nearness of her skin over the ribbon of her spine.
âYour hands are trembling,â Sloan murmured on a marveling note.
âDamned right they are,â Trey admitted with some force. âThatâs because theyâd much rather be figuring out how to get this zipper down than up.â
With a turn of her shoulders, she gave him an over-the-shoulder look that held amusement and something else. âMost men wouldnât admit that to a girl.â
âIâm not most men.â The curtness of his reply was a reflection of the tight control he was exercising over his baser instincts.
âIâm beginning to realize that.â There was a new light in her eyes, a darkening and deepening of interest that seemed to mirror his own.
His own desires were too close to the surface for Trey to care whether he had imagined it or not. He gave up any pretense of interest in the zipper and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him.
âDo you have any idea how many times Iâve made love to you in my mind?â His voice was thick and husky.
But it was the possessive darkness in his gaze, so stark and hungry, that stole her breath and charged her senses. Her hands rested lightly on his chest, yet she could feel the heat of his body through his shirt. And it was a barrier she didnât want. The certainty of that made her bold.
âDid I enjoy it?â she asked, her lips parting on the last word, and her head lifting in invitation.
âLetâs find out.â It was a challenge and a statement, issued an instant before his mouth covered her lips.
The kiss was rough with need, filled with pent-up longings that awakened her own. Eagerly she returned its hot urgency, ready to be swept up in its seductive force and a little stunned that she hadnât realized she could want this much.
Delicious shudders quivered through her when she felt the zipper slide apart and the air touched her bare skin, but not for long. His big hand took its place, the hint of callus on it creating a pleasant rasp to go with its searing warmth. She swayed against him, her body arching under the slow stroke of his hand.
It seemed the kiss had barely begun when he dragged his mouth away from her lips and onto her cheek, yet her lungs were starved for air. But the breath she took ended in a gasp and a moan when he nuzzled that sensitive hollow near her ear, igniting a dance of erotic shivers over her skin. They only increased when his tongue traced the inner shell of her ear.
For a moment she was lost to the delights of his nips and nibbles and the moist heat of his breath on her skin. When his hands first pushed the dress off her shoulders, she resented the subsequent pinning of her arms to her sides and initially resisted until she realized his intention. In an eager and liquid move, she lowered her arms and quickly pulled them free of the garmentâs sleeves. The dress slid to the floor, puddling around her feet.
The lacy slip she wore beneath it was like a second skin, blocking none of his body heat or the sensation of his caressing hands. When his attention shifted to the long cord in her neck and the pulsing vein that ran alongside it, Sloan tipped her head, giving him greater access and thrilling to the fresh wave of shivers that swept over her.
She felt a great welling up of need within her, rising and expanding until she thought she would burst with it. She was slow to realize that part of the sensation was caused by Treyâs hands, traveling up from her hips to her rib cage and drawing her slipâs silken length along with them.
This time she knew instantly that his intention was to rid her of it. It was what she wanted, and yet a sliver of panic raced through her as Sloan realized that if she didnât take control, she would soon lose it. Self-protection came into play, born of a need to keep from becoming too emotionally involved.
âLet me,â she whispered, as she stilled
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