Page 39 of With this Ring

“Yeah.”

Always the truth. Because of that, a shiver danced through her.

He lowered her slowly, sliding her down his body, the hardness of his cock unmistakable between them.

The knowledge that he craved her as much as she did him gave her a euphoric buzz.

But instead of releasing her right away, he held her waist. Slowly, intentionally, he leaned forward.

Possessing, demanding, tasting of hunger and fire, he took her mouth again.

She melted under his relentless, sensual onslaught, and she responded with equal urgency, threading her fingers into his hair.

She moaned, her body melting into his, craving the sensation of skin on skin.

Impossibly, he pulled her even closer, and he eased one hand down her back to cup her rear. His erection, hard and ready, pressed against her abdomen.

It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

He broke away, ending the kiss, leaving her emotionally bereft.

“Soon,” he vowed.

Every motion economical, he turned back the blankets before facing her to strip off his T-shirt.

She gasped at the sight of the gauze taped to his abdomen. “Youarehurt.”

“A scratch. Nothing more.”

This time…a lie.

“Hazard of the job.” He shrugged.

His job—one of the reasons her sister had hated her relationship with him.

“You know how it is.” Studying her, he added, “You’ve had more than a few of your own.”

But not in the last few years.

Gently, Sasha placed a palm on his chest. “We don’t have to—”

“This won’t stop me from fucking you the way you deserve. The way I want.” Gregorio’s voice held a deep, gravelly rumble that sent shivers down her spine, holding hints of danger and control, intimidating as well as seducing her. “I promise you that.”

He ensnared her wrist and lowered her hand to her side. “Finish undressing me.”

“I…”

Rather than arguing, he raised an eyebrow in quiet expectation.

Dominant demand.

This man tilted her world off balance. She’d never dealt with anyone like him, and she wasn’t quite sure how to behave.

This close, she became more aware of his scent, cedarwood and wild, moonlit nights.

She allowed her gaze to wander over his battle-scarred upper body, taking in his broad shoulders and the way his honed muscles rippled with each movement.

A perfect smattering of hair dusted his chest, trailing downward to disappear tantalizingly into his waistband.

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