“I—”
He smiled wryly as her words disappeared and she stared at him with silent wonder.
“Too much, too soon?” he teased.
With a choked groan she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Kiss me.”
He did.
White-hot pleasure seared through Angela as he kissed with a clear intent.
This time there was no teasing, no slow buildup, no tender nibbles.
This was unapologetic hunger that threatened to consume her.
And exactly what she needed.
She didn’t want to think of the past, and the future was something to worry about . . . later.
She wanted to become lost in this moment.
As if sensing her need, Niko’s kiss became even more demanding, his tongue dipping into her mouth with an intimate sweep. In concert, his hand cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing over the tight peak.
Angela squirmed against him as the electric sensations jolted through her.
“Niko.”
He pulled back, studying with a hint of concern.
“Am I frightening you?” he whispered.
Her heart squeezed with a dangerous emotion. God, he was so beautiful. A sexy, lethally beautiful male who had enchanted her the minute he’d strolled into her lab.
But it was his instinctive urge to care and protect her that threatened to destroy the barriers she’d built around her heart.
No one had ever, ever treated her as if she . . . mattered.
As if she was the most important thing in his life.
The knowledge was more erotic than any amount of hard muscles and male beauty.
His brows drew together. “Angel?”
In answer, she plunged her fingers into the heavy thickness of his hair.
“I have wanted you from the moment I saw you in the doorway of my lab,” she confessed in soft tones. “I didn’t know what hit me.”
His soft chuckle brushed over her cheeks, his eyes darkened to indigo.
“Trust me, the feeling was entirely mutual.” Holding her gaze he slid his hand down the flat plane of her stomach until he could unfasten her jeans. “I tried to convince myself that you were just a part of the job, but I knew from the beginning I was lying to myself.”
Her body felt as if it was on fire as he expertly rid her of her remaining clothes. Then, still holding her gaze, he slid slowly downward. The rub of skin against skin made her shiver with excitement.
His lips touched the base of her throat before moving to her collarbone, tracing the delicate line with the tip of his tongue. Only when she was clutching at his broad shoulders did he allow the teasing kisses to travel down the curve of her breast.
“You’re so warm,” she whispered.
“All Sentinels run hot.” He shifted just enough to capture the tip of her nipple between his lips.
“Oh.”
She nearly came off the bed at the avalanche of sensations rushing through her body.
He was good at this.
Really, really good.
While his tongue and even his teeth pleasured her nipple, his hand slid down the curve of her hip. Angela squeezed her eyes shut, allowing herself the pleasure of exploring the broad width of his back, relishing the feel of silken skin over hard muscle.
She was growing lost in the surge of building sensations when his fingers encircled the back of her thigh and tugged her leg over his hip.
Her eyes widened as she felt the hard thrust of his arousal press against her most sensitive spot. She’d expected him to roll her onto her back, not to remain on their sides.
“Like this?”
He smiled at her hint of surprise. “We can do it anyway you want, but I’ve wanted you for a very long time. This seems . . . safer.”
“Safer?”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m several sizes larger than you.”
Her own lips twitched. “Yeah, I’d noticed.”
His smile faded as he studied her with an oddly somber expression even as his fingers drifted up and down the back of her thigh, the light touch sending shocks of excitement through her.
“I’m also a Sentinel, which means my strength can be hazardous if I’m not careful.”
She held his gaze. “I trust you.”
His eyes briefly closed, as if her soft words had touched something deep inside him. Then, lifting the indecently long lashes, he met her gaze with a stark need that pierced straight to her heart.
“I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you, angel,” he said, his voice husky. “I can’t be entirely certain of my control.”
That newly discovered thrill of power flared through her. She didn’t know how she’d ever managed to capture the interest of this astonishing, sexy, compelling man. But for once she wasn’t going to allow her self-doubts to ruin the moment.
Angela leaned forward, nuzzling the corner of his sensuous lips.
“I’m certain.” She kissed a path along his knotted jaw and then the strong column of his neck, addicted to his intoxicating taste. “You would never hurt me. Not intentionally.”
He sucked in a deep breath.
“No, I would never intentionally hurt you.”
She slowly kissed a path back to his lips, her hips rubbing against him in blatant invitation.
“No more talking.”
Framing her face in his hands, he claimed her lips in a kiss that she felt to the tips of her toes. Oh . . . yes. She shivered with pleasure, her mouth parting to allow his tongue to tangle with hers.
Drowning in the heat of his devouring kiss, she stroked her hands over the hair-roughened skin of his chest. A delicious excitement curled in the pit of her stomach as he tugged her leg higher on his hip, the tip of his c**k sliding through her damp clit.
She hissed in pleasure, her nails digging into his chest.
Easily sensing the growing urgency of her desire, Niko pulled back, his face strained as he struggled to maintain control of his spiraling desire.
“Angel, I can’t wait,” he rasped. “I need to be inside you.”
His rough voice sent a flare of aching desire through her.
“Yes,” she breathed, shuddering as his fingers drifted over the curve of her hip.
With infinite care he explored the tender skin of her lower stomach before heading ever lower.
Angela muttered her approval as he covered her lips in a hungry kiss, but even distracted she gave a strangled groan when his seeking fingers stroked through her damp heat.
“God, you feel good,” he muttered. “Are you ready for me?”
Ready?
Hell, she’d been ready for weeks.
Another stroke or two of those clever fingers and she’d be reaching paradise alone.