Page 8 of Passionate Defense

“Yeah? What do you know about it?”

“I saw365 Daysand readFifty Shadesalong with millions of other Americans.”

“Is that so? What else did you learn?”

An impish grin tipped her lips as she replied, “That kinky sex can be hot.”

“Both were works of fiction, I believe.”

“Yes.”

“I prefer nonfiction. Let’s keep things simple. Red means everything stops. Understood?”

“Red for stop, yes. But—”

“Remove your clothes and we’ll get started.”

Her smile faded a fraction at his order. Tilting her head, she gazed at him reflectively for a moment before she pulled the tie on her blouse and with a shrug, let it slide down her arms and onto the floor. To keep himself in check, he gripped his thighs, his fingers digging in painfully. It helped to curb the overpowering need to touch her.

“All of it. I want you naked.”

She unzipped the side zipper on her skirt and, with a little shimmy, it joined her blouse at her feet. This left her bra and panties, so sexy it was a shame to take them off, but he didn’t stop her when she opened the front clasp and the bra joined the growing pile on the floor.

With the pink tips contrasting beautifully to creamy, flawless skin, her breasts were perfect and mere inches away from his mouth. Calling up the utmost control, he resisted the urge to taste her and suck a hard peak into his mouth.

Pulling his eyes away wasn’t easy, but he did and watched her thumbs curl into the lace of her panties. Again, with a little wiggle, the fabric glided down her legs. She kicked everything aside, which broke the spell she’d cast on him. Ethan’s gaze skimmed up her shapely calves and smooth thighs, grazing but not lingering on the tempting, neatly trimmed tuft of dark curls in between, and continuing along her flat abdomen until it settled on her breasts once again.

Hanging on by a thread, he stifled a groan as he leaned in and pressed his lips into the valley between them.

“I love you, and I can’t bear to see you stressed out all the time. You hardly sleep and when you do, it’s broken. I hear you get up at night to review your notes or pore over your research.”

“I’m sorry. I try not to wake you.”

The temptation to touch her became too strong for him to ignore any longer. His hands slid up the backs of her satiny thighs and cupped both cheeks. “That’s not my point. I’m worried about you. The stress is obviously affecting you and wearing on your body. You’ve lost weight; we can’t have that, because I love these curves.”

His fingers flexed, giving her bottom a firm squeeze before moving up her body. He explored her curves, eliciting a sigh from her lips. Reaching her breasts, he cradled them in his palms as his thumbs swept out and grazed her nipples. The intoxicating fragrance of her desire filled the air, tempting him to abandon his plan. But his resolve to help her cope with her stress was unwavering, compelling him to resist the potent draw of further exploration for now.

He dragged his gaze from her pink-tipped lovely breasts and peered up at her soberly. “The stress you’ve been under makes you irritable and short-tempered. That isn’t like the Lanie I know and love. You were upset tonight, I get that, but getting snippy and sarcastic hurts you as much as me, and I won’t have that, either.”

She touched his cheek, which he allowed this time. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she stubbornly blinked them away. Still, her earnest words proved to him how much she regretted her actions.

“I never meant to hurt you, Ethan. I love you. You’re the only one I can talk to about these things. What can I do to make it up to you? I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Prophetic words, to be sure,” he murmured, and watched her brow furrow in confusion. “You’re mine for an hour?”

“I’m always yours. But yes, as we agreed, I’m yours to command.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her, waiting to see if she would remember her first lesson.

“I’m yours to command, sir,” she restated, her voice softly submissive.

Now they were getting somewhere.

“On my lap, Lanie,” he ordered, patting his thighs.

She bent her knees to sit, but he stopped her.

“I see I wasn’t clear.” With his hands on her hips, he guided her facedown over his thighs.

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