She hummed in response, the vibration eliciting another moan from him, and Larissa savored her control over this powerful shifter.For years, they’d been locked in a battle of wits and strength.Now she had him at her mercy, and the power was exhilarating.
Malcolm’s hips began to twitch, his control slipping.“Wait,” he panted, his voice strained.“I can’t… You need to stop.”
She pulled back slightly, gazing up at him through her lashes.“What’s wrong, Malcolm?Can’t handle a little pleasure?”
“If you don’t stop now, this will be over before it really begins.And I’m not ready for that.Not by a long shot.”
Larissa considered for a moment, caught between the desire to push him over the edge and the promise of more to come.Finally, she released him with a small pop, a wicked smile on her lips as his entire body tensed and a deep groan echoed through his chest.
“Okay, but don’t think this means you’ve won,” she teased, her voice husky.“We’re just getting started.”
Larissa rose to her feet, her movements fluid and deliberate.A smile played across her lips as she studied Malcolm, his chest heaving.
“What’s your next move, tactician?”he challenged.
Without breaking eye contact, she pushed her jeans down and stepped out of them.
He watched her, heavy-lidded, as she hooked her thumbs in her panties and pushed them down as well.As soon as she dropped the silky slip of fabric onto the floor, she moved closer and swung her leg over him, settling her knees on either side of his hips.
He moved his hands instinctively to her waist, fingers digging into her skin.
Larissa leaned in close, her breath hot against his ear.“Oh, I think you know exactly what I have planned,” she whispered, relishing the quiver that ran through his body.
She reached between them, wrapping her fingers around his cock.Malcolm’s breath hitched, and Larissa’s hand trembled even as she triumphed in his reaction.
“Ready to concede defeat?”she asked, slowly guiding him to her entrance.
Malcolm’s laugh was strained.“Never.You should know by now, I don’t give up that easily.”
Larissa sank down onto him, taking him deep inside her.She bit her lip, fighting back a moan as she adjusted to the feeling of fullness.
“Neither do I,” she managed, her voice breathy.Reaching up, she pulled her sweater off and dropped it onto the floor with the rest of her clothes.
As she settled fully into his lap, Larissa’s mind raced.This was more intense than she had anticipated, the years of competition and tension between them adding a sparkling energy to every touch.She wondered, briefly, if this would change everything between them.
Malcolm tightened his hands on her waist.“You okay?”he asked, a hint of genuine concern in his voice.
Larissa met his gaze, surprised by the tenderness there.“More than okay,” she assured him, rolling her hips experimentally.“The question is, Can you keep up?”
She held his gaze as she rose and fell in a steady rhythm.The feeling of Malcolm inside her was overwhelming, every nerve ending alight with sensation.
“Trying to…analyze the situation?”Malcolm panted, a hint of his usual bravado in his voice despite the strain.
Larissa laughed breathlessly.“Always,” she replied, her mind racing even as her body moved instinctively.“But right now, I’m more focused on…other data points.”
She savored the feeling of him, the way his muscles tensed beneath her, the heat of his skin against hers, the heady combination of physical pleasure and the thrill of finally giving in to years of repressed desire.
Malcolm roamed his hands over her body, one cupping her breast as the other gripped her hip.“And what…conclusions have you drawn?”he asked, his voice husky.
Larissa leaned in, her lips brushing his ear.“That sometimes,” she whispered, “the most strategic move is to surrender.”
Malcolm’s sharp intake of breath, the flash of emotion in his eyes, the way his cock jerked inside her—they all brought a liquid heat surging through her as for once, their competition fell away.
And as Larissa continued to move, finding a rhythm that had them both gasping, she allowed herself to savor this unexpected connection.
CHAPTER 23
MALCOLM’S BREATH CAUGHT ASLarissa moved up and then back down, her slick heat enveloping him.
