Page 54 of Morning's Light

Her eyebrows lifted. “You know the right things to say, don’t you? Tell me why a nice guy like you can’t find a girlfriend.”

“More like won’t. Sorry, but I have my sights set on someone in particular. Even though she hardly notices me.”

Aisanna hid her blush by taking a sip of her juice. “Oh, I’m sure she notices you. Just like I’m sure she knows it’s better for you to find someone who will give you everything you deserve and more. Someone who will repay your kindness with kisses instead of trouble.”

“My parents raised me to know my own mind. To acknowledge my feelings and emotions. I don’t play when I don’t think my heart is in the game.” He glanced over at her, resting his forearms on the countertop and setting his eyes on her mouth. “I want to be with you. More, I want to be the kind of man you think can be with you. A man who is confident enough and open enough to tell you what’s on his mind without feeling intimidated.”

She liked the way he spoke. She liked the way he looked even more, his grin quick and careless despite the severity of his words.

“I’m not going to stop trying. I know you feel the same, or you wouldn’t have let me kiss you. Twice.” He chuckled. “You would have bitten my head off for getting within ten feet of you. I want my hands on you. I want you wet and naked— Well, fuck it, I just want you.”

He never had a chance to say more before she was on him. She placed her lips on his in a kiss designed to quiet and soothe the raging swell of emotions inside her. Elon stood still under her ministrations, shock causing his body to stiffen.

She teased him, nibbling lightly with her teeth before soothing the little aches with her tongue. Tilting her head, Aisanna kept her eyes open to watch his reaction. She hadn’t expected the heat to rise in an instant. To engulf her as surely as it fanned to life in him.

It took half a second for Elon to relax and trail his fingers along her spine, draw her closer inch by inch. A groan rose in his throat. He didn’t need magic to make her world spin.

It was a heady thought.

She coaxed a response and stopped, leaning back to survey the stupefied look on Elon’s face. Riding the tide of emotion, she felt the stirrings deep within her. She was hornier than a teenager on prom night, fumbling to get her shirt off.

“What do you think?” She let the pajama top drop to the floor. Israel had thrown away her bra with the rest of her ruined clothes and now her breasts hung full and heavy and exposed for Elon’s approval. “Suddenly I’m full of energy. Must have been the soup.”

Elon devoured her with his gaze. It felt like a dream come true. He rubbed his face; surely he’d fallen asleep on the couch and was now in the middle of a most delicious dream. She couldn’t be real, leaning against his counter and peering at him with those hooded eyes. Her pink tongue did not just dart from between perfect lips to moisten and beckon him forward.

“Elon?”

He jumped to attention at the sound of her voice. The melodious tone was music to his ears, lyrical in a way no other woman managed. His nipples hardened painfully and he let himself look at her. She was wearing his pajama pants—ridiculously big—her feet dwarfed by his slippers and a faint smile on her lips. He’d never seen her look more beautiful.

Her hair wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t wearing makeup. Still the shimmer of desire took him. He drew in her scent a moment before she reached to touch him. His breath caught on a sigh. Her body leaned into his, arching maddeningly as she reached around to trail her fingers along his arm.

“I threw the beer out,” he murmured, turning his head toward her. “But I think I’m still feeling the effects.”

The mischief in her eyes shifted to razor-sharp intensity. “This isn’t magic.”

“No, I know. My brain turned off. I’m not thinking clearly.”

His knees felt a bit wobbly and his eyes tracked the minutiae of her movements, the way her throat convulsed when she swallowed. The sight of her, the touch of sweetness she added to the air, was a seduction in its own right. Already he ached to hold her, his hands trembling.

Then he yanked her toward him to ravish her mouth and forgot about his knees. Or any thought that she might regret this in the morning.

Using his slight hesitation for her own gain, Aisanna leaned forward and kissed him. Colors exploded behind his eyes. Then she did her best to climb him.

“You deserve more.” He whipped her around to set her rear on the counter. “You deserve seduction and candlelight—”

He cut off at her nervous giggle.

“If I fall apart,” she told him in a whisper, “will you be there to catch me?”

She nipped his ear and Elon lost the capacity for logical thought. “Aisanna, what are you doing to me?” He managed, barely, to keep his touch light, his hands cupping her hips.

“Say you want me.” Her mouth moved against his before trailing down his throat, paying close attention to the stubble around his Adam’s apple. “Say it.”

Every touch of her lips drew an answering rush through him. “You know I do.” He moaned, his pants suddenly way too tight. “Oh God, I want you more than anything else.”

Aisanna wound a leg around his waist and pressed herself closer. He felt her heat against his core. “Good.”

With every ounce of restraint he possessed, and drawing on some that he didn’t have, Elon eased back. “Are you sure you want to do this now?” he asked, his mouth inches from hers. He clasped his hands on her chin and angled his forehead to rest against her own. “Are you sure?”

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