Eye on the prize. Well, the other prize. “I do. So let’s do what’s necessary to ensure I get it.”

He approached her, stopping when they were a whisper away. His delicious scent teased her: lick me, bite me, never stop. His heat taunted her: I have what you so desperately crave.

A single deep breath would rub her nipples against his chest, creating a crucial friction...and her resistance would crumble.

Biting her lower lip, she motioned to the table. He climbed on top and stretched out on his back, facing her.

Naughty boy. “Want to watch me, do you?”

“Always,” he rasped, unabashed.

She selected a bottle of vanilla-scented oil and moistened her hands. Pressing her hip against the side of the table, she held her fingers just over his chest without actually touching him, letting his anticipation build until he vibrated.

Now. She traced a fingertip lightly down his sternum, and he inhaled sharply.

“Painful?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Expected. For now. “Tell me if it worsens.” She traced her fingertip along the same path, again and again, always gentle, the oil leaving a glistening trail.

After a while, the furrow faded from his brow. His frown eased.

“Just as bad as before?” she asked, turning her attention to his butterfly tattoo.

This time, he hesitated. “Yes?”

A question. Definite progress.

The new ground she conquered caused his furrowed brow and frown to return with a vengeance. Thankfully, prolonged contact eased him, just as before. By the time she’d covered his entire chest, he’d stopped stiffening altogether and arched into every caress.

Keep it short and sweet! Always end on a positive note.

Though she trembled, thinking she might die of want, she concluded the session while both of them were eager for more. He protested. He protested loudly. Only her promise to start again first thing in the morning pacified him.

But the night proved torturous. A night they spent in different bedrooms. If they were together...

At dawn, she lumbered to the bathroom and took a shower. The water only reminded her of the heat and softness of Baden’s skin. Need to get my hands on him again.

She pulled on the cashmere robe. A naked Baden waited for her outside the door. He was hard, and he was fierce. Silent, he drew her to the table, stretched atop it, and waited.

Game, set, match.

“You’re ready?” Her trembles returned as she moistened her hands with the vanilla-scented oil.

“Beyond.”

With the first stroke, he groaned a sound of ragged desperation. With the second, he stiffened. With the third, he...relaxed?

She worked her way down, drawing closer and closer to his shaft, the object of her captivation.

Was he truly ready for more?

Shouldn’t rush, just because I’m starved for him. She changed paths, heading up, up; she circled one of his nipples, then the other. He cursed, even as the little brown buds tightened for her.

“Think they can tolerate the feel of my mouth?” Wisps of desire infused her voice. There was no hiding her need. Right now this man owned her.

“Think I don’t care if they can or not. I want your mouth.” Agony and pleasure pulsed from him, a potent black magic that intoxicated her. “Give it to me. Please.”

The ache between her legs...too much! But she lowered her head, anyway and flicked her tongue over his nipples. When his moans became harsh demands, she began to suck.

“Katarina.” He reached for his erection, as if to stroke it.

“No.” She grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “That’s mine. I won’t share.”

His gaze implored her. “Then do something with it. No walking away this time.”

She would do something, yes...but not just yet. If she did too much too fast, his agony might completely overshadow his pleasure.

“No walking away,” she agreed.

He gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white as she slid her fingers down, down the ropes of his stomach. Her mouth followed. She dabbled at his navel, tracing her tongue around the edges before caressing and kissing his thigh, teasing him.

When he jerked his leg away from her, she paused, concerned. “Do you need a break?”

“No!” A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, catching in his hair. “Keep going. Please.”

Distract. “What did you think of me,” she said and licked his hip bone, “the day we met. I know I looked hideous. I remember your disgust.”

“The disgust wasn’t directed at you but me. I wanted you with a desire I didn’t yet understand. I never intended to take you with me, but I couldn’t leave you behind. I wasn’t strong enough.”

The admission did funny things to her insides. “I thought you were there to rescue me, and for once I didn’t care about being a damsel in distress. Now I know you did rescue me...and that you’re one of the best things to ever happen to me.”

Pride glinted in his copper eyes. Pride and pleasure. “I’ll protect you,” he said, the words heavy, as if weighted with a vow. “I’ll always protect you.”

“And I’ll protect you.”

But he wasn’t done. “You can rely on me, Rina. I’ll take care of you.”

As lovely as the sentiment was, she didn’t want to rely on him. It would create an imbalance in an already imbalanced relationship. When one person always gave and the other always took, the scales never evened out.

Now wasn’t the time to tackle such a serious issue, however. “How does your body feel?”

“Ready. I want you. I need you. Take me in your mouth or take me in your body. Just take me.”

Ecstasy...agony of her own...both unfurled deep, deep inside her. Perhaps she and Baden weren’t so imbalanced, after all. The powerful warrior was willing to beg for her. “Are you in pain?”

“Yes, but it’s different now. Better and worse at the same time.” He bolted to his feet. “I will have you,” he all but growled. He hooked his fingers on the lapels of her robe and gave a little push.

The material floated to the floor, leaving her naked. His gaze stroked over her from head to toe, both reverent and ablaze with lust, making her shiver, the intensity of his need feeding her own.

“Yes, you will have me.” She brushed her fingertips over his nipples, an urge to bite and scratch him—to leave no part of his body unmarked by her passion—assailing her. Astonishing her. She’d never before experienced such animalistic urges, but damn if she didn’t like them. “How do you want me?”