Chapter 23

Feeling sexy and desired, Lexi directed him up the steps and into her bedroom. He kicked the door closed with his foot and gently placed her on the bed. Then followed her down so his big body covered hers. "I missed you so much, baby. The bed felt cold and empty without you."

His expression of love touched her heart and she reached up to cradle his face in her palms. "I've dreamed about you and wished you were here with me."

He grinned. "Well I'm here now and I plan to make all those dreams come true." He pushed up to his knees, stripped out of his T-shirt and unceremoniously dropped it on the floor. Then he gathered the hem of her blouse and pulled it up and over her head. He paused, his gaze raking over her. "Every time damn I see you I lose the power to think. You're just so freaking beautiful."

His words sent joy and warmth spreading through her, replacing the cold, emptiness she'd carried in her heart since she left. He reached down and with practiced experience unhooked her bra freeing her breasts to him. A sound of male satisfaction tumbled from him, then lowered his dark head to kiss her belly. His lips lingered against her skin, evoking chills as he worked his way up her body. A shiver rippled through her as his tongue swiped along the underswell of her breast. Anticipation bloomed deep within and she squeaked with pleasure as he moved to suck on her nipple. Her hands flew to his head, tangling in his long dark hair as he raked his teeth across her sensitive bud.

More! She wanted, no she needed more. "Roman!" Her body tightened as warm wet need pooled between her legs. She arched into him hoping he'd take the hint. Even as he continued to give her breasts attention, his hands slid down her waist, his fingers hooked into her shorts and he tugged. In an effort to expedite the process, she elevated her hips. He released her nipple with a wet pop then inched away from her, taking her shorts and underwear with him.

She didn't even realize she'd made a sound until his eyes gleamed with amusement and he chuckled. "Impatient little nymph. Don't worry your pretty little head," he said as he worked his jeans free, divesting himself of his remaining clothing. "I plan to give you everything you need." His words conjured all sorts of naughty images in her mind and sent lust blazing through her.

Never, in all her life, had she ever wanted anyone with as much fervor as she did Roman. Somehow, without her knowing it, he'd healed her heart and filled in the missing piece to her soul. Their gazes met. She saw the promise and the love in his eyes and knew she'd made the right decision in quitting. Her love for him ran deeper than she ever thought possible. It was all encompassing and unconditional.

She reached for him, wanting him, all of him. He lowered his big body over her, settling his hips between her thighs. She held him close, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. The warmth of his body seep through her as he pressed soft kisses along her neck and along her jaw. His hardness pressed against her mound and a sudden desperate need to feel him inside her flooded through her. She widened her legs, then curled them around his body, hoping he'd understand.

His soft chuckle resonated against her ear. "Oh no, sweetheart. Not yet."

She groaned in frustration. "Please, Roman."

He pulled back, and leveraged himself on his elbows to look down at her. "Whose body is this right now?"

"Yours," she responded without thought and was rewarded with a smile.

"Do you trust me to know what you need?"

"Yes."

"Good." Then he began a slow slide down her body, peppering kisses across her already sensitive skin along the way. He stopped at her breasts and gave each equal attention. He lapped at the buds and sucked them until she swore she just might go insane. He moved lower to her belly, then lower where he pressed kisses down to her pelvis.

Like a snake preparing the strike, anticipation began to coil. Waiting, she closed her eyes. His shoulders nudged their way between her splayed thighs, pushing them further apart so she was completely bared to him.

Please! Her mind screamed, but she didn't utter a word. Her body was his to play with and no matter how much she begged he'd move at his pace. When he parted her folds with the gentlest of touches, her mind jumped for joy. Then warm, wet heat engulfed her and her hips convulsed as she cried in pleasure. Her legs shook and her body tightened as tiny spasms radiated from her pelvis outward.

He worked her hard. Each time she came close to that elusive edge of release, he'd pull back. Desire, lust, frustration and the desperate need to come mixed and mingled until he'd reduced her to a quivering mass raw nerves and unspeakable need. Still, he refused to let her come.

He raised his head, breaking contact and she whimpered at the loss. "God, Lexi, I can't get enough of you. You're like an addiction." He dipped his head a second time and she gasped in pleasure, her back arched up as her fingers clung to the comforter. Pleasure flowed through her body, pushing her to the brink.

When he lifted his head a second time she nearly growled in protest. His knowing eyes leveled on her "I need you so bad, sweetheart. I can't wait to lose myself in you again."

She raised up and cupped his cheek. "Then take, me, Roman." The moment she'd stepped into the shower with him nearly two weeks ago, she'd given her body to him. It belonged to him now. "Don't make me wait any longer." She pressed a soft kiss against his mouth.

His lips parted and a low growl escaped as he deepened the kiss and slowly moved up her body. He gathered her hands in his, lifted them above her head and held them there with one big paw. A giddy thrill of excitement zinged through her at the realization that he controlled her. His hips pressed against the inside of her thighs and her breathing sped up in anticipation.

Her skin felt electrified and every whisper of a touch seemed to zap her nerve endings. "Please, Roman."

He breached her entrance and slowly eased inside. The feel of her delicate tissues stretching to accommodate him pulled a moan from her. Desperate to hold onto something she tried to lift her arms and was immediately reminded that she couldn't. Her body tightened around him and he grinned. "My body to play with, baby. You will do as I say and take whatever I decide to give you. Understand?"

She nodded and a cry tumbled from her lips as he gave one hard thrust, seating himself fully within her. "You feel magnificent," he praised. "It's as if you were made just for me." He lowered his head to hers and kissed her lips as he began moving in and out.

"I love you, Lexi," he murmured, his thrusts slow and gentle, almost measured, as if nothing mattered more to him than her pleasure. He studied her, as if he were gauging her response. Then he shifted his body, adjusted his angle, allowing for deeper penetration. In an instant the pressure built and she felt stretched to bursting. A gasp tore from her, yet even as he lost himself inside her his thrusts remained measured. Before long, that familiar coil of tension began to build deep in her abdomen and slowly spiraled outward wrapping her in pleasure.

This was nothing like she'd ever experienced before. A slow climb toward a precipice that seemed to grow closer, yet remained just out of reach. Each time she thought she'd fall over the edge, she simply continued the climbed. His speed increased and with it so did the pressure. Before long, the air echoed with the sound of slapping flesh and the creaking of the bed and still he drove her higher. Guttaral grunts spilled from her adding to the cacaphany of sounds. The tension grew, until on the verge of pain, she writhed beneath his big body, helpless against the pleasure he bestowed upon her.

"I want you to come, Lexi," he whispered. She shuddered and then as if her body had purposely been waiting for his permission, her orgasm broke. Her body splintered as unimaginable pleasure course through her, boring into every fiber of her being. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him and her mouth fell open on a soundless cry.

A grin tipped his lips and before she could come down he drove her even higher as he picked up the pace, thrusting more forcefully. Her vision tunneled until nothing remained in focus but his face.

She watched, in awe, at the strain on his face, the way sweat beaded on his skin. His jaw clenched and his body stiffened as he finally achieved release. He growled, deep and low, the sound primal, exotic and highly arousing. A myriad of emotions passed across his face in the span of a few seconds and then she felt him deep inside her, filling her, Huntering her, changing her forever.

He collapsed next to her, his chest heaving, his body bathed in sweat. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that this episode of lovemaking had changed them both on levels they didn't even know existed. After several long seconds, he propped himself on his arms and lifted himself off her. He pulled away, leaving behind an oddly empty feeling.

Desperate not to lose the moment, she curled into him and trailed a finger along his chest. "I've never experienced anything so intense," she whispered.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Me either."

For reasons she'd couldn't quite explain, she felt closer to him, as if the weird connection they already shared had somehow been intensified by their episode of lovemaking. She turned her head and brushed a soft kiss along his jaw. "Thank you for not letting me go."