He swept his tongue into her belly button, swirling around its depths while he continued to push her jeans down her legs to her ankles. “Put your hands on my shoulders,” he murmured against her stomach.

  She clutched at his shoulders for support. He lifted one foot and pulled off her sneaker and sock before tugging off her jeans and panties. Then he did the same with the other foot. Her short fingernails dug into his shoulders as he placed open-mouthed kisses on her stomach, moving closer to the soft nest of curls covering her sex.

  Her legs opened of their own accord and he rubbed his face against the small thatch of curls. His every movement was slow and unhurried, even though she could see the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, hear the harsh sound of his deep breathing.

  “Spread your legs wide for me. Open yourself with your hands and show me how much you want me.” His blatantly sexual demand shocked and excited her at the same time. She never imagined any man speaking to her in such a way.

  He sat back on his heels and waited. It was somewhat of a shock to realize he was still totally dressed and she was naked. The contrast was strangely arousing. She could see the huge bulge against the front of his jeans and licked her lips in anticipation. For the first time in her life, she wanted to do more than just touch a man’s penis with her hand. She wanted to trace the pulsing veins with her tongue and lick a path from root to tip before taking him into her mouth.

  Stefan sucked in a deep breath. When his hands, which had been relaxed on his thighs, suddenly tightened into fists, she knew he’d read her thoughts and was excited by them. It made her feel sexy and powerful and not so out of control.

  His next words shattered that illusion.

  “You’re so wet and hot for me, aren’t you, Laurel Rose?” His voice was harsher now, sexier. “If I put my finger inside you, your pussy would clutch it tight and pull it deeper, but that still wouldn’t be enough. You want my cock inside you. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

  His words shook her to her core and her entire body quivered. “Yes,” she moaned, unable to be anything less than honest with him.

  The sound of a zipper lowering was loud in the quiet room. Her gaze flew to his lap and she watched with undisguised anticipation as he opened his jeans and released his swollen cock from the confines of the stiff fabric. Her eyes widened when she realized he wasn’t wearing any underwear. His erection was long and thick and looked incredibly hard.

  Her fingers itched to stroke it just to see if it was as hard as it looked. He’d done all the touching last night, leaving before she’d had the opportunity to reciprocate.

  “If you want to touch it, taste it, you’ve got to show me you want me.” His voice was pure seduction, his body pure temptation. He took his cock in his hand and gave it a long, slow pump. She licked her lips as a bead of white liquid escaped the tip. She wanted to lick it, to run her tongue across the swollen head of his penis. “Show me, Laurel Rose.” His harsh command startled her out of her sensual reverie.

  There was no thought of denying him. She was filled with the desire to share her body with him, to give herself to him. She felt totally uninhibited in a way she’d never experienced before. She felt a sexual freedom with Stefan. Being naked in front of him was empowering and sensual. A thing of beauty. It was something to celebrate. There was no sense of shame between them. When she was with him she wasn’t self-conscious about the scar on her face or the ones on her leg.

  They belonged to one another.

  Raising her hands to her breasts, she cupped the mounds. They weren’t overly large, but they were well shaped and firm. But the size didn’t matter. She felt sensual and beautiful under his lustful stare. Taking her time, she rubbed her thumbs across her swollen nipples, gasping with pleasure at her own touch.

  Stefan growled low in the back of his throat as she slid her hands down her torso to her sex. He continued to pump his cock with his hand. The sight was incredibly arousing. Finally, she spread her legs wide, reached between her thighs, and pulled back the slick folds of her labia and exposed herself to him.

  Looking down at herself, she could see the wet pink folds as well as the hard nub of her clit just begging for his touch. He reached his hand out toward her and she felt herself becoming wetter. The smell of sex wafted up around her and she unconsciously arched her hips toward him.

  He inserted the tip of his middle finger just inside her slit. Her body clenched hard, as he’d predicted, desperately trying to draw his finger deeper. Instead of satisfying her, his touch was making her hotter and needier. She couldn’t stop her gasp of disappointment when he pulled his hand away. She bit her lip to keep from screaming at him to take her. She’d never felt this wanton or out of control in her life.

  Stefan came to his feet in one swift motion. He hauled off his boots and socks and shucked his jeans. She stood there with her hands between her legs and her sex spread wide as he tore his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He sat down on the side of the bed and opened his legs wide in invitation.

  His eyes almost set fire to her skin as he stared at her exposed sex. “You showed me how hot and wet you are. So damned beautiful.” He held out his hands to her. “Come here, sweetheart. It’s only fair you get what you wanted.”

  Laurel Rose let her fingers slide from between her thighs and allowed her arms to drop back by her sides. Stefan’s hands were large with long, thick fingers. She wanted them on her body, pleasuring her. He might be naked, but there was nothing remotely vulnerable about the man in front of her. If anything, he seemed even larger with the civilized veneer of clothing stripped from him.

  His shoulders were as wide and strong as the mountains that she loved so well. There was a solid timelessness about Stefan as he sat motionless, waiting for her. His arms and chest were massive, the muscles prominent beneath his warm flesh. Even sitting at ease, his abdomen looked like something out of a bodybuilder’s magazine. His cock was hard and thick, springing upright from the nest of curls at its base.

  Last night, Stefan had brought her to orgasm, giving her more pleasure than she had ever experienced, more pleasure than she’d thought possible. Tonight, she wanted to give the same to him.

  She took a step toward him and sank to her knees in front of him. The muscles in his thighs clenched when she pushed them wider with her shoulders. Sitting back on her feet, she placed her hands on his knees, looked up at him, and smiled. Having all this barely leashed male power under her control was intoxicating.

  Laurel Rose took a deep breath to help calm her own raging desires. Then she lowered her head ever so slowly toward him. This was going to be fun.

  Chapter Eleven

  Stefan clenched his hands at his sides to keep from tossing Laurel Rose facedown on the bed and driving his cock as hard and deep as he could go. He didn’t know if he’d be able to survive having her sweet mouth on him without coming.

  He could smell her arousal with every breath he took. Her musky scent drew him, making his cock throb and ache to be inside her. He could hear her heart fluttering in her chest in a combination of excitement, fear, and nerves as she knelt between his spread thighs. The pulse at the base of her neck throbbed as her sweet blood rushed through her body.

  He wrapped his hands around the edge of the mattress and held on tight. No matter what, he was determined to allow her the time to touch and taste him. It would help her to relax and become more at ease with him. He knew she was aroused, but he wanted more. He wanted her to want him so desperately she would hold nothing back from him.

  She glided her hand up the inside of his thighs. Her touch was firm and sure, her fingers gently kneading the muscles as she moved up the length of his leg. The hair on his body stood on end. Anticipation filled him.

  He’d made love to many women in his long life, but at this moment he couldn’t remember a single one of them. There was only Laurel Rose.

  Using her thumbs, she traced the crease at the top of his thighs, her short nails barely scraping his skin. His cock flexed toward her, demanding her attention. She laughed and he felt her pleasure right to the depths of his soul.

  Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and she took a deep breath before wrapping her fingers around him. Stefan closed his eyes and tipped back his head, praying for divine intervention. The skin of her hands was slightly rough, a testament to her days of hard work, but he found even that arousing.

  Ever so slowly, she slid her hands up and down the length of his cock, starting at the base and moving to the very tip. “Harder.” His voice was little more than a harsh whisper, but she responded to his impassioned plea. Her fingers closed around him and she tightened her grip. “Yesss,” he hissed, enjoying each stroke.

  Keeping his eyes half closed, he tipped his head back down and watched her. All her attention was focused on his cock. She looked enthralled as she moved her hands over his length, squeezing him carefully. Her long braid had fallen over her shoulder and the end rested in her lap. The blue of her eyes seemed even darker and more mysterious as she watched him with undisguised pleasure. Her skin was lightly tanned, making the scar on her cheek more prominent, but it in no way diminished her beauty, which came from within her and shone like a beacon in the night.

  Her breathing deepened, causing her breasts to sway, their tight pink buds pouting for attention. His gaze swept down her slender torso and over the gentle flare of her hips. There was nothing remarkable about this woman and yet everything about her was remarkable. Fashioned specifically for him, there was nothing about her that didn’t please him.

  He sucked in a deep breath when she leaned forward. Her mouth opened and her lips closed around the head of his erection. Her warm breath caressed his cock just before her mouth enveloped him. She swirled her tongue around the tip, wrapping it in moist heat, before releasing him.

  Laurel Rose looked pleased with herself. She leaned down further and nuzzled his testicles, which were swollen with need. Opening her mouth, she sucked on the heavy sac before releasing it and stroking her tongue up the length of his erection from root to tip and back down again. Her fingers cupped and massaged his scrotum while her tongue continued to taste him.

  “Enough,” he growled. Gripping the sides of her face with his hands, he drew her back to the tip of his cock. She eagerly opened her mouth and took him deep.

  His fingers tightened around her skull, cradling it in his large hands as he fucked her sweet mouth. With one hand, she continued to finger his balls even as she wrapped her other hand around the base of his cock and squeezed him on every downward stroke. His hips flexed forward, driving himself deeper into her mouth.

  He could feel his balls pulling up tight against his body. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but he ignored it. Nothing mattered but the woman kneeling at his feet. His blood pumped through his veins. An overwhelming need for completion gripped him. He murmured his encouragement as she continued to suck. Damn, her mouth was hot and moist and perfect.

  His skin felt as though it were stretched taut over his frame. Every muscle in his body contracted with need each time she took him deep. He went rigid and pushed his shaft into her mouth one final time.

  His cock exploded and he came. Instead of pulling away, she gripped him tighter, taking all of him and sucking him dry. His entire body jerked as she swallowed and he shuddered when she gave the tip one last flick of her tongue. His fingers slid over her hair before falling back to his sides. She released him and sat back on her haunches.

  Stefan closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. He was amazed, not so much by what she’d done for him as by the fact that she seemed to genuinely enjoy doing it. He should have been spent after such an explosive orgasm, but instead he was still unsatisfied. The familiar sensations of arousal were already beginning to stir. His cock, which had started to soften, began to harden once again.

  Nothing would satisfy him but claiming her in the manner of his kind. He wanted her to give herself to him, body, blood, and soul. She might not be ready to commit her life to him, but right now he would settle for her body and her blood.

  The time had come to claim Laurel Rose.

  • • •

  Laurel Rose sat back on her haunches and stared up at Stefan. His eyes were closed and his chest expanded and contracted with every deep breath he took. She licked her lips, still able to taste his essence. She couldn’t believe she’d had the courage to take him into her mouth and make him come. But more than that, she hadn’t known just how much she would enjoy doing that for him. It wasn’t something she’d ever really thought about doing, but now that she had, she planned on doing it again.

  There was something very erotic and exciting about having Stefan come in her mouth. All that leashed power was under her control as she’d pleasured him. She shivered, remembering the feel of his hands on her head, gripping her tight as he pushed himself deeper into her mouth.

  Squirming slightly, she tried to ease the ache that was throbbing between her legs. She was so incredibly aroused she’d almost come when he had. Swallowing a moan, she eased her hands up to cover her breasts. The hard nubs stabbed at her palms, demanding attention.

  Laurel Rose hardly knew herself anymore. She’d never thought of herself as being very sexual or sensual until Stefan had appeared in her life. Her body thrummed with a need she didn’t quite know how to appease. It went beyond sexual, even though that was a huge part of it. Her entire body ached and there was a deep yearning within her to give Stefan whatever he wanted from her. To appease his appetites no matter what he demanded.

  Her eyes widened when she realized his shaft was growing harder. But that wasn’t possible, was it? She didn’t think a man could recover that fast, but the proof was right in front of her eyes. He was seriously aroused. Laurel Rose shivered in anticipation of his hard cock slamming into her body over and over again until she came.

  This time she couldn’t swallow back her moan of desire. His eyes shot open and their lustful glow scorched her. He stared down at her, determination stamped on his face.

  “It’s time.” Butterflies fluttered deep in her belly. She sensed there was a deeper meaning to his words, but when he cupped her chin in his hand and tipped her face up to his, she forgot everything else, losing herself in the heated depths of his eyes.

  She tried to nod, but she could barely move her head with his fingers wrapped around her chin. “There is no going back. Once I claim you, you are mine.”

  His words gave her pause, but she knew she would deny him nothing. Her answer must have shown in her eyes, because he gave her a curt nod and released her. He stood abruptly, towering over her where she sat at his feet. Once again, she was reminded of just how massive a man he was. But instead of frightening her, it aroused her almost unbearably. Shifting closer to him, she rubbed one of her swollen breasts against the rough hair covering his leg. It felt wonderful, but it made her want even more.

  Stefan stepped back from her and crossed his arms over his chest. Spreading his legs wide, he stared down at her. “I want you on the bed on your hands and knees. I want to see you wide open and begging for my cock. I want you to offer yourself to me with nothing held back. I want you to give me everything without hesitation.” He paused and stared down at her, cocking a quizzical eyebrow. “Will you do that for me, Laurel Rose?”

  His erotic words made her quiver with desire even as his cold detachment made her shiver with fear. His cock jutted out in front of him. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her, but his actions and words left her shaken. Automatically, she opened her mind to him, trying to get a sense of his emotions.

  Immediately, she was bombarded by his need. It was huge and almost overwhelming. She was swamped by wave after wave of his deep yearning for her. She slammed up a wall between them and looked down at the floor, gasping for breath, shaken by what she’d just felt.

  “Laurel Rose?” His voice was softer now. He crouched in front of her and reached out as if to touch her but stopped himself, his fingers curling inward. She could sense the enormity of his desire for her still roiling inside him, but he gave no physical sign of it. She was amazed by the rigid control he exerted over himself in his concern for her. It was that care for her which enabled her to take the next step.

  Evading his touch, she climbed to her feet. The tension in the room was palpable, spiking when she turned from him. Laurel Rose knelt on the mattress, maneuvering until she was in the center of the bed. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down, supporting herself on her forearms, and spread her legs.

  It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, to lie there on the mattress, totally exposed to Stefan. She felt his gaze on her as she positioned herself on the bed as he’d asked. The very air seemed to whoosh out of the space, taking with it the tension that had permeated the room. Hot male satisfaction took its place. She could sense Stefan’s pleasure as he watched her.

  Her sex was wet with desire. She opened her legs even wider and arched toward him. “Take me, Stefan.” She could wait no longer. “Make me yours. Now.”

  The mattress dipped behind her as he climbed up onto the bed. She held her breath, anticipating his touch, but again he surprised her. Instead of mounting her quickly from behind, he trailed his fingers along the backs of her legs. The unexpected light touch tickled her skin even as it aroused her.

  “Your skin is so soft.” He continued to stroke his hand over her behind and then traced the line of her spine all the way to the nape of her neck. “So beautiful.”

  She’d never thought of herself that way before, but there was no mistaking the sincerity behind Stefan’s words. He truly meant them. To him, she was beautiful. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly when he continued to do nothing more than stroke her. The rough pads of his fingers were hot against her already feverish skin.