You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(126)

Finally, she turned her back to him and lifted her arms, struggling to reach the metal tab. “There’s a zipper down the back.”

He moved closer. “Let me.”

Gabe ran his hands up her spine before finding the zipper. She lifted her curls out of his way, exposing the graceful column of her neck. Her skin looked pale, almost incandescent in the low light. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and kissed her nape, feeling her shiver under his touch.

Slowly, he eased the zipper down, his fingertips brushing her spine. Once he passed her neck, she let her hair fall free, the strawberry-blond mass tumbling well past her shoulders, gliding over her skin. Her tresses were soft, too. Not severely flat-ironed. Different, like the woman herself. Fuck, he could lose himself in Eve.

She shrugged, allowing the straps of her dress to fall past her shoulders and drop to her waist.

Her bra looked plain and white. He was used to delicate garments meant to entice a man, so he had no idea why the site of her utilitarian bra made his cock jerk. She hadn’t been seeking a man this evening, much less intending to seduce a lover. When she’d dressed, it had been for comfort. But now, she was here with him, slowly peeling away her clothes.

With practiced ease, he unhooked her bra with a twist of his hand and slid his fingers under the straps to strip them off. He closed his eyes and allowed his hands to roam across the wealth of smooth skin he’d just exposed. He drew her back against his chest and grazed his way up her abdomen until he found her breasts. Full and real, he loved the weight of them in his palms. He drew his thumbs over the nubs of her nipples and Eve rewarded him with a long intake of breath.

“That feels so good.” As she leaned back against him for support, she shuddered and thrust her breasts up like twin offerings.

He would absolutely take everything she had to give.

Gabe filled his hands with her flesh, cupping and rubbing and discovering every inch of her breasts before he grew impatient to have her totally bare and pushed the dress over the curve of her hips. It pooled on the floor at her feet.

Her underwear matched her bra. If she were his, he would buy her La Perla. He would dress her like a goddess in silk and lace and know that she wore the most come-hither lingerie for his eyes only. She could wear her ladylike dresses and cover herself with all appropriate modesty if she wanted—but only until they were alone.

As he stripped off her panties, a wild possessiveness blazed through his system. Gabe turned her to face him, well aware that he needed to slow down but utterly incapable of doing so. He took in the sight of her breasts. They looked every bit as perfect as they’d felt.

“You’re beautiful.”

“I don’t feel that way.” She tilted her face up to his, drinking him in with her stare. There was nothing coy about her expression. She looked at him with naked yearning. “Not most of the time. But you make me feel sexy.”

“You are. I want to be very clear about how beautiful I think you are.” He kissed her again, lifting her up and out of her dress, heading back to the bedroom while his mouth ate hungrily at hers.

She didn’t fight him, didn’t fidget to make him set her back on the ground. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her. Her fingers sank into his hair and she held tight while her tongue danced against his.

Luckily, he knew Plaza suites like the back of his hand. He maneuvered her toward the bed, his cock throbbing insistently.

He wouldn’t last long. God, he couldn’t believe he was even thinking that. Usually, he could go for hours, but Gabe knew the minute he got inside Eve, he was going to lose control. He needed to make it good for her now because he’d barely touched her and already he wanted to throw her against the wall and shove his way inside her.

As he approached the mattress, he stopped and eased her onto the luxurious comforter. She lay back on the elegant duvet, her hair fanned out and her legs spread. Wanton and yet so innocent. He pulled at his shirt, hearing a button or two pop off, but at the moment he didn’t give a shit. The need to be skin to skin with her drove him to haste. He unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down.

“Foreplay.” Freaking hell. He was so ready to go, he’d forgotten about that. Women liked foreplay. It tended to be necessary for them.

She shook her head. “The kissing was foreplay. We’re totally good.”

Shit. He had to slow down. He wasn’t exactly a small guy. She needed to be ready to take all of him.

Gabe took a deep breath. “Need you aroused. It’s okay. Just give me a minute.”

“Gabriel, I am as aroused as I have ever been in my life. I’m a little worried about what kind of stain I’m going to leave for the staff on this duvet. So really, can we get this train moving?”

He gripped her ankles and slid her down the bed, spreading her legs wider in the process. His cock twitched when he saw that she was right. Her * was wet. Juicy. He could see its slick gloss from above, even in the shadows. A little kissing, some groping, and she was ready to go. He’d never had a woman respond to him so readily. “Tell me again.”

“I’m ready,” she vowed. “I am really ready.”

“No, tell me this isn’t normal for you,” he corrected. It was stupid. She was right there, able and willing to give him the pleasure he sought—but he craved more. He needed to know that tonight was special for her. “Tell me you want me and not just sex.”