Constant Craving [Rapture Island 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Leah Brooke Page A

noses nearly touched, he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “Once he finds the woman he’s been searching for, the woman he’s been waiting to take as his, it’s nearly impossible not to fall so deeply in love with her that he feels as if she’s a part of him.”
    Frowning, Kelsey leaned back, finding it hard to think with his body pressed against hers. “Are you trying to convince me that a Dom really cares about his submissive—I mean other than for sex?”
    “You’d be very surprised at just how much he comes to love her.” Gabriel moved aside and leaned against the railing, the breeze blowing his hair and making him look impossibly gorgeous. The relaxed side he showed to her now emphasized his raw masculinity, and the difference in them as man and woman as opposed to the difference in their social status.
    His eyes moved over her face, lingering on her lips. “A Master has a larger responsibility to his submissive than you could imagine. He’s not just responsible for her pleasure and well-being, but he has to know her well enough to be able to challenge her—to take her past what she thought of as her boundaries. He needs to pay attention to everything about her and respect the boundaries she can’t get past. He needs to know her as well as he knows himself.”
    Lulled by the soft silkiness in his voice, Kelsey hung on to every word. Swallowing heavily, she stared up at him through her lashes. “I’m scared.”
    “I know.” The flash of satisfaction in his eyes disappeared almost immediately, making her wonder if she’d imagined it. “But, you’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you? I can see the excitement and fear in your eyes.”
    Shaking her head, she sighed, once again surprised that he saw so much. “I think you’re going to be very disappointed.”
    He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand in an affectionate gesture that sent her senses reeling. “I know you do, and I know there’s nothing I can say that would convince you otherwise. You’re just going to have to see for yourself.”
    Taking a step back, she looked away. “We’re complete opposites.” Cursing her weakness, she looked at him again, her breath catching when he straightened.
    Gabriel’s eyes danced in amusement, but she recognized a sharpening in them that put her on edge. “I think we have more in common than you think.”
    His eyes narrowed on hers as he slowly slid the tip of one finger down her arm. “I understand that you’re the kind of woman who can’t resist a dare.”
    Kelsey gritted her teeth against the sensation, sucking in another breath as the breeze caressed her bottom. Panicked, she gathered the ends of her skirt together again. “Julianna has a big mouth.” She pushed at his arm, relieved when he dropped it, allowing her to pass.
    She wanted him too much to resist for long, but she couldn’t make this easy for him. She had to find a way to stand out from the other women he’d taken, or she’d just be another notch on his bedpost.
    Having sex with him would be quite a gamble for her—one that could cost her dearly.
    She had to hope that she could hold his interest long enough for her to learn how to please him, and somehow win his heart. She wanted desperately to believe that he had feelings for her, and could only hope that his words weren’t part of a game he played with his submissives.
    He’d given her hope for the real thing, and she couldn’t settle for less.
    Fawning all over him like a schoolgirl, and telling him how much she truly cared for him would just scare him away, and make her look even more naïve.
    Looking up at him, she shifted restlessly. “It’s got to mean something, even if it’s just respect.”
    “Careful, darling. I’ll take your fear and confusion into consideration, but I won’t tolerate being insulted.”
    He must have read her unease, because he smiled, his eyes gentling. “You really know nothing about what I want from you, do