Page 17 of It Takes a Thief (Ring of Thieves #2)

H is words cause me to quiver. Everywhere. The next thing I know, we’re throwing ourselves at each other. Our bodies collide, mouths fastening, and it’s like my inner Mt. Vesuvius blows. The heat reaches its zenith, and we’ve become combustible.

This time, Linc isn’t holding back. He’s so powerful, his muscles solid granite beneath my touch.

I shove my hands through his short hair, trying to keep up with his hard, demanding kisses.

He’s holding my face, tilting my head exactly the way he wants it, and his tongue plunges deeper.

The rough calluses on his fingers remind me who he is—not someone who grew up with wealth and privilege, but a man who fought hard for everything he has.

The few kisses I’ve experienced with other men before this were watered-down and pathetic, while Linc’s kiss is beyond exhilarating and masterful. The man certainly knows how to kiss a woman until she’s a trembling mess. For a moment, he makes me forget my own name.

My breasts are crushed against his firm chest, and I push against him, needy and breathless.

I can’t miss his huge erection, and I know he must look like a Greek god beneath his clothes.

His hands release my face and skim down the sides of my body, cupping my ass and lifting me onto the island.

All the while, he continues kissing me and I wrap my legs around his waist, drawing him closer.

His large hands hook beneath my thighs, fingers digging into my flesh, and I tear my mouth from his, needing air.

I’m burning up. His lips trail down my neck, tongue swirling, and he sucks on the sensitive place where my neck and shoulder meet.

When he bites down, I let out a soft whimper.

There’s no doubt it’s going to leave a sexy mark.

God, this man is all alpha. So dominant, marking me, and I love it. He’s leading me to places I’ve never been, and I’m going to follow him to the heights of pleasure.

I just hope I don’t disappoint him. Although when I told him I was a virgin, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his espresso eyes seemed to darken and flash with interest.

He finally lifts his head, staring intently at me when he rumbles, “I have no business wanting you. I’m too old for you, too rough around the edges. I’m not a prince, I’m a washed-up fighter and not good enough to lay my hands on you. So, tell me to walk away before it’s too late.”

He’s trying to scare me away, and we both know it. But it’s not going to work. I know what I want, and I want him.

“I don’t want a prince,” I tell him. “I want a night of ecstasy. Can you give that to me, or do I need to go elsewhere? Because I’m not giving my virginity to Jeffrey.”

“Why would you give it to me?” he rasps, truly looking baffled. “I’m no one.”

“You’re the man I choose,” I whisper.

And just like that, I see his walls crumble.

With a possessive growl I feel to the depths of my soul, he sweeps me into his arms like I weigh nothing, and marches out of the kitchen, heading for the stairs.

“If you put me in bed, kiss my forehead and say goodnight, I’m going to punch you,” I threaten, and he throws his head back and laughs.

“Not this time, sweetheart.”

Excitement ripples through me, and when we reach my room, he tosses me onto the bed. I watch him reach into a pocket, pull his wallet out and remove a foil packet. He lays them both on the nightstand, then he reaches a hand behind his head and yanks his shirt off.

My belly flutters with nerves. This is it.

No more messing around. Lincoln Decker is about to give me something no one ever has before, and I am so ready.

He’s more than I even imagined, and I let my greedy gaze soak in his naked chest. It’s like a wall of muscle, and I can’t miss the sexy black ink on his shoulder—a crown of thorns with droplets of bright red blood on several of the pointed tips.

I also see a woman’s name written above his heart.

Freezing, I wonder who Theresa is and why she’s so important that he got her name permanently etched on his skin.

He must notice, because he glances down then lays a hand over the tattoo. “My mother,” he murmurs.

A strange sort of relief floods me. He’s a mama’s boy, and I love that. It saddens me, too, because he must miss her terribly.

He crawls forward along the bed, guiding me down and covering my body with his much bigger one.

My pulse is racing, and even though he’s on top of me, he’s incredibly conscious about his size and strength.

Which is good, because he could easily crush me.

His mouth captures mine and a large, warm hand slips beneath my shirt, slowly moving upward and rounding over a breast.

My breath hitches and I arch into his touch. “Oh, God,” I moan.

There’s too much clothing between us, and he must agree, because he suddenly pushes back.

“Up,” he commands, and I sit up with zero hesitation. Reaching for the hem of my shirt, he pulls it over my head and tosses it. Dark eyes fasten on my fuchsia bra and his nostrils flare. “Take it off. Slowly.”

Swallowing hard, I reach around and unfasten the clasp, letting the straps slide down my arms. I can’t help but feel self-conscious. My breasts are pretty average—not too big or too small—and I’ve never been topless in front of a man. Even my physician is a woman.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Mer,” he says huskily, his hot gaze practically burning my skin. “Absolutely perfect.”

Moving fast, he pushes me back down and then his mouth latches onto a nipple, tongue swirling it into a taut peak.

It feels so good, and when he scrapes his teeth along the sensitive flesh, a whimper tears from the back of my throat.

At the same time, his hand slides down, caressing my stomach for a moment, then dipping down the front of my pants and straight into my panties.

Those callused fingers separate my slick folds and easily slip inside because I’m soaked. There’s no hiding the way I’m dripping for him. He strokes me while still licking and laving my breast, and I shamelessly push against his hand, needing more.

“Oh, God, Linc…”

I’m writhing against him, and I can feel the pressure building. Suddenly, he’s up, moving fast, and I barely blink before he strips the rest of my clothes off. Naked and vulnerable, I look up at him and offer myself completely.

His hot gaze slowly slides down my body like a physical touch, and a tremble racks through me from head to toe.

“I need you to be ready for me,” he grates, parting my thighs further, holding them against the mattress, and opening me up.

Good thing I’m flexible , I think. I also feel incredibly vulnerable at this moment. He’s still wearing jeans and I’m naked as the day I was born.

His eyes feast on me for a long moment and the look on his face—so fierce and hard—makes my pussy throb.

“Then I’m going to fuck you, Mer. And I can’t promise to be slow or gentle because my control is shredded.

You’re the sweetest fucking thing. I can’t forget your taste and I want seconds, sweetheart. ”

He scoops my ass up and drops his head, lapping up my seam with a flat tongue.

Ohmygod . I buck up, nails digging into the comforter.

The moment his lips wrap around my clit and do that magical sucking thing, stars flicker at the edges of my vision.

I feel like a rocket launching into space, the G-Force holding me down, and then boom! Sweet, sweet release.

Ripples of pleasure ping through my body and Linc lowers me back down. I hear a packet being torn open and my eyes flicker back open just in time to see him shuck his jeans and black boxer briefs.

Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God. His body is a thing of beauty.

Like a sculpture carved from marble that should be displayed in a museum.

My attention drops to his cock, protruding proudly, and my heart rate goes into double time.

Hell, triple time. Even though I don’t have anything to compare it to, I’d say it’s damn near perfect.

I’ve heard thickness beats length, but he’s got both going on, and I raptly watch as he rolls the condom down his shaft.

He roughly strokes himself a couple of times then settles a knee on the mattress, grabs my ankles and tugs me closer.

My toes curl at the feral look in his dark, hooded eyes.

He drops down over me, settles himself between my thighs, and pushes my legs apart.

Reaching between our bodies, his fingers begin stroking me again, sliding in and out, rubbing my clit and coating it with my wetness. Scissoring and stretching.

“Linc,” I moan. God, I sound needy. He has me so worked up, so desperate for his cock, I’m aching.

Another orgasm hits me and my body quakes.

As pleasure rolls through me, he notches the head of his cock at my slippery entrance.

Maybe it won’t hurt much because I’m riding a wave of bliss right now. Maybe he’ll go slow—

Linc slams into me and I cry out. Then he holds still, allowing me to adjust to the feel of him lodged deep inside me, stretching me like the freaking Jaws of Life.

I’m waiting for the sting to recede because, yeah, it really hurts.

My nails sink into his rock-hard biceps, and I let out a pained whimper.

“It’ll be okay,” he promises, then captures my lips in a slow, sensual kiss that sends my senses reeling once again into some distant orbit.

At the same time, he slides almost all the way out and pushes in again.

It’s not entirely unpleasant, but certainly not as pleasurable as his lips wrapped around my clit.

His hips begin to pump, starting an easy, slow rhythm, and the pain fades with each thrust. Hovering above me, jaw clenched, elbows locked, I can see the strain on his face and the way he’s striving to maintain control.

Even though he warned me he wasn’t slow or gentle, he’s being so careful.

My chest tightens and warmth floods my heart.

And, in that moment, I know he’s the best man I could have chosen.

The only man. Despite his gruff exterior, and his warnings that he only does hard and fast, his deliberate movements are attentive and considerate.

He could break me in two with little effort, use me and toss me aside.

But that’s not who he is, and it’s why I trust him thoroughly.

With my life and my body , I realize. Because he’s so much more than a man being paid to protect me. Now, he’s my lover.

At least, until I return to Arcadia to face an unwanted future.