her.
He spun away
from the window, yanked his back door open, and headed out into the
moon-silvered forest.
*****
“I’ve been waiting
for you.” Rhea’s voice was soft, gentle, but it brought him to a halt as
abruptly as if she’d tossed a lasso over his head. “I suspected I would not
have long to wait.”
“I need…” Graeme
turned toward the sound of her voice, breathing deeply, drawing in the fragrance of her. He couldn’t see her in the shadows, despite his newly
sharpened vision. Somehow she managed to conceal herself from him. But nothing
could conceal her scent, the musky, flowery odor that called to him. “I need
you.”
“I am glad you’ve
finally admitted it to yourself.” She stepped out of the inky shadows, becoming
visible, and he saw with a stab of hunger that she was as naked as ever. He
moved toward her, drawn irresistibly to her side.
“This time,” he
told her, “I want to touch you .”
She smiled up at
him. He caught his breath at the beauty of her face, wondering how he could
ever have thought she looked like an ordinary woman in the grocery store. She
was the furthest thing from ordinary. She was exotic, glorious, spectacular .
And she was his,
all his. At least, she would be after tonight.
With that
possessive, primitive impulse gripping him, he reached out for her, touching
the satiny skin of her shoulder. She felt warm and solid—not an ethereal woods
nymph, but a real woman, with hot blood pulsing beneath her skin, and air
rushing in and out of her lungs… and moisture gathering between her thighs. He
could smell her unmistakable arousal, and it made him harder than before.
She was wet. Wet for him.
He intended to
make her much, much wetter.
She was naked
again, her body bared to his touch. He slid his hand
down her arm, and let his other hand touch her waist. She shivered, and her
eyes fluttered shut.
He lowered his
head, letting his lips brush over the delicate skin where her neck met her
shoulder. He was suddenly seized with an odd compulsion, the need to bite her,
to make her his, for now and for always. He fought it back, and let his lips
trail down her throat.
Her skin was so
delicate, and he could feel her pulse beating fiercely, like birds’ wings, as
the blood rushed through her veins. His hands slid around to her back, skimming
up and down her spine. She felt slight and fragile in his arms—which was
ridiculous. He’d made love to quite a few women, and she was no more or less fragile
than any of them. In fact, she was fairly tall, if not quite Amazonian, and
there was no reason for him to fear hurting her.
And yet he was
suddenly aware of the terrible strength of his own body, of the way he could
hurt her…
“It’s all
right.” Her voice was gentle and understanding. “I am of your kind. You cannot
injure me.”
He had no idea
what she meant. Of course she was of his kind; they were both human. But she
was right—he wouldn’t injure her during sex, any more than he’d ever injured a
woman.
His hands
slipped down to her ass, so that he had a double handful of warm, lush flesh.
“Beautiful,” he mumbled, and his mouth went lower too, exploring the top of her
breast. In the moonlight, he could see that her nipples were erect, hard with
hunger and need. He bent still lower, bending his knees a little, and licked at
one of her dusky pink nipples.
She cried out,
clutching at him, digging her fingers into his dark hair, and need rushed
through him. Mine , he thought again. Mine mine mine …
He’d never felt
so possessive of a woman. He barely knew her, and yet she was his, in some way
he couldn’t explain, but couldn’t deny. She was his. She would always be his.
He ran his
tongue around the crinkled flesh of her nipple, tasting her sweetness, then
drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked boldly. She wailed, her fingers
tightening in his hair till it hurt. He didn’t mind. He suckled until she
writhed against him, sobbing and