Without a word he reached across the table and drew his thumb against the corner of her mouth, then slowly dragged it across her bottom lip. Faith watched in rapture as he brought his thumb to his mouth and licked it with agonizing slowness.
“You had mayonnaise on the corner of your lip,” he said, his voice low and oh-so-sexy.
Was he deliberately trying to drive her crazy? She grabbed the napkin and swept it across her mouth. “Thank you.”
His dark eyes warmed her. “It was my pleasure.”
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him, despite knowing she should stop whatever was happening between them. She simply could not deal with any more today.
Thankfully, Ryan stood. “I’m sure you’re tired. I’ll let you get some sleep.”
Faith rose from the table, nodding. “Thank you for your help with the dress.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and stepped toward her, taking her hands in his. He pulled her against his chest and slid his arms around her back.
The crisp hairs of his chest rubbed her breasts. The thin silk of the gown and robe did little to keep the heat of his body from hers. Her nipples hardened against him, the rush of desire almost dropping her. Her limbs turned to gelatin and she felt weightless and lightheaded.
“Two months, Faith,” he said softly as his head dipped towards her. “That’s a very long time. Are you sure?”
This wasn’t fair. No one had ever held her like this, made her feel such uncontrollable need. She wanted so much to experience these feelings, to step toward that desire and know what she hadn’t known before. Blood pounded at her temples and liquid heat pooled deep within her. She was certain Ryan could sense her reaction because he tightened his hold on her, his hands softly kneading the muscles of her back, gradually sliding lower and lower.
“I…it’s…you agreed to it.” Pitiful excuse.
“I know. How stupid of me.”
The smoke-filled depth of his eyes drew her in, hypnotizing her senses, rushing over her like a wildfire out of control.
If his lips drew any closer they’d touch hers. Faith was sure she’d die if they did. She was already losing control, inhaling his scent with rapid breaths, his hands burning against the silk of her gown, drawing her ever nearer to the heat of his lips.
Then just as suddenly as it started, the storming inferno was over. Ryan stepped back, his lips parted as the hint of a smile crossed his features.
“Tomorrow, you move into my bedroom. Goodnight, Faith.”
He turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Faith stood in the middle of the room, wondering what had just happened. Her breathing still hadn’t returned to normal. The rhythm of her heart continued to pound its staccato beat. She still felt him, smelled him, all but tasted him on her lips as the memory of his thumb against her mouth singed her skin.
Despite her thoughts about needing to wait, wanting to wait, she had been ready to leap into her husband’s arms.
She thought she had more self-control than that. It was obvious her inexperience was no match for the powerful charm of Ryan McKay. She’d have to be extra careful over the next couple months and try to keep her distance from him. Too much of his overpowering sexuality and she’d self combust. Clearly, she was not ready at all for an intimate encounter with Ryan.
Two months wasn’t nearly long enough.
And yet, two months was a very long time.
Talons
A collection of five stories taking you to the height of passion
Now Available in print and ebook
Talons: Kiss Me Deadly
© 2006 Shannon Stacey
Death is a collective--an unkindness of supernatural ravens with the power to take the form of men and to decide which humans live and which humans die with a mere touch.
When Khail lays his fatal touch on his next victim and she doesn’t die, he’s faced with a human immune to his deadly power who has seen him shift form--and he’s able to have physical contact with a woman for the first time in centuries.
Falling for a shapeshifting messenger of Death wasn’t on Bridget Sawyer’s agenda, but things are about to get even more complicated. The Unkind is determined to claim her.
Talons: King of Prey
© 2006 Mandy M. Roth
In a place where realms combine and portals open passages to the unknown, a prophecy speaks of fertility being restored to his people through the taking of King Kabril’s mate.
The prophecy neglects to mention she lacks something vital to his kind—wings. Kabril, King of the Buteos Regalis has no interest in taking a human mate. His kind believes humans are dirty, vile creatures who rely on machines to lift them into the air. The last place he wants to go in search of his mate is Earth, but he’s left no choice.
Never did he expect to find love on a planet with one moon, people who lack wings and a stubborn vixen who makes his heart soar. When he does, he fears the truth about who and what he truly is will steal it away. Little does he know his enemies fully intend on doing the taking.
Talons: Firebird
© 2006 Jaycee Clark
Legend has it firebirds bring both good fortune and destruction, Reen has become an expert at both…
Reen is an expert at destruction and annihilation. She’s a Hunter, an elite, one of their best assassins, she’s also a legendary firebird—a creature of lore. Staker, a member of the Falcon order, is her soul mate from a bloody past she desperately tries to forget, but one that haunts her every moment. The two are thrown together in a desperate search for missing women.
The Collector is a man who loves the hunt, preying on the unusual, on the special—all to keep these women for his own use. The Collector favors shifters, the rarer the better. He traps them, keeps them, and turns them into his own private collectables.
Staker doesn’t want Reen to be a part of this dangerous mission, but she has other plans. Unfortunately, so does the Collector…
Talons: Caged Desire
© 2006 Sydney Somers
He’s trapped…she’s suspicious—to earn his freedom all he has to do is win her trust.
Locked in a cage for almost fifty years ago, Logan has had nothing but time to plot his revenge on those who wrongfully condemned him to spend eternity in the deepest regions of a South American rainforest. But with one look at the alluring vampire who holds his freedom in her hands, revenge becomes the farthest thing from his mind.
Eve Blake is puzzled by the wooden crate delivered to her door. Even stranger is the large golden eagle inside. It doesn’t take her long to realize the majestic creature is far more than he appears. Finding a man in the cage previously containing the feathered animal gives Eve every reason to suspect the shifter was locked away for a reason.
Can she trust him when he promises not to harm her if she releases him? Or will her decision cost both of them more than they bargained for?
Talons: Seize the Hunter
© 2006 Michelle M Pillow
Fate is giving her the one man she'd never want for her very own.
Princess Ari of the planet Falconia knows it’s her time to marry and has picked out several suitable men in her mind—none of which are Falcoan Army Commander, Rurik of the Fifth. The man tormented her as a child, causing her untold humiliations. But there is really no need to worry about such a match. Shifters cannot rule and Rurik is a natural born falcon shifter.
Trusting destiny, Ari sips from the Marriage Chalice, sealing her future. But things don’t go as planned. It would seem fate is giving her to the man she despises. How can she find happiness with the one man she could never want for her very own?
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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On the Edge Page 13