4.He returned home, and took Katie with him.
Despite the chill in the air, he began to sweat more profusely. Katie…in Imperia… Would she agree to leave her family behind? Probably not, and he couldn’t blame her. Would his people accept her? Again, probably not. They would expect her to act as other females, keeping her head bowed, her eyes downcast, never speaking unless spoken to. A fate worse than death for one such as Katie.
Now he had only to figure out which fate he desired.
* * *
KATIE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED drop-kicking herself. Again and again today, she’d softened toward Jorlan. So much so she’d decided to throw caution to the wind and kiss the air from his lungs.
He’d been so charming. So interested in her life. He’d experienced highs, and he’d experienced lows. For both, she’d wanted to hug him close and never let go.
Finally, she allowed herself to dissect the kiss. Not fully. Not yet. That would come later, when she was alone. For now, she let herself consider the end result.
Drumroll please…
Five gold stars! Expert skill (of course). Amazingly soft lips. And out-of-this-world taste! As sweet as cotton candy.
Her body had ached so desperately, she’d considered shoving him into a shadowed corner, ripping off their clothes and gifting him with her virginity.
Thank goodness they’d stopped! She never should have kissed him in the first place. If you didn’t take the first hit, you wouldn’t crave the drug; it was as simple as that.
But she had taken that first hit. She knew he could make her feel good. No, great. No, amazing. She yearned for more.
“What thoughts roll through your mind, katya? You seem out of sorts.” Jorlan leaned his massive frame against the wall and crossed his arms.
Heat scorched her cheeks. “Oh, uh…nothing.” Truth! Right this second, her thoughts revolved around nothing but panic.
He straightened, intrigued, and closed the distance. When he stood before her, he clasped a lock of her air and brushed the strands against her lips. “Now I really must know.”
Shivers plagued her. “I just…I like this new side of you.” He’d shown her kindness and consideration, he’d displayed curiosity about her life, and he’d respected her wishes anytime she’d voiced a want, even when he’d hoped for something different.
His gaze locked with hers, and a long, protracted moment passed in silence, the air around them crackling with electricity.
She stayed exactly as she was, afraid to sever the tentative bond that was growing between them, but also afraid not to sever it. She didn’t know which would be better for her, couldn’t think straight.
Her cell phone beeped, shattering the moment. Jorlan stiffened and stepped back, then clasped his hands together, brisk and formal, as if they’d never shared such an intimate moment.
She checked the screen and pursed her lips. The battery needed to be charged. Of course.
“What labor would you have me do?” Jorlan asked. “I am eager to begin.”
“And I’m eager to watch you.” Crap! What an admission to make. An admission he hopefully did not understand…even though his eyelids had just dipped to half-mast. “I mean, yep, I’m ready to work, too. Let’s see, let’s see. Oh! I know. I will lo—like you forever if you move the large rocks that line the edge of the driveway to the back fence. It’s a tedious and backbreaking chore, and I hate to ask you to do it—okay, that’s a lie. I love asking you to do it because it means I won’t have to do it later. Sorry.” She shrugged, all, What are you gonna do?
The blue depths of his eyes seemed to ripple like the surface of an ocean, whenever a rock skipped over the surface. “It will be my pleasure to do this for you, katya.” He strode to the door, purring his next words. “I’m certain it will be your pleasure to watch me.”
With the teasing taunt lingering in the air, Katie found herself alone.
Alone.
Just like that, her lungs opened up and she sucked in a mouthful of air. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized she’d held her breath as he’d exited, already mesmerized by his fluid grace. And yeah, okay, his butt. What? That thing was a work of art.
I’m in trouble, aren’t I?
She sank onto a pile of floor tiles, rested her chin upon her upraised knees and finally let herself relive their kiss in all its shining glory. Gah! How had she gone from not thinking about it, to pondering the end result, to performing a mental autopsy?
Did the answer really matter? Her brain chanted, Kiss, kiss, kiss!
With a sigh, Katie let her thoughts descend into her memory gutter. No, gutter wasn’t the right word. Her memory playhouse? Yeah. Better.
When Jorlan had wrapped his arms around her waist, his sandalwood scent seducing her senses, she hadn’t wanted to run, as she’d done before. A shocker. She’d wanted to feel and touch him…wanted him to feel and touch her, too. And oh, how he had touched her.
He’d stroked his tongue against hers, sending scalding heat through every inch of her. The world had faded to black, her awareness centered on Jorlan, and only Jorlan. Desire had coiled deep in her belly, tightened her nipples and pooled between her legs. She’d been completely lost for him. Lost, as if she no longer existed as a separate being. She’d reveled in every moment and hungered for more. More of the glorious sensations, the consuming ache, the unwavering need. Her every cell had come alive, each nerve ending aching for a climax.
She’d been kissed before. Of course she’d been kissed. For some reason she didn’t want to ponder, this one had been different from any of the others and far more than a simple meeting of lips. This had struck her as a communion of souls, as if the chemistry had been exactly right for the first time ever.
If a kiss had affected her so strongly, how much more would sex affect her?
I’m going to sleep with him, aren’t I?
No longer could she deny the inevitable. If she continued to resist him, she would spend the rest of her days wondering about what could have been. Besides, she’d played things safe with Jorlan so far and look where that had gotten her. Frustrated and unsure. Confused. Needy. Desperate. Why not experience the ultimate pleasure while she had the chance?
Though a virgin, she’d done her research. Maybe a little too much research. She’d read books, both fiction and nonfiction, and watched a ton of porn. But only the classy ones!
Fine! She’d also watched the ones with excellent plots. And those with no plot. What’s more, she had a mental list of sexual positions she longed to try. Every single position left her vulnerable and at the mercy of her lover. Pinned. Suspended. Tied. She kinda sorta suspected she had the traits of a submissive, but only in bed.
To Katie, there was just something incredibly sexy about a powerful man taking charge of her pleasure. Not that she would do anything and everything her lover said. No, oh, no. He’d have to work for her capitulation.
Just the thought caused her mouth to curve in a languid smile, carnal shivers raining down her spine.
Her phone beeped, a bomb blast in the silence; startled, she nearly screamed. A whole hour had passed, and all she’d done was think? Goodness gracious.
I should fire myself. And yet, she felt more lighthearted than she had in weeks. Months. Years? Katie grabbed everything she’d need to remove linoleum in the upstairs bathroom. A floor scraper, a chisel, a hammer, a pair of pliers, a utility knife, a putty knife, a flat pry bar and a heat gun. Next up, safety gear. Gloves, knee pads and a clear face mask.