After the Storm (KGI #8)(77)

His heart lurched at the uncertainty written on her face.

“Honey, you disappointing me isn’t possible. I just need to know one thing and one thing only. Do you want me as much as I want you? Do you want to make love with me tonight?”

Slowly she nodded, an adorably shy expression blooming on her delicate features. She was, in a word, beautiful. And she was his. He had to quash the urge to haul her into his arms, put her on her back and plunge as deep as he could into her body. But he harnessed his inner caveman and forced himself to use restraint.

Carefully he unwrapped her arms from her legs and pulled her forward until she was in his arms, his arms wrapped around her body. They were face to face, their mouths only an inch apart. He could feel every puff of air that escaped with her breaths. They were short and jerky and her pulse was racing, fluttering like a butterfly at her neck. He was seized by the urge to kiss her right over that pulse point in her neck, and so he did just that.

She emitted a sharp gasp and then melted into his embrace, her body going slack against his. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, felt every one of her curves, the imprint of her ni**les against him.

Sweet. So incredibly sweet. She tasted soft and feminine and utterly perfect. He was holding perfection—every one of his dreams he’d ever had—here in his arms. It would never be more perfect than tonight. The first time they made love. The first expression of their growing love. Him showing her without words—what words couldn’t possibly express—all she meant to him and all she was going to mean to him.

He licked over her pulse and then kissed her again, moving upward to her ear. He pulled the lobe gently between his teeth and nipped before soothing with his tongue. Then he traced the outline of her ear and the sensitive inner shell, flicking his tongue until she was squirming against him.

“I want to undress you, honey. I want to see your beautiful body. I’m going to savor every second of tonight. I want it to be perfect for you—for us. I’ll never forget tonight. It means more to me than you will ever possibly know or understand that you’re giving yourself to me. That you’re trusting me with not only you but with Travis and Cammie as well.”

“I won’t forget either,” Eve said huskily, her voice laced with desire.

She pulled back and lifted her hand to his face, cupping his jaw as she stared into his eyes with so much warmth that his insides did a twist-and-tumble routine.

“I want to undress you too,” she said in a shy voice. “I want to see you and touch you.”

He did groan this time. “You’re killing me, honey. I want that too. Believe me, I want you to touch me more than I want to breathe.”

She smiled and then lifted her mouth to his and kissed him. It was the first time she’d made the first move, and he savored the sensation of her exploring his mouth. Of her taking the initiative. He was a willing captive to whatever she wanted to do to him.

“How about we undress each other?” he murmured when she finally pulled back. “But I get to go first. I want you naked when you undress me so I can enjoy the sight while you do your thing.”

She laughed, the sound warm and vibrant in his ears. God, but she was beautiful when she smiled. It was like a fist to his gut every time her face lit up, and he vowed that he’d do everything in his power to ensure she smiled for the rest of her life. That she would always have something to smile about.

He rose from the bed and reached for her hand to pull her to stand beside him. Then slowly, reverently, he began undressing her, taking his time with each piece of her clothing. When he bared her br**sts, he sucked in his breath as he stared at the plump mounds. Her ni**les were puckered and protruded outward as if begging for his touch. His mouth. Oh yes, he was dying to taste her.

She hesitated, lifting her arms as if to cover herself, but he caught her hands and carefully lowered them back down.

“Don’t hide from me, honey. You’re so beautiful. You take my breath away. Never hide from me. You’re too beautiful for that.”

She smiled and her arms went slack against her sides and then he reached for the waistband of her pajama bottoms, pushing them over her hips to fall to the floor. She stepped out of them and kicked them away, standing before him in just her panties.

She presented a delectable sight. So dainty and rounded in all the right places. She was thin—likely from her forced reality over the last months—but she was still curvy at her hips and br**sts.

He turned her to the side as he slipped her underwear down, exposing her behind, twin globes that begged for his hands to cup them. And he would. He’d palm them as he slid inside her, angling her upward to receive him more easily. Sweat beaded his forehead as he was bombarded by the imagery of sliding into her delicate sheath.

No longer able to withstand the urge to touch her, he ran his hands down her body, caressing and petting, savoring every touch.

Chill bumps rose and dotted her flesh and she shivered as he cupped her br**sts, pushing them upward for his avid gaze.

“I’ve been dying to taste you,” he murmured just as he lowered his head to suck one puckered crest into his mouth.

She made a grab for his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as she strained upward, meeting his mouth. Her entire body tensed and a soft moan escaped her lips. Smiling his satisfaction, he moved to the other nipple, licking lightly in repeated swipes before sucking it between his lips, exerting more pressure than he had with the first.