"No need for jealousy, you're the only woman I see."
"For now." She started squirming on his lap, sending his blood pressure soaring.
"If you continue to do that, I won't be responsible for what I do next."
She went still at the look on his face. His eyes dropped to her lips and sent her blood heating up.
"Dean-"
"I want you," he breathed. "Wanting you has become a constant for me." He smiled a little whimsically, thumb tracing the outline of her full bottom lip. "I wonder what I'll do with myself when that's not a thing anymore. When I can get to have you completely. You see, darling." He was lowering his head and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She didn't want to.
Anticipation of his mouth on hers was causing an agony of longing deep inside her.
"I feel everything when I'm with you." He brushed her lips lightly with his, capturing her sigh. "Deep, wonderful feelings.Emotions so blinding, I cannot comprehend the logic." He nibbled at the soft flesh. "Yearning in the pit of my stomach," he soothed the bite with the tip of his tongue and felt her trembling.
"Your breath, the way you smell, like something elusive and fragrant, makes me want to devour you. I have to try and keep myself in check." He parted the seams of her lips with his tongue, but kept the touch light, deliberately so. "I want you more than my next breath."
Her hands came around his neck, helplessly.
With a groan, he bore her back on the cushions, following her down until he was half lying on top of her. The twists and coils of her hair spilled over the cherry red cushions. Lifting his head, he stared at her face, taking in the elegant, tapered eyebrows, the smooth curves of her cheeks, the brightness of her golden-brown eyes and the parted lips.
"What is it about you that draws me, pulls me in?" he wondered to himself. "You're thinking I'm going to lose interest."
"Yes." Her voice was hoarse, her throat gone dry.
"No." He shook his head, finger trailing down her cheek, enjoying the silky softness of her skin. "Never." Bending hishead, he kissed her forehead, then her eyes, pressing his lips on her lids and closing them. He trailed kisses down the pertness of her nose until he was brushing her lips, back and forth, starting all over again, slowly, tantalizing touches that made her want to scream for more.
As if sensing her impatience, he whispered against her mouth. "I want you burning up for me. I want you yearning, the way I've been since I first saw you." His voice had thickened. She felt a jolt going through her when he reached between them to cover her breast.
He took her tongue, teeth toying with it before laving it with his own. He swallowed her gasp, his body reacting violently to hers. The only sounds in the quiet room were Galahad snoring and their own rapid breathing. Outside, it had started raining, soft drops on the window pane, but neither of them noticed. They were blind and deaf to everything except what was happening between them.
He deepened the kiss subtly and worked the shirt up her flat stomach.
Catherine felt the flesh quivering when he trailed his fingers up and down her torso. His finger dipped into the indentation of her navel, making her jump. The kiss went on endlessly, until they were both drowning in the intensity of it.
He somehow managed to work the shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside before closing his mouth over hers again. Next came her bra. With his mouth still tormenting hers, he unhooked the clasp and eased it off her shoulders. The need to feel her nakedness against his chest was unbearable. Shifting to the side, he dragged off his thin black sweater before lowering himself over her. The feel of her rigid nipples touching his smooth chest sent arousal pouring through him like molten lava.
Kissing her frantically, he slid further down until he was toying with her nipples. Catherine felt her resistance collapsing, like a balloon that had the air sucked out of it. Her fingers dug through his thick blonde hair, body vibrating. The pain was exquisite, sharp and unbelievable. Her body arched towards his mouth, a cry escaping her when he started to suckle the rigid flesh.
He was thorough, the taste of her lingering on his tongue. His hand drifted down her stomach, until he was plunging his hand into the waistband of her shorts and her lace panties. A groan escaped him when he touched her flesh. He was hard as steel and just as painful. His heart was racing, his body slick with sweat. And he could not continue this way.
Lifting his mouth from her breast, he eased up and stared at the nipples made wet from his mouth, before his gaze moved upwards to her face. The look on her face was his undoing. Her eyes were feverishly bright with passion, and her lips were swollen from his ardent attention. And she was panting.
"We have to stop." His voice was harsh, his face hard and taut. "Unless you've changed your mind about-"
"No!" The word was torn from her lips as she sat up hastily.
When she started to grab her shirt, he stopped her. Taking her hand, he forced it downwards until it was pressed against his rigid arousal.
"Then marry me before we both combust." He kept her hand there, the sweet torture making him sweat. "We cannot continue like this. God, why the hell are you still resisting?"
"Let go of me."
"No. Dammit Catherine, what the hell is it going to take for you to say yes?"
Closing her eyes as if to block out his face, she leaned back on the cushions. He was right. Never in her life had she ever felt this way before. But she was afraid of doing the wrong thing. Of getting into something that was going to cause her to lose herself.
Opening her eyes, she stared at him and realized what she had been trying to deny. She had fallen in love with him. Dear God, she had fallen in love with a man who was completely unsuitable. And she was going to marry him. God help her, she had no choice in the matter. Something inside her, something insidious and crafty, was challenging her to save him. He had jokingly said it to her, but it had taken root.