Page 18 of Curvy Hostage Mate
I shoved the thought out of my mind, forcing myself to focus on the discussion. “Being paranoid doesn’t give you the right to decide what happens to me, though.”
“I know. I can be controlling,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. His cavalier attitude rankled me, and I frowned as I stared at him.
“It’s not a trait you should be proud of,” I said, almost without thinking.
He turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised. “I do it to help people,” he argued. “There are times when, if you let thatcontrol slip away for more than a few seconds, people will get hurt.”
I tilted my head. “You sound as if you’ve had experience.”
He frowned. “Yeah, I do,” he confessed. “A few years ago, I was on a mission. I was trying to protect a town, and that included keeping everyone in line and confining them for a few days while we took care of the threat. Some of the town wasn’t happy. I tried to keep a grip on things, but I ended up slipping and losing control of the situation for all of a minute because some guy started challenging me. Before I could get it sorted, a whole riot broke out. People died.” He took a deep breath. “So, yeah, I can be controlling.”
I closed my eyes, picturing what he’d just told me. “I’m sorry,” I said.
He looked at me, his expression inscrutable, but something like want lurked in his eyes. “Thanks,” he murmured.
His hand brushed against mine, fingers gliding over until his large, calloused hand covered my smaller one.
I blinked, staring down at it, then up at him, surprised at how close he suddenly was, surprised at how much I wanted him closer.
His head moved down to mine. The air seemed to have escaped my lungs. For the moment, nothing mattered. All I wanted was him. His mouth brushed against mine, lingering for a moment before pulling back and searching my face. When I didn’t recoil or pull away, he bent down again.
The instant our lips pressed against one another, any sort of restraint Chris had been holding onto seemed to burst like a dam. His hand went to the back of my head, holding me in place as his mouth claimed mine.
I let out a soft moan as I melted at his touch, letting him hold me however he wanted. With effortless strength, he grabbed me by the hips and pulled me onto his lap. One free hand roamed down my side, tracing my curves. He pulled my head to his, his mouth pressing against mine once more. As I let his tongue slip into my mouth, I realized with an excited jolt that I could feel his hardness pressing against me.
I wanted more, realizing I could never be content with just his mouth. But before I could beg for more, he broke away, his hands still roaming along my side, sending new shivers of need racing through me.
“You have an incredible body,” he growled with undisguised lust, his eyes ravishing me.
“You don’t have to say that,” I said.
His hand paused. He blinked, the lust winking from his eyes for a moment. “What?”
“You don’t have to lie and say I have an incredible body,” I explained. “Lying isn’t exactly a turn-on for me.”
His mouth dropped open briefly. “You really can’t see it?”
“See what?”
“Just how fucking sexy you are,” he said. “Ever since I first saw you, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. And when I saw you in the Underside a second time…” His hands ran up and down my body, sending delightful shivers radiating up my body. “Let’s just say you have an effect on me that no other woman has ever had.”
His fingers tangled themselves in my hair, holding tightly as he brought his mouth back down to mine. I let out a soft sigh without realizing it, pressing my body against his as anoverwhelming need to be as close to him as possible consumed me.
His lips moved from mine, trailing down my neck to my collarbone as my back arched at the sensation. I gasped and let out a soft moan. Sparks flew off me wherever he touched. My fingers gripped his shoulders, holding him tight, not wanting to let him go.
With surprising tenderness and deftness, he slipped his hands beneath the hem of my shirt, raising it slowly, his eyes watching me to gauge my reaction, as if making sure he wasn’t going too far. But the fire beginning to burn inside me wanted him to go further. He must have read it, because he let out a growl of approval before pulling off my shirt entirely and throwing it to the side. He drank me in, but only for a moment before he took off my bra and threw it to the side as well.
His hand cupped my breast, squeezing gently. After so many rough hands pawing at me, his touch felt gentle and kind. I leaned into it.
“See?” he muttered. “You are incredibly gorgeous.”
He took my nipple in his mouth, tugging gently, his eyes still locked on my face as he waited to gauge my expression. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the groan even as that fire grew hotter. I squirmed as he held me in place. That craving, that need for him, overwhelmed me. This wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
I tugged at his shirt, and he responded instantly, helping me take it off. His shirt came over his head, and I tossed it to the side. I bit my lip without realizing it as I took in his body. Broad-shouldered with perfect muscles, every inch of them looked as though they had been carefully sculpted. Just seeing his bare chest sent new embers of flame between my legs. I had beendenying it since I first met him, but I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I wanted him. I wanted all of him.
His mouth pressed against mine again, but his mouth wasn’t enough. That craving had grown exponentially in the span of a few moments. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed more of him. It occurred to me that whatever I got may never be enough. I’d been trying to hold back that longing I’d felt since he’d taken me, and I was tired of fighting it. I wanted him. I wanted him now.
Taking control, I pushed him down to the ground from where I sat on his lap. On top of him, I let my fingers roam against his muscled chest, tracing the contours and the myriad of scars that crossed along his body. I followed the path of the tattoo that snaked up his arm and across the left side of his chest. His eyes remained locked on my face as I did this, his hands holding onto my hips as hunger and longing flickered across his expression.
