Free Abduction (A Psychic Romance Novella Series) by Larissa Ladd Page B

tears away quickly, setting her wine glass down to wipe at her face.
    “I have to admit,” Dustin said quietly, looking abashed. “When I first started tracking you, I figured you were the type who’d never really dealt with anything too bad. Like, yeah, you’d been around criminals, but you shielded yourself from the worst of it. I didn’t realize you’d… that something like that was in your past.”
    Gabrielle shrugged, suddenly aware of how close Dustin was. His hand was warm, but dry, his fingertips callused, his grip strong. There was something electric in his touch. Gabrielle wanted more of it. She couldn’t think of anything in the world that she wanted more than to touch Dustin all over—to feel his strong, warm hands all over her body, caressing and teasing. She knew, without having to read his mind, that his lovemaking would be playful, inventive. Gabrielle blushed from the roots of her hair down to her chest, imagining vividly what it would be like to sleep with him.
    As if he were reading her mind, Dustin leaned in just the tiniest bit closer, his face a few bare inches away from hers. “This isn’t to keep you cooperative,” he murmured, before closing the remaining distance between them. He brushed his lips against hers, tentatively at first, but then he was kissing her in earnest, his hand moving from her hand to her waist, his arm wrapping around her and drawing her up against his body.
    Gabrielle was almost shocked , initially. His lips were soft but firm against hers, tasting of the wine they had both been drinking. His tongue slipped into her mouth, batting against hers insistently. Gabrielle found herself responding without thought, deepening the kiss and running her hands over his chest and shoulders. His body was hot through the fabric of his t-shirt and more muscular than she had thought.
    Dustin was pushing her backward slowly, moving her down onto the couch. His hands wandered over her body, grazing her breast through her clothes and then passing along her ribs, down to her hip. He nipped at her bottom lip hungrily, seeming to touch her everywhere at once. Gabrielle felt as though she was rippling with electricity, as if every nerve in her body was being lit on fire. She was far from being a virgin, but she had never become so thoroughly aroused, so quickly, with any of her previous partners. Dustin’s weight against her body felt so right—so perfect.
    Every touch was almost more than she could stand. Gabrielle could feel the pulse of lust in Dustin’s mind, the way that his need blanked out any other thought. He broke away from the kiss, looking down at her with his eyes intensely bright.
    “I had to kiss you,” he murmured, his lips barely separated from hers. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you all day. But if you don’t want more…” He was pulling back slightly, but Gabrielle could still feel his mind; she could feel his desire for her—just her, not anyone else, and not because of who she was or what she did.
    “Don’t even think of stopping,” Gabrielle replied, pulling him back down onto her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, meeting his lips with her own. She ran her fingers through his hair and found it softer than she had expected. Closing her eyes, she felt and heard him moan softly, heard her own answering voice from deep within.
    She licked at his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth, and found herself trapped—her tongue being batted and carefully bitten. Dustin’s hands moved underneath her shirt, brushing against her skin, and Gabrielle was trembling, overwhelmed by the intensity of her own feelings. She opened her mind unconsciously, seeking Dustin’s as their bodies began to move together. She was only able to read him vaguely, but the pulse of his feelings, the intensity of his lust was apparent, wrapping around her like a blanket. Gabrielle could sense his need for her, the depth of his attraction for her.
    Dustin lifted her shirt up, his