Tearing my mouth away, I cupped her jaw. “The first time I sink inside you isn’t going to be up against your front door.”

Her gray eyes hazy, Ari nodded in agreement. “Okay. But maybe the second?”

“I’ll consider it. Keys?”

“Should be open. Carver was here. He would’ve swept the house.”

I didn’t like that answer, but at this moment, I didn’t care because the unlocked door meant there was one less barrier to getting what I wanted. “Hold on.”

Ari gripped my shoulders, and I stepped away from the door and tugged open the handle.

“Down the hall,” she said as she pointed, and I wasted no time striding toward the massive master suite.

Even though I was determined that this wasn’t going to be a one-shot deal, I was going to treat it like my only chance to show her exactly what it was like to be my woman. Prove to her that I could give her something no one else could.

When I strode into her bedroom, Ari’s lips were on me again, making it harder and harder to concentrate, but I found the bed in the middle of the giant space and laid her down on it.

She reached for me, but I stepped away. I needed light. I wanted to see her face. This wasn’t happening in the dark.

I switched on one nightstand lamp and a soft glow filled the room. She was beautiful. She’d always been beautiful, but I’d never let myself appreciate her until now.

“You’re gorgeous.”

A blush crept up her cheeks.

“Don’t believe me? Because you are. And I’m gonna bet that applies to every damned inch of you, even the ones I haven’t seen yet.”

The blush deepened and I stepped closer to her again, this time reaching out to pull her to her feet.

“What—”

“Time to take this sexy dress off.”

31

Ariel

I’d been through the emotional wringer tonight, but my body buzzed with the high that came from too much adrenaline and too little sleep. Logically, I knew we both needed rest, but there was something else I needed more.

Rhett.

My heart hammered so hard, I thought it might be in danger of exploding. Wham-bam, wham-bam, wham-bam. The rhythm pounded in my chest as Rhett turned me around, found the zipper tab at the top of my dress, and slid it down. The cool air hit my overheated skin with each inch he uncovered, and when Rhett pressed his lips to the top of my spine, I thought I was going to trip right out of my shoes.

But he didn’t stop there. He took his time, kissing a path down my back until he was kneeling behind me, my dress pooled in a puddle at my feet, and his lips just above the lace band of my thong.

I thought he’d yank it down and keep going, but the man kept me guessing.

I didn’t know why that surprised me most of all. Probably because I’d envisioned what this moment would be like hundreds of times, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. This wasn’t the crazed tearing at clothes like it was when it started in his Jeep. No, Rhett was savoring every moment, tasting every inch. Worshipping me. That’s what he was doing.

Rhett kissed a trail around my hip, guiding me with his hands until I spun to face him and his lips were pressed just below my belly button. He leaned his forehead against my stomach and breathed me in.

“I’m gonna devour you.” His husky voice sent shivers zinging to my clit and hardened my nipples. “I want you to know what my lips feel like on every inch of your skin.”

He lifted his head, and I regretted the loss of contact for a moment before his eyes met mine with a swift emotional punch. “This isn’t a one-time thing, Ari. This is just the beginning.”

“I don’t expect promises from you.” I didn’t recognize my own voice.

“You’re getting one anyway.”

The heat burning in his eyes wasn’t just arousal, it was a vow. Everything building between us had led to this moment.

He scraped his teeth from my belly button to the top of my panties and reached up with both hands to drag them down my legs, his mouth following every inch he uncovered until he skimmed over my bare lips.

“Red, you’re soaked.”

I didn’t know what possessed me to say it, but I blurted, “Didn’t you know everything’s better when it’s wetter?”

A moment of silence followed before Rhett’s entire body shook with laughter. His piercing green gaze met mine. “You’re priceless, and I swear I’ll always treat you like it. But right now, I’m going to eat this pussy until you scream.”

One hand pressed to my stomach as he pushed me back onto the bed, where I landed with a bounce. Before I could say anything, he was between my legs, his tongue sliding through my wetness.

I couldn’t tell who moaned louder, me or him. My hands fisted the covers as I pressed up against Rhett’s mouth. Whatever he was doing—

“Oh my God.” I couldn’t possibly already be coming. It was impossible. Wasn’t it?

But sure enough, the orgasm built and my cries grew louder and louder, until he slid a single finger inside and my climax slammed into me.

“That’s right. Come hard for me, Red. Grip my finger like you’re gonna grip my cock.”

Who knew Rhett was a dirty talker? It turned me on like I never would have guessed.

His lips circled my clit as he pumped his finger in and out, sucking and nipping and tugging until the first orgasm stretched into two. If I’d been capable of rational thought, I would have worried about the wet spot I was surely going to leave on the bed.

Rhett lifted his head, and my eyes took a few seconds to focus on him. “You come just like you do everything else. You don’t hold back.”

My mouth was moving before I’d even consciously decided what to say. “Probably because you eat pussy like you do everything else—perfectly.”

The grin. Oh sweet Jesus, that grin. It stretched across Rhett’s face and tugged at my heart. I was in serious danger here, and it didn’t scare me at all.

“I’m just getting started.” He pushed in a second finger, cutting off any response I might have made with a harsh intake of breath. “You’re so damn tight.”

“Uh . . . thank you?” I didn’t know if that was a compliment, but I was going to consider it one.