We were two people who knew nothing about one another—okay, Rett had researched me—and yet despite our lack of knowledge and completely diverse childhoods and life choices, fate intervened. Our union didn’t simply happen. No, fate demanded it. The spirits and the people of New Orleans approved.
As he came closer, I remembered seeing him the first night in the crowded courtyard. Even without knowing him, I felt his stare, a pull from across the crowded space. He’d been leaning against the stone archway. His white shirt strained at the seams beneath his broad shoulders. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows and his hair was combed back in soft waves.
That night as now, Everett Ramses radiated power. Crowds parted as he walked.
And yet as I’d mused when with my brother, Rett didn’t need to say a word or prove his significance. His confidence was innate, his power resounded in his voice, and his sincerity manifested in his concern, not only for me but for New Orleans.
“I thought you said you’d be late,” I said with a grin.
Flames of desire flickered in his gaze as he scanned me from my blonde hair to my toes. After over a year, I couldn’t understand how Rett was still capable of melting my insides with only a look or a phrase.
“Are you ready for me?”
It was one of his favorite questions. Mine too.
I could answer, but there was no doubt that he knew.
My nipples hardened, noticeable beneath my satin camisole. And if I were to be asked, the satin shorts would probably show the telltale sign of my need.
His strong hands came to my waist. As if I weighed nothing, Rett lifted me to the window sill with a grin, spread my knees, and stepped between my legs. “Are you going to make me wait for your answer?” He tried to sound stern. “You should know, I don’t like to wait.”
“My answer is the same as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow.” I framed his cheeks with my palms. His day-long beard growth ignited a flicker within me that was already poised to start a raging blaze as I imagined that roughness on my sensitive skin.
His strong lips met mine, taking what was his as I willingly gave in return. Our tongues found one another’s and his fingers splayed on my lower back, pulling me to him. My breasts flattened against his solid chest. When he leaned away, Rett answered my earlier question. “I cut one meeting short and canceled the other.”
I lifted his chin, returning his gaze from my breasts to my eyes. “Any reason?”
“I couldn’t stand the idea of you up here all alone.”
“My hero.”
“No, Emma. I’m no hero. My motivation wasn’t as chivalrous as I made it sound.”
“Then what could your motivation possibly be?”
Scooping me from the window sill, Rett carried me to my bed and laid me on sheets where I’d pulled back the covers. “Take off your clothes.”
There was no hesitation as I pulled the camisole over my head and lowered the shorts. Not to be outdone, Rett’s shirt, belt, pants, socks, and shoes were scattered over the floor. I stared as each muscle within him was defined as he moved, from his powerful thighs, to his tight abs and his broad shoulders. I found myself obsessed with everything about him.
Like a predator stalking its prey, Rett came closer. A tug of my ankles and my ass was on the edge of the mattress. “Lift your feet to the bed and spread your legs.”
There was a quality in his demand, a tone and timbre that set me on edge. I could try to hold out, to not be affected, but each time I failed miserably.
One of his large hands came to my stomach, pushing me back.
“Lift your arms.”
As I obeyed, two fingers plunged inside me. My back arched as I sucked in a breath.
“I love how wet you are.”
Closing my eyes, I became lost in his touch, his rhythm, and his skill. Bending over me, he coated my flesh in kisses and nips. His plan was to attack on multiple fronts. My mind was scattered as I tried to keep up.
First, each nipple was adored and then his thumb found my clit. Somehow Rett understood my body more than I as he’d work me to the edge of ecstasy only to pull me back.
Each time I felt so close, so ready, only to have him tease me more.
Reaching for his cheeks, I pulled his lips to mine. Once the kiss ended, I asked, “Did you cut your meeting short to drive me insane?”