“All the time. In fact, come over here.” He pointed to a spot right in front of him.
There was the counter between them, but she knew she wasn’t safe, not when he had that look in his eyes. “We’re talking.”
“You talk. I’ve got other plans.” He pointed to the spot again.
“You’re making me very nervous. What kind of plans?”
“Baby, I’m not asking. I want you to walk around the counter and come right over here to me. Since when did you decide you were a little chicken?”
Since he got that look on his face, but she wasn’t going to tell him that out loud. She slipped off the barstool, not really understanding why, but she was helpless to do anything but obey him. Excitement had her blood rushing through her veins and her heart beating wildly. That was it. All of it. He made her feel alive. Every second she was with him, no matter the emotion, she felt intensely alive.
Ashe moved around the center island and stood right in front of him, so close she had to tilt her head to look up at him.
“You wearing panties?”
“Of course, I am.” The tone of his voice had her heart thudding even harder. Her sex clenched and those panties were instantly damp.
“You shouldn’t be. Once we’re home, you don’t need them, Ashe.” He held out his hand, palm up.
“We’re in the kitchen, and I’m all about hygiene,” she protested. But even though she was protesting, her thumbs looped in her lacy little boy shorts and she peeled them off, wadded them up and put them in his palm. Now she was just in her old T-shirt.
He stuffed the panties into his pocket and caught her around the waist, lifting her right onto the very edge of the counter. Her heart went into overdrive.
“I’m hungry, baby, and looking for a snack before dinner. Don’t have a lot of time, so this will have to do, right here. And I claimed the fucking kitchen after one look at those poor excuses for pots and pans you had. That means I get to make up the rules in here, not you.”
One hand pressed on her belly, urging her to lie back. She complied, watching his face, watching those blue flames darken with lust. The look on his face, those sensual lines carved deep, sent a fresh wave of hot liquid slicking her sheath in readiness. He caught her thighs and pulled them apart, lifting her legs over his shoulders. Then he just paused and looked at her. There. Breathing warm air over her. Just staring, as if in wonder.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Ashe.”
She tried not to squirm. “I’m glad you think so.”
“I’ve never had this. Not a single moment like this one. Thank you for giving it to me.”
She didn’t know what that meant. She couldn’t imagine any woman turning him down. He was so sexual. Intense. He focused completely and solely on her. He gave her all the things a woman would feel, heady pleasure rushing over her, when she was with him. Each time he touched her, their connection seemed to grow. Had it only been about their leopards, she knew she never would have entertained the idea of staying with him. Or trying in a relationship she knew would be challenging.
Timur was a difficult man. He would want to boss her. Rule her. She wasn’t that type of woman—or at least she didn’t think she was. She liked figuring things out for herself—mostly. She had to admit, she felt safe when Timur was close, and she hadn’t had that luxury in a long while. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be him. To have a mistreated leopard that was out for blood and demanded it day and night.
“Timur.” She whispered his name. Knowing she shouldn’t. Unable to help herself. She waited until his blue eyes lifted to hers. “You’re not a psychopath, nor are you what your father tried to shape you into. You’re … extraordinary.”
She thought he was. He gave up everything for his brother. He didn’t leave, he couldn’t leave Fyodor and Evangeline to their fates. He felt responsible for them and he sacrificed for them, so they could have a life together. Did they know? Did they even care?
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. Something amazing and scary. Sensual and vulnerable. An emotion she couldn’t recognize because it was so fleeting and then he shut it down. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss between her legs. Her stomach somersaulted.
One hand slid to her belly, fingers splayed wide, pressing down. The other slipped up her thigh while his mouth closed around her clit. He suckled and then his tongue plunged deep. Immediately his thumb and fingers began a rhythmic flicking. There was no getting away from the building intensity. It was hard and fast. It both stung and sent streaks of fire ricocheting through her core.