Now it’s my turn to frown. “What do you mean?”
“Seeing you like this, knowing you’re completely naked beneath my shirt.” He clamps his lips shut and shakes his head, seemingly overcome. Pleasure slips over me, warm and liquid, as that sensation of unbridled feminine power returns. I love that I can make him react so strongly. “You’re going to make me lose control, Katie. I know it. I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“So long? We haven’t even known each other—”
He kneels in front of me, startling me and cutting me off mid-sentence. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew.”
I take his hands, his fingers curling around mine. “You knew what?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“That you would be mine.” He leans in and kisses me, softly. Slowly. “That I would make you mine and there would be no going back once I did.” Another kiss, his tongue tracing the inside of my lips, making me gasp. Making me shiver. “Do you want to be mine, Katie?”
“Yes,” I whisper against his lips. “That’s all I want. To be yours.”
He says nothing, just pushes me onto the bed, his large, warm body over mine, our hands still clasped. He lifts them, brings them up over my head as he continues to kiss me, our tongues tangling, our bodies rubbing. His erection is nestled between my legs and I spread them wider, the shirt riding up, baring me, and I can feel the direct contact of his cotton-covered erection brushing against my core.
I tense up and he senses it, his entire body going still for a long, quiet moment, and then my moan breaks the silence.
“You feel so good.” I don’t sound like myself. God, I don’t even feel like myself. My skin is hot, my entire body throbbing in time with the frenzied beat of my heart, and I lift my hips, deliberately rubbing against him. It’s his turn to groan, the low, masculine sound rippling through me, making me insane.
Making me wish I could hear him groan like that again.
Without a word he lifts away from me, letting my hands go so he can rest his at my hips, his fingers pressing into my flesh. I wait with held breath as he slowly lifts my shirt, exposing my body inch by inch, until the shirt is above my stomach, bunched just below my breasts. I close my eyes with a sigh as he stares at me, his fingers drifting across my stomach, one finger circling my belly button.
“Your skin is so soft,” he murmurs reverently.
I say nothing, just bask in his compliments, in the way he touches me. He pulls the shirt up higher, over my breasts, the fabric catching on my erect nipples, and I suck in a breath when the cool air hits my sensitive skin. He cups them both, engulfing my breasts in his big hands, his thumbs smoothing over my nipples, and I press my lips together to keep from whimpering.
“I want to hear you.” I open my eyes to find him staring at my chest with an almost dazed fascination. “Don’t hold back, Katie. Does this feel good?”
I nod, unable to speak. Too entranced with the way he seems entranced with me. It’s fascinating.
Thrilling.
“Let’s take this off,” he urges. I lift my arms above my head, lift my head away from the mattress, and he tugs the shirt off, tossing it onto the floor. I’m completely naked beneath him. The only barrier between us is his sweatpants and they’re just thin cotton. I can feel every inch of him press against me and though I’m a little worried about how exactly this is going to work, I’m also excited.
“Fuck, Katie.” I close my eyes once more at the guttural groan that escapes him as he lifts away from me. I can feel his hot gaze rove over me, as if it were a physical caress. “I don’t know if I can hold back much longer.”
“Then don’t.” I reach for him blindly, my fingers tracing over the hot, firm skin of his chest. I want to feel all of him against all of me. “Please, Ethan.”
I think it’s the use of the word please that gets to him. He’s on me in seconds, his mouth devouring mine, his hands wandering everywhere. I arch into his touch, moan against his mouth, entwine my tongue with his. Urging him on, wanting more, pushing past my fear because this is Ethan who I’m with.
I trust him. I care for him. Despite his earlier hot-and-cold attitude, I can’t deny the connection between us. It tethers me to him whether I like it or not and when he’s not with me, I feel a little lost. A lot alone.
And I’m so incredibly tired of feeling alone.