A Hero to Dance With Me by Marteeka Karland Page A

figured as much. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I made my own hole there.” His voice was soft, lulling, his body warm and comforting next to hers. More than anything, Elle wanted to believe him, to trust him to take care of her needs both emotional and physical. But she didn’t dare. Not yet. Too much was riding on her future to trust it to Steve this soon after his abandonment.
    Staring up into his eyes, Elle realized she was in trouble. A woman could get lost in eyes that blue. They weren’t a light, clear blue, but a deep sapphire that seemed to sparkle when he looked at her. Dark and mysterious. So much like the man they belonged to.
    Steve shifted his position a little, pulling her more fully against him, his arm tightening just a little as if afraid she would try to get away from him. The fingers of his other hand skimmed her cheek, his thumb brushing the high bone structure gently. His path followed her jaw line until he brushed her bottom lip. Elle had to resist the urge to wet her lips, to lick at the digit he presented to her. Just that fast, sexual desire swamped her, her body readying her for his in a gush of moisture.
    “Jezelle,” he rasped, his voice gone husky, “I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want me to you’d better say so now. Because once I start, I intend on doing a thorough job of it.” He moved toward her slowly, stopping just shy of her lips. He was so close he was practically brushing his against hers.
    There was no way she could stop him. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to stop him. Jezelle had always been one to live in the moment, and damn the consequences. But this was important! If she didn’t lay the ground rules now, she’d be lost in him yet again, setting herself up for heartache.
    “This doesn’t change anything,” was all she could manage. “I’m still mad at you.”
    “I know,” he breathed. Then his lips met hers and she forgot all the reasons why she should keep her distance.
    Before, he’d kissed her with demanding urgency, taking as well as giving but doing it in an almost brutal way. This time, however, there was nothing but tenderness in his touch. His fingers slid from her face to tunnel through her hair, cupping the back of her head. When she sighed, his tongue slid smoothly inside to dab at hers with the lightest of touches. The sharp contrast from that first time was just as erotic to her as when Steve had taken what he wanted with strength and dominance. The shiver coursing through her body tightened her nipples until she moaned into his mouth.
    With a careful mastering, Steve claimed her then. His touch was still gentle but where before he’d been coaxing, now he urged her to give herself to him more fully. All with a simple kiss.
    Who was she kidding? Elle was so in over her head with this man she couldn’t even begin to describe it. The touch of his lips to hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth to caress and taste, were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. That hard, hard body of his seemed to beg hers to melt against him.
    Before she realized it, her hands were sliding up his chest to clutch the muscles there. He growled low in his throat as he pulled her over his lap so she straddled him. Strong arms held her tightly to him. One hand slid through her hair to cradle her head in his big palm, moving her to allow him to kiss her more deeply.
    Elle tasted the desperation in his kiss, the need she felt herself as he continued. The nearly overwhelming urge to let him take her to another place, back to that place of passion they’d once shared, frightened her with its intensity. Dammit, she knew the consequences! Everything was riding on her staying strong and not giving in to Steve's sexual aggression until she knew he was fully committed to the business of them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make herself pull away from him. It felt too good--she needed it too much.
    As if he read her mind, Steve stood with her still wrapped