Chapter 11

His eyes on hers, he flicked open the clasp of her overnji. She flinched.

As if he owned her, he leisurely trailed his fingers over the fluttering vein in her neck, pausing just a moment to trace the dragonfly on her necklace. Her breathing picked up, and he smiled at the unmistakable scent of charmer desire. For a moment he forgot it was terror and not passion he was supposed to inspire, and he reveled in her response. With his eyes half closed, he drank deeply of her intoxicating perfume.

Whether he knew it or not, Keilor wasn’t a man in control. No man could be so close to a charmer and remain his own.

He shook his head as he remembered this was supposed to be a lesson, not a seduction. He moved to kiss her.

She snarled at him.

“Behave,” he warned her with sensual promise, “or I’ll bite back.” She nipped him anyway, and he nipped her back sharply on the bottom lip, careful not to damage her tender skin. She gave a shocked whimper and jerked back. “Behave,” he repeated, and licked the small hurt to soothe it. The soothing turned without warning into a commanding kiss, full of hot persuasion.

Jasmine was having second thoughts. Whatever had possessed her to let him do this? The man was arrogant enough as it was without her giving in to him like a fool. Now was a fine time for fear to start speaking sense! Never mind that it was a fear born of inexperience.

She tried to bite him, but it took only moments for thoughts of revenge to be swept away by the siren call of their desire. His was a kiss specially designed to overcome a woman’s objections. She moaned and kissed him in return, then jerked back with a mortified gasp.

He laughed softly against her ear, and she shivered. Her response to him was flattering, and he knew she wasn’t happy about it. It was not what he’d intended. He’d have done nothing more than scare her into obedience if she hadn’t betrayed herself with her unmistakable desire. Now heat like a river poured through him, consuming restraint, daring him to test her limits.

Pulling back, he flashed her a predatory smile, and untied the knot of her bandeau. He left the ends draped loosely over her neck, still protecting her from his eyes, but the slightest movement on her part would cause them to slide right off. She held very still, but her pupils smoked over, and her body spoke of anticipation, not fear.

Barely breathing, she watched him warily as he traced a finger across her lips, to her temple and down her jaw. Ever so slowly it moved down her throat, her breastbone, and all the way down the stripe of skin exposed by her unfastened clothes. It circled her pretty navel and dipped slightly below the first button of her pants.

She shuddered, and it wasn’t with fright.

He grinned with wicked delight.

With one hand he grasped the white bandeau where it crossed her back and slowly pulled it away to bare her breasts. She gasped as her nipples were exposed, visibly struggling to control her breathing. It didn’t work, and her lovely breasts thrust forward with every inhalation, begging for his attention. The nipples tightened under his gaze. He met her eyes with a look hotter than molten gold. “Very nice,” he approved hoarsely, and she shut her eyes and writhed against her constraints. He unfastened the buttons on her pants and heard her breath catch in anticipation.

He was killing her.

With excruciatingly erotic, nerve wracking slowness she felt the soft slide of heavy silk as he lowered her pants just enough to be able to trace the top line of silk he revealed. Another hot tremor seized her, and she sucked in a breath. To cover it, she snapped, “Enjoying yourself?”

His eyes were full of sultry promise. “Oh, yes, but not nearly as much as you’re about to.” He smiled when her hips jerked in randy enthusiasm at his words.

She swore, furious at the sexual control he had over her body. So I want him, so what? she thought angrily. Its just hormones. He was too arrogant, and he delighted in trying to scare her. Why should she give him even that much without a fight?

Unfortunately, to fight him was to fight her body, and it was showing signs of surrender under his tender assault that even a blind man couldn’t miss.

Keilor wasn’t blind. He flashed her a wicked smile that made a sheen of sweat break out all over her body. He lightly ran his nails over her hips, up her sensitive sides to cup her tender breasts. She cried out and her body surged forward, begging for more.

“With pleasure,” he whispered, and rolled her nipples between his thumbs and fingers. She tried to hide her face against her arm, but could do nothing about her pleasured cries. He kept his touch light; just enough to tease, not enough to satisfy, and her body jerked as she tried to restrain it from thrashing. His hands trailed downward over her flushed skin, pushing her pants down just enough to bare the scandalous panties.

With his hands spanning her hips, his thumbs lightly stroked along the very edges. In a low, dangerous voice, he asked her, “Will you be toying with me again?” He didn’t need to be more specific; they both knew he referred to her attempted escape, and now she knew he took it personally.

Very personally.

She grit her teeth, unwilling to give him the words, knowing he already understood she wouldn’t lightly defy him again. Her hips twisted once under his caressing hands and she let out a strangled sound of frustration and rage. Boldly, he reached down and lightly touched her erotic nerve center...once. Even braced for it, a scream tore loose from her sensitized body.

He removed his hand, but still she thrashed, fighting against losing all dignity and begging him for more. He waited until she regained some shreds of control and opened desperate, glittering eyes. Holding her gaze, he slowly pulled up her pants, savoring each uncontrolled jerk that told him how much her body fought the deprivation of his touch.

Pain, her body cried. Pain from needing it. His eyes told her he understood, and at the slightest word from her he’d ease the hurting, but he knew better than to expect her to ask.