Wind River Wrangler (Wind River Valley #1)(44)
Tension swirled around them and Shiloh’s throat grew dry, an ache in her heart for enigmatic Roan. Her pulse sped up as she saw a slight narrowing of his gray eyes as he studied her in the throbbing, heated silence between them. Without thinking, Shiloh fractionally leaned toward him, tipping her chin upward. Her eyes met his. A lush heat flowed down through her, settling hotly in her lower body. Her fingers itched to touch Roan’s hard jaw, to feel the stubble that darkened his face rasping beneath her fingertips.
And then, he lifted his hand, sliding his roughened fingers across her slender jaw, eliciting wild, sparking heat through her skin, making her breath hitch. Shiloh felt her heart swell with a wealth of unexpected emotions and needs for Roan. It surprised her. And she allowed herself to be angled toward his descending mouth, his eyes narrowed like a hunter upon hers as he drew her closer. Shiloh could feel the moistness of Roan’s breath as he lowered his head toward hers. Automatically, her lips parted. His fingers tightened just a bit against her jaw, holding her in place. Right where he wanted her. Lashes sweeping downward, Shiloh strained forward, lifting her mouth toward his. She could smell the sweat, the dust of the day and his unique male fragrance. It made her thighs clench with desperate need of Roan.
His mouth barely brushed hers. Butterfly light, as if gently introducing himself to her. A keening sensation shot hotly through her as she felt his mouth skim hers, latent power held in check, a promise of things to come.
Lifting her hand, Shiloh placed it against the hard wall of his chest, his T-shirt damp with sweat, clinging to his flesh. Wanting more, Shiloh sought and found his mouth hovering a bare inch above hers. She understood what Roan was doing. He was making sure this was what she wanted. It was. As her lips moved slowly, tasting him, tasting that power she felt leashed tautly within him, a soft moan caught in her throat. Roan tasted of male and sunlight. His mouth met hers more firmly, gliding, tasting and memorizing her. There was no hurry. It was slow and delicious, like tasting the most exquisite dessert Shiloh had ever encountered. Just the way he eased his mouth more surely against her parted lips, she knew he was skilled at making love with a woman.
Somewhere in Shiloh’s mind, it occurred to her that, like a black ops soldier, he moved in carefully, all senses alert, wanting to understand the situation fully before committing. In his line of work if he didn’t slowly approach an area, it could get him killed in an ambush. Shiloh knew Roan didn’t see her as an enemy or threat, but his approach to her told him he cared enough about his potential partner to see if she wanted to engage with him or not. Or just a little. Or a lot.
Her fingers instinctively curved slightly into the damp fabric as he took her lips more surely, connected with her, silently inviting her to meet and meld fully with his mouth. Her heart was thundering and she couldn’t hear anything except his ragged breath, the moistness flowing across her cheek and nose as he deepened their exploration of each other. He sipped at her lips, his mouth curving more strongly against hers as she responded in kind, letting him know she wanted more. Shiloh had scooted closer to him, sliding her other hand around the thick column of his neck, feeling him tense, a low growl issuing from deep within his massive chest. The sound spurred her on and she parted her lips more, allowing her hunger to drive her forward.
As his fingers dragged through her hair, her scalp erupted with tiny, pleasurable tingles, making her moan, the sound vibrating through her, telling Roan how much she wanted his continued touch. His hand cupped the back of her head and he pulled her closer, angling her so that he had full access to her wet lips. Shiloh’s whole world focused on Roan, his maleness, his holding her captive while he tasted her with a maddening leisure that made her drown in wavelike ripples of heightening pleasure.
There was such caged animal power around him; as if he were holding himself in tight check. Shiloh sensed Roan wanted much more than just a kiss. Her mind was full of swirling light and she could feel the primal hunger within herself leaping forward, committed to this man. In every possible way. She lifted her hand from his chest, sliding it along his rugged jawline, the stubble covering it like wildfire spreading through her fingers, moving straight to her tightening breasts, puckering her nipples.
Roan moved his tongue slowly across her lower lip. Shiloh tensed with hunger, a cry lodged in her chest, her hand tightening against his jaw and neck. The man knew exactly what he was doing: a slow, sweet assault upon her senses, teasing her, pulling her toward him, discovering her one delicious inch at a time. As Roan moved to the corner of her mouth, she trembled violently, opening her mouth more, asking him to enter her. Every cell in her body was suspended for a moment as she boldly touched his tongue with her own. Instantly, she felt him freeze, as if to stop himself from grabbing her and throwing her down on the porch and taking her right then and there. The reactive sensation swept intense yearning through Shiloh and she felt for the first time what Roan really wanted from her. It was raw. Primitive. Starving. As he met her tongue, she quivered, pressing herself wantonly against his chest, trying to somehow get a little closer to Roan, to dissolve into his masculine power that twisted and eddied like feverish heat between and around them.
Shiloh’s breath grew ragged. Her heart was pulsing heavily in her breast. She was not afraid of Roan and ran toward what he was offering her. An ache began to throb between her thighs and Shiloh felt dampness between them. All the man had done was kiss her! That was how much power he held over her and for once, Shiloh embraced it. She felt his fingers caress her scalp, the sensations swift, heated shocks rocking through her body. His breath was punctuated against her cheek and nose. The tension mounted in him until Shiloh felt as if he would snap and break, unleashing that throbbing sexual power she sensed so intensely around him.