Page 75 of Heartless
The house had finally quieted down, with only a few guests remaining as Shadow made the finishing touches on Larkan. Most of them talked quietly with my other men across the house in the sunroom, which they were using as a smoking lounge.
My fourth man twisted and stretched, rolling his neck around on his shoulders once he finally put the tattoo gun down. Larkan thanked him and rolled off the coffee table, looking pretty exhausted himself.
“Had enough of socializing yet?” I asked Shadow, coming up behind him to rub his shoulders.
“Just about hit my limit, yeah.” He turned to look at me. “That never includes you, though.”
“Smart thing to say,” I smirked, circling around him until I landed in his lap.
He snapped his gloves off and pulled me higher up his thigh, kissing me like a starving man. My pulse shot up, heat throbbing between my legs. He was just as responsive and giving as ever, but his kisses seemed far more eager than ever before.
Our lips parted slowly on a breath, his eyes meeting mine before flicking down slightly. I couldn’t help myself from leaning in, tracing that scar tissue through his brow and eyelid with my lips.
“Come to my room with me?” he asked so softly, like he was afraid of what the answer might be.
I slid a hand up his chest, the organ inside pounding like a drum under my palm. That steady, firm beat contrasted with the buzzing in my body, the anticipation of finally being with him like a beehive in my chest.
“I’d love that, Shadow.”
Twenty-One
MARIPOSA
Following Shadow into his room, I turned and locked the door behind me with a soft click. He stood in the center of the room when I turned back to face him, his face a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
“You okay?” I approached him, taking both of his hands.
His fingers squeezed around mine. “I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to do.”
“That’s okay.” I offered him a smile. “We’ll learn together. Do you want to sit down?”
He backed up slowly, lowering to sit at the edge of his bed. I placed a knee on either side of his thighs, lowering into his lap as my palms skimmed up his massive shoulders. In the familiar position, some tension drained out of him already, his gaze softening as his hands came around my back.
“You know how to kiss me,” I told him, nudging my nose against his. “So why don’t we start there?”
Shadow needed no further instruction, his lips finding mine with a soft press. I closed my eyes to return the pressure, seeking nothing but the taste of him. We had all the time in the world now. No dangerous mission to take him away tomorrow. None of our people with gunshots or stab wounds calling me away to the hospital. We were still on the brink of war with all the worries that came with that. But right now, it was just us.
He sighed when my fingers came up to stroke his neck and face, pushing his hair back and dragging my touch along his scalp. One day, he’d figure out how much I just loved touching him.
Kissing him left me breathless. He never rushed or tried to dominate my mouth, but savored each taste along with me. A strong hand left a trail of heat up my back, while the other encircled my waist and pulled me closer. Only after several minutes of kissing, when he’d utterly relaxed into a puddle in my arms, did I prompt him to escalate things further.
My lips trailed across his cheek to his ear. “Touch me anywhere you want to,” I whispered, darting my tongue out against his earlobe. “I mean it. Anywhere.”
He let out a shuddering groan as my tongue trailed down the side of his neck, sucking lightly at the rapid pulse. His fingers curled at my hip but didn’t move for the longest time. I brought a kiss back to his mouth and then, his hand inched under my shirt to graze against my bare skin.
“Can I—”
I grabbed the hem of my top and flung it over my head before he could finish asking the question.
“Yes, Shadow.” I palmed the sides of his neck, pulling another deep kiss from him. “Anything you ask me tonight, the answer is going to be yes.”
He smiled, beautiful and unrestrained as his fingers now made tentative, exploratory trails of heat on my bare skin. Bolder now, he dragged kisses down the front of my throat. I tilted my head back to give him access, leaning into his hands still caressing me in relatively tame areas. One finger skimmed up my arm, over the tattoo he gave me, then hooked under the bra strap on my shoulder.
He dropped a kiss on my collarbone while slowly pulling the strap down over my arm. I knew he was giving me ample opportunity to stop him, to take back my enthusiasticyes, anything. But that was never going to happen.
I pulled my arm out when the strap reached my elbow and removed the other one myself. His gaze flicked back up to mine, our mouths finding each other in another sensual kiss as his hands slid around my ribcage to unhook my bra. He slid the garment out from between us and it fell discarded on the floor.
Hands and forearms covered my naked back as he crushed me to his chest, his kisses growing hungrier with each ragged breath. Just as he did with me, I grazed my fingertips along his waist and dipped them under the hem of his shirt.
