Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(33)

“Lean back for me. I’ll hold you and keep you safe.” His words rumbled over the sensitive flesh of her neck as he gently leaned her back, resting her over his arm until she arched and thrust her chest up to him like an offering.

“Yes, these little pearls need affection.” He tongued one, laving and sucking it.

She had to bite her lip to hold in a cry. She’d never thought her nipples were particularly sensitive, but that was because they’d never experienced Dax’s clever mouth.

She heard herself whimper as he sucked one bud deeper between his lips. He didn’t satisfy himself with a little lick, a short few seconds of suckling. Not Captain Dax Spencer. He indulged. He reveled. He caressed her with his tongue, tracing her areola before he sucked the tip back into his mouth and gave her the bare edge of his teeth. A tiny bite of pain flared before he soothed the bud with a soft laving. Her body balled into an ache, her sex throbbed as he shifted his attention to her left breast and gave it the same loving treatment.

“I want to kiss and lick and taste every inch of you, Holland. Do you know how long I’ve waited to be here? Years. Fuck, sweetheart, even before I met you, I dreamed about you. I’ve always known you’re the one woman who could make me feel, make me want forever.” He nuzzled her, the stubble of his hard jaw gently abrading her skin. “Stand up and take off your pants. I don’t want anything to stop me from touching you.”

God, she wasn’t the girl who simply obeyed, but she found herself sliding off his lap and standing in front of him. Breathless, the moment full of gravity, she peered down at the man who had tried so hard to be her hero. None of her boyfriends had fought for her like that. Most had considered her more competent than they were. Not one of them had made her feel soft and feminine or so desired. Her father had wanted a boy, so he’d raised her to be tough. Maybe Dax was right that she didn’t have to be a stereotypical tough girl. Maybe here with him it was safe to be open, to express all her facets—strong and soft and terribly weak where he was concerned.

Holland lowered her guard and opened her heart as she unhooked the fastening of her slacks and let them slide down her hips. For a night, she could be Dax Spencer’s woman. That made her feel beautiful and feminine for once. And whole.

She watched as his hot stare followed the trail of her slacks as they fell slowly to the floor. He was right. They didn’t have to rush. After waiting for so long, they should savor every kiss and touch. After all, they’d never have a first time together again. Why hurry when she had no intention of moving on? Dax was the destination.

Every inch of him looked so masculine, his face all hard planes and angles that somehow formed a perfect definition of male beauty.

Dax sat, still fully dressed while he studied her. She stood a heartbeat away wearing nothing more than her panties. Being so exposed should make her feel vulnerable. Instead, Holland felt every bit as beautiful as he’d told her she was even as the fear of being so emotionally exposed cut through her. But she took a deep breath and remembered his sweet words. God, when he told her how much he wanted her, that he wouldn’t leave her, she believed him.

Flirting with something lasting was uncharted territory for her and perhaps a bit dangerous with Dax, but she couldn’t turn back now. She was finally ready to see if they could have something like forever.

She stepped out of the slacks, having kicked aside her shoes long ago. He sat forward, his stare unwavering as he cupped her hips. There was nothing between those hot hands and her aching flesh but a tiny scrap of cotton. Her bikini panties weren’t as sexy as she’d like, but Dax didn’t seem to mind. He leaned in and nuzzled his nose against her sex, breathing in her scent.

Normally, she would shy away from such intimacy, but he gave a low groan. The sound rumbled and vibrated along her sensitive flesh.

“Fuck, I can smell how aroused you are. Your panties are damp. You’re wet, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

She closed her eyes and sank her fingers into his hair. “Yes. I’m not usually like this, Dax. What are you doing to me?”

“Showing you how good we are together. Give over and let me take you somewhere only the two of us can find. This isn’t normal for me, either. Something this amazing can only happen with you.” His fingers slid under the straps of her panties and dragged them down her thighs, baring her feminine flesh to him. “You smell so fucking good to me.”

His words were like drugs, clouding her mind and turning her whole world soft and hazy. He nosed her, rubbing against her labia as he dragged her scent in with an audible breath again. And when he nudged her folds with his tongue, gliding between to taste her, she couldn’t help crying out in a strangled scream.

Her body trembled as she closed her eyes and sank into the moment. “Oh, Dax. Oh . . . That feels so good.”

“You taste good, just like I knew you would. Honey and sunshine.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her onto the couch. “Lie back and spread your legs for me.”

She did, and he followed her, settling on top of her. Holland’s sofa was apartment-sized and Dax was a big man, but the awkward tangle of arms and legs still made her shiver with a pleasure that went beyond the physical. She enjoyed being close to him and feeling like a woman in his arms. She loved feeling as if he was all hers.

After a lingering kiss, he stood again. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it off. That spectacular chest of his came into view. The sight almost had her gaping. Powerfully built, muscle and bronzed skin covered his arms, shoulders, and torso. His slacks rode low on his hips, showing off the notches there. Now she understood perfectly what he’d meant about wanting to lick every inch of her, run his nose over her flesh. She wanted to learn his touch, his taste, his scent. Wanted to surround herself with him until nothing and no one else existed. Only Dax.