Dangerous Obsession

"Tell me," I gasped, unable to stop myself from arching into his touch.

"I think of your taste...in my mouth," he rasped. "I think about what you'll look like when I suck you. Lick you. Eat you up."

His words drove me wild. If this was madness, I would blindly jump into it if it meant I could keep listening to his words, feeling his touch, tasting his kiss.

"Would you let me?" His eyes searched my face. "Cayli?"

Instead of answering, I looked into his brown eyes and flattened my palms on his chest, startled by the static between us. The warmth of him under his shirt made me yearn to touch his bare skin. Gingerly, I reached for the hem of his shirt and slowly lifted it, revealing his defined stomach. His eyes widened a fraction as he understood what I wanted.

He was quiet as he watched me lift his shirt up and off him, letting it fall to the floor.

He was beautiful, his tan skin looking smooth and healthy in the dim light. My fingertips softly brushed the light trail of hair below his navel, and I heard him suck in a breath. I stopped, unsure, and looked up at him.

The skin around his mouth was tight, his eyes a darker shade of brown. "It's okay," he said hoarsely. "You can keep going."

He closed his eyes, a deep groan escaping his lips as I slowly traced a line over the planes of his torso. His skin was hot to the touch, his muscles hardened like iron.

"Cayli," he said softly, opening his eyes and lightly brushing my inner thighs with his thumbs as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "Let me worship you."

"Yes," I murmured against his lips. "Yes, Rick..."

His tongue traced the seam of my lips, coaxing me to open them. He pulled my bottom lip between his, tugging and sucking gently.

Everything felt so intense: the burning touch of his skin, the warmth and peppermint scent of his breath, the hungry sounds he made at the back of his throat.

I opened for his kiss, and his tongue dipped inside to taste, exploring my mouth. His lips slid against mine eagerly, impatiently, as if he couldn't get enough.

When I touched my tongue to his, a low growl erupted from his chest. He buried his hands in my hair, gripping tightly as he angled my head to deepen the kiss. For one staggering moment, the kiss became hot, hungry, and wild.

I felt on fire. There was something building inside me that I had no name for. I was in this cocoon of pleasure that Ricardo had built around us, and I wanted more.

"I've never wanted anyone this desperately," he rasped. "Never." He pulled back to frame my face in his hands.

He held my gaze as his hands slid down to caress the exposed skin underneath my dress top. He tugged on the hem, raising his eyebrows in question. I reached down and helped him pull my dress off. He reached behind me to unhook my bra with an expert flick of his fingers. With trembling hands, I pulled the straps down my arms, discarding my bra on the table.

His lips parted as his eyes drank me in. My arms itched to cover myself, but the look of hunger and appreciation in his brown eyes made me feel wanted. Craved.

"You're so beautiful," he said, his voice rough. His fingertip traced a line down my throat, his eyes lighting up when he saw the bracelet he gave me. He continued until he lightly brushed my nipple, sending a bolt of electricity traveling down my spine and between my legs. I moaned, arching into his touch. He bit his bottom lip as he watched my face.

"Ric...please." I strained toward him, wanting more.

I closed my eyes and moaned as he bent his head and took my breast in his mouth, sucking lightly, then sucking hard, then lightly again. The contrast in pressure from his mouth drove me wild with longing.

I plunged my hands into his hair, gripping firmly as his mouth continued to torture me with pleasure.

He straightened to kiss me with wet, openmouthed kisses that robbed me of breath. "Lie back for me, love," he whispered.

I leaned back and let his warm hands help lower me onto my back. My hands gripped the sides of the counter as I watched him continue kissing me, working his way down my body, drinking and nipping my skin until he reached the edge of my shorts. His eyes flicked up to look at me, full of heat and promise.

"Cayli, do you want this?"

The look in his eyes-the hunger, the need, but most especially the love-took my breath away. What I saw mirrored my own feelings-my hunger, my need, and my love for him. In this moment, I realized I really wanted this with him. He was everything to me, and I would give everything to him.

"Yes," I choked out. "Yes."

His eyes filled with fervent satisfaction before he pulled my shorts and panties down my legs. He grabbed my hips and jerked me closer to him so that I was on the edge of the counter, and he was flush between my legs. Grinding his hardness against me, he leaned forward and firmly held my wrists to my sides so I couldn't move them to touch him.

"I want you. I want you so bad, it hurts," he growled and buried his face between my legs.

"Ric!" I cried out, shocked at the feel of his hot, wet lips there-against the most intimate part of my body. I almost jumped off the counter, but his strong hands released my wrists to caress my thighs soothingly. He kissed me there like he would my lips-small, openmouthed hungry kisses that made me strain against him.

I blinked up at him, still floating in the haze of pleasure he had put me in. I noticed the tight skin around his mouth, the way he gritted his teeth, the lust and love in his eyes as he gazed down at me, and his arousal that pressed against my thigh.

"Ric?"

"Yeah, baby?"

I heard his sharp intake of breath as I reached to unbutton his pants. He stopped my movements with his hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely.

I nodded. "I want to belong to you completely, Ric."