Adoni blinked, then one corner of his mouth tipped up in a half smile that almost took her out at the knees. His hold on her arms tightened, holding her steady.
‘Then you’d better help me.’ He drew her right hand to his belt, one wicked eyebrow lifting in challenge. His hands went to his shirt, speedily undoing buttons.
Alice should have felt conspicuous, standing naked with her hand on his belt. But she didn’t. She drew the leather through the buckle with a flick, pushed the tongue of the buckle free and dragged the belt undone.
In her peripheral vision she saw the hard, shadowy planes of his chest emerge as his hands raced down the buttons, tugging his shirt free. Alice didn’t let herself get distracted. Instead she grabbed his trousers, her knuckles brushing hot flesh that retracted at her touch. A shiver shook Adoni.
Delighted, she wrangled the unfamiliar fastening undone, tugging the zip low, brushing the length of his mighty erection.
Another flinch, this time a shudder, and a hiss of breath from above her.
‘Se hriazome.’
‘I don’t understand Greek.’ But she understood the message of his aroused body. Alice watched, her insides spiralling into ever tighter coils of want, as he shucked his shoes, thrust down his trousers and boxers, then bent to strip away his socks.
‘Se thelo. I want you.’
The fire in her veins turned into a roaring inferno as she surveyed him, proud and utterly masculine, strong lines of bone and taut muscle.
‘Se hriazome. I need you.’ His voice burred across her skin, pulling it tight as goose bumps erupted everywhere.
Alice had seen her share of naked males, but they were all on the pages of art books or safely cast in bronze or carved from stone. She’d thought she remembered Adoni’s body from that night in London but memory didn’t do justice to his magnificence.
She shuffled back, overwhelmed. Surely she shouldn’t feel so...overcome?
‘Alice?’ That deep voice held a new note. ‘You’re not scared?’
Scared? She was petrified!
She swallowed, her throat constricting. It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t going to hurt her.
Every part of her clamoured for the pleasure he promised. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already done this.
Yet...
His hands curled into fists at his sides and Alice forced her gaze up to his face, as perfect and imposing as the rest of him. ‘You cried that night in London, after we had sex. Did someone hurt you?’
The only man who’d hurt her was Adoni when he’d turned on her. But surprisingly his words settled her.
Sex, that was what this was. What they’d shared in London. Only sex. Nothing to be frightened of.
For a moment there, dumbstruck by the sight of him and the strange feelings making her heart careen wildly, she’d feared this might be something else. Something far more dangerous. Her heart still hammered at the idea.
‘Alice?’ Even in the gloom she made out the tense bulge of muscle and sinew.
‘Nothing’s wrong. You’re just a bit daunting.’ Better she share that than the fact that obliterated everything else—that shefeltmore for Adoni than she should.
Yet, instead of smiling or puffing out his chest with male pride, Adoni stood still, watching her.
‘You’re safe with me, Alice. I swear it.’ The words, slow and deliberate, were a pledge.
She quivered and rubbed her hands up her arms, suddenly too aware that she was stark naked.
‘If you want to go back to your room I promise not to follow you.’
Alice couldn’t help it; her gaze dropped to the impressive rampant erection pointing directly at her belly like some heat-seeking missile locked on its target.
Adoni’s rusty chuckle surprised her. ‘I don’t say it will be easy, but I can do it. If you want.’