Zero to Love by Em Petrova

He ripped her off her feet and into his arms. In five strides, they were mounting a tight corkscrew staircase.
    He paused for a moment at the door while the lock made a series of clicks that were music to her soul. No fear lay in her belly at the thought of being alone with a Mindchanger or giving herself to him in every way possible. From the start she’d known this man was for her—supernatural or not.
    It took only seconds to open the door, but it felt like ten minutes past her desired time allowance. By the time he towed her into his stark, modern space, she was on fire.
    He set her on her feet. Still holding her hand, he drew her into the main living area, twisting to look at her as he did. His light hair dipped over one smoldering eye, and she brushed it away without hesitation.
    He froze. “Shit. I’d offer you a drink, but I don’t…I don’t have anything.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want anything.” Only you.
    A long breath spiraled from him. “Do you want to sit and talk?”
    Images of them stretched on that fine leather sectional in ten different positions flitted through her head.
    He groaned. “I can see you’re not going to make it easy for me to be a gentleman.”
    Running a palm over his leather button-down shirt, she allowed some of her longing to bloom in her mind.
    Just as she’d hoped, he caught it. “That I can do.”
    He tugged her toward a shadowy nook. When she looked inside, she found a bedroom that was quite a bit homier than the rest of his apartment.
    “The difference in materials has to do with numbers,” he said, leading her toward the bed. “Everything in the universe has a code that makes it what it is. I hear those codes, and I like simple things around me when I sleep.” He sat and positioned her so she was standing between his legs. The thick bulge in the front of his pants drew her attention, and he responded with a hiss.
    “This is going to be hell,” he muttered.
    “You mean being able to read me?” She swayed toward him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and dropped his forehead to the spot between her breasts. The pose was more intimate than any she’d ever experienced, and warmth blossomed in her chest.
    “That’s what I want, Magda. Just your want and passion for me. Don’t be afraid.” His words spoken against her thin cotton dress fogged her skin beneath. A sliver of heat eased between her thighs.
    Very slowly he lifted his head. She leaned down to meet him. The brushing of their mouths sent shivers through her. He pressed harder and slipped his tongue between her lips.
    “Mmm.” Her moan sounded as a hum.
    He gave an answering rumble. With one broad palm he cupped the back of her head, probing the hollow at the base of her skull with a finger. Her nipples pebbled, and he found one with his free hand and twisted gently.
    Arching into his touch, she deepened the kiss. She chased his tongue; then he followed hers. The fire in her belly spread until her clit throbbed mercilessly. A dozen thoughts burst in her mind—of his hands on her thighs, parting her, and then Monroe plunging his tongue into her soaking folds.
    He withdrew from the kiss and looked into her eyes until she felt as if he were making love to her mind. Every erogenous zone on her body was on full alert.
    He toppled them into bed and rolled on top of her. The hardness of his muscles and the rigid length of his sex made her buck upward for more. Now.
    “Settle,” he whispered, dropping kisses along her throat, collarbones, the swells of her breasts. His stubble seared a path leading to heaven.
    His smile spread over her skin as this idea surfaced in her mind. Was she never going to have a private thought again?
    This time he laughed. “It’s hard to tune you out, baby. I’m sorry. On the other hand, I know what you really want.”
    Her heart rate increased. “Like what?”
    Gripping the hem of her dress, he eased it over her hips, up her torso, and finally pulled it off. Her