unmade bed beckoning with rumpled sheets and imprinted pillows.
They fell onto the mattress and his body pressed over her, igniting the longing that never stopped
smoldering deep inside her. She arched as his mouth worked down her throat to the sensitive curve of
her shoulder.
Cool fingers slipped under her shirt and over her belly. She lifted as he removed her shirt. Easing up
on his knees, he crossed his arms over his belly and pulled off his own shirt, tossing it to the floor as well.
She stared up at him, truly seeing him. He was beautiful, so different from other men she’d seen.
Lucian’s olive skin was smooth. His muscles showed all over his trim body beneath a dusting of hair.
He was entering the prime of his life, but he was no less gorgeous.
Her fingers traced up his torso and he cupped her hand, dragging it over his heart. They breathed
heavily, the moment weighted in such intensity. Curling her fingers over his, she pulled his hand down
to her chest and pressed it over her breast.
Her need outweighed her self-preservation, and the truth of what she wanted could no longer be
denied. Strong fingers squeezed gently and she arched into his hold. Fingertips stuttered over the lace trim at the swell of her breasts, teasing her nipple into a tight point. He undid the clasp at her back as she lifted for him and the fabric pulled over her arms and fell away.
In the dim morning light, blocked by the curtains, Lucian’s skin glistened in hard splendor. He slid
off the bed and she watched as his fingers slowly undid the snap of her jeans. Once stripped away,
along with her panties, he removed the remainder of his clothing.
Something was different about this time. Yes, the urgent need to have him inside her was there, but
there was something so potent, it was tangible. This would change everything. Not back to the way it
was before, but to something new and perhaps even more powerful than what either of them had ever
known. This was a validation of their need, honed by willing abstinence.
The mattress dipped as he climbed over her. His motions were measured. His body braced above
hers and he lowered his head. Lips tickled hers as his mouth opened, not giving her his full kiss. Head tipped back, she arched, seeking more, but he continued to tease.
His body was a welcome weight over hers, encasing her in his strength. Heat singed her where their
flesh touched. The weight of his arousal hung heavily on her belly, and she parted her legs.
Toes pointed, she slowly draped her knees around his hips. They rubbed their skin together softly,
teasing, tempting, bringing each other slowly back to life. “Kiss me, Lucian.”
“If I kiss you, I’ll never be able to stop,” he whispered into her mouth as their bodies writhed.
“Then don’t.”
His lips crashed over hers as he took her mouth. His muscles bunched under the grip of her fingers.
His hand traveled up her thigh, squeezing, massaging, and settled on her hip. His erection landed in
the seam of her folds and grew slick with her arousal.
He ravished her mouth and she gave every drop of passion she had into that kiss. Tearing his lips
from hers, he kissed and sucked her throat, biting softly at the tender spots and making her keen with
need. She held his broad shoulders as he kissed a trail down to her breasts.
Easing back, he cupped her breasts and licked at the sensitive tips. It had been so long since she had
been touched like this. Need burst inside of her. Her nails pressed into his muscled flesh as he pulled one turgid tip into his mouth and suckled hard.
His hands gripped her ribs, holding her in a way that made her feel delicate next to his strength,
small and cherished. The fire inside of her built. Flames licked at her belly as his mouth traveled
lower. Heat blazed in her loins.
He kissed a tender spot on the side of her stomach, and her back bowed. Lips traveled down to her
hips, and fingers trailed through the soft patch of hair at the apex of her thighs.
“You’re different,” he whispered and heat burned her cheeks.
She’d lost weight and not been to the salon in well over a month. “I haven’t needed to . . .”
He smiled. “I know. I like that no one else has been here. This is mine, Evelyn. Don’t ever give it to
someone else, or I may have to commit murder.”
She smiled. Her body belonged to him whether she’d accepted the reality of that or not. When she’d
kissed Parker, there was something fundamentally lacking.
His fingers trailed over her dewy folds and teased her sensitive bud. “What are you thinking about?”
“You. What you do to me. No one else has that effect on me, Lucian. Sometimes it’s scary.”
“You do the same to me. I can’t choose to give you up. My body and heart forbid it. You’re like a