Chapter Nine
Natalie altered beneath the power of Liam’s kiss, transformed into a sensual creature, suddenly unafraid of the deep passions that frothed at her core. It was a little like losing herself in the dance. When she allowed the movement to overcome her, she forgot the audience or any expectations it might have of her.
She craned upward, wild for more of his taste, desperate to quench her tingling nerve endings with the hard pressure of his body. She slid her tongue next to his and treasured the sound of his low moan of arousal. He stroked her hips and back with increasing excitement, molding her flesh against his, as though he knew he was creating a fire beneath her skin with the added friction. Natalie began to explore him as well. Her opened hands found the upward slant from his ribs to his chest fascinating. It was like holding the essence of power in her very hands, caressing Liam.
That feeling of power spread to her when she sensed how much he liked her touch.
He groaned into her mouth. Their tongues dueled sensually and she felt him grow even harder, his muscles flexing beneath her seeking fingertips, his arousal flagrantly obvious next to her straining body.
He sealed their kiss, but, as if he couldn’t get enough of her mouth, he continued to nip at her lips. Natalie responded in kind, nibbling at him feverishly. He
tasted so good, it wasn’t enough. Her tongue slicked along his lower lip as if it had a mind of its own.
He groaned roughly. The next thing Natalie knew, he’d shifted her in his arms and she was airborne. Her mind and body both seemed to be flying, falling headlong into the pool of sensual pleasure Liam always created with his touch. The bedroom where he brought her was dim—only the light from the hallway illuminated it. He laid her on the bed with what struck Natalie as exquisite care, as though he thought she’d break.
She stared up at him, her breath coming fast and ragged. Anxiety had started to rise again, but the image of Liam looking down at her held her so spellbound that she couldn’t focus on her nervousness overly much. His expression was rigid with arousal. She could just make out the gleam in his eyes as he watched her. He brushed back the hair on her brow in a gentle gesture. His hands felt hot and dry next to her skin. He looked down at her as he rubbed the tip of his thumb over her lower lip. As if he’d pushed a secret button, Natalie parted her mouth to better feel his touch.
His nostrils flared with arousal.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured. “I want to see all of you. Can I undress you?”
Natalie nodded, unable to speak. She didn’t necessarily believe in the truth of his words on a personal basis, but in that moment, she could read his expression perfectly.
Liam thought she was beautiful.
His stare remained melded to hers as he reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. When the neckline snagged on her bun, he gently loosened it and then tossed aside her shirt. She felt his fingers moving in her hair.
“How many of these things do you have to use to keep all that hair on your head?” she heard him murmur in amusement as he drew out one pin after another. He kept one hand on her body, stroking her shoulder and neck, as if he didn’t want to lose physical contact with her even as he undressed her. Natalie suspected he’d sensed her nervousness, and was reassuring her with his humor and touch.
She smiled. “I don’t know. I don’t count.”
“Twelve,” Liam said a moment later as he deposited the last bobby pin on the table.
“Thank you for solving that little mystery for me,” she said shakily. The flicker of amusement she experienced faded when she saw his face as he ran his fingers through her unbound hair.
He tried to smile at her comment, but he looked strained as he gazed down at her wearing nothing but a bra and low-riding shorts, her hair spread across the pillow. He extended one long finger and traced the curve of her hip to her waist. She shivered when he touched the side of her ribs. Her nipples prickled with pleasure. She’d had no idea she had so many sensitive spots on her body until Liam showed them to her.
“You were made by a true artist, Natalie Reyes.”
“So were you,” she whispered.
“You got some extra attention.” The muscles of his face were so tense with desire that he looked almost grim in the dim light as he reached behind her to unfasten her bra. As he slid it from her body, the combination of the cool air and Liam’s heated stare made her bare breasts tingle. She didn’t shrink from his gaze. Why would she, when he looked at her as he did at that moment?
“You’re so pretty.”
The hint of awe in his tone made her reach for him. She brought him down to her, wincing in pleasure when he placed his mouth at the upper curve of her left breast. His moving, caressing lips seemed to create a trail of fire as he explored her contours.
“So soft,” he murmured.
His palm came up to cradle her right breast, as if testing the weight of it. She knew how strong Liam was; she sensed his power like a tightly coiled spring. The gentleness of his touch contrasting with all that strength made her heart seem to swell in her rib cage. His hands were large, and his fingertips blunt, but they became precise instruments for evoking pleasure when touching her.
She shivered when he gently scraped his teeth over a rib just below her breast. Her nipples puckered tight at the sensation. As if Liam had known precisely the effect his caress would have, he slipped the sensitized crest of her breast between his lips.
Natalie’s breath caught at the feeling of being enclosed in his warm mouth. He applied a soft suction and laved his tongue over the beading nipple and Natalie forgot how to breathe, the pleasure that coursed through her was so sharp…so imperative.
She whimpered with need. As if desire connected them, Liam growled deep in his throat at the same moment, the sound vibrating into her breast and down to her heart.
She called his name in a plaintive plea, and he lifted his head reluctantly.