Page 42 of A Delicate Conquest

He was only too happy to oblige. They both knew that. It was up to her to give the word.

Mavrel’s long, slender fingers slid up her arm, over her shoulder, along her neck, across her jawline. He was oh-so gentle, but she could sense the tension in him—tightly contained, on the verge of exploding.

His restraint was a huge fucking turn-on.

And now, in the darkness, when she couldn’t see him at all, the intensity of his touch was amplified a hundredfold.

He was already imprinted on her, right down to the smallest detail. She’d already imagined how she would recreate him.

She didn’t resist when he curled his arms around her and laid her down on the sofa.

She shuddered in delight as a tendril of his silken hair danced across the bare skin of her arms.

The darkness was absolute. Not even the faintest glow leaked through. And they were sealed away, unable to be detected, cocooned in this quiet, cavern-like space.

He could do anything to her.

That was part of the thrill.

She hadno ideawhat he was going to do.

And she was pretty sure he hadn’t been with a human woman before—or any other, for that matter.

It was entirely possible that he was a virgin.

So how was he so smooth and confident? How did he know how to pressallthe right buttons?

“Can I just take a moment to admire you?” he rumbled. “I’ve been wanting to do this so badly. I just didn’t think you’d be into it… so soon.”

She laughed softly.Someone as attractive as you? Are you kidding?“I’m not as innocent as I look. And for the right person, I don’t hold out just for the sake of holding out.”

Delicious tension wound through her core as she remembered that he could see in the darkness.

He waslookingat her.

His magical fingertips traced across her face before gently grazing over her hair. She felt him shift. Suddenly, he was above her, surely looking down.

She reached out and found his face.

Closing her eyes, she traced over his features: his high forehead, sharp nose, full and sensual lips. Fangs that made her blush when he gently nipped at her fingers.

It didn’t take much for her to slide her hands down across his shoulders, slipping beneath the silken edges of his robe, pulling the garment off to reveal his bare torso.

She traced over him, imagining each line, shading, dip, and arch.

Warm, smooth, lean, sinuous.

Powerful.

Otherworldly.

And ever so slightly dangerous.

But not to her.

To her, he was nothing but sweetness and light.

He leaned in, his hair brushing against her cheek, his warm breath feathering her skin. “I need to undress you.”

---