Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

shirt. Strong hands. Hands that moved over her skin possessively, a seductive caress that melted her insides and started a shiver of need sweeping relentlessly through her body. His chest was broad with heavy muscles and several deep scars, two quite recent.
    One seemed perilously close to his heart. Nicoletta felt her breath leave her body at the sight of it, at the vivid image of a sword piercing his heart. Involuntarily she found herself reaching for him, her fingertips tracing that thin, raised line.
    She felt his powerful body clench and tremble beneath her tentative touch. A rush of heat gave her the courage to look up at him. His eyes were so hungry, blazing with stark, raw need. It mattered not that he was enormously strong and she was his to do with as he wished. In mat moment Nicoletta realized he was nearly as vulnerable as she.
    Beneath her exploring fingers, his skin felt hot and firm, his muscles defined and sinewy. There was no Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    soft give to his body, only a hard perfection that made her want to press herself against him. Her own body felt different, heavy and aching and wanting… something, something she did not yet know… almost desperately. She wished she had the courage to circle his neck with her arms and cling tightly, molding their bodies together.
    "Are you afraid of me?" he asked softly, his hands shaping her curves almost reverently. The husky note in his voice turned her heart over.
    She nodded, her wide eyes betraying her innocence. It only made him want her more, made him want to protect her and possess her, keep her forever in his care. His hands found the indentation of her back and dragged her close to him, so that the heat radiating from his body melted hers. His dark gaze held her mesmerized, so that she couldn't look away from him.
    Giovanni bent his head closer. "Give yourself to me, Nicoletta, and I swear you will never regret it." His voice whispered over her skin like warm silk, hypnotic, seductive. His lips moved slowly, gently over hers, coaxing her to open her mouth to him. And then he was taking her into his world of moist heat and fire, of pure feeling.
    She followed him willingly, more seduced by his stark desire than by the whirling, shifting colors exploding in her head. He was everywhere, everything, his hands moving over her body, his mouth welded to hers, her hair brushing their skin, sensitizing them even more. She couldn't think for wanting him. She had no idea the fire inside her could burn so bright, rage so out of control. He managed to lay her on the bed without her even knowing how she got there, and his mouth left hers to find her aching breast, even as his palm slid over her belly to rest on the tight dark curls where her moist heat beckoned to him.
    Nicoletta felt the coolness of the coverlet beneath her hot skin, the weight of his palm as he pushed between her legs.
    She gasped in shock as her entire body clenched and throbbed in response to his touch. His teeth scraped against her tender skin, his tongue gently following to ease any ache. His hands found the curve of her hips, holding her still as his mouth burned across her stomach to lap at the inside of her thigh. Her fingers twisted convulsively in his hair. "What are you doing?" She managed to gasp the words aloud to him, suddenly terrified of the overwhelming need for something beyond her reach.
    Trust me, cara mia. I want you to need me the same way I need you. I burn for you night and day. I cannot sleep or eat or concentrate. I have traced this path so many times in my mind. His words were heat and fire, the feeling in her mind more his than hers. She was as necessary to him as breathing.
    And he wanted her to feel the same way about him. Alarm bells were trying to ring in her head, self-preservation rising in the wake of his talented hands stroking her body exactly where she wanted—no, needed—him to touch her. And then there was nothing but a firestorm raging through her as his fingers brushed against her testing her response.
    Her body arched more fully against his hand, and a small moan escaped her. Her fingers tightened in his hair, an anchor as waves of fire washed through her. "Stop." She said the word aloud, terrified she might be lost forever. Her blood surged hotly, her breasts ached for him, her body wanted his. She couldn't think for wanting him.
    Still, it was not enough for him. He was taking no chances