Page 80 of Royal Creed

That was before Creed.

Now, I’d give anything to be his. For him to claim me. Mark me. Own me in all the ways I yearn to be possessed by this man.

“You could have fooled me,” I murmur, fingers threading into his hair, nails scratching against his scalp.

“It’s because I was counting.”

“Counting?”

He pulls back, but keeps me locked in his arms. “It’s something I picked up in the military, especially when about to go on a dangerous mission.” He chuckles under his breath. “Well, on special teams, they’re all dangerous, but some are more so than others. So instead of getting stuck in your head in the minutes leading up to it, a counting exercise helped ground me. Five things you can see. Four things you can touch.”

“Three things you can hear,” I continue with a smile. “I’m aware. It helped me after Mum passed. After I walked into her bedroom and found her—”

“Of course,” he interjects, preventing me from reliving the awful memory of being the one to discover my mother’s body. Something no one should ever have to deal with, let alone a nine-year-old little girl. “That’s what I was doing. But to be honest, the things I counted were a bit…inappropriate.” His voice drops to a sinful timbre as he flashes a salacious grin.

I drape my arms over his shoulders, toying with a few tendrils of hair. “And what did you count, Lieutenant Lawson?”

He moistens his lips, drawing my attention to how much I want them on every inch of my body.

“Well, first it was five things I could see.”

“And they were?”

“Your eyes and pink cheeks.”

He drops his hold on me, bringing his hand toward my face. But he doesn’t touch me as he hovers his fingers over my skin. Warmth vibrates through me, making me want to move a fraction so I can feel him. But I don’t, allowing the anticipation to coil through me.

Over the past week, I’ve learned the buildup is often as pleasurable as the main event. While I enjoy every moment of sex with Creed, I love the seduction the most.

Because he doesn’t merely seduce my body.

He also seduces my mind.

It makes the moment we finally come together, our bodies joining as one, even more incredible.

“Your nose.” He lowers his hand until his thumb lingers over my bottom lip, but he still doesn’t touch me. “This mouth and that sinful tongue you love to tease me with whenever you slide it along your lips, which you do quite often, I might add.”

My tongue darts out of its own volition, and he smiles. “Just like that.”

He inches toward me, breath intermingling with mine, but at the last second pulls away, leaving me panting. Frustrated.

And so turned on I’m ready to combust.

“Then what?” I ask, desperate to get on with it, since I know what’s coming.

“Four things I can touch,” he croons, his deep voice causing goosebumps to prickle my skin.

“And what were those?”

“Your hair.” He moves his hand to my hair, collecting it in his fist and yanking it to the side, exposing my neck. “This neck.” Using his free hand, he wraps his fingers around my throat, the hunger and longing in his touch lighting me on fire. Then he releases me, hands traveling to my chest and cupping my breasts. “These amazing tits, of course.”

My eyes roll into the back of my head as he pinches my nipples through the unwelcome barrier of my blouse. I want to rip it off. Want him to rip it off. Want to eliminate anything standing between us.

“And of course, then I thought of touching your—”

“Wait a minute.” I snap my eyes open, stepping out of his touch.

Now it’s my turn to tease him.

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