The Black Chapel by Marilyn Cruise Page B

then in the blink of an eye, his mouth is on mine. I wonder what I said that granted this response, but I refrain from overthinking it. I want to enjoy every moment of the attention he is giving me.
    “I can’t stop thinking about your wet, smooth skin,” he says, pulling away just enough to get the words out.
    I try not to grin too much. My plan had worked, just not exactly in the timeframe I had wanted.
    His hands cradle my face and make their way down to my hips. He pulls me close. Oh, his hands are so powerful, so demanding. And he smells so good. I never want the kiss to end.
    “We shouldn’t—” he says between kisses, but I really don’t want him to stop.
    I knit my fingers through his hair and tug at it. Pulling him back, I see the hungry gleam in his eyes. He smiles and I smile back at him.
    He lifts me onto the back of the couch and presses himself toward me. I feel his erection against me, and I feel a powerful surge of desire jolting through my body. I reach to feel him, but his hand stays mine.
    “We shouldn’t—” he says again.
    This time, I can hear he doesn’t really mean it. His hands explore my body, stopping at my breast. He gropes me and I gasp. Then his hand makes its way underneath my shirt to my back and he undoes my bra. He comes to the front and fondles my breast again with one hand and pulls me closer to him with the other, pressing his erection between my legs.
    “You are so amazing,” he says. He helps me out of my shirt and I’m sitting before him completely naked from the waist up.
    “You are so beautiful, Scarlett.” His eyes are ravenous. “Should we talk about this before we—?”
    “No,” I say, afraid too much talking will only make us too aware of what we’re doing.
    He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around him. He’s so strong. He carries me upstairs into my bedroom, and I realize it’s finally going to happen. Michael unzips my skirt and I remove it along with my panties. Once I’m undressed, his eyes scan my body. “You are utterly enchanting.”
    I worry that he’ll recognize me as Samantha, but he doesn’t seem to be thinking of her at all. Only me, Scarlett.
    He takes his shirt off, baring his sculpted shoulders, and tight abs. I walk over to him and touch his firm, hairless chest. He’s so chiseled he looks like the God of the Greek gods.
    I feel my desire for him grow stronger with every passing second. He pushes me backward, walking me toward the bed. I feel him and reach for him. This time he doesn’t stop me. I pull his erection out, feeling his fullness, my fingers not able to reach all the way around. I moan, highly anticipating that soon he’ll be inside of me. He removes his pants, and now we are both standing naked next to my bed. I’ve never wanted a man like I want Michael Manning.
    “We shouldn’t—” he says again. This time he smiles playfully.
    “Are you sure?” I say. “Because I could stop right now if you’re not sure.”
    His gaze turns soft. “No, I really want you.” He halfway smiles and then lifts me up by surprise, causing me to laugh. Looking me in the eyes he says, “But just so we’re clear. This must not change our deal.”
    “No,” I say, though every ounce of me wants to say: It totally changes the deal.
    I’m so excited—I can’t calm my body. Does he truly want me as much as I want him? His hands lightly caress my shoulder, then my chest, he my abdomen.
    “You feel like an angel,” Michael says. “I can’t wait to be inside of you.”
    I feel so hot, and the throbbing feeling in the deepest part of my lower abdomen needs release. “Oh, Michael,” I say.
    He lays me gently on my bed and then sits down next to me, his eyes scanning my body. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he says.
    I wonder how many women he has been with, but decide that now is not the moment to bring it up. He kisses a trail up my leg, to my inner thigh, and I open myself to him a little more to let him