“What’s the matter?” And she could hear the smile in his voice. “Cat got your crotch?”

By far, one of the stupidest things anyone had ever said to her, and in response, she burst out laughing.

He turned her to face him, and she looked down into that gorgeous face.

“It’s going to be okay, ya know. I promise.”

His body, still crouched in front of her, seemed more naked than most. Not that she’d never seen a naked man before. Hell, she arrested a lot of naked males over the years. But none of them, even the best-built Marines, had ever been like this. Something so raw and male exuded from Mace, the thought of not fucking him was becoming an impossibility.

“Now, if you’re not going to tell me if there are other weapons, I guess we’ll have to get the rest of these clothes off you.” He grinned. A wicked, evil grin that almost dropped her to the floor. “Just so we can get a closer inspection, of course.”

He unzipped her jeans, pulling them down her hips and legs until they puddled onto the floor. He tossed the jeans aside while he pulled his body out of its crouch and kneeled in front of her. He slid his hands back up her legs as he kissed the exposed flesh above her red lace panties. His hands slid under the lace to grip her ass, his tongue swirling right under her belly button.

Dez bit her lip. “At this point, Mace, I’m not exactly sure what you’re searching for.”

Gold eyes, so dark with lust they seemed black, focused on her face. “Do you really care?”

She blinked. “Care about what?”

“You’re not paying attention, Desiree.” He nipped the sensitive flesh of her lower abdomen. “I guess I’ll have to work a little harder to make sure you don’t lose interest.”

Mace slid her panties off, and Dez wondered what the hell was going on. What the hell was she doing? And what exactly was Mace doing with his finger?

“Mace!”

He stopped, clearly annoyed. Although his forefinger seemed damn happy to have slid past her clit and buried itself deep inside her pussy. “What now?”

“Maybe we should—” before the word wait could come out, Mace started slowly finger-fucking her. Dez’s back arched off the closet door. Tricky fuckin’ cat!

Dez dug deep lines in the wood of her poor door. It had been so long since she’d been with anyone. So long since she had a man touch her in any way but friendship or while trying to outrun her after doing something illegal. She didn’t want to blow this, but to be honest she had no freakin’ idea what the hell she’d gotten herself into. Add in the fact Mace’s cock was freakin’ huge and you have a recipe for a Dez disaster.

Mace’s free hand slid around her waist, pulling her close to him. He kissed and nipped her stomach and hips. “Touch me, Dez. I need to feel your hands on me.”

Why did that surprise her? Maybe because Mace never seemed like he ever needed anything or anyone. “I thought cats didn’t like to be touched, Llewellyn.”

He licked her belly button. “Damn dog people. That’s propaganda.” He rubbed his face across her belly and thighs, his unshaven cheeks and jaw feeling rough against her skin. “We need affection, Dez. We just don’t beg for it.”

Dez grinned as she slid her hands into his hair. She now understood why Mace’s hair was always out of control in high school. Because it had been growing into a mane. A real, honest-to-God lion’s mane.

She closed her eyes and plunged forward. “I need you to kiss me, Mace.”

Mace stopped moving. Even his fingers paused in their slow, steady movements.

“I loved the way you kissed me today.” She looked down at him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He watched her silently, and Dez realized how much she wanted all this. How much she wanted him. “Do you know I would have given anything for you to kiss me like that in high school? I would have given anything for you to even try.”

Mace’s gold eyes locked with hers. He slid his finger out of her and, as he slowly stood, he slipped it in his mouth, sucking it clean. Dez groaned as his exquisite body towered over her. He took her hands, their fingers interlacing. Palms against palms. Then he slammed them against the door, his body once again pinning her to the hard wood.

“I wish I’d known you’d felt that way, Dez.” His mouth barely touched hers, and Dez briefly wondered if her lungs stopped working. “Because I’ve felt like that since the second I saw you. And I’ve never stopped.” Then his mouth was on hers, and this time she couldn’t stop the moan or the shudder that went through her entire body. Nothing had ever felt so good. Or tasted so good. Damn, but the man tasted so goddamn good.

He released her lips, burning a delicious line down her neck with his tongue and back up again. Eventually he stopped by her ear. “So, baby, anything else I need to get out of the way before I get down to the business of making you come so hard you’ll think you’re dying?”

Dez scowled. “Exactly how the hell am I supposed to even answer that, Mace?”

“That’s easy. Just say, ‘Please fuck me, master.’”

Dez laughed again. Good. When she laughed, she wasn’t freaking out. He found that humor was the best way to deal with Dez. If he got too intense she would make a run for the door.

“What, exactly, is wrong with ‘Fuck me, master’?” He slid his hands behind her back and unhooked her bra. When he slipped it off her body, he made sure that his hands touched her skin the entire time. Not only did he love the feel of her, but the more he touched her, the more aroused she became.