Sorin took her hand and led her out to his bed. Only now did he feel a slight resistance in her. Where her fingers rested against his large palm, they tensed. The sudden lurch of her pulse made him pause beside the king-sized four-poster and turn to face her. “We had a deal, Asha. You, in my bed. For the night.”
She drew in a shallow breath and her eyes traveled down the length of his nude body, lingering the most on his jutting cock. “You said you wouldn’t—”
“And I won’t,” he finished for her. “Not unless—and until—you tell me that’s what you want. Me, inside you. I won’t lie and tell you it’s not what I want.” He chuckled ruefully, indicating his aroused state. “I guess that’s more than a little obvious.”
“No, there’s nothing little about it,” she murmured, and to his astonishment a glint of wry humor sparked in her indigo eyes.
He smiled, much too pleased by her appraisal. “Get undressed, Asha.”
“Undressed?” She said the word as if he’d just asked her to shave off her eyebrows. “That was never mentioned as part of this arrangement.”
Sorin shrugged. “I don’t go to bed with clothing on. Tonight, neither will you.” He tilted his head at her. “I can help you, if you wish.”
“No.” She gave a shake of her head, her loose platinum hair sifting around her shoulders. “No, I’ll do it myself, thanks. I think I’ll be better off keeping you at arm’s length.”
“It’ll be difficult to do that when you’re lying up against me all night. “ He smirked and took a seat on the mattress. “Or beneath me.”
Her cheeks flushed a delectable shade of pink. “We’ll see about that.”
“Yes, we will.” He nodded toward her with his chin. “Now, take them off, Asha.”
“Are you going to sit there and watch me?”
He grinned. “Yes, I am.”
For a moment, she didn’t move. Just stared at him in quiet contemplation. He wondered if she would refuse his command. In truth, she could have. This wasn’t part of their deal, disrobing in front of his greedy gaze.
But instead of crying foul or hiding in the other room to protect her modesty, Asha bent over to unzip one of her tall, black leather boots, holding his level stare with one of her own. Courageous. Defiant.
Sexy as hell.
With a soft rasp of the zipper’s tiny metal teeth, she took off one spiked boot, then the other.
Sorin admired the way her breasts swayed and swelled with her movements, the deep vee of creamy skin and cleavage making him yearn to put his mouth on her. His hands too.
Would her nipples be cherry red like her lips, or pale peach like the blush that still rode on the apples of her cheeks? He couldn’t wait to find out.
His cock leapt in agreement as she straightened and began to unfasten her long-sleeved black top. One by one, the tiny buttons holding it together in the front fell away. Beneath it, she wore a black satin-and-lace bra that made his teeth ache with the urge to lunge off the bed and chew through its delicate clasp so he could taste her without delay.
No force, he reminded himself sternly. No taking what she hadn’t given him, so he clamped down on his desire and searched for patience.
It wasn’t easy.
No, in fact, it was the hardest damned thing in the world to refrain from pouncing on her like the libidinous Incubus he was.
Ashayla glanced at him as the last button popped free, baring her chest and torso to his fevered gaze. Her waist was an hourglass, trim but curvy, flawlessly pale and smooth.
Sorin’s mouth watered. His cock throbbed, standing at full attention as he waited for her to continue. She unzipped her form-hugging black pants, pushing them over the generous flare of her hips. More black satin and lace tempted him here as well, in the form of skimpy bikini panties that that barely covered her sex.
Lust slammed into him as he watched her step out of her pants and stand before him with just those two scraps of fabric concealing her from his hungered eyes. He met her gaze, unable to hide his appreciation for her form.
“You’re stunning, Asha.” His voice scraped out of him like gravel. “But don’t stop there. Please, keep going.”
She exhaled a shaky breath, but kept her attention locked on him as she reached between her breasts and popped the clasp on her bra. The satin parted, then fell away completely as she slowly shrugged the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. She let the bra drop to the floor with the rest of her clothing, then lowered her hands to her sides.
“Peach,” he mused thickly, admiring the perfection of her breasts. His cock was on the verge of exploding and he hadn’t even touched her yet. He hadn’t tasted her body yet, or her release. “The panties too, Asha.”
As she peeled the lacy black fabric off, Sorin had to fist his hands in the sheets on either side of him to keep from reaching down to stroke away some of the painful tension from his cock.
Holy hell. What kind of idiot had he been to vow he wouldn’t push her into making love with him? That he would hold himself back until she was begging for him?