Chapter 31 Giving In

Chapter 31 Giving In
Tessa was tired of contemplating her every thought, questioning every emotion. She didn't want to think about right or wrong. For now, she just wanted to be with Dane. To feel alive. Only one thing seemed certain. She wanted this man in ways she'd never desired anyone before.
"Dane?"
"Hmmm?"
"Kiss me."

Her words surprised him. For a moment, he hesitated. There were a hundred reasons why he shouldn't kiss her. It was one thing when he'd been playing a part, with a specific goal in mind. Seduction in the line of duty.
Burning, blinding desire was another thing. It was personal. Unstoppable. And he could no more deny her request than he could deny breath to his own body. He captured her lips in a hungry kiss. She opened to him, drawing him in. Ready and willing. The cravings she'd been fighting since they met flared to life, burning away her misgivings, her fears, her inhibitions.
Dane pulled her close, allowing her to fill his senses. "Tessa."
He sucked in a breath as her hand gingerly slid up his side to caress his chest. He moaned, encouraging her, his own hands tightening on her waist.
Dane lowered his mouth to the side of her neck, tasting her, knowing he'd never get enough. His lips traveled lower still, trailing kisses down her throat, eliciting faint sounds from her.

He pulled back, looking at her in the dusky glow of firelight. Her long hair tumbled across the pillows like liquid gold. The two love bites on her neck looked erotic, primitive, reminding him how he'd marked her, claimed her. A savage, animalistic act. She was breathing heavily, the sheet barely clinging to her breasts, hiding the treasure he longed for. He ached with wanting her. Yet, he held back.
Something had changed tonight. At other times, she had been slow to respond to his kisses, always pulling back when things started to heat up. And they were way past that point tonight. While part of him was elated, the other part recognized that she was suddenly without inhibitions. She'd been through a terrible ordeal, and, as much as he wanted her, he couldn't take advantage of her.
"Tessa, think about this. Where this is heading."
She closed her eyes, gulping in air. She had thought about it. Every time Dane kissed her. Or touched her. And even when he didn't. On some level, he cared for her.
For now, that was enough.

The encounter with Liz and Snake had made her realize one thing: She didn't know what would happen next. She could have been killed tonight, and only one thought kept her from hysteria. Dane had saved her.
She wanted him with a rawness that overwhelmed her. The circumstances be damned. She looked at him, saw the uncertainty in his eyes. Those sexy, sinful, silver eyes. In that moment she knew they were going to give in. "I have thought about it, Dane. Often. Please don't make me beg."
Her words pushed him over the edge. "I should be the one to beg." He caught her mouth in his, kissing her soundly as he pressed her back down, tugging the blankets free. He had never wanted a woman this badly in his life.
The sensation of bare skin on bare skin shook Tessa. His masculine strength complimented her feminine softness, her feminine strength. She moved, enjoying the rasp of his coarse chest hair against her hardened nipples.

Dane's hand traced the outline of her breasts, teasing, circling, driving her wild before capturing the tip between his finger and thumb. She moaned when he tugged, rolling the sensitive peak between two fingers. Her nipple elongated, responding to his touch.
"Touch me." Dane's voice was low and commanding. Hypnotic.
"Where?" Hands shaking, Tessa eased her fingers past his ribs, pausing at the towel tucked at his waist, afraid to loosen it.
"Lower," he urged.
Her hands skimmed downward, nervously testing the length of him through the terry cloth. He felt impossibly large against her hand, and with increasing curiosity, she ran her hand up and down his complete length, measuring.
She knew the basics of sex. She'd heard talk about size not being important. But this? Inside her? Would it hurt?
For the first time in her life, she felt inept because of her....lack of experience.

She felt Dane's fingers trail across her abdomen to the juncture of her thighs. Heat flashed across her nerves. His hand slipped down, sure and confident, cupping her, caressing her intimately. His mouth sucked her breast, a heavenly feeling directly connected with the growing pressure between her legs. The sensation seemed wildly taboo. And arousing beyond belief.
"Open for me," he commanded, finding her hot and wet when his fingers parted her.
"Damn, you're tight." He kissed her tenderly, sliding his finger in slightly before stopping completely. He knew immediately. "Tessa?"
She was on fire now. More than anything, she wanted to go forward, follow this amazing feeling to the end. She heard the question in his voice, sensed his slight withdrawal. If she said 'no' it would end. She knew that and was grateful. But it was too late to turn back.
"I haven't done this before," she confessed, voice shaky. "Please..."

Dane clamped an iron band on his thundering passion and closed his eyes. Never in his life had he struggled to take the high road. To be a gentleman. It took every ounce of willpower to remove his hand from her. And push away.
Tessa didn't reciprocate, tightening her hold on his hardened flesh where she'd been stroking him through the towel. Dane groaned, and she immediately relaxed her grip. "Did I hurt you?"
Unable to resist, Dane leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. He would love to be the one to teach this woman. To give and receive, but....
"I won't take advantage of you," he whispered hoarsely. Damn ethics. "And I can't take any more of this."
Tessa searched his face in the flickering firelight, seeing the struggle reflected in his silver eyes. She'd always been right about him. He wasn't like the rest.
And with that realization came the admission that she trusted him. And she wanted him more than ever.