Her hand on his face slid upward, her fingers tracing the arch of his brow. “I’m glad I found you.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead, wondering what she saw in him that put warmth in her eyes. “Let me put your bag in the bedroom. There’s some wine on the table. Are you hungry? Want some room service?”
“You don’t have to wine and dine me.” She smiled. “I’m a sure thing.”
Stepping back, he picked up her duffle. “I’m stil going to seduce you.”
“I won’t complain. I’m just letting you off the hook.”
With a sweep of his hand, he gestured her deeper into the room and headed into the bedroom. He was about to pul on a pair of sweats when he glanced into the living area and saw Kim undressing. He moved to the threshold, fascinated by the confident, efficient way she took her clothes off. It was no striptease she was doing, no narcissistic display of her assets.
Raze leaned into the doorframe and crossed his arms. “I was going to put some pants on.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Why? I think we’ve both seen each other at our most naked just a minute ago.”
“Okay, then.” Her open honesty was as arousing as her body. “Come here.”
She approached him in the same no-nonsense way she’d undressed, bringing the box of condoms with her. He took her in, admiring the sleek lines of her lithe body and the unaffected sway of her trim hips. The contrast between her dark hair and pale skin was a stunning one, framing a figure that had seemed modest while clothed but was perfectly, lushly proportional in the flesh.
“Why am I not nervous?” she asked when she came to a halt in front of him. “What is it about you that makes me so comfortable? I’ve never even walked around my own house naked.”
Raze tilted his head to the side, contemplating that. Most mortals who met him sensed the predator he was. It kept them on edge, which is what so many of his lovers found attractive about him—the hint of danger he exuded by his nature. He was a hunter, they were his prey, and they felt it on a subconscious level. That he put Kim at ease in a way she was with no one else, not even herself, was inexplicable. “I don’t know. But I like it.”
Her mouth curved. “Me, too.”
Uncrossing his arms, he reached out to her, lifting a glossy curl and rubbing it between thumb and forefinger. “You’re very beautiful, Kim. You’re not the only one who got lucky tonight.”
“Thank you.”
His fingertips skimmed gently down her arm until they reached her hand. He linked their fingers together and backed into the bedroom, puling her with him. As aroused as he was by her slender body, he was also conscious of the unexpected intimacy of them being so comfortable together. Almost as if there was a longstanding familiarity between them. An affinity so rare he’d never found previously in his endless life.
When he reached the bed, he sat and tugged her between his legs, then he fel backward onto the mattress, taking her with him. As her body flowed over him, then melted into him, Raze closed his eyes and sighed, releasing the abnormal agitation that had been riding him hard. Her hair slid over his skin and her mouth brushed over his parted lips. His entire body was hyperaware of her, every nerve ending tingling in anticipation of her touch.
I was wrong, he thought. Not hard and fast. Not with her. Slow and deep. Decadent. He could give her that after al.
Wrapping his arms around her, he roled her beneath him and gave her what they both needed.
* * *
Kim wiped her mouth with a napkin. “You’ve seriously never seen this movie before?”
Raze lay on his side with his head in hand, his gaze moving from the television to where she sat cross-legged on the bed beside him, drowning in his shirt. “Never even heard of it.”
“Wow. I love this movie.” She stabbed another piece of impossibly tender steak with her fork and lifted it to her mouth, her attention only partialy on The Ghost and the Darkness. The naked man sprawled across the bed next to her was much more fun to look at. “Patterson went to Africa with a dream and a plan. And then he had to fight to hang on to it. I just love that. Do you like it?”
“I like watching it with you.” He smiled and ran a fingertip down the side of her thigh. “I like watching you eat, too.”
“I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I don’t usualy get hungry after sex, but I’m freakin’ starving now.” Of course, it wasn’t usual for her to have sex for nearly three hours nonstop either. She was pretty sure that if her damn stomach hadn’t growled, he’d stil be inside her now. The thought made goose bumps sweep over her skin.
“Are you cold?” he asked, displaying that amazing perception she’d appreciated al night. It was the nail in her coffin, she knew. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist a man who paid attention to her, who made her feel like she was the only other person in his world.
“No.” She pushed aside the longing that kept reminding her it was there, just under the surface, waiting for her to acknowledge it. “I’m feeling piggy eating while you’re not.”
“Don’t. I’l get something when I need it.” He squeezed her gently, then let go. “And you’l need the energy.”
Invigorated by the promise of more mind-blowing sex, Kim ate faster. Raze turned his oddly beautiful gaze back to the television, and she let her mind sift through the impossibilities of the evening.
Christ, he was beautiful. It was stunning how gorgeous he was. His features were heartrendingly perfect, from the bold slash of his brows to the strong line of his jaw. His eyes were compeling, the irises lit like amber in candlelight. His lips were sinful, not just in their sensual shape but also with what they could do to the female body. His nose was elegant and his cheekbones a work of art. Everything about him was divine. Like a fallen angel, she mused fancifuly—blessed with looks that drove every rational thought from a woman’s head and totaly wicked enough to take advantage of that gift.
She almost sighed like a smitten teenager.
And the best part was that the miracle of him was more than skin deep. Despite his devastating attractiveness, she was as comfortable hanging out with Raze as she was with any of her friends. There was no awkwardness, no wariness, nothing to ruin the easy companionship between them. It was in her nature to be cautious. Not only was that trait necessary for the painstaking work she did, but it was also how she’d been raised by a family of cops. You could never look close enough, dig deep enough, or be careful enough.