Exposing the Heiress by Jennifer Apodaca

kept touching her, one arm around her waist, holding her off the ground, the other stroking her face.
    “I’ve decided how I feel. I love it because it’s your truth, your story. Thank you.”
    A smile chased out the hard lines and lingering shadows as he set her on her feet. “I did it for me. I need you to know me, to understand what I am and still not be scared of me.” His eyes heated and he skimmed his knuckles down her cheek.
    “I’m not scared.” Instead, despite seeing the quiet agony Hunt carried in his sculpture, there was something uplifting and empowering about this man’s trust. He’d shown no one else—not even his parents or Erin. “One second.” Alyssa picked up the sculpture.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m putting this in my room.” She quickly put it by her bed, and then returned.
    He arched a brow. “Afraid I’ll change my mind?”
    She grinned at him. “No, I want your full attention on me when I say this.” She didn’t want him looking at that statue and thinking that he was not good enough to touch her.
    “That right?”
    She took a breath. “You wanted me to wait a day or two, and I have. So here it is. This right now? It’s an escape, a moment in time where I’m out of the media spotlight and I can do this for me. Be selfish.” She put her hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat through his T-shirt. “I’m asking you to kiss me.”
    Hunt turned, his back rippling as he clicked off the gas flame beneath the noodles and sauce. When he faced her again, all the doubt had left his face.
    The change was so sudden, she asked, “What are you doing?”
    He stalked toward her, intensity burning in his eyes. “What did I say would happen if you asked me to kiss you again?”
    Her mouth dried, her pulse danced a sensual beat. She reached out, slapping her hand down on the counter. In seconds, he’d turned this on her. She thought she was the aggressor, but he took control. And she liked it. “You won’t stop at a kiss.”
    A wolfish grin spread over his face. “You sure you’re ready?” He caught her arms, pulling her against all six feet of hard, warm male. “I’ve been controlling myself every damned second.”
    He held her easily, giving her a glimpse of his need. His breath feathered over her face.
    “If you say yes, then you’re giving yourself to me right here, right now. For this moment in time, you’re mine.”
    Excitement buzzed in her veins. If she said the word, he’d unleash the power he’d been holding back. No fear, just them. “Yes.”
    Hunt scooped her up, crossed a few steps, and set her on the barstool. “God, I’ve ached to kiss you again.” Sinking his fingers into her hair, he tilted her head and brushed his lips over hers. Then he plunged in, his tongue demanding entrance.
    Latching onto his shoulders, she kissed him back, tangling her tongue with his. Alyssa lost herself to the sensation of Hunt owning her mouth. Her lips throbbed in time with her wild pulse. Nothing had ever felt like this. So real and raw, an agonizing want burning between them.
    Spreading his hand over her lower back, he wedged between her thighs and tugged her into the hard ridge of his erection. He dragged his mouth along her jaw and down her throat, making her shiver. In just minutes, she burned. Needed. His lips scorched a trail to her shoulder. Desire heated her belly. He was giving her what she wanted, craved. “Wait.”
    Lifting his head, he locked stare on her. “Second thoughts?”
    Softening his hold on her lower back, he stroked her skin as if soothing her. That action swelled her heart and desire. Hunt had made her come at the cliffs and now he was rock hard for her, and if she said no…he’d stop. That made her want him more. “No.” She pushed his shirt up. “I want to touch you.” She ran her hands over the ridges of his stomach, feeling his muscles jerk. “Please.”
    Reaching over his head, he grabbed a handful of his shirt, yanked it