Mistress Minded by Katherine Garbera Page B

body.
    “Like what you see?”
    “It’s okay,” she said, and when he started toward her with mock menace, she giggled. Really giggled, and despite the ache in his groin, he felt lighter than ever before.
    He scooped her up in his arms and dropped her on the bed. “Let’s see if I can change your mind, shall we?”
    “It’s going to take some work on your part,” she said, rolling onto her side and propping her head up on her elbow.
    “I’d probably work harder if you showed me a little flesh.”
    She bit her lip and then lifted the hem of her shirt a little so that it rested on the top of her thighs. “How’s this?”
    “You’ve got great legs, chère. But…”
    She lifted the shirt quickly and flashed him. He had a brief image of a nest of brown, curly hair at the apex of her thighs and a smooth flat stomach. Unless he was mistaken he’d seen a birthmark on her left hip. He reached under the shirt and rubbed the spot.
    “What’s this?”
    “Tattoo,” she said.
    “Show me?”
    “What are you going to show me? ”
    “I’m already bare-chested.”
    “So, convince me,” she said.
    He sat sideways on the bed, his hips resting next to her stomach. He took her hand from where it gripped the hem of her shirt, bringing it to his mouth. He nibbled the tip of each finger and then kissed the palm of her hand.
    He took her hand and stroked it down his body, rubbing her fingers over his sensitive skin. He hardened even more and tried to shift on the bed to relieve some of the pressure between his legs. Damn. He should have removed his pants.
    While her hand explored his chest, her fingernails scraped down the center of his body. He lifted herT-shirt and then bent down to examine her tattoo. It was a pretty little flower that wasn’t open, but tightly closed, and a drop of rain lay on the leaf below it.
    He traced the pattern with his tongue. Later he’d question her about it, but now he was too close to her body. He could smell the scent of her arousal, and a red mist settled over him. He wanted her, dammit.
    He ached to have her.
    “Convinced?” he asked, but his voice now was little more than a growl.
    She looked up at him from under her lashes. “I’m naked under this shirt.”
    “Hot damn.”
    She threw her head back and laughed. He gave up all pretense of playing games, shedding his pants and briefs in one quick motion.
    He took the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, tossing it aside. His breath caught in his throat when she lay spread before him in the golden glow of the lamp. She shone with an effervescence he wanted to claim for himself. But he knew at best all he’d have were these moments in her bed.
     
    First Adam caressed her with his eyes and his words. “You’re the most exquisite woman I’ve ever seen.”
    And when he looked at her the way he was now, she felt as if she really were. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel plain and ordinary. A flush spreadover her body and she pushed her shoulders back against the bed, thrusting her breasts into greater prominence.
    “Your skin is like the sunrise, warm and golden. And my fingers ache to touch you.”
    “I ache to be touched,” she replied.
    He smiled softly in acknowledgment. Then he bent over her, tracing the line of her body with his hands. His touch was so light it felt like a breeze, and she thought she was imagining it. But when he paused to explore her belly button she knew it was real.
    He licked a path straight down her center, but when he reached her pubic hair he turned his attention to her thigh, nibbling his way down her left leg and then back up her right.
    He avoided the areas of her body that ached most for his contact. Her nipples stood erect waiting for his mouth, but each time he came close he didn’t touch them. She writhed on the bed.
    He stopped and lingered at her tattoo. With his tongue he traced the pattern again, over and over until she reached down, tunneling her fingers through