Page 6 of Stolen By the Berserker

Strong arms gripped her elbows and steadied her. “Slow down.” Sten chuckled against the skin of her collarbone. “I’ll help you,” he whispered before trailing his hot lips down her neck again. His breath teased her breasts, and her nipples tightened into hard buds.

Cassie groaned, pulling him closer.

“If we don’t get to a bedroom soon, I’ll take you on the kitchen floor,” he growled and picked her up. Sten carried her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.

Like a cold shower, the removal of his body heat pulled her out of her feverish trance of desire. She looked up at Sten. “We need to think about this,” she said. This was bonkers. She didn’t even know his full name.

“What’s your last name?” she blurted out.

He chuckled. “Agnarsson,” he said. “Yours?”

“Simon.”

He leaned over her, sliding his arms up to her shoulders, his palms caressing her biceps on their way. “Now that we’ve covered that important detail, may I continue?”

Her breath wouldn’t slow down. “I don’t know. I have to think about this.”

“You think too much.” A wry smile stretched his lips. “But I will not coerce you. This has to be your decision.”

His smile mesmerized her, and by the way, the dirty t-shirt clung to his muscular chest. She reached out and put her palm against his chest. One-night stands had never been her forte, mostly because the candidates in her small town were few, and because gossip spread faster than wildfire. But she wanted this man with a desperation she’d never felt before.

Sten’s abdomen contracted, and he hissed at her touch. He captured her hand under his palm. “You can’t touch me like that, Sweets. Not if you want me to resist you.”

Cassie stared at their hands pressed together against the shirt. The steady beating of his heart drummed under her fingers. He was so alive and such a perfect specimen of a man. He was kind and so very sexy. She shouldn’t indulge herself just because he had such a hot body. It was absolutely the wrong thing to do. She hissed in a breath between her teeth.

“Did I hurt you?” Sten asked, releasing her hand. “I’m sorry. That is the last thing I want to do.” He crouched before her, his eyes searching her face. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Cassie whispered, lost in his smoky-gray eyes. They’d been warm and kind at the diner, but right now, they blazed with desire. That heat matched her own lust, which kept building despite her attempts to curb it. All these feelings were too overwhelming. She needed to do what she always did when her rational side wasn’t in control. She needed to close down her emotions.

She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing and tamp down the heat still blazing in her body. The warmth of Sten’s hand on her knee made her open her eyes again.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you okay?”

The concern she saw in his eyes nearly undid her. This man, this wonderful man, wanted her physically but was also emotionally tuned in to her.

“I’m not good with too many emotions too quickly.” The words blurted out before she could stop them.

He smiled. “You’re in good company. Neither am I.”

Her fingertips itched to touch him. She reached out and stroked one silky blond strand of his hair and then moved her hand to cup his cheek. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmured.

Sten grinned, but the heat in his eyes flared up. “I think that’s my line.”

She leaned forward to taste his lips but stopped just shy of making contact, enjoying his breath mingling with hers for a moment. She moved her hand down to the spot on his chest that she’d touched earlier. The fabric of the shirt felt deliciously coarse against her fingers, and she loved how his heartbeat pulsed against her skin.

His pupils widened and his nostrils flared. A growl rumbled deep inside his chest.

She paused and closed her eyes. In her mind, she recited all the reasons she shouldn’t continue to physically explore this wonderful man.

This brave, caring, sexy man.

This delicious mountain of hot muscle that she might never get the chance to climb again.

Finally deciding, she opened her eyes. “Kiss me,” she whispered. For once in her life, she would let her emotions take over and just follow them wherever they led.

He hesitated, obviously not prepared for her words. She pulled on the fabric of his shirt and smiled when he hissed at her again. “Kiss me,” she repeated more firmly.

“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned forward and captured her mouth with his.

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