Hades' Return by N.J. Walters Page B

stared at her until she nodded her compliance. Then he smiled. It was filled with such masculine satisfaction it made her entire body clench with anticipation.
    Mordecai trailed his fingers down the front of her nightgown. She sucked in her breath when he stroked between her breasts. Her nipples tightened to the point of discomfort. She needed him to touch her.
    He sat up on the side of the bed, unlaced his boots and discarded them and his socks. Next, he stood and his hands went to the button of his jeans. There was no mistaking the bulge in the front of his pants. He was very aroused.
    He unzipped the jeans and his cock fell forward. He wasn’t wearing any underwear. Her entire body heated. She felt feverish and wasn’t sure if it was coming from the death mark or from her growing need for Mordecai.
    He shoved the jeans down his thick thighs and kicked them away, leaving him totally naked. He took her breath away. He was hard everywhere. The muscles of his legs and arms rippled as he tensed. Dark curly hair surrounded his groin. His cock stood at attention, hard and ready.
    She moaned and her legs moved restlessly against the sheets. She was on fire for him. “Mordecai.” She was practically panting. The scent of her growing arousal permeated the air, and she knew he could smell her need.
    “You are fucking perfect,” he told her. He knelt on the bed next to her. Heat poured from his big, fit body. He slipped his fingers beneath the straps on her shoulders. Then he frowned. “You’re feverish.”
    “For you,” she told him. Maybe it was partly a lie, but not totally. He was responsible for an enormous amount of the heat coursing through her veins.
    He looked concerned, and she was afraid he was going to stop. Then a second later, she felt the coolness of a sharp talon against her skin and realized he’d partially shifted his hands. The fabric at her shoulders dropped away and his hands were normal again when he tugged her nightgown down to expose her breasts.
    His gaze practically scorched her skin. Her nipples puckered even more beneath his perusal.
    He reached out and touched one perky nub, rubbing it lightly. Jessica moaned and arched her hips. She’d never wanted a man the way she wanted Mordecai. “Yes,” she hissed.
    Mordecai growled and tugged the nightgown lower. “Lift your hips.” She did as he asked and he whisked the ripped gown away, leaving her naked. He shifted position, kneeling between her spread thighs. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
    She shook her head. “You won’t.” Of that, she was certain. He might look big and scary, might be a total badass, but she knew he would never harm her.
    “Promise me.”
    Afraid he might stop if she didn’t, she nodded. “I promise.”
    Mordecai now knew if such a place did exist that this must be what Heaven was like. Having Jessica naked in front of him, but even more than that, having her trust was intoxicating. Not even Hades with all his power and promises could give him this. Only Jessica could. He didn’t feel worthy of her trust, but he would do everything within him to earn it.
    Her arms were still lying over her head, her elbows slightly bent. The position thrust her breasts upward. They weren’t too big or too small. They were firm and full and perfect for her. She was so delicate, so fine. Her skin paler than cream.
    The mark on her arm caught his attention. It worried him even though she didn’t seem to be in any pain at the moment. She moaned and arched her back, pushing her breasts toward him.
    He had to taste her. He leaned over her and dragged his tongue over one of her tempting nipples. She rewarded him with a gasp of delight. Parting his lips, he sucked the tip into his mouth, savoring the sweet bud.
    She tangled her fingers in his hair, holding him to her. Liquid seeped from the head of his cock, a reminder that he was close to the edge. He pressed his erection against her smooth stomach as he continued to suck and tease her. After