Outside, the wind howled and rattled against the glass, as if in protest of being kept out. Lucian cleared his throat and then stilled. My lips twitched as the pent-up nervousness I had been feeling all night came to the surface. A snicker rose in my throat. I struggled to keep it under control, but a titter came out in spite of my best efforts. The silence made it worse. I lost the war and giggled again.

“What is so funny?” he asked in the darkness. I could tell by his tone that he was trying not to smile.

I laughed again, trying in vain to stop.

“I don’t know,” I said between snorts and sputters.

“For Christ’s sake,” he exclaimed, sounding fully exasperated, which only made me laugh harder. I felt him turn toward me. “Are you going to tell me what is so funny?” He sounded strange in the dark room.

“Everything. This situation, your lack of sleepwear . . .” The giggles had me again.

“You’re impossible,” he said, trying to sound stern.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but a snort escaped. There was a quiet pause.

He snickered in the darkness. The sound of it set me off, and that set Lucian off, until we were laughing uncontrollably with the bed shaking under us.

“Oh stop; my sides hurt,” I said, gasping for air. It was nerves. I knew that was what had set me off, but I couldn’t get my laughter under control.

“You started it!”

I dropped my voice to imitate him. “I could sleep over the covers.”

“Look who’s talking. You should have seen your face.”

The moon chose that moment to peek through the clouds, and its blue light poured through the window, illuminating the room. Lucian was looking down at me, eyes crossed, tongue sticking out in a truly terrible goofball expression.

“That’s it . . .” I picked up my pillow and hit him with it.

He laughed in protest. “It’s on, honey.”

A soft pillow hit my face as he launched his retaliation.

I screeched in outrage, whacking him on the chest and diving under the sheets before he could get me.

He ripped the covers back, coming after me with a hearty laugh. I covered my head with my hands to protect myself, but he pulled them down, holding them securely with one large hand, and hit me soundly with his pillow.

I shrieked and tried to pull my hand from his viselike grip. Lucian only laughed harder as I struggled. I managed to get one hand free and dug my thumb into his ribs. He skirted away quickly, but I had found his weakness and went after him.

“Oh, no you don’t!” I rolled halfway onto him and poked his sides mercilessly.

God, but he was adorable when he laughed like that, carefree and boyish. And sneaky. In a blink, he had me on my back.

I shrieked again, trying desperately to tickle him but having a hard time of it since my hands were trapped under me. My hand broke free, but he caught it and pulled it over my head. The action brought us face to face.

We went still, our chests heaving. Lucian’s eyes searched mine, his breath fanning my face softly. Neither of us moved. I blinked back at him, utterly aware of the hard length of him pressed against my sex with only the barrier of our underwear preventing him from sliding in.

“We probably woke the whole house,” I said in a strangled whisper.

His lids half mast, tension rode him so hard he trembled. And for a brief second, I thought he hadn’t heard me at all. But then he swallowed audibly, and his voice came out hoarse and taut. “That’s my cue to make a joke, but my mind is blank, Em, because I can’t . . . I can’t.” He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them wide. “I can’t fight this anymore. I want you. I want you so fucking much.”

My breath expelled in a rush. His gaze flicked to my mouth and then back to my eyes. Another tremor went through him. “Do you want this?”

Bad idea. The worst.

“Yes.” It burst out of me. “Yes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Lucian

Yes. That was all I needed to hear. I felt the word along my heated skin, tasted it on my tongue. One simple yes, and I trembled. Limned in moonlight, she gazed up at me, indigo eyes wide and wanting, lips parted and waiting.

A groan wrenched from deep within, and I dipped my head and took that mouth I’d been aching to claim. Yes, yes, and yes. Her lips moved against mine—soft, luscious, perfect. God, she was perfect. I kissed her, starved, desperate. She tasted of salvation—fresh, sweet water after burning for so long.

My hands slipped into her hair to hold on as I moved my mouth over hers. And she opened up to me, arching her back to press her breasts against my chest as she kissed me with a fervor that had my entire body clenching. Lust rushed through me so quick and hard my head spun.

I licked into her hot mouth, losing myself in her. Plush lips moved with mine. We found a rhythm, sweet and deep. I’d surge against the gorgeous give of her mouth, and she’d take me in. Each kiss sent a pulse of relief through me, as though I’d finally been given exactly what I needed. Each kiss made me frantic for more. Release and need. Release and need.

The covers rustled as I yanked them out of the way and hauled her closer. She fit against me like she was made to be there. I might have laughed at that simile before, but I hadn’t yet had Emma Maron in my arms. Now, all I could think was “Where have you been all this time?”

I’d missed her before I’d even known her.

“Lucian,” she whispered against my lips, her hands gripping my shoulders. “Lucian.”

My name repeated like a prayer. God, but I wanted to grant her every wish.

“Em.” I slid my thigh between her warm ones. Damp heat ground into my muscle as she clamped down and rolled her hips with a small helpless groan.

“That feel good, honey?” She was mostly shadows, and I itched to turn on a lamp so I could see her properly. But that would mean stopping, and I wasn’t willing to let her go. I relied on touch, running my fingers along her arm, up to her neck, where sweat dewed on her skin. “You like riding my thigh?”

“Yes. Yes.” That word again. Best word ever.

Her lips tickled mine as she panted, her sweet sex working in a little circle. I cupped her cheek and ate at her mouth as she took her pleasure. I’d been wanting to give it to her for so long. So fucking long. Her hands found my chest and slid down, mapping their way along my torso. It was nothing in the scheme of things, but that simple exploration, the way she whimpered and gasped into my mouth, sent licks of heat over my skin.