Free Mina's Heart by Michele Zurlo Page B

body until you’re writhing under me, screaming as you come in my mouth.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Would you like that? While it is sex, it wouldn’t technically violate your rule of no intercourse.”
    Nobody had ever talked to her like that before. She had the sense that Everett could—and would—get quite graphic. She felt her eyes widening with shock, which she was sure only made her appear more wanton than he’d already described.
    “You’d keep your clothes on?” She didn’t ask to make sure. What he offered was very one-sided. She knew that he wouldn’t let her reciprocate even if she begged, which wouldn’t happen because she wouldn’t know what to do anyway. She’d never in her life seen a naked man.
    “I would probably take my shirt off.”
    That was a sight she’d very much like to see. Before her brain could think on his offer too much, she found herself nodding eagerly. He lifted her against him, banding one arm around her waist and cupping her ass with the other. She wrapped her legs around him and held on as he carried her into his bedroom.
    The change of location made her a little leery until he turned on the overhead light. He knelt on the bed with one knee and set her down. She unlocked her legs and slid to the mattress, careful to keep her low-heeled shoes off the bed. In another move she hadn’t expected, he stood up instead of scooting her to the center of the bed. Suddenly self-conscious, she straightened her skirt, which had ridden up high enough to expose her panties.
    “If you want me to stop, say ‘Oasis.’ That’s an important point to remember, Mina. Simply telling me to stop won’t have an impact. You must use the safe word.”
    Though she had never heard of a safe word, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he meant. It seemed Everett Burke was into playing sex games, the kind where a woman might utter fake protests. Mina couldn’t see herself doing that. She simply nodded at his directive.
    He stared at her. “Say the safe word.”
    “Oasis?” It came out like a question, not because she wondered about his command, but because she didn’t understand why he’d want her to repeat it.
    “Yes. Now say it like you mean it.”
    Now she understood. He was testing to make sure she would use the right word in the right way. “Oasis.”
    He melted her leg muscles with that special smile. “Very good. We’ll start slowly. I’m going to kiss you and touch you.”
    He toed out of his shoes. Then he bent down and removed her shoes, sliding his hand up to caress each bare calf. He spent some time there, seeming to measure the places where he could wrap his entire hand around her flesh and simultaneously enjoying the texture of her skin. Good thing she’d shaved. His thorough exploration both calmed her and made her feel anxious. She wasn’t used to being with anyone who was so blatantly enamored with her body.
    Then he bent his head and kissed the inside of each ankle, his actions slow and almost reverent. “Move back and lie down with your head on a pillow. Get comfortable.”
    She did as he directed, and that sense of uneasiness returned. He watched from his crouched position next to the bed, his observant eyes no doubt capturing every detail. He seemed almost predatory, yet that sober air of protectiveness hadn’t faded. Her perception of him altered subtly as she realized he was deadly serious about the things he’d said to her tonight. He truly saw it as his duty to care for her, and he enjoyed assuming that role. It was part of his core identity.
    When she calmed down, he stood and swiftly pulled off his shirt. She wanted time to look at him, but he didn’t seem interested in posing for her. He tossed the wadded piece of fabric onto the floor and shoved the messy covers to the foot of the bed. He had a determined air about him that made her expect he would lie between her legs and get to work right away.
    She’d never let a man