He kissed her shoulder and came to her neck. She sighed, tilting her head on the pillow, letting those warm lips close in on her and move along the line of her jaw.
“Claire?” he murmured. “Do you still want this?”
She opened her eyes to find his inches away. Was he doing this to please her, because he liked her, or did he aim to seduce her for his own ends and nothing else?
She shuddered and, half-dazed, studied him.
He tilted her chin, regarding her calmly, his irises a sea of ashen gray. How was that so? He was calm, when her heart beat so swiftly. She ached for those lips to touch hers.
“Yes,” she breathed. His mouth descended on hers, his lips soft and sure, taking her whole mouth gently at first, then nibbling each part of her lip. Teeth and tongue played their part, goading her until she parted her lips and let his tongue inside. When she felt his hand cup her breast, then lightly caress her nipple, she moaned. His mouth plundered hers, and she fell away beneath him, laid out for him to take what he wished.
Her free hand clutched at his back just as his hand slid under her head and tangled in her hair, holding her still, keeping her exactly where he wanted her. And that was glorious, freeing her to enjoy the kiss, absorbed in the sensations. Her * dampened. The kiss became their universe, a unique creation, stretching on for so long that when he pulled away, their lips separating, his breath no longer hers…she knew a deep surprise and loss.
He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “There. Was that not worth it?”
She caught her breath, wondering at what he’d brought her, this gift of pleasure, then counted to ten. A smidgen of indignation crept back in. Wait. She was letting him play her like some toy, like a frankenstruct.
So she ducked her head away from his hand and adopted a frown, just enough to show she wasn’t overwhelmed, or a fool. “That was…different.”
“Just different?”
She searched his face for clues, but he remained unreadable. Deliberately so, she decided. His hand still rested over her breast. Her nipple throbbed, as if anticipating the pressure of his finger.
Two could play at that game. She gave back the same steady expression for several seconds, making her breathing slow, though most of the breaths were ragged. She should have said no, but…
I’m falling over my feet to please him. Lord. What irony.
Theo was rich, powerful, and seemingly infatuated with her. The sexual games between men and women had been hinted at in training. Was he playing her for a fool? She couldn’t tell and held back a shiver. She had a suspicion his expertise extended into deep and dangerous waters.
Yet, would it hurt to go further, to see where this led? She’d be gone soon anyway, and she couldn’t deny how much he appealed to her. The sexual attraction was there, between them, saturating the air. If she could taste him in her mouth, smell him, if her nipple and mouth ached in memory of where his skin had been, would the same be true for him?
“Claire?” A twitch at the corner of his mouth told her she’d been contemplating too long. His thumb moved on her nipple, and she jumped. He smiled. “How was this kiss different?”
“The last man who kissed me”—she slid her gaze to look over his shoulder—“forced me. He was…” No, hell, no, don’t say a superior officer. He’ll know I’m military. “He was in charge of me, and I wasn’t allowed to say no.” Anger, sadness, humiliation—all vied for a place in her head, and she tensed. Why in hell did I tell him that?
“Look at me, Claire.”
That familiar lightning connection surged in her blood.
“I will court you, but remember this. If you say kokino, I will know you want me to stop kissing you.”
“Kokino?” She quirked an eyebrow. The Greek word for red?
Amusement and something darker glinted in his eyes. “Of course, that will also work on other activities we undertake together. Though I should point out that ‘stop’ and ‘don’t’ and other sundry words are likely to only encourage me.”
Despite lying there with one hand fastened to the headboard, she summoned up a little imperiousness. “Other activities?”
“I assumed, having gained your permission to court you, I will be instructing you in the nuances of lovemaking.”
Her mouth dried. Lovemaking? Ah. That definitely sounds like far more than kissing. His words conjured indecent images. Breathe. One. Two. Three. Slow and calm. Don’t let him take over. I must keep my head and think.
Already, he was taking liberties. Like Inkline, only…different.
“Lesson one.” He pinned her free hand to the pillow beside her ear. She froze. With such a simple move, he’d knocked her into the dark, unfathomable depths. He wove his other hand in her hair, then eased himself onto the bed and leaned his weight on her. To free herself she’d have to do something extraordinary, and both of them would get hurt.
“Don’t move,” he rumbled.