I used the tip of my index finger to trace the way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as I breathed against his throat. I wanted to lick him, so I did. He tasted tangy and salty, just like I knew he would. He said my name in a low voice as I trailed the tip of my tongue along the thick vein that ran up the side of his neck until I reached his ear. His too-long hair tickled the end of my nose as I nuzzled into him and his body went stone still when I traced the outer shell of his ear before whispering, “How far do I have to push until you fall for me?”

He chuckled and it shifted me on his lap so that there was no missing the bulge hidden behind his expertly tailored trousers.

“I like it when you push at me, Key, even when you’re pushing me away. I mean, you’re here and you’re fighting, me or yourself. It doesn’t matter.” He smirked at me and my heart flipped over. “But I fell for you long ago, so there’s nowhere else for me to go.”

That made the iron grip I had on my heart slip just a fraction. It would be so very easy to hand it over to him.

I dipped my finger into the open collar of his shirt and traced a line down his sternum, popping his shirt buttons open as I went. His smooth, coppery skin was hot to the touch and my fingers wanted to brush across all of it. Being closer to him than I had ever allowed myself to be, I could see that Nassir’s tailored suits hid far more than that massive tattoo that covered his back. He had puckered burn marks along his collarbone. There was a wicked scar that looked like someone had tried to cut him in half across his entire belly. He had more than one circular scar that was raised up and smooth. I knew exactly what they were from since I had the exact same kind of scar from where the bullet had torn through my shoulder. His torso was a road map of violent, ugly things, and as much as I wanted to hear the story behind each and every mark, the gory details chronicling his survival and victory, I knew that once I had them, once I knew him inside and out, I would never be able to escape. I didn’t want the devil to be able to justify his actions. I knew his story was going to be tragic and full of suffering. I wasn’t sure my heart was ready to hear it just yet, not when it was getting used to being in his hands and under his control.

“Why me, Nassir? You don’t have patience for anything that isn’t perfect and I am far from that. Why would you wait for me all this time, especially when you have beautiful women dying to take my place?” His gorgeous housekeeper immediately came to mind.

I reached the top of his pants and stopped so I could brush the back of my hands across the chiseled divots and lines that cut across his abdomen. The man was built. There wasn’t an ounce of anything extra on him and every place I was pressed up against was hard and unyielding. Those pricy suits hid the body of a warrior, but the things that were darker, scarier, and fierce enough to control this city shone bright and clear out of those molten eyes.

“If not you, then who, Keelyn? Who else has the fight and the strength to stand with me in this city? You own a part of it just like I do. You earned your place here while I took mine, and you might not want to be Honor but you have it in spades. You care about this place and the people in it. You care about me even though you know you shouldn’t. You’re the only one in my life who has ever been worth waiting for.”

I knew he was just stating the facts as he saw them, but to me it was the most romantic, most heartfelt thing any man, any person, had ever said to me, and as a result, more of my resolve slipped away. I wanted to be his equal, his perfect match, and it sounded like he had considered me that from the very start, even though I’d needed him to save me.

I kissed him on the cheek. It was silly and too tame for a man like Nassir Gates, but from the way his chest rumbled in reaction and the way his legs tensed under my backside, I knew it got to him as effectively as if I had sunk to my knees in front of him.

“When you’re sweet like that, it makes it harder to remember why I want to hate you.” I started tugging on his belt and his tight stomach pulled in even tighter as I got the leather open and slipped the button out of the hole.

I was expecting silk or maybe silky-smooth bare skin, but I was surprised when my questing fingers encountered only regular old cotton boxer briefs encasing an erection that flexed and throbbed as I reached for it. I heard him suck in a loud breath and his hand let go of the arm of the chair like he was going to try to stop me from pulling him free of the clothing that was separating me from my destination, but his iron will kicked in at the last second and his hands balled into fists as he narrowed his eyes at me.

“You can’t hate me, Key. I wouldn’t survive it.”

I got my hand around him and couldn’t hold back a whispery sigh of satisfaction as he pulsed hot and hard in my hand. He stretched and filled my grasp. He was even pretty and coppery where he stretched and grew to fill my palm. My hand looked so pale and delicate as it started to work him up and down. His body went rigid and his eyes burned at me. I wanted to get closer but he refused to move his hands off the arms of the chair and I couldn’t shift my weight without falling off of his lap or letting go of his cock. His discipline was annoying if admittedly impressive, but I had a lot to lose if I didn’t get him to give in . . . like my heart and soul.

I put my mouth over his and gave him a biting kiss. I wasn’t surprised when he growled at me in frustration instead of kissing me back. I felt his breathing start to get erratic and grinned at him victoriously when I felt moisture start to leak out of the tip of his cock. I swirled the pearly drop around with the pad of my thumb and watched as it made him shiver. I was manhandling him like he was a piece of meat and his body couldn’t help but react, and I knew that had to drive him crazy. Nassir liked to be in charge of everything and everyone.

I laughed lightly against his lips, twisted my wrist, and added a little more pressure as I continued to work him over. This time he kissed me back and it stole all the air from my lungs and all the sense from my head. He kissed like he did everything else, with finesse, with skill, with demand and force. My lips tingled and my tongue couldn’t wait to chase his around as he invaded the damp cavern in my mouth. My center clenched and that place that ached for him between my legs went liquid and soft. If I was straddling him instead of sitting across him, I would be grinding myself against that turgid staff that was burning in my palm.

His head snapped back and his eyes popped with bronze embers as he bit out my name.