Emma kissed him then. Soft and sweet and entirely soul-consuming.
CHAPTER TEN
ITSHOULDHAVEbeen concerning that he couldn’t keep his hands off Emma. That every time he had her it never satiated his thirst for her. But now, having her back pressed against him, his lips on her nape, concern was the last thing on his mind.
It had angered him to see her hurt. He wanted to bring a smile back to her face. Needed to. He tried to convince himself that it was just because she was upset. Because he could see how lonely she had been and that was something he knew well.
The truth that he didn’t want to face was that her happiness made his cold heart beat with joy.
He wanted to make Emma burn for him. For her to feel. To forget the thoughts that she wouldn’t share with him.
They were done with talking. It was a pointless exercise when in a few days Emma and him would be done and she would move on. He felt a flare of bright hot rage at the thought of Emma with someone else. It caught him off guard and he almost shook his head at himself. Of course Emma would move on—however she chose to. It wasn’t any of his business.
‘Close your eyes.’ His breath caressed her skin. He could already hear her breathing deepen.
Having his low voice so close, his warm hands on her bare shoulders, not being able to see anything, was making heat pool in her belly. Emma couldn’t think because, as if he’d flipped a switch, Alex had sensation firing over every part of her.
He eased the zipper of her dress down, moving his hand to unclasp the straps around her neck. She felt the rush of cool air on her naked skin as the dress fell to her feet, exposing her breasts and the flimsy lacy scrap that covered her most intimate parts. He let out an appreciative sound at the sight of her. Then his hands were stroking her arms and her shoulders.
‘Alexander...’ she moaned.
Teeth nipped at her ear. ‘Say it again,’ he commanded. And she did.
Emma could feel the effect that she had on him through the fabric of his fine suit trousers, pressed against her back.
Alex guided her arms around his neck, making her thrust her chest out. ‘Keep them there.’
Another instruction in that seductive accent.
Emma swallowed thickly. With her eyes closed and her arms raised behind her she was completely at his mercy. Yet it only made her feel alive. Every scrape of his stubble against her skin, the touch of his fingers as they glided down her arms, trailing over her stomach, made her feel electrified. As if she was buzzing with a current that came straight from him.
She shivered as his hands slid under the scrap of lace, guiding it over her hips, sliding it down her legs. And then one jacket-covered arm wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly, brushing against her already fevered skin. His other hand travelled down to her sex, and she let out a cry somewhere between a moan and a mewl.
He had to hold her tighter, because she was sure her legs would buckle if he didn’t. And when he sucked on the juncture between her neck and her shoulder all she could do was feel. Feel him everywhere as she reached for her shattering climax, letting go completely in his arms as her breath hitched, then halted, then came in shuddering pants.
‘Emma...’ he whispered in her ear, but she couldn’t form words to respond just yet, and she felt his chuckle reverberate through her.
Alex kept holding her, until she was finally able to turn around in his arms. He had a wild look burning in his blue eyes, and she shivered again because it felt as if a wolf had been unleashed upon her.
‘I want to touch you,’ she said.
Wordlessly, Alex stepped away from her, shrugging off his jacket and dropping it to the floor in a rumpled heap. His intent gaze fixed upon her, he went about divesting himself of his clothes. Every movement of his body was controlled.
He held out his arms—an invitation for her to touch him as much as she wanted.
Heels clicking on the wooden floor, Emma stepped out of her shed garments and into his embrace, running her hands over the contours of smooth muscle up to his neck and then standing on tiptoes to kiss him. Her hands didn’t stop wandering until they tangled in his hair.
‘More...’ he breathed against her lips.
More. It was a simple word that did more than any praise ever could. It made her feel awakened. Emma was holding the key to his pleasure. She was powerful, and the realisation of that made her smile. Grin. Until a bubble of laughter broke out of her.
Alex had never had an issue with touch. It meant very little. People touched him all the time. The women he slept with, the people he worked with... But nothing had ever felt quite like Emma’s touch. As if his skin was being branded. As if she was lighting a flame from the inside. It calmed his heart and had it racing all at once.
He pulled back to see a bright glint in her eyes. He could see her strength reflected in them. Despite everything she had against her. No. Not despite.Becauseof everything she had against her, she was stronger than anyone he knew. Stronger than even she realised.
This was Emma in all her glory.
He wanted to drop to his knees and worship at her feet, but that wasn’t who he was. Alex didn’t do softness, or all those other things that made one weak. He didn’t do love. Was incapable of it. But what he could do was allow her to take a little control and feed the fire that he could see in her now.