That knocked her out of her staring. Nervously, she stepped in front of the full-length mirror and smoothed the hint of a wrinkle near her pocket, then adjusted the fall of the pullover on her bare shoulders.
“This necklace doesn’t work with this collar, does it?” Its square links had contrasted appealingly with the sweetheart neckline of her sundress, but they were too heavy a statement for the soft, bohemian knit.
She searched with her fingertips for the catch behind her neck.
“Did you hear me?” Leander appeared behind her in the mirror, a loose tie slung beneath his popped collar. His warm fingers brushed hers aside and worked the catch on her necklace. His breath stirred the fine hairs at the base of her skull, sending a shiver down her spine.
As he brought his hand in front of her, offering the necklace, his smoky gaze met hers in the mirror. “You’re beautiful. That’s not false flattery. I’m being completely honest.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but Odessa’s friends will make a full report.” She accepted the necklace. “They’ll buy themselves back into her good graces by disparaging me for any little infraction they can find.”
He made a dismissive noise, but his dark brows came together as his attention went to the spot where her shoulder met her neck.
“You have something here— A birthmark?” His thumb rubbed where she’d had laser treatments until it was only a slight discoloration. “Is it a scar?”
“Is it unsightly?” The question was a deflection. She didn’t want to admit Midas had once pushed Hercules on the swing hard enough to hit her and knock her down, leaving a cut that would have concussed her if it had been on her scalp. “I should have brought something else to wear. I can take my hair down to hide it.”
“No, I only noticed because I’m standing right here...” His thumb was still brushing over the scar, sending little tingles into her breasts. “Is it the result of a hot curler mishap? I’m serious. Don’t hurt yourself trying to improve on perfection.” His gaze flickered to hers in the mirror, gently admonishing, but filled with the warmth of masculine admiration.
“You really are laying it on thick,” she chided, trying not to melt under that look.
To her eternal shock, he dipped his head and pressed a warm kiss against the old injury.
Her nipples blossomed with a sting beneath the sensual knit and she drew in a shaken breath.
His gaze came up. “No?”
“I—” She didn’t know. Except she did. Because his hand flexed at her waist and her eyes were growing hot and damp. She had become one live wire of pulsing sensation. Her whole body, which had been tracking him at a subconscious level all evening, was now fully awake and aching for his touch.
All from one innocent kiss.
Was it innocent, though? He knew what he was doing. His gaze was hazed with lust as he watched her.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he coaxed.
It was embarrassing and far too revealing, but try as she might, she couldn’t look away or dissemble. Not right now. Not with him.
She bit her lips together, helpless against the reaction that was taking her over.
His breath dragged in and his eyelids grew heavier.
“I’m dying to know if this scent on you is the result of all your lotions or if it’s just the way you smell.” His nose and lips brushed her nape, barely grazing her skin, but the caress made her scalp tighten and a soft moan climbed in her throat. “It’s intoxicating.” His hot breath pooled against the side of her throat. “You have to tell me, Ilona. Do you want me to kiss you? Touch you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Whimpered. Her assent slid from her lips before she could think better of it.
“Good.” The low word seemed to emanate from the depths of his chest. He opened his mouth more deliberately against her skin. Her whole body went weak.
His arms came around her, one hand sliding under the edge of her pullover, splaying across her bare abdomen as he dragged her into the strength of his frame.
“This is what I wanted to do to you when we were outside. Could you feel how much I want you?”
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was too inundated by wild sensations. He wasn’t even doing anything except setting those soft kisses under her ear and lightly kneading her belly, but she grew shakier by the second. She could feel his heart hitting her shoulder blade, heavy and strong, and there was a pressure against her bottom that should have intimidated her, but it thrilled her. She was affecting him, too.
She didn’t know what to do with her hands except to cup his jaw and turn her face, seeking his mouth with her own.
With a groan, he dragged her even closer. His hot mouth stole over hers and instantly she was drowning. She didn’t care. This was the primitive jungle of that night at dinner. A place where she didn’t even feel self-conscious when his hand found its way up beneath her shirt to cup her braless breast. She could only tremble in reaction and let her mouth part wider so he could kiss her more deeply.
He turned her and sandwiched her against the cold, smooth wall of the mirror with the warm press of his body. Both his hands came up beneath her pullover to possess her breasts while his mouth plundered hers.