“Jane,” he whispered.
She wanted to answer him, but she couldn’t string two words together. So she didn’t even try.
Instead, she grabbed at his dark gray shirt and slid her hand under it. Beneath her hand his stomach muscles clenched and shifted. She could feel each cord of sinew under her fingers, and it made her shiver in expectation.
She wanted his shirt off. That wasn’t right. She wanted every stitch of clothing he had on gone so she could look her fill at him.
“You doona know what you’re doing,” Banan rasped before he took the lobe of her ear in his mouth.
“I do,” she answered breathlessly.
He leaned back to look at her. “I want you, Jane. I need you.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
His triumphant smile made her stomach flutter in anticipation. And then she was lifted in his arms as he strode to her bedroom.
Chapter 9
Banan couldn’t remember a time when he had craved a woman so desperately. His body had needs, aye, but this longing went beyond that.
If he hadn’t already tasted her heady kisses, he might think twice about succumbing to the incredible, mind-boggling desire running rampant through him.
He dropped his arm beneath her knees so that she stood before him once more. Every lush curve against him fit to perfection, but he wanted to see that shapely form himself, to feast his eyes on her all-too-tempting body.
Her coffee brown eyes had turned almost golden with her desire. Her pulse was beating as erratically as her breathing. And all of it only aroused him more.
He wanted to kiss her in every way imaginable. To have her so close to him, he all but absorbed her into his body. He wanted to devour her, claim her.
Seize her.
As his. All his.
And only his.
His need burned so hot, he thought he might very well go up in flames. Her lips parted, and it was all the invitation he needed.
He covered her mouth with his, sinking deep in the kiss as he reached behind her and slowly unzipped her dress. The first bared inch of skin was too difficult to resist.
Banan ended the kiss and smoothed his thumb over her exposed shoulder before placing his lips against her skin. He inwardly smiled as her breath hitched.
He repeated the movement on her other shoulder, and then extracted both arms from the dress. It fell to her hips, where it waited for him to finish unzipping it.
But he wanted to take his time and savor every marvelous, astounding moment of her in his arms. He’d think about the emotions raging within him later. For now, the yearning inside him was too much to ignore.
He hooked a thumb beneath the apricot-colored bra strap. His lips trailed up her neck, Jane’s head lulling to the side to give him access.
His balls tightened when she sucked in a gasp as his tongue touched a sensitive spot. Banan reluctantly loosened his hold on her when her hands once more delved beneath his shirt and up his chest.
Her touch was warm and teasing. His eyes slid shut as she continued to caress him, learning him. He was rocked when she lifted his shirt and bent to kiss his chest.
Always he’d been the one to pleasure women. He hadn’t cared if they touched him. He got what he wanted and left.
But he couldn’t stop Jane. Her touch felt too good. The more she touched him, the more he wanted her to. So when she lifted his shirt, he was all too happy to jerk it over his head and discard it.
“My God,” she murmured softly.
He could only watch as her gaze raked over his chest while her hands continued to explore him.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Nay,” he said. “It’s you who is beautiful.”
Her fingers traced over the two dragons intertwined on his chest. The tattoo covered the entire width of his chest, and her reverent touch moved something within him.
She couldn’t know how important the tat was, or why he had it. She had no inkling that he was a Dragon King, nor did she know of his power or immortality.
Yet she touched him as if he were special, as if she understood that the tattoo had a deep meaning.
Her gaze lifted to him. “This is amazing artwork.”
“Aye.” But he found he wanted to tell her how each Dragon King had such a tat, and that each one was special to the King and to the dragons he ruled.
She gave a faint laugh. “I could look at you all day. And that voice of yours. It makes me shiver.”
Her words pleased him to a degree that should have sent off warning bells. But all he could think about was the need to hear her scream his name as she peaked.
He wanted her, craved her—yearned for her on a level he had never thought possible. And had greatly feared.
Yet now, with her in his arms, there was no fear. Just a longing so intense and soul-deep, he had no choice but to follow it. To follow her.
Jane.
Her golden brown gaze lifted to his. “What are you doing here? With me?”
“Is it so odd that I want you?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Banan finished unzipping her dress. With the barest tug, it puddled on the floor. “Then let me show you just how much I desire you, Jane Holden.”
He angled his head and ruthlessly, fiercely kissed her. She pressed against him, a low moan filling the room. He was relentless as he deepened the kiss, showing her his yearning, his longing. The insatiable need.
“Banan,” she murmured as her fingers grasped the waist of his jeans.
He recognized—and felt—the desperate need within her. With each garment that was discarded, the passion escalated and drove them harder.
Between kisses and fumbling fingers, they were finally skin to skin. Heat to heat.
Banan was perfectly sculpted, and Jane couldn’t stop touching him. His heavy shoulders, the muscled expanse of his chest, and his ripped stomach.
The sinew didn’t stop there. She felt it shift under her hands as she grasped his neck and back. His legs were just as corded as the rest of him.