“You brazen hussy.”
When she laughed, he pulled her into his arms. By the Light, the peal of her laughter was so sweet to his ears.
She took a deep breath, and the pressure of her breasts against his chest sent his blood rushing to his groin.
“Gwen, I might go insane if I don’t kiss you.”
She touched his cheek. “Then I recommend you go ahead.” Her eyes fluttered shut when he bent down to press his lips against hers.
Sweet. He kissed her again, and when she leaned into him, he deepened the kiss, molding his mouth against hers.
A thrill of victory shot through him. Yes. He’d known it would be this good with Gwennore. It was more than good. It was glorious. His heart thundered in his ears, and the fire of the dragon flared in his chest. Somewhere in the dark reaches of his lust-filled brain, he realized he’d never reacted this strongly before to a mere kiss.
When she moaned, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. By the Light, she was warm and sweet. And bold, for she hesitated only a second before welcoming him with a stroke of her own tongue.
He wanted her. He wanted her more than any woman he’d ever met. And he wanted her now.
He pulled back for a second to let her catch her breath, then dove in for a hot and ravaging kiss. She melted against him, kissing him back, her fingers entwined in his hair. His sweet and bold Gwennie.
She gasped against his mouth when he cupped her breast. Through the thin material of her shift, he felt her nipple harden against the pad of his thumb. And that just made him grow harder. He needed her now.
As he smoothed his hands down her back, he reveled in how beautifully she arched against him. The small of her back, the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips: It was all perfect and perfectly in tune with him.
More, he wanted more. He splayed his hands over the sweet curves of her rump and pressed her hard against the swollen bulge in his breeches. Yes. She belonged there.
“What?” She jerked back, and her gaze dropped to his breeches. “Holy goddesses.”
“Gwen.” They weren’t finished. He attempted to pull her back, but she jumped away.
“I wasn’t expecting anything more than a kiss.” She shot an incredulous look at his breeches. “Surely you weren’t planning to … to copulate with me? We just met three days ago!”
“I didn’t plan anything. It just happened while we were kissing.” And they weren’t finished. He reached for her.
She stepped back, frowning. “If that’s the case, we had better not kiss again.”
“What?” His lust-hazed brain was having trouble following this. “Why?”
“Because I have no intention of copulating with you.” She shifted her weight nervously. “I—I only wanted a kiss. I’ve never experienced it before, so I was curious—”
“You did this out of curiosity?” The fog of lust in his brain faded away, leaving behind a knot of frustration.
“Well, yes. Partly.” She winced. “I also wanted to be bold for a change. And I wanted to make sure that you were…” She bit her lip as she glanced away.
“That I was what? Going insane?”
“That you’re a genuine human male,” she mumbled.
“What else would I be?” He raked a hand through his hair. Dammit, was she suspecting the truth?
She stole another glance at the bulge in his breeches. “I would say you’re definitely male. But it hardly matters, since I never intend to copula—”
“I got it!” He held up a hand to stop her. If she mentioned her objection to copulating one more time, he might end up punching a stone wall. “But you should know, for future reference, that I definitely want to kiss you again, and in a moment of passion one thing can lead to another.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s precisely why we should never kiss again.”
“You were enjoying it.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “That may be true, but—”
“May be? Hell, woman, you were on fire.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “It was my first time to experience a moment of passion, so I may have gotten a bit carried away. But I’m sure that in time, I would learn to control myself—”
“Don’t you dare. I want you out of control.”
Her blush spread to her ears. “Thankfully, I was still rational enough to come to my senses and stop this before something terrible happened.”
“Terrible?” he repeated. Why didn’t she just slap him? It would hurt less.
She nodded. “It would be terribly improper for us to copulate when we hardly know each other.”
“Don’t—” He gritted his teeth. “I do know you.”
She scoffed. “You’re obviously not thinking very clearly.” She motioned toward his breeches. “No doubt you’re suffering a diminished mental capacity due to your extreme reaction.”
“What?” Did she just call him stupid? “Gwen. How would you know what’s extreme? How many men have you kissed?”
She winced. “None, other than you. But I have treated male patients in the past, so I feel reasonably certain that this is not normal.” She tilted her head, studying his breeches, and her eyes widened. “Good heavens, I think it’s getting even bigger!”
“Because you’re looking at it!”
Her gaze lifted to his face. “That’s all it takes?”
“Apparently so.” He clenched his fists. “You should be flattered you have that much power over me.”
She blinked. “I … do?”
“Yes. Now, before I go totally insane, I’ll go to my dressing room to take care of this problem.”
“Really? How?”
“Why do you ask?” He arched a brow. “Would you like to lend a hand?”
She looked confused. “I don’t think so.”
“That figures.” He trudged toward her dressing room. “Rejected again.”
“Don’t come to my bed tonight.”
He paused by the door. “Why not?”
“I think the reason is obvious.”
“You don’t trust me.” He glanced back at her. “Or could it be you don’t trust yourself?”
Her face grew pale. “I’m going to spread the news that our affair is over.”
“Then what will be your excuse for remaining here for a month?”
“I’ll try to finish in a
