So I kissed his thumb and lightly sucked on the flat part before stroking it with my tongue. His eyes hooded and I knew Lorenzo Church was aroused. His breathing grew heavy and with every ounce of restraint, he moved his hand away and replaced his thumb with his mouth. I repeated the motion until our tongues met again.
This time it felt right. He tilted his head a different way and I followed his rhythm, his kisses like silk as his tongue swept against mine.
Instinctively, I curved my arms around his neck and my blanket slipped to the floor, as quiet as a whisper. He pulled my naked body against him and the kiss became deep and desperate on both ends. I could feel the pulse of arousal between my legs and I moaned, pressing closer to him. His body went rigid, while mine weakened in his embrace.
“Are you always this warm?” I whispered.
He groaned and his hands were suddenly everywhere.
Then I broke the kiss and pushed at his shoulders. “Lie back.”
He sharply inhaled, as if to protest.
“I owe you my life. Please…,” I said, stroking his shoulders. “I may never find a lover or mate, and I don’t want the only sex I’ll ever know to have been with Fox… in that way. You were right in that my reward is a paltry sum, but maybe it’ll mean something to know that you’re the only man I’ve ever freely given myself to.”
“You aren’t afraid?” he asked cautiously.
I was terrified, but I didn’t want him to know that. I craved his touch, and needed to find out if it would ruin or heal me. “I’m not afraid of anything,” I whispered.
He circled his arms about my waist and regarded me with reverent eyes. “Another man may have taken your pearl, but he did not take away your luster.”
His lips mashed against mine, and I crawled on top of him as he stretched himself out on the bed. Lorenzo raised his arms and I relished the provocative feel of his skin against mine.
I unzipped his black cargo pants and pulled them away, leaving him spread naked before me. I glanced at his large arousal and averted my eyes, erasing the memories of Fox that polluted my thoughts.
This time would be different.
Chapter 12
Lorenzo sat up and drew my long braid around to the front. He began working from the bottom, meticulously unraveling my hair. “I sense you began doing this for the wrong reasons.”
“It’s just hair.”
“Yes, but hair is a woman’s glory, and I want your glory spread across me like a shield.”
I continued to protest, tugging at it. “Maybe all this glory is what got me in trouble.”
He seized my wrist and moved my hand away, settling his eyes on mine. “We both know you did nothing to deserve what that animal did to you. If you wish to wear your hair braided, then that’s your decision. But when you’re in my bed, you’ll be unbound to me. I’ll have no memory tie you up in any form. Take your thoughts away from that time and stay with me here in this moment. Listen to the crackling of the fire and the sound my lips make as they taste your skin. Feel my heartbeat.” He held my hand against his bare chest and it was a banging drum.
I moved my hand upward and touched his Adam’s apple, taking pleasure in the simplicity of learning the things about Lorenzo that no one paid attention to. I kissed the tiny mark on his head, felt his dark lashes with the tips of my fingers, and tasted his skin beneath his jaw.
The intensity in Lorenzo’s eyes couldn’t be matched. “What you said last night… I’m not a terrible lover.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” I whispered.
Our mouths met and then he journeyed down, sucking at my breast. I gripped his hair and moaned, feeling a swell of desire.
Lorenzo patted my right thigh. “Get on your knees. I want you to straddle me.”
I did as he asked and then he patted my left leg to do the same.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I said in a gasp against his ear. “My leg…”
So instead of letting me kneel on top of him, he pulled my left leg out and curved it around his back, watching my face to see if I found this position tolerable, which I did. “You’ve been avoiding looking down, sweet Ivy. I don’t want you to fear anything about me.”
I lowered my eyes. Lorenzo guided my hand to him and encouraged me to touch what I had once considered a weapon. His skin felt so smooth—like silk. I ran my finger around the ridge of his cock and he shuddered, causing a reaction that roused a curious smile on my face. It moved on its own.
My touch alone made this alpha weaken as I circled my finger around the tip. He leaned back on his hands and allowed me to consume his impressive body with my eyes, my hands, and my mouth.