“Damn it,” he repeated in a lower voice, lying back.
“So nice to deal with a clever man,” she purred. She kissed him, but pulled away before the kiss found a life of its own.
“I’m not feeling clever,” he muttered, anchoring his hands in the cushions so he didn’t grab her.
He’d never been sure how far she meant to take her quest to conquer him. Now he had his answer. To the edge of endurance and beyond.
“Shall I touch you again?” she murmured.
If she didn’t, he’d bloody well explode. “Yes.”
Once more, her hand closed around his dick. She sounded as if she was making notes. “I find your body so fascinating. It’s so hard and hot.”
Before he could muster a response to that, she began to slide her hand up and down. Her clumsy caresses were astonishingly arousing. He gritted his teeth against spilling like an overenthusiastic schoolboy.
She stopped.
Why in Hades did she stop?
He forced his eyes open to find her observing him with a troubled expression. “Am I doing something wrong? You don’t look very comfortable.”
“Squeeze. Tighter.”
As if he’d given her the solution to a mathematical problem, she nodded.
Her touch became more confident. He found it impossible to look away. She concentrated so intently, it was like the future of the world relied on her success.
One thumb rubbed across the glistening moisture at his tip. Heat seared him, and he started to shake the way he shook when he was ill.
She must take him into her body soon. Her heavy eyes betrayed how this slow seduction excited her. Her nipples had hardened into rosy points. The air was thick with the scent of burning coals, aroused male, sweet female musk.
His heart slammed to a quivering stop as she shifted. She was sliding down to kneel between his outspread legs. Surely she wouldn’t…
Helena shot him a smile all bright devilry, and dipped her head to take him in her mouth.
Chapter Eleven
When the hot, wet suction of Helena’s mouth surrounded him, West went taut as a violin string. Furious pleasure blasted him. He groaned and struggled to cling to reality.
He couldn’t let her do this. She must hate it.
Her tongue flickered over the head, and he shuddered. He needed every ounce of willpower to reach down and bury his hands in her wild hair.
“No, Hel…” he gasped. “Stop.”
With a leisurely movement that threatened to hurl him to Kingdom Come, she raised her head and regarded him with puzzled dark eyes. “Don’t you like it? Crewe did.”
Good God, the last thing he needed to hear right now was that swine’s name. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to.”
Which was an outright lie. He wanted her mouth on him more than he wanted to live another five minutes. When she licked her lips, he bit back another groan.
“Crewe tried to make me do this, but I found it too revolting.”
Disappointment cramped his gut. Although what else could he expect? “Then why?”
“Because this is you. Because I want to give you pleasure. Because I feel no shame in what we do together. With you, this is almost…pure.” Uncertainty darkened her eyes. “If you can bear it.”
A grunt of wry laughter. “You’re bringing a thousand fantasies to life.”