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  “Sweetheart…” he began.

  “I want to spend this last night with you,” Nina said softly. “I don’t want to look back on it years later and wish I’d done more, given more. I want…want to show you how I feel about you. How much I…” But she couldn’t quite say how much I love you. It was still too frightening, going too far. “I want to show you how much I care,” she ended instead.

  “Then let me taste you.” Reddix cupped her cheek, tilting her face up toward him. “Please, Nina,” he murmured. “I need to get closer to you, need to taste you.”

  “I…I…” Nina could feel her cheeks getting hot. Despite his repeated requests that she let him in this way, she had denied him over and over. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him—more like she didn’t trust herself not to freeze and get so uncomfortable she couldn’t go on in that situation. “I just feel…so self-conscious during…that,” she said at last. “I don’t know if I could relax enough to make it, uh, worth your while.”

  “Let me try to relax you,” he rumbled, stroking her cheek. “Give me a chance, at least.”

  She looked at him uncertainly. “You really want to do this, don’t you?”

  “I need to do it,” he growled. “Need to part your sweet pussy lips and lick and suck your hot little cunt until you come for me. Need to go down on you and hear you call my name when you lose control.”

  Nina bit her lip. She’d been turned on before, but Reddix’s hot, dirty words and the lust blazing in his silver eyes seemed to send her body into overdrive. She could feel her nipples peaking under the thin silky material of her gown and between her legs she suddenly felt swollen and hot.

  “Is this… some kind of a Kindred thing?” she asked at last. “You, uh, need to do this with your women?”

  “It’s not really a need—more like a hunger.” He stroked her cheek again, his eyes half-hooded with desire. “I’ve heard other males talk about it, but I never really felt it myself before I met you. I’m hungry for you, Nina—fucking starving to death. Let me do this—let me taste you.”

  Nina was getting hotter by the minute, but still, she tried to resist.

  “We could do it the other way,” she offered. “I could…could go down on you. I like that.”

  “And I like it too—love the feel of your soft lips wrapped around my cock. But that isn’t going to help,” Reddix insisted. “You don’t understand, sweetheart—I need to be on my knees in front of you with my head buried between your legs, spreading your pussy with my tongue.”

  “Oh…” Nina tried, but she couldn’t think of any more excuses. “All…all right,” she whispered at last. “As long as you take it slow.”

  “We can take it slow,” he promised, his deep voice a soft growl. “Incredibly slow. But first I want to take you to the bed.”

  Leaning down, he swung Nina into his arms and carried her over to the broad bed covered in a dark blue spread. Lowering her down onto it, he settled beside her and placed one large, warm hand on her stomach.

  “What…what are you doing?” Nina asked breathlessly.

  “Nothing yet. Just letting you get used to the idea. Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. By the time I’m ready to taste you, you’ll be begging me to do it.”

  “Don’t count on it.” Nina crossed her arms over her chest, but he only grinned at her.

  “Oh, you will. But first we have to get you all warmed it.” His hand began moving, sliding up and down the smooth, silky material of her dress, making Nina’s breath come faster and faster.

  Before she knew it, he was stroking lightly over her breasts—cupping them through the thin silk of her dress and pinching her nipples lightly until she moaned and pressed her breasts up into his hand for more.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured, bending down to kiss her cheek. “And so responsive. Does it make you hot, sweetheart, when I pinch your nipples like this? Is your pussy getting wet for me?”

  “Maybe,” she whispered.

  Reddix gave her a lazy smile. “We’ll find out soon. But I’m not done up here yet.”

  Leaning over her, he tugged gently on the top of her dress until it came down, pooling around her waist in a silky bundle. Nina bit her lips as her breasts were freed. He’d seen them before, of course, but somehow she felt more naked this time—more vulnerable. Maybe because she knew what all this was leading up to.

  “Such beautiful breasts,” Reddix breathed. Leaning down, he sucked one of her nipples deep into his hot mouth. Nina gasped and pressed up to him, feeling the sparks of desire shoot through her body as he lapped and nipped her tender bud.

  She pressed her legs together tightly. It felt like there was some kind of a highway running straight from her sensitive nipples to her pussy. Every time Reddix sucked or licked her tight little nubs, it sent a rush of heat down to her core. Already she could feel herself getting even hotter and wetter. The dark blue lace panties that went with the dress were going to be soaked with her juices if Reddix didn’t stop soon—it was so embarrassing! And yet, she didn’t want it to end.

  He was pulling her dress lower now, over her hips and down her thighs. At first Nina wasn’t sure she wanted to let him, but his mouth on her breasts was giving her so much pleasure she found herself unable to say no.

  The minute Reddix got the dress all the way off, leaving her with nothing but the thin lace panties, she began to get nervous. She could massage people all day long and help them to relax, but it just wasn’t in her nature to relax in an intimate situation herself. She felt uncertain and self-conscious about her behind and thighs, wishing they were smaller, wishing she was thinner, prettier…

  “Relax, sweetheart,” Reddix murmured, obviously sensing her tension. “Not gonna taste you yet. Going to take things slow, remember?”

  “I guess…” Nina pressed her thighs tightly together, afraid he would ask her to open for him. Instead, Reddix gathered her into his arms as he had during their first encounter and held her tight.

  “You’re so perfect,” he murmured, one large hand sliding down the curve of her hip and cupping her ass. “You’re everything I ever dreamed of, everything I ever wished for. I feel so damn lucky to have you in my arms right now.”

  “Oh, Reddix…” Nina cuddled a little closer to him, burying her face in his hard, warm chest.

  “I want to taste you so much,” he murmured, his hand sliding down and around until his long fingers were between her thighs. “But first I want to touch you again. Can I do that, Nina? Can I touch you?”

  “Of course you can.” She felt a little more comfortable with this request. After all, he’d touched her several times while they were “feeding” the Hurkon collar.

  Reddix growled softly in approval at her answer.

  “Good. Then spread your legs for me, sweetheart. Open up and let me in.”

  Nina did as he asked, rolling over onto her back and spreading her thighs for him. She was embarrassed to see that the blue panties were almost black they were so soaked with her juices. Reddix seemed to like it, however.

  “Look at this,” he murmured, cupping her little mound over the panties. “Look how wet you are, sweetheart. And all because I’m going to taste you tonight. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you wanted this more than you want to admit.”

  “No, I…no,” Nina protested, but her stomach fluttered nervously. There was no denying that despite her nervous reluctance to allow this intimacy, the idea of Reddix spreading her open and licking her in such a secret, private place had her squirming all over the bed.

  “We’ll see about that,” Reddix growled. He slid down the bed until his face was level with her lacy panties.

  “Wait a minute,” Nina protested. “I thought…thought we were taking it slow.”

  “We are,” he promised. “I’m going to kiss you now—but with your panties on. I won’t take them off until you’re ready to let me, all right?”

  Again, Nina felt her nerves somewhat soothed. She nodded. “All right,” s