36

Alaric kissed her again, and panic clawed at her chest. From everything she knew about him, he wasn’t the type of man to settle down, and from what she knew about his needs, she wasn’t sure she could ever fulfill them. And she was also sure that every moment she allowed this to continue, the further she slipped under Alaric's sensual control. But she was no coward.

She wanted to feel this—whatever this was. As long as she kept her head on straight and above water, she could handle him and her own conflicting feelings. Couldn’t she? The flutter moved from her stomach to her chest. Maybe she wasn’t even thinking straight, but who could blame her? This man was walking, breathing sin.

“Vanessa,” he murmured, brushing his lips over hers. His breath was enticingly hot. “Tell me.”

Blinking her eyes open, she barely contained a sigh when her eyes met his. “You are really impatient.”

He grinned, and her chest spasmed at the almost boyish quality to it. “You have no idea.”

Her hands smoothed ou