Chapter 77

Nakos waited a beat until the shock eased out of her expression and for desire to replace it. Cheeks flushed and respirations nonexistent, she stared at him.

Good. She had zero comprehension how hard it had been to keep his hands off her this week. And for her to imply this was all a game to him ticked him off to the point of no return. Some day, some how, he was going to get through to her. He'd probably end up in a padded cell for his efforts, but she was worth every blatant head bashing he was bound to inflict.

Reminding himself undoing thirty years of damage didn't happen overnight, he set her back on her feet. She slid down his body, rubbing against him and upping his need to critical.

"Come take a shower with me?" They'd both been working all day. Besides, undressing her was a fantasy he couldn't eradicate. Getting her wet, in more ways than one, had him thickening with the visual. "Please," he growled.

"Okay." A breathy whisper. Several blinks. "Now, you mean?"

In answer, he crushed his mouth to hers, wrapped his arms around her, and carried her across the hall. He kicked the door shut and cranked the shower faucet, never taking his lips from hers. Desperate noises purred from her throat as he devoured. He could spend centuries on the hot, wet cavern of her mouth alone.

He fingered her white blouse and eased away enough to look in her eyes. "I've been wanting to do this ever since I accidentally walked in on you."

Undoing the buttons slowly, he kept his gaze on hers. Hesitancy and nerves swam in her eyes, and irritation pounded his temples. The dieting? How she wouldn't wear a bathing suit while they'd gone swimming at the creek? He knew it boiled down to the misguided image she had of herself. But he'd show her how wrong she was.

He peeled the shirt from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Her eyes drifted closed, but he looked his fill. Showing her he wasn't shying away and that he liked what he saw would hopefully prove to her just how much he loved her body. Her generous breasts were trapped behind white lace, and he freed them with one flick, sliding off her bra to join the blouse. Her panting increased, but she kept her eyes shut like she couldn't handle it if she found disappointment in his.

Never.

Kneeling, he unsnapped her pants, dipped his fingers in the waistband, and skimmed both her panties and the jeans down her legs. Without a word, she stepped out of them. Her arms trembled and her hands fisted as if fighting instinct to cover herself. And still, her eyes didn't open.

On his knees, he set his hands on her hips and took her in. She had curves and softness instead of angles and edges. Something for him to grab onto, not a thin rail with no substance. Her cocoa strands and rosy nipples against her fair tone made his heart pound. Hourglass shape. Long legs. Supple flesh he was dying to sink his teeth into. Breathtaking.

"Beautiful, anim." His throat tightened as he glanced up at her.

Finally, her lids lifted to reveal doubt and...hope.

"Beautiful," he repeated and stood. He kissed her gently, taking his time for her to acclimate, and keeping his hands on her waist. Her uneven breath mingled with his, warm, teasing. He swept his lips against hers, coaxing, then licked the seam for entry. She granted him access, and he stroked her tongue with languid brushes and lazy swirls until the stiffness left her frame. "Undress me." Not only would he thoroughly enjoy it, but it would give her some control back.

For that, she wasted no time. Fisting his tee, she dragged it up his torso and over his head. The jeans came next, taking his briefs along for the ride. Then, with pink tingeing her cheeks, her gaze roamed over him. Sparks ignited under his skin the longer she stared. He couldn't recall a woman ever studying him with such precision before. If not for the appreciation in her mermaid eyes, he might've given in to the need to squirm.

Her gaze flicked to his. Held. With one look, she beseeched him to act. Told him she wanted him. Needed to be taken.

Picking her up, he deposited her in the shower and stepped in after her, closing the curtain. Steam surrounded the small space, creating a seductive fog just for them. Water trailed down her lush body and...hell. He was going to lick every drop from her skin.

First, he made quick work of washing himself while she watched, then he backed her under the spray. He shampooed her hair and paid extra attention to lathering her body afterward, skimming his rough hands over satin flesh. The build up made her lids grow heavy as he lingered over her nipples, puckered from the stimulation, and between her legs, where he stroked her folds.

Though he preferred taking his time with a woman and patience paid off, he'd never had to put so much energy into foreplay. Not that being with her required effort, but Amy took longer than most to teeter over the ledge. It forced him to cease the frenzy, absorb details, and he found he didn't mind. At all. Hell, it was most enjoyable. There was something oddly arousing about watching her slow climb, focusing solely on her and knowing only he could make her come undone.

Each touch and caress was a roadmap to her emotions, the parts she'd kept contained and dare not let loose. New, yet familiar, and the mystery only added to the punch. Being with her was like discovering uncharted territory and realizing the clandestine terrain was...home.

She grabbed the back of his neck and rose on her toes, her bluish-green eyes round. She stared at him, teeth sunk into her lower lip like she was trying to decide what to do. He skimmed his hand down her drenched hair, letting her work it out, wanting more than anything for her to...

Kiss him. Mouth wide, she plunged. Gone were any reservations and hesitancy as she ate at his mouth. Nips and sucks and thrusts of her tongue meant to have him genuflecting. She pressed against him, skin slick with water and hot as sin.

Hihcebe, yes. Lightning zinged through his whole system, searing nerves and boiling his blood.

Arms around her, he turned them, pushing her spine-first against the tile. Her body was a welcome cushion to his hard frame and they fit. Unerringly right. Like nothing in his life ever had before, they just...fit.

Rootless, fevered need coursed through him and, again, he knelt in front of her. Without wasting a second, he latched onto one of her nipples and sucked it between the roof of his mouth and his tongue while water rained over them. She cried out and he groaned in satisfaction. Shoving her fingers in his hair, she clenched the strands and arched. He moved to the other breast and repeated his motion, glancing up at her.

Damn, but she was something. Swollen lips and flushed cheeks and wet lashes framing lost-to-the-moment eyes. Pride mingled with lust inside his chest, and all his remaining blood supply headed south.

He nipped his way over her stomach and reached around to palm her round ass in both hands. She moaned, trembling in his hold. He traced a path up one thigh and down the other with the tip of his tongue, hoping it would drive her as mad as she was making him. The sharp tug on his hair gave him his answer. Without warning, he buried his face below her small triangle of dark curls.

"Oh God." She gasped, her legs shaking, and he dug his fingers in the flesh of her backside to keep her upright. "Nakos..." She bucked, and he grinned.

He lapped at her wet folds, sinking his tongue inside her, then followed it up with a flick of her clit. One of her arms went wild, slapping the tile, the other nearly jerked his hair from the root. Relishing the slight kick of pain, he went at her again, keeping the rhythm since it seemed to be working for her.

Eyes on her, he had to fight not to stroke his aching, throbbing shaft. It was like watching her peel away layers of accumulated neglect to expose the tender core underneath. The fervor and passion she'd kept buried or, possibly, never knew was there eked to the surface, one lip bite at a time. Hips undulating, head thrown back, eyes pinched tight in a pleasure/pain combo, she succumbed to him and let go.

Her sudden cry and convulsions shocked him into almost dropping her. He hadn't been at it long, and this climax had come in what seemed like way shorter time than when they'd been on the couch. But there she went, splintering in his hands and under his mouth like the gorgeous damn angel she was. Quaking, she parted her lips, and he just about fell apart at her feet.

Desire and need battled with affection and tenderness inside his head, his chest, making his nasal cavity sting and his dick twitch. He rested his forehead on her belly after she'd sucked in a breath, needing one himself. Grabbing her waist, he held still, idly stroking her ribs.

After a moment or sixty, she ran her fingers through his hair. When he didn't moveor couldn'tshe set her hand under his chin and forced his gaze up to her. "Are you all right?"

There was no way to answer that. No, he wasn't okay. He was coming unglued the deeper they got into this relationship, and he was beginning to realize every second of his life had been leading up to the point where he'd opened his eyes to find her there. And yes, he was more than okay. For the exact same reason.

Rising to his feet, he cupped her jaw. "I think I'm supposed to ask you that."

She grinned. "I'm great."

Satisfaction filled him even as his heart tugged. Instead of wary censure like she had the first time they'd come together, she...glowed. "Yes, you are." He pressed his lips to hers as water beat down and steam plumed.

He went to deepen the kiss, but she...sank to her knees. His forehead hit the tile and he slapped his hands there to keep himself standing.

Glancing down, his pulse stroked out at their position. Her, in front of him, mouth inches from his shaft. She rubbed her cheek along the underside. His breaths soughed as he waited, her hair a curtain so he couldn't see her face. Just as he was about to beg, weep, he didn't know what...she wrapped her deft fingers around his base and pumped.

He choked. She'd obviously absorbed his preferences from earlier because her grip was firm and his eyes slammed shut in response. Truthfully, it didn't matter what she tried or how she touched him. He was totally at her mercy. And the fact she'd done this on her own, without cues or encouragement or guidance, only jacked the sensation to holy shit.