He was barely aware of moving, of striding over to her and settling his hands on her hips, feeling the warmth of her skin through her gown. And at the same time, she reached for him, lifting her hands and taking his face between them.

There was no fear in her eyes, only the same hunger that burned in him, and when he bent and took her mouth, it felt like a relief. As if he’d been in the desert dying of thirst and she was his first taste of water.

She leaned into him, kissing him back the way she’d kissed him in the jet, full of an unpractised passion that had the blood surging in his veins. Briefly, it occurred to him to wonder just how experienced she was with men, then her hands fell from his face and she was winding her arms around his neck, her body pressing delicately against his and all thought left him.

He wrenched his mouth from hers, pulled her arms from around his neck and held her away from him.

She stared at him, her mouth full and red, her eyes dark. ‘What?’ she asked breathlessly. ‘Did I do something—?’

‘Hush,’ he ordered, low and rough. ‘And keep still. I want to look at you.’

‘Oh...’ She let out a breath, her cheeks flushing an even deeper pink as he let his gaze wander over that incredibly sexy nightgown, studying the delicate rose of her hard nipples and how the lace both revealed and hid those beautiful golden curls between her thighs.

He bent his head and kissed her throat, tasting her frantic pulse before trailing his tongue down over the lace, following the curves of her breasts to tease her nipples through the fabric. She shuddered, a soft gasp escaping her, and when he took one nipple into his mouth, she groaned, arching into him.

Her heat and her scent were intoxicating, and before he knew what he was doing, he’d gone to his knees in front of her, his hands spread out on her soft hips, holding her steady as he kissed his way down her stomach to the heat between her thighs, using the fabric of her nightgown to tease both her and himself.

‘Orion.’ His name was a gasp as he pressed his tongue between her legs, dampening the white silk that veiled her, tasting her sweet feminine musk.

She was even more beautiful than he’d expected and suddenly he was tired of the nightgown. It had done its duty, but its role was over.

He gripped the delicate white silk in his hands and tore it open from hem to neck without a second’s thought. Then he pulled away the fabric and rose to his feet once again, looking down at her nakedness.

His snow maiden was all white and pink and the most utterly delicious woman he’d ever seen.

She said nothing as he stared at her, only gave him a challenging look, as if daring him to do his worst, and of course he couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do. So he grabbed her by the hips and tossed her onto the bed, then followed her down onto it. He pinned her beneath him, covering her full mouth with his and kissing her hungrily.

She tasted hot and wild, her curvy little body shifting impatiently beneath his, and her hands were tearing at his tie and his suit jacket, trying to undo the buttons, trying to get to him.

He shifted astride her, rising to his knees and stripped away his tie, his jacket and his shirt, then he bent over her once again, kissing her deeply as her cool fingers touched his skin and he felt something shudder deep inside him.

He needed to slow down, get a handle on himself somehow, but then her hands were stroking his stomach and venturing further, getting bold as she traced the line of his erection through the material of his trousers.

Lights exploded in his head, electricity arcing down the length of his spine. He couldn’t believe one touch would make him feel this way, but there was no denying he wanted her. He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath.

‘So you do like to tease,’ he growled against her mouth. ‘Perhaps I’ll repay you in kind.’ Except he’d never felt less like teasing.

‘No, please don’t,’ she whispered, arching against him. ‘I just need... I need you.’

It felt good to be needed by her, so very good, and so he didn’t wait.

Taking his mouth from hers, he found his wallet in the back pocket of his trousers and he extracted one of the condoms in there, because he never went anywhere without one. Then, after discarding the wallet, he pulled open his trousers and dealt with the protection before settling himself between her thighs.

He slipped one hand beneath the softness of her bottom and lifted her, tilting her hips and positioning himself. Then he thrust in hard, because he couldn’t wait, not a second longer.

She gasped, stiffening beneath him and he knew a moment’s shock, wondering if he’d hurt her. Then abruptly she curled one leg around his hip and lifted a hand, pushing her fingers into his hair and bringing his mouth down on hers, and the moment was gone.

There was only the wet heat of her sex gripping him so tight and the softness of her body beneath his. He moved deeper, harder, gathering her close and holding her against him, devouring her mouth before moving on to exploring her throat and the delicate structure of her collarbones.

She moaned beneath him, her hands clutching at his shoulders before stroking down his back and then up again, as if she was lost in a storm and trying to find something to hold on to. So he took her hands and held them down on the pillows on either side of her head, threading his fingers through hers and holding on as he moved faster, deeper, driving them into insanity.

There was a time for watching prey and a time for taking the opportunity to attack. And then there was a devouring and that’s what he wanted now. To devour her. To devour her utterly.

And as she tensed and cried his name, her inner muscles clenching tight around him, and he could feel the orgasm exploding along every nerve ending he had, he was exquisitely aware of one thing.

He was going to take her apart. Take her apart completely. Find out what made her tick, what made her so relentlessly fascinating to him, why it had to be her.

And he wasn’t going to let her go until he did.