Chapter 51

Mary wrenched her gaze from the molten blue of his eyes, feeling as if she were slowly melting beneath the potent heat of his desire.

What the hell was wrong with her?

She was in her room, on the run because she’d been stupid enough to allow her curiosity to overcome her common sense, and in bed with the man she was supposed to hate and had been taught to fear and loathe for the past few years.

She should be kicking some serious billionaire butt, not battling the urge to sink her hands in that thick raven hair so she could tug his head down and kiss him senseless.

Of course, in her defence, the man was obscenely beautiful.

Not only his lean, savagely handsome face, but his body, which more than lived up to its promise once the ragged clothing had been removed,

His bronzed skin was smooth and stretched tautly over the lean, sculpted muscles that rippled with a fascinating ease. His chest was broad and tapered to a slender waist, his arms were toned without unnecessary bulk, and his hands were perfectly formed, with slender fingers that were currently stroking her shoulders with a tender touch that sent streaks of heat to all her most intimate places.

Yummy goodness from the top to the bottom and every place in between.

Damn him.

“I'm still your wife, right?” she accused, her voice embarrassingly husky.

"Yes, now and forever." A slow, wicked smile curled his lips. “The fact that this room only has one bed is a bonus.”

“Bonus for you, maybe.”

He lowered his head to nuzzle a spot just behind her ear, making Mary’s heart stutter in shock. When did that particular spot become so sensitive?

“I could make sure it’s a bonus for you as well.”

“You’re so full of yourself." Her taunting words were completely ruined as his seeking lips found another point of weakness at the base of her throat. “Oh.”

“Oh, indeed,” he growled, nipping her collarbone. “Do you taste so sweet all over?”

His exotic, musky scent invaded her senses, seeping into her skin like the finest aphrodisiac. The distracting smell clouded her mind, which was the only explanation for why her hands lifted to stroke down the magnificent length of his back.

“What are you doing to me?” she muttered.

His soft laugh brushed over her cheek as he reached down to grasp the hem of her shirt, and with one smooth motion had it tugged over her head and tossed across the room.

“Do you want a detailed explanation or will a brief overview do?” he demanded, arching back to run a searing gaze over her body, now covered in nothing more than a pair of white panties.

Mary shivered, the golden gaze a near tangible force as it lingered on her oddly heavy breasts.

“You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t have a clue.”

“You’re using some sort of power to…”

He shifted, settling between her legs, which had instinctively widened. Lowering his head, the raven hair brushed against the puckered tips of her nipples.

“To what?”

“To seduce me.”

His tongue flicked over her nipple, the rough stroke wrenching a moan from her throat.

“Power?”

She dug her nails into the smooth skin of his lower back. “Don’t laugh at me.”

Tyler continued to tease her nipple, his hardening erection pressing with flawless precision against her feminine core. Oh…God. It felt good. Insanely good.

“Laughing is not what I want to be doing with you,” he said, kissing a path between her breasts.

“Tyler.”

With a low groan, Tyler surged upward to claim her lips in an open-mouthed kiss that was hard with unrestrained hunger. Need blazed through her like wildfire, searing away any hope of resistance.

“I don’t know what power you’re talking about, wife, unless it’s the potent appeal of my manly charm,” he husked against her lips. “Which I’ve been told is irresistible.”

Her hips arched upward in blatant invitation. “I don’t believe you.”

“Why?” he frowned.

“I—I don't know.”

Tyler chuckled, scorching a path of kisses down her throat. “We have all of eternity to become better acquainted.”

She retained enough sense to shy away from his possessive tone. The only thing in her life she was certain of was the fact that she was tired of being manipulated by others.

From now on, she intends to be in charge of her own life.

“Not likely,” she warned, scraping her nails up his back. She revelled in his violent shudder of pleasure. “And if you think this means I’m ever becoming your wife, then you can just think again.”

“Cristo, Mary,” he breathed. “Can’t I even kiss you without you arguing?”

“I just don’t want you thinking…”

His hands skimmed over her body, his mouth planting restless kisses between her breasts and down the quivering plane of her stomach.

“I’m not thinking, wife,” he rasped. “And that is supposed to be the point. Let yourself go.”

Mary nearly came off the bed when his tongue dipped into her belly button, a shocking bolt of pleasure aiming straight between her legs.

Lord. Tyler’s lovemaking was as intense and ruthless as his personality.

She felt like she was being battered with sensations. The relentless exploration of his hands, the thrilling expertise of his lips, and the hard thrust of his erection.

It was like being tossed into the middle of a maelstrom with no idea how she got there.

“You mean you want me to give myself to you?” she managed to demand

He lifted his head to regard her with open amusement. “How delightfully Victorian! If you prefer, I can give myself to you.”

“Good.” Way past the point of no return, Mary decided the only thing left was to take charge of the situation. Running her hands up the curve of his back, she plunged her fingers into his hair, and with one smooth motion, she was flipping Tyler onto his back and straddling his waist. She smiled smugly as she gazed down at his startled expression. “Then you won’t mind if I’m on top.”

Hell, no, Tyler didn’t mind.

What man didn’t like a woman who knew what she wanted and was daring enough to take it?

Especially if that taking included his body, which was primed and ready to please this female.

Of course, he would prefer if she wasn’t glaring down at him as if she were debating between kissing him senseless or breaking his jaw.

Spread across the lumpy mattress, Tyler allowed his hands to skim up her bare thighs, his gaze drinking in the sight of her delicate face framed by the fall of golden hair and the shimmering blue eyes. His heart thundered in his chest as his gaze lowered to linger on the perfect breasts tipped with rosy nipples before lowering to the slender curve of her waist.

The male in him reacted with predictable desire to her naked beauty, but the stirring of his heat was unexpected. He’d never experienced having his desire so close to the surface during sex, and he was caught off guard by the violent excitement that pulsed through his blood.

Mary sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes glowed with the inner fire of his need, filling the room with a golden light. But it wasn’t fear that rippled over her features. It was the same raw need that clawed at him.

“You wanted to be on top, wife,” he said thickly, his hands lifting to cup her breasts and his thumbs strumming her hardened nipples. “Shouldn’t you be taking advantage of me?”

Her eyes narrowed at his blatant challenge, her hands tightening in his hair as she leaned down to kiss him with a rough passion that made his wolf growl in pleasure. She tasted of vanilla, woman, magic, and power, all wrapped in sweet temptation.

Tyler’s hips lifted off the bed, rubbing his aching cock against her. Even through the satin, he felt scalded by her heat.

Jesus. He needed to be in her.

He needed to mark her with his passion, with his scent, and with his very essence.

As if sensing his possessive instinct, Mary sharply nipped his bottom lip.

“This means nothing, right?” she muttered.

“Yes.” His hands followed the curve of her waist, ripping off her satin panties.

“Whatever lets you sleep at night, wife.”

“Arrogant bastard.”

“But this arrogant bastard loves you so much.”

She smiled and said, “I love you too.”

Tyler sucked in a sharp breath as Mary planted a path of wet, demanding kisses over his chest, her hips rocking against his erection. Arrogant? In this moment, he would have happily gone down on his knees to beg Mary to put him out of his misery.

“Mary.”

His plea was cut short as she wiggled down his body, the tormenting kisses heading ever lower.

Gritting his teeth, Tyler shifted his hands to clutch the blanket beneath him. It was that, or toss her back onto the mattress and take her with a furious hunger.

Unaware of how close he was to the edge, or perhaps simply enjoying her power over him, Mary continued to drive him mad, her lips sending tiny shock waves through his body. Then, without warning, her seeking mouth closed over the tip of his cock, the moist heat branding him through the satin of his boxers.

“Oh hell!” He reached to grasp her arms, hauling her up his body to claim her lips with a force just short of pain. “I throw in the towel, wife,” he growled, his accent thick. “I can bear no more.”

She deliberately rolled her hips, her smile smug. “Shouldn’t a man like you be able…” Her eyes widened with shock as Tyler reached to jerk down his boxers, and with one smooth motion, he was lifting his hips to pierce her damp heat. “Oh, God.”

Smoothing his hands up her back, Tyler sucked the tip of her breast between his lips, relishing her low moan of pleasure. She fit as tight as a glove around him, making him tremble with the effort to wait until she was accustomed to his penetration.

“So good,” he rasped. “Ride me, Mary.”

Planting her hands on his chest, she lifted her hips, drawing him out to the very tip before slowly sinking back down, burying him deep inside her. Tyler muttered a curse, his hands gripping her hips as he waged war against his looming orgasm.

Dammit. He was famed for his stamina. He could satisfy a woman for hours before claiming his own release. But never before had sex called to both the man and beast inside him.

Sweat gathered on his brow as he concentrated on the mesmerising beauty of her face. For once, her features were unguarded and flushed with passion, and her eyes dilated as she quickened her pace.

His hips lifted to meet her downward strokes, his growl of satisfaction filling the air as her fingernails bit into his chest, drawing blood.

The air was scented with her arousal, her slender body bowing above him as she tipped back her head and lost herself in the pleasure.

“Tyler,” she cried softly, a frantic edge in her voice as her climax neared.

“Mary,” he whispered. “Let go.”

“I…” She moaned in relief as Tyler tightened his grip on her hips, pumping deep into her with a relentless tempo. “More.”

“As much as you desire, wife,” he swore, his hand cupping the back of her head and tugging her down so he could kiss her with savage pleasure.

Their tongues tangled, and their bodies moved together with a growing desperation. Then, just when Tyler feared he was going to explode, he felt Mary stiffen, her cry of completion muffled against his lips.

Tyler sank his fingers in her satin hair as her climax clutched at his cock, his hips slamming upward as he unleashed his passion in a flurry of unrestrained hunger.

His orgasm burst through him, the shock waves of pleasure radiating through his entire body.

His.

His woman. His wife

The other half of himself.