Free Beyond the Edge by Susan Kearney

covering her skin seemed more of a hindrance than a necessity.
    She wanted the gown off. She wanted Kane’s clothes off. She wanted him to make love to her, to touch her where the disks had and to trace his lips over her sensitive skin.
    She raised a hand to release the tie between her breasts that held up her gown. Kane shook his head. “I didn’t give you permission to undress.”
    Damn him. Not even undressing was to be her choice. She should have been upset. Annoyed. But his taking all control had her head swimming and her body so aroused that she could barely stand. “May I undress?”
    “Are you certain you want to stand in front of me naked?”
    “Yes.”
    “For as long as I like?”
    With his heated eyes on her? “Yes.”
    “You understand that I may or may not touch you? The decision is all mine.”
    “Yes.” His words caused exhilarating anticipation and her nipples tightened and poked into the lace of the gown, showing him exactly how much she liked his suggestion. Doing what he wished excited her in a way she hadn’t known was possible.
    “Fine. Then you may take off your gown. But do it slowly. And while you disrobe, I want you to look me in the eyes. I want you to understand that you have no rights except those that I give you. You will have no pleasure except what I allow you to have.”
    Oh…She was shaking with need—he knew exactly how to turn her on, yet he hadn’t so much as touched her or kissed her. And she was going to be standing there naked. Waiting for him. And loving every second.

5
    F ALLON HAD NEVER stripped for anyone before, not even for Allen during their short-lived marriage. But her feminine instincts had no difficulty taking over. She played with the ribbon that tied her bodice together. Then ever-so-slowly, she unfastened the bow. As directed, she kept her gaze on Kane, fascinated by how his dark blue eyes smoked.
    She exposed the deep vee of skin between her breasts, allowing her fingers to enticingly pull back the gown’s edges to reveal more skin. And while she might have been obeying his commands, the power was all hers.
    His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His cool amusement remained on his mouth, but a cord in his neck throbbed to reveal he was anticipating her next move with every cell in his body. She’d never had a man’s attention focused so intensely on her and only her. It was as if they were the only two people in the world, and with every sliver of skin she exposed, the connection between them swelled, filling up the air around them until she had trouble drawing a breath.
    She hooked a finger under the spaghetti strap ather shoulder and let it fall over her bicep. She began to do the same on the other side, drawing out the moment. But then with an impish grin, she shrugged her bared shoulder and the gown’s bodice fell to reveal one breast.
    “Nice. Very nice.” The compliment seemed tugged from his lips without his permission. As if regretting he’d said anything at all, he drew his brows together. “Stay right there for now.”
    Fallon barely dared to draw a breath. The gown, held up by one flimsy strap could fall at any time. Just moments ago, she would have sworn that was exactly what she’d wanted. But standing and waiting was even sexier. With one breast bared to the air, she’d never felt so wanton.
    Kane gave her a knowing look and then placed television headphones over his ears. And she realized he wasn’t pausing her striptease for just a few seconds; he meant to leave her like that until he decided he wanted more. Stopping her just as her courage and desires had converged into seething determination not only upset her but it tilted her equilibrium.
    Annoyed, aroused and aggravated, she almost spun on her heel and fled back to her room. But he cleared his throat and shook his head in warning. He wanted her right there and as that knowledge hissed through her, moisture seeped between her thighs. Damn. She was enjoying his domination.
    The