Page 24 of Going Rogue
Cupping her face, he kissed the line between her brows. “Then let me show you.”
CHAPTER 9
Rogue
The heat in Crane’s eyes was a solar flare capable of decimating her insides. Rogue tried to breathe through it, but her stomach had lodged itself in her chest cavity, stealing precious air from her lungs.
If he kept looking at her like that, she might spontaneously combust.
She’d demanded the use of the washbasin before they did anything, but it proved hard to focus on cleaning the dirt from her arms with his gaze trained on her every movement. He sat on the edge of the bed with his hands balled into fists in his pants pockets.
Clearing her throat, she asked, “Can you give me a minute?” To make sure heunderstood, she pointed toward the tent flap. She needed to wash some very important parts, and she couldn’t do it with an audience.
His sigh was audible, but he stood to leave. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Great!” Oh God, her voice climbed several octaves as if she’d suddenly inhaled helium.
Way to sound like a nervous wreck!
He gave her a strange look but, thankfully, didn’t comment. She wanted the cleansing ritual to give herself time to calm down, even at the risk of trying his patience.
When he disappeared through the flap, Rogue blew out a breath. She needed a drink orsomethingto settle her nerves. She’d faced down armed men and not beenthiswound up.
As quickly as she could, she removed the rest of her clothes and scrubbed herself clean. But it didn’t stop her head from spinning.
What if I do something wrong? What if I suck at it? What if—No!
She mentally slapped herself and shookout her shoulders. Time to stop being neurotic over nothing. No matter how things went, it didn’t really matter because this would only be a one-time event.
With that fact calming her at least a minuscule amount, she climbed under the bed covers and called for Crane to return.
A frown tugged at his lips when he stepped inside. “What are you doing?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer, but he didn’t seem to need one as he stalked to the bed. “Why are you hiding under the blankets?”
The question irked her. “I’m not hiding.” She wasn’t . . . was she?
“I want to see you.” When he started to pull the covers down, she instinctively wanted to hold onto them.
After scolding herself for acting like a ninny, she sat up, letting him look his fill. A shiver racked her, but it had nothing to do with the air temperature.
The honey in his eyes glowed as he said, “You’re fuckin’ gorgeous.”
She didn’t pretend those words meant anything, but she couldn’t deny that Crane’sproximity amplified the magnetic energy between them, heating her from the inside out. What didn’t incinerate under his gaze burned with an impossible pressure when he hadn’t even touched her yet.
But she wanted him to.
Arching a brow, she goaded, “Are you planning to do more than look?”
“A lot more.” A dangerous smile built and spread across his face, making her stomach respond with jitters as if she’d swallowed jumping beans.
She didn’t know who reached for whom first, but she found herself being lifted off the bed as their lips melded together. Her legs dangled, so she wrapped them around Crane’s waist. With his mouth on hers, every nerve ending in her body stood at attention. She felt each scrape of his pants against her thighs. When his metal belt buckle pressed against her center, its cool burn fired off new sensations until her whole body buzzed like a fuse waiting to go off.
Without disconnecting their mouths, Crane lowered them both until he sat on the bed with her straddling his lap.
His kiss was all-encompassing.
In the possessive slide of his tongue and the rough glide of his hands over her, she felt his longing—desire gone desperate from leaving it unquenched for so long. She accepted the need spilling out of him and answered with understanding and patience she didn’t know she possessed. Because the same need surged within her.
