“Oh?” Today, she’d shut him down every time he’d asked about her past, certain he would ask about past lovers, and she’d have to admit to being a virgin. How would he react? “Can we discuss my life tomorrow? I thought we could try out one of those positions tonight.”
She expected a reaction. Excitement. Urgency. Nervousness. What she got? A big fat bowl of nothing. He evinced a grand total of zero emotion. Until his erection tented the towel.
Oh, thank goodness! He wants me.
Ultimately, he said, “Nay. We will discuss your life now.”
“Is that so?” I’m ready to sleep with him, and he wants to know about my future husband? But…she deserved this, she really did. Every time he’d wanted to bed her, she’d stopped him. “What do you want to know, then?”
A pause as he pondered. Then, “What qualities you desire in your life mate.”
Her breath caught, her gaze snapping back to his. “Are you asking me to marry you again, because I—”
“Nay. I am curious, nothing more.”
Well. That was good. Great. No, wonderful. I’m not disappointed at all.
Whatever. He wanted to know? Very well. She would tell the truth, even though he wouldn’t like it. “I will choose a man who loves me for who I am, not the woman he wants me to be.” Hint, hint. How many times had he complained about her assertive nature?
If they were to go to Imperia, he would grow to hate her, no question. He would remember how much he adored subservient dates, and regret wedding Katie. She knew it, felt it, hence the rejection of his proposal.
“I see,” he said, his tone gruff.
Did he? “What about you? What are you looking for in a wife?”
“A woman with spirit and courage, who fascinates me and makes my body throb with unquenchable need. Someone who makes me forget the centuries of imprisonment.”
Cords of jealousy slithered down her spine. Which was ridiculous! The woman was nameless, faceless and might not exist. “Can we move on to phase two of the evening now?”
His brows arched. “Phase two?”
“Sex. Intercourse. Making love.” She held out her arm and crooked her finger, beckoning him over. “I want you, Jorlan.”
He laughed without humor, his irises deepening to a cool slate. “You wish to bed me, but not wed me. Just as I have wished to bed but not wed others. I have heard your people refer to this type of situation as karma.”
Realization: her rejection hurt him deeply. This wasn’t a man-pout because he hadn’t gotten his way; she thought he might actually…care about her.
“Jorlan,” she rasped.
He gave a slight shake of his head, sending several strands of dark hair over his brow.
“Please come here.” She beckoned him over a second time. “Don’t be afraid.”
That did the trick. He barked, “I fear nothing,” then trudged over, dragging his feet. He stopped out of range, choosing to sit at the edge of the bed, just in front of the side table. The scent of soap and sandalwood wafted to her nose, filled her lungs and teased her cells. Her heart raced faster than ever before. Her nails itched to sink into his back, and her toes curled.
He looked anywhere but Katie, his gaze finally settling on a box of condoms. “What is this?”
“Condoms. Also known as rubbers, raincoats, love gloves, insurance policies, cock socks, shrink-wrap and happy hats.”
When his brow puckered in confusion, she explained the consequence of unprotected sex.
He listened, intent. “I can only impregnate if we were life-joined, katya. The bond is what makes both Imperians fertile. And I have no sexually transmitted diseases.”
Sweet! Fighting a sudden rush of nerves, she moved directly in front of him, standing between his spread knees. She brushed the inky locks from his eyes and fought a rush of nervousness. “I’m clean, too.”
He did not acknowledge her words, just swept the box to the floor and raised the tube of lubricant. “And this?”
“It helps—” Nope. That explanation was more embarrassing than informative. “It eases—” Nope, that wasn’t the best way to explain, either. “It makes a woman wet, for easier penetration.”
His grin faded, disappearing altogether. “What a ridiculous product! I make a woman wet, katya. This—” he tossed the tube over his shoulder “—is not necessary.”
Her heart nearly bust out of her chest. “Are you sure you make women wet? Perhaps you should check me, just to be sure?”
He stiffened. He ran his tongue over his teeth. He gripped his knees and squeezed. Never had a man appeared more at war with himself.
Filled with a heady mixture of need and anticipation, she wondered about her next move. So many options! Her top two favorites: lead his hand to her core or play with herself while he watched, then slide her damp fingers into his mouth.
In the end, he took over. With a ragged moan, he clasped her by the waist and eased her closer. Close enough that he was able to kiss the sensitive spot between her breasts, where the robe veed. His warm breath smelled of sweet mint and sent ripples of pleasure through her veins.
He lifted her then, and settled her on his lap, her legs straddling his. The new position left the sides of her robe gaping open, revealing more of her breasts and all of her thighs. Cool air stroked her overheated skin, and she gasped.
His erection rested against her soaked core, his towel the only thing that separated them, and oh, he was huge! Thick and as hard as granite. Because of me. Feminine power intoxicated Katie.
Voice all smoke and gravel, he said, “I might have been in a hurry to get to this moment, but now that it has arrived, I am going to take my time with you, savor every touch, every sound.” His eyes burned with arousal but also iced with determination. “I will give you what you want, katya, but you will give me more than you’ve ever given another.”
“Yes, yes. More.”
A heartbeat passed, a mere whisper of time. The room crackled with electricity, his every exhalation rougher than the last. Anticipation built until she shook with it.
Then and only then did he fist the hair at her nape and yank her face to his. Their lips met in a sizzling kiss.
Rolling her tongue against his, Katie wound her arms around him. So good. So right.
But all too soon, he pulled back to pant and watch her through the thick shield of his lashes. “Do you know that ’twas not vengeance or home that I first craved when I felt the stone dissipate? ’Twas you.”
Beautiful words. Wonderful. Beguiling. The urge to cling to him poked and prodded her, and she didn’t have the strength to resist. “I wanted you, too.” She kissed his cheek, his brow, his other cheek and his chin. “Can we end the conversation now and focus on the good stuff?”
His soft chuckle heated her skin another thousand degrees. “Getting to know you is the good stuff. Everything I learn makes me desire you more.”
That was, hands down, the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. Moaning, she claimed his mouth in an explosive kiss. Their tongues dueled, wild and wanton.
Jorlan reached beneath the robe to cup her breast and lightly pinch her puckered nipple. The intimate contact drove her mad, her body aching, desperate for more. The calluses on his hands evoked the most delicious friction.