Page 48 of The Price of Power

“Good,” he said, growling more than speaking at this point. “Then stop playing around and take off your fucking dress.”

The forcefulness of his words sparked something deep inside me. I closed my eyes as I felt my whole body catch fire. The last traces of my caution and reserve melted down inside like ore in a crucible, changing into something else.

Something wild and dangerous.

Listening to this new voice inside me, I reached behind me and, finding the zipper with my fingers, gently pulled it down. The material of the dress was so smooth and silken that it didn’t take much for gravity to take hold and gently slide it over the curves of my body. It pooled into a graceful ring around my ankles.

I opened my eyes to find Gabriel’s hungry stare roaming all over my nearly naked body.

The dress had been too thin and fine for a bra, so I’d gone without. So now, the only thing I had on was the tiny strip of lace and satin covering my most intimate parts. But given the ravenous way Gabriel was looking at me, I wasn’t sure how long that was going to last.

It was a strange sensation, standing naked for the first time in front of a man that I’d already screwed. Strange to realize that we’d known the feel of each other’s bodies before we’d seen the sight of them. Somehow, it made the intimacy of this moment more profound.

And that sensation only deepened as Gabriel reached out and, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulled me flush against him.

Even though he was still fully dressed, I could feel the unforgiving strength of his body underneath his clothes—taut and powerful and warm—as he pressed his face against my skin and started a trail of molten kisses down my belly. With every swipe of his tongue, my fingers raked through his black hair, urging him on.

Until I felt his teeth pulling at the lace band around my waist.

“Gabriel.” My voice was so breathy that I was almost afraid he couldn’t hear me. But his head pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. “Not yet. I want to see you first.”

For a second, he closed his stormy eyes, and I watched his jaw twitch as if he was struggling for control. But eventually, he let out a sigh and stood up, saying, “If that’s what you want.”

And dear God, I did.

Now more than ever.

A strange sense of power rushed through me, knowing that just the sight of my body could bring a man like Gabriel, someone so dominant, someone so dangerous, to the edge of control. It thrilled me in a way that I’d never felt before.

Enough that my fingers trembled a little as I started to pluck at the buttons of his shirt. By the time I reached the bottom of the row, I was almost tearing at the fabric in my urgency, and I had to admit that he clearly had the same effect on me.

My breath deepened as he slid the shirt off his back, showing the most wonderful chest I’d ever seen. Not just in person but anywhere.

His body wasn’t perfect like a Hollywood action star’s—though I’d bet what little money I had that they wished they had a physique like his. Even though his chest was wide and his skin was taut, there were no ridiculously chiseled six-pack abs. No painful-looking veins poked out on his neck or forearms. Nothing about him looked manufactured, sculpted, or tamed in any way.

Instead, every muscle in his massive torso radiated a sense of raw power that made my mouth drop open and my eyes go wide. I couldn’t help myself. I reached out, flattening my palms against his skin and soaking in the warm, vital feel of him.

For a man known for bringing death wherever he went, he felt so magnificently alive.

I moved my hands up over the short, crisp hair and black tattoo ink that spread over his pecs. I let my fingers glide over the rock-hard line of his shoulders and down his powerful arms until they rested near his waist.

“Liv.”

The sound of my name hung in the air between us, and I knew what I wanted.

Before he could grab hold of me and push me on the bed, I fell to my knees in front of him. My hands were trembling before, but now they were full-on shaking as I fumbled with the front of his pants. In the end, I pulled so hard that the button went flying, and I heard it ping off the hardwood floor behind me.

My breath caught in my throat as his cock sprung free right in front of my eyes.

Even though I’d felt it last night and knew the wonderful things that part of him could do, I somehow wasn’t prepared for the sight of it. Thick and heavy and fully erect, I wrapped my hand around the base and, without hesitation, dragged my tongue up the underside.

“Liv!”

The sound of his voice was more urgent now as I stretched my mouth open as wide as I was able and guided the head of his cock inside.

I wasn’t a total novice when it came to oral sex, but I was far from a master of it. In the past, it had felt like an obligation. A chore I needed to complete before getting on to the better parts of the night. But not with Gabriel.

With him, it felt right.

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