Page 94 of An Inconvenient Marriage
Unaware of what was going on inside me, Natalie closed the distance between us and pressed her palm against my cheek. Pushing onto her toes, she held my gaze.
“Does it matter what I wear when it’s only your touch I want?”
Shit.
Because I didn’t know how to respond to that without saying something I might end up regretting, I kissed her instead. I used my mouth and my tongue to tell her without words that it didn’t matter who came after me, my touch would be the only one she’d remember.
The only one she’d ever fucking want.
I kissed her until we were both breathless and ready for more, then tore my lips away from hers. “I wish we had more time but I’m afraid if we take too long, Javier might come looking for us again.”
Natalie’s eyes grew wide. “I do not want a repeat of that.”
Since I couldn’t resist, I gave her another quick peck on the lips, then hurried to get myself clean. But being alone only led to my mind running rampant again. And no matter what I did, all thoughts always led back to Natalie.
The things she wanted.
The things I wanted for her.
The way she made me feel.
I’d thought it all filled me with confusion, but by the time I was dressed and ready for dinner, it was clear as day.
It didn’t matter if I wanted to keep her. It didn’t even matter if she wanted to stay. Because the only thing Natalie needed was freedom. It was the one thing she never had and the only thing I could give her.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be selfish and have my fill in the short time I had with her.
“Can you help me with this zipper, please?”
Dragging myself back to the present, I fastened the last button on my shirt and focused on the woman before me.
Creamy skin teased me, taunted me, and it took all my effort not to bend down and kiss my way up her spine. But again, we didn’t have time. With an internal sigh, I placed one hand on her waist and slowly dragged the zipper up with the other.
When I was done, I couldn’t resist pressing my lips to the spot where her neck and shoulder met. The touch was quick, far too quick, but it still set my pulse on fire. And I wasn’t the only one affected. Natalie sucked in a sharp breath, and those little goose bumps I so loved to see popped up all over her skin.
Later, when this dinner was over, I was going to have her stand exactly like this. But instead of pulling the zipper up, I was going to drag it down and feast on her the way I longed to.
“All done.”
My voice came out strained, and when Natalie took a step forward and turned to face me, I had to shove my hands inside my pockets.
Smiling sweetly, she held her arms out and spun in a slow circle. “How do I look?”
I shifted from one foot to the other and cleared my throat. Because shit, even though the short-sleeved lace bodice came up to her neck, it clung to her curves like a second skin. And the bottom part that flared out from her waist and ended just below her knees really shouldn’t have filled my mind with illicit thoughts.
And yet…
“Fucking gorgeous,” I rasped.
She beamed at me, and I swear my heart almost gave out.
Ignoring the feeling as best I could, I grabbed her hand. “Come. Let’s get this over with so I can drag you back here and have my way with you.”
24
Natalie
Dinnerhadgonebetterthan I’d expected it to.
