Surprisingly, he strode to the dresser and clicked on the same lamp Selene had turned off. Obviously he didn’t prefer darkness in every instance. He still had on his slacks, but he’d removed his shirt, and his wavy hair looked as untamed as his eyes. He touched the gold medallion hanging against his bronzed chest then ran a slow palm down from his sternum to his belly. For a minute she thought he might remove his pants but instead, he stalked toward her.
With great effort, Selene maintained a relaxed posture despite the rapid beat of her heart. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
Adrien braced both hands on the arms of the chair and leaned toward her. “I had every intention of coming, and soon you will, too.”
He topped off the suggestive comment with the hint of a smile that did little to ease Selene’s urge to twitch in the chair. She clasped his offered hands and allowed him to pull her up into his arms, against his solid body that radiated heat. When she pressed her palms against his chest, intending to explore, he caught her wrists and held her arms at her sides.
“I’ll do all the touching,” he told her, his voice impossibly deep.
“Does this mean you expect me to be submissive?”
“Yes.”
Nothing new there. She’d played the submissive to Richard, but then she hadn’t really cared enough to actively participate. Their married life had involved little more than occasional, perfunctory sex. Although she’d avoided too much analysis during their time together, she realized now that any true passion had been lacking from the beginning. During lovemaking—if she could really call it that—she’d always been detached. At times, even uncomfortable. Yet she sensed that with Adrien, detachment or discomfort wouldn’t be an issue.
He glanced behind him toward the bed before bringing his gaze back to hers. “Normally I prefer the unconventional, but I might have to make a few concessions tonight.”
She was more than curious and a tiny bit nervous over the possibilities. “What do you consider unconventional?”
He brushed her hair away from her shoulders. “Anywhere other than a bed. But after I get started, you might be too weak to stand.”
Weak? She was already feeling weak only imagining the potential in his promise. And in order to see this through, Selene would have to give him her trust. She honestly believed he didn’t intend to hold her down and torture her, or at least not any way that would put her in serious jeopardy.
Adrien kept his eyes leveled on Selene while he turned her palms up and kissed each wrist. “You don’t have to worry,” he said, as if he sensed her concerns. “It’s up to you to tell me when to stop or to go.” He lifted one of her hands and rubbed her knuckles along his jaw. “Although you’ll be saying go more than stop. Yes more than no.”
Selene appreciated his confidence. In fact, she appreciated everything about him at the moment—the length of his dark lashes, the definition of his incredible mouth, the breadth of his shoulders and the clear-cut control he emitted.
Absolute power.
“First, you need to relax,” he said as he took her hand and led her to the open doors, then stood behind her. A chorus of locusts eemed to keep time with Selene’s thrumming heart as Adrien circled his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.
“The swamp is a powerhouse of biorhythms at night.” He moved his palm to her neck and rubbed his thumb up and down the column of her throat. “Unlike humans, animals don’t fight the force of nature.”
“They don’t overanalyze, you mean.” Selene was proud she could assimilate any thoughts at all with Adrien so close.
“Exactly.” He tipped her face back with his fingertips and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “They only consider their natural urges.”
Selene decided taking a lesson from nature seemed like a fine idea. Right now she would give up all reason for his attention. The pleasure of his touch. He kissed her lightly, chastely, before pulling away until she sought his mouth again. Twice more he retreated, and each time Selene went back for more. Finally he deepened the kiss, suckling her lips, nipping lightly, exploring meticulously with the soft thrust of his tongue.
So wrapped up in that kiss, it took a moment for Selene to register the waft of warm air on her chest. She hadn’t even noticed that Adrien had managed to unbutton her blouse, leaving her red lace bra exposed.
He halted the kiss to rest his lips against her ear. “Are you relaxed yet?”
Relaxed, not exactly. Heating up with every passing moment, definitely. “I’m getting there.”
“Good.”
When he circled her nipple through the thin lace with his fingertip, Selene’s whole body felt as if it might liquefy. She could only imagine how she would react when he finally touched her without any barriers at all.
He slid his hand down her bare midriff and around the skirt’s waistband, as he had in the cabin earlier that day.
“Stop or go?” In the instant that she hesitated, he told her, “Don’t think too much, Selene. Listen to your body, not your mind.”
“Go.” The word rode out on a shaky breath that halted altogether as Adrien reached down and worked her skirt up her thighs. When he formed one palm between her legs outside her panties and applied only a slight pressure, her knees practically buckled.
He released a rough, sensuous laugh. “We definitely need the bed.”
Again he took the lead, and she followed him back into the room without any real qualms. He seated her on the edge of the mattress and left her to open the screened windows flanking the closed doors, then walked to the middle of the room and pulled the chain that set the overhead fan on high.
He came back to the bed and stood over her. “Take off your blouse and your bra.” His voice was a firm command. His steadfast gaze demanded she answer.
As if she had no choice but to do his bidding, Selene slid the gaping top off her shoulders with ease and draped it on the footboard. But when she attempted to tackle the bra’s front closure, her hands trembled. Adrien knelt in front of her and gently moved her hands away before effortlessly flicking the bra open, proving he’d done this before. Probably many times, Selene decided. When he leaned forward and touched the tip of his tongue to her nipple, Selene experienced a pleasurable shock to her system and drenching dampness between her legs.
He stood, pulled her to her feet and, after he’d proficiently discarded her skirt, he tossed back the bedspread and sheets. “Stretch out on your back, Selene.”
Selene was naked except for her panties, and he was still wearing his slacks. That seemed somewhat unfair. “What about you?” she asked.
“What about me?”
“Aren’t you going to get undressed?”
“This is all about you right now.”
Well, that was definitely a first in Selene’s experience, so she chose not to argue even though she was somewhat disappointed. She doubted that her disappointment would last very long. After climbing into the bed, she laid her head back on the pillow, waiting and wondering what Adrien planned to do next.
Following a long look down her body, he sat, leaned over and braced his palms on either side of her. “I want you to watch what I’m doing.”
“I want to close my eyes so I can concentrate.” The truth, but only in part. She wanted to remain somewhat disconnected. She wanted to treat this exclusively as a visceral experience, leaving all emotions out of it. She didn’t want to become too attached to a man who lived only for the moment.
“If that makes you more comfortable, fine,” he said. “At least for now.”
Selene