Page 63 of The Silent
He walked over and retrieved it for her, trying not to envy the cool cotton fabric that would touch her skin. He handed her the gown, then went behind the screen in the corner, facing the wall as he heard her change from her dress to hernightclothes.
“I’mchanged.”
He walked back toward the bed and sat on the edge, forcing his thoughts to remain on the mundane. He took off his socks and placed them at the end of the bed. He removed his shirt; he would need to borrow one in the morning if anything could be found big enough for him. His pants… were definitelystayingon.
Kyra was lying on her side with the bedspread pulled over her, watching him as he undressed. Leo blew out the lamp and decided sleeping on top of the bedspread was probably a good idea. In the darkness, her eyes fell to his chest and the dark tattoos that covered his arms andshoulders.
“So many,”shesaid.
“Call me an overachiever,” he said. He scooted up next to her and put his head on the pillow. “You’re certain you’re comfortable with me sleeping onthebed?”
“Yes.” She lifted a hand, then let it drop. “You make me feel safe, Leo. Youalwayshave.”
Leo took her hand in his. “Did you want totouch?”
Kyra’s cheeks went red again, but shenodded.
Leo placed her palm over his heart. “Touchanywhere.”
Her eyes went wide. “Anywhere?”
Oh, heaven give him self-control. He folded his hands behind his head and breathed deeply, the muscles of his chest hard under Kyra’s hand. “Anywhere you want,” he said. “Anything you want. Touch me, Kyra. I’myours.”
ChapterThirteen
He’d presentedher with a banquet and commanded her tofeast.
Kyra was wide awake now. It had started when he knelt before her and washed her feet. Who knew washing feet could be so seductive? Every moment of self-control, every evidence of restraint only teased her further. Ratcheted up herownneed.
Kyra felt the tension in Leo’s muscles rippling under her palm and knew he was practicing the most ardent discipline. His eyes were closed, but his lips were deep red and swollen. She remembered how they kissed her skin when he was washing her. Shifting a little, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his shoulder. His skin came alive under her hand and her lips. He drew her energy into his body, drinking it like a parched desert soakeduprain.
He breathed out hername. “Kyra.”
“Leo.” Her mouth moved from his shoulder to his collarbone as her hand traveled south to the defined abdominal muscles she’d been thinking about. She traced each one individually, and he didn’t try to muffle hisgroan.
“Is it too much?” sheasked.
“More.” He turned his face to hers, and his self-restraint slipped. He reached a hand behind her head and pulled her into a hard kiss, devouring her mouth with his own, biting at her lower lip, sucking her tongue into his mouth, shifting so that her hand was pressed between their bodies on the bed. The gold hair trailing down his belly called her, and the black tattoos covering his body began to glow with a silver light. She ran her fingers up and down his belly as she swallowed the moans Leo poured into hermouth.
“Kyra, Kyra, Kyra,” hepanted.
“Toomuch?”
“More.”
“Areyousure?”
His laugh was tortured. “You can do anything you wanttome.”
His kisses made her bold. She slipped one arm under his neck and pulled him harder into their kiss while her other hand searched for the hard rock of the erection she felt pressing against her thigh. He was so tall. So powerful. To know she commanded his body like this made herheadswim.
“I want to touch you,” she said, tracing his erection over his pants. “MayI?”
Leo was in the throes of pain. Or pleasure. It looked very similartoher.
“Leo—”
“This was not what I intended when I offered to sleep with you,” he whispered, his eyes pressedclosed.
