Page 51 of Whisper of Temptation (Whisper Lake 4)

That was it. Those two words put her over the edge. She felt her knees give way beneath her, but before she’d even sunk a few full inches, Austin caught her up in his strong arms and swept her right off her feet. Literally.

Cradling her in his arms, making her feel like a real-life princess at the end of a fairytale, he stepped into the room and kicked the door shut behind them. He reached over and engaged the lock, all in one smooth motion.

“Holy…wow…that might be the single sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” She gasped, eyes wide, a small smile playing across her lips.

He laughed, but it wasn’t a sound full of mirth and carefree glee. It was intense and smoldering, and she felt that raw chuckle all the way to her core. Looking right into her eyes, he said, “Baby, if that’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen, then damn, do I have some things to show you.”

A small whimper escaped her, and Austin covered it by crushing his mouth against hers, moving his lips so passionately she could almost believe he’d been wanting this, needing this, as much as she had—although she didn’t see how that could be possible.

Then there was no more room in her brain for words. No more room for conscious thought even, because Austin was kissing her. Austin was touching her. His arms were wrapped around her, and her body was pressed tightly against his rock-hard form. It was a heady sensation.

She felt like the teenager she’d never had a chance to be—like she was the homecoming queen, and Austin was the star quarterback, and everything was perfect and shiny and young and new. It was the most intoxicating feeling she’d ever experienced. Forget drugs. Forget alcohol. She’d never been in danger of becoming addicted to any of those. However, addiction to Austin Stone? That was a real possibility.

Desperation overwhelmed her, and she began grabbing at his shirt. She wanted—no needed—to feel his skin beneath her touch. When he covered her hand and halted her progress, she sucked in a startled breath.

“Sara,” he rasped, resting his forehead against hers. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes.” There was a sensual catch in her breathy voice. “I’m sure.”

A deep growl vibrated from Austin’s chest as he lowered her onto the bed, his breath coming in short, heavy pants. Knowing she was the reason he was breathing that hard was the most erotic piece of information her brain had ever processed, bar none, and she felt the heat of it zing all the way through her body, settling in between her legs.

She was so full of sensation and emotion that she didn’t know what to do with herself. She felt like she’d come out of her skin, explode with the intensity Austin was making her feel. She couldn’t stay still, but she didn’t know how to move, where to put her mouth or her hands. The sexual energy in her body was reaching a highly combustible state she simply couldn’t control.

Then she remembered. The idea of control brought it back to her mind.

She didn’t have to know what to do with herself. She didn’t have to decide where to put her hands, or her mouth. She heard Austin’s words replaying in her mind. “I’ll drive.”

Oh, yes. The sexiest thing anyone had ever said to her. She breathed a sigh, one comprised of equal parts relief and arousal, and leaned back into the pillows to let Austin drive. All she had to do was relax and enjoy every single sexy second of the ride.

***

Austin couldn’t believethis was really happening. For the past few days, he’d been holding himself back. Trying to rein in his desire to touch, kiss, and claim Sara. But now he was here, with the woman who in one look claimed him, and he was about to make love to her. He was going to explore every inch of her sweet, beautiful body. It seemed too good to be true, but at the same time, it felt a hundred percent right. It felt destined.

He brushed her hair back from her neck and began trailing kisses down that soft flesh that he’d fantasized about. Her pulse thumped beneath his lips, and the sensation sent his body rocketing into the stratosphere. His plan had been to go slow. He had wanted to make this a night they’d both remember forever. He’d wanted to savor every moment they had together, and every inch of her soft, milky skin.

But that plan was out the window now. Need was racing through him with the force of a freight train, and as strong and controlled a man as he usually was, he was no match for the fierce desire that now filled him. He wanted to take her, fast and hard, and he could see with one look in her hungry eyes that she wanted that every bit as much as he did.

He kissed farther down her body, his pace accelerating, blood pounding through his veins with the force of hurricane-level gale winds. He slid his hands to her waistband and gently tugged the hem of her shirt up out of her jeans. Exploring with his fingers, he caressed the silky skin of her hips and stomach, delighting in the way her breath drew in sharply at his touch. God, he loved the way her body reacted to his touch. But he needed to see, to feel more.

With a single tug, he had her shirt the rest of the way over her head and then quickly unhooked her bra with one hand, throwing them both aside as if they were afterthoughts—which they were. His gaze, and his mind, were completely enthralled by her beautiful full breasts the instant they were uncovered.

He devoured her with his eyes, taking in the sensuous curve of her heavy mounds, leading to the dark circles of her areolas, tipped off by the hard, stiff peaks of her nipples. He shivered at seeing how hard they were, and he hadn’t even touched them yet. Or kissed them.

He leaned down and pulled her nipples into his hot mouth, one after the other, alternating the pleasure that sucking on them would send through her. He didn’t want to overload her right away. He teased them with the hard tip of his tongue, then made his tongue soft and swirled it around them, each in turn.

The moans and whimpers coming from her—involuntarily, he could tell—were like the cheering squad at a sports event, urging him on to even greater accomplishments.

He wanted to light her on fire the way he was on fire with desire for her, and even more than that, he wanted to taste every inch of her. No. Wanted was too tame a word. Needed was better, but still not strong enough. It was more like he’d die unless he tasted her sweet juices.

Trailing his mouth down her torso, he peppered her skin with his kisses, letting his lips and his tongue express his hunger. Austin moved more quickly down her body as the intensity between them grew. He had no doubt this was exactly what she wanted as well, when she buried her fingers in the back of his hair, urging him further on and groaning, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Unbuttoning her shorts, he let his fingers wander over each new inch of skin as he uncovered it. It was soft and feminine, just like she was. He loved it. He needed more. He slid her jeans down over her hips, gently removed her shoes from her feet, and pulled her jeans off over her legs. They quickly joined the growing pile of discarded clothing in the corner of the room.

He paused for a moment to drink in the heavenly sight in front of him—Sara in nothing but a tiny, lacy pair of pink panties. He committed that image to memory so he’d never lose it. As beautiful and intoxicating as it was, he couldn’t linger. He had to get to what was underneath that pretty pink slip of lace. He was desperate.

Slowly, he pulled the sexy piece of nothing down over her hips, letting it follow the same path her jeans had just slid down. This time, however, he enjoyed the hot silkiness of her skin as he trailed his hands down her legs—almost as much as he enjoyed the way her muscles jumped and hips bucked beneath his touch.

Raising his head, he took in the glorious sight finally in front of his eyes. Sara Kellan, naked. Damn. Her beauty could not be overstated. She took his breath away.

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