head, lower lip drawn between her teeth. ‘Not about this.’
His eyes flared with an emotional response she couldn’t understand. ‘What is it about you?’
‘I...what do you mean?’
‘At no other time have I wanted—’ He shook his head in exasperation. ‘I shouldn’t want—’
‘But you do.’
He moved closer, his eyes glowing with intensity. ‘I want things I promised myself I couldn’t have. I want to make love to you, all night. I want to carry you over my shoulder, to my bed, to drop you down and pleasure you until you can hardly think, let alone speak. I want to taste you again, and feel your body tremble against my mouth.’
Lucinda closed her eyes, tilting her head back at the sensual imagery he was evoking. ‘But what I want most of all is to resist this, even when desire is almost crippling me.’
It was the last thing she expected him to say. Her eyes flickered open. ‘Why?’
One word, uncertain and confused, hovered in the balmy evening air between them.
‘What do you want?’ he responded, lifting his thumb to her lips and dragging it across the pillowy flesh there.
Lucinda drew in a sharp breath to quell her chaotic nerves. But for Lucinda, who’d been focused on one goal for so many years, and had barely allowed herself to have dreams or hopes of a personal nature, she struggled to verbalise her needs. Was it fear of rejection? That definitely played a part. But it was also just a lack of experience with going after what—or who—she wanted. Yet this was no ordinary situation, and Thirio Skartos no ordinary man. This demanded that she push herself outside her comfort zone, and find words for the desires that were causing the rapid spasming of her heart.
‘Everything you’ve just said you want, I want too.’