tiled floors as he headed toward the stairs at the back of the home. She’d already discovered when she went in search of the bathroom that the house was beautifully maintained, despite the appearance from the outside, with all the modern conveniences a person could want. Now she had far more important things to occupy her mind.
They entered the nearest bedroom that was decorated in a pale ivory and lilac. Without hesitation Lian was crossing the floor and lowering her onto the massive four-poster bed.
Sage’s heart thundered in her chest, the spicy scent of his musk stirring her arousal until she could feel a damp heat bloom between her legs.
Straightening, Lian stared down at her, his entire body Hunter-still as he studied her with a predatory gaze.
She shivered, her mouth dry. Everything about this man screamed danger, but she’d never been more excited in her life.
“You have me more comfortable,” she husked, the anticipation flowing through her like the finest aphrodisiac. “Now what are you going to do to me?”
“First I’m going to strip off these highly unnecessary clothes.”
Moving to plant one knee on the side of the mattress, Lian leaned down to grasp the hem of her sweatshirt, tugging it over her head with a smooth motion. He offered her a boyish grin of satisfaction as he easily performed the same service for the rest of her clothes, revealing that this was far from the first time he’d stripped a woman.
But once she was stretched naked on the lilac comforter his amusement faded, to be replaced with an expression of savage ferocity.
“Oh shit,” he muttered.
She licked her lips, struggling to breathe. God. She needed to feel his hands on her skin.
It was becoming a near painful force.
“Is something wrong?”
“Hell no,” he growled, his heated gaze inspecting her with unnerving intensity. “You’re perfect.”
“Aren’t you going to take off your clothes?” she urged in husky tones.
As if sensing she wasn’t as bold as she wanted him to believe, Lian swiftly stripped off his clothing, standing in front of her like a bronzed, exquisitely sculpted work of art.
Her eyes widened. God almighty. She’d never seen anything more beautiful. He was all male. A feral animal with his broad chest that tapered to a narrow waist and the long, muscular legs.
On his upper right shoulder she could glimpse a stylized tattoo of a crouching puma that looked ready to pounce.
And then there was the proud thrust of his arousal…
Her stomach clenched, her breath hissing between her teeth.
Okay. She needed this man.
Now.
“Better?” he murmured, watching as she stirred with restless frustration.
Daringly she patted the mattress. “You should be here.”
“Soon,” he assured her, placing a hand next to her head as he leaned over her. “First I intend to lick you from head to toe.”
“That sounds—”
Her words were forgotten as his lips captured the hard point of her nipple.
She gasped as his tongue flicked over the tender tip, teasing her until she was arching in need. Good lord. She’d never felt anything so amazing.
It was as if she’d waited her entire life for his touch.
Licking and biting his way to her other breast, he reached up to tug her hair out of the rubber band to allow it to tumble over her shoulders.
Instantly his fingers smoothed through the silvery strands.
“Such glorious hair,” he sighed. “Like liquid moonlight.”
“Can I feel yours?”
The gold of his eyes darkened, his cat lurking just beneath the surface.
“God, yes,” he pleaded.
He held perfectly still as she slowly undid the long braid, delighting in the midnight texture.
“It’s soft,” she said in a wondering tone. “And it smells like musk.”
She combed her fingers through the long strands, allowing it to brush over her naked skin. The sensation triggered a low groan of approval from her parted lips.
“You smell like summer. Warm days and lemonade,” he breathed, his hands