Somehow he had her skirts bunched between them, a hand sliding around her waist to boldly cup her between the thighs. Her eyes shot wide, her breath exhaling on a sharp gasp. The hard press of his body against her back and buttocks gave no yield, driving her directly against that hand. The other held her throat, tilting her head back so that his lips met no resistance when they traced the smooth line of her shoulder.

“Are you frightened of this?” he whispered, teeth sinking into the curve where her neck met her shoulder, sending a devastating ache all the way through her. Hard fingers cupped her, right where she wanted them. “Are you frightened of losing control?”

She couldn’t speak. Could only give a muffled sob as her head fell forward, her forehead resting against the door. “Oh God.”

This weakness in her…this longing… Only he knew of it. Only he could destroy her with a few simple touches.

Barrons’s hips ground against her, forcing hers against the mocking cup of his hand. Exquisite sensation streaked through her. She knew what he wanted, and she couldn’t stop herself from giving it to him. She could feel the tension in him relax a little as he felt her capitulation.

“Yes?” he whispered.

She rubbed against him again, aching where he touched her.

“Yes?” he demanded.

And curse her weakening body but she whispered, “Yes.”

Silence filled the room. Only the vague sounds of the ball filtered through the door, mingling with their harsh breathing. Barrons’s hand stilled, then slowly, slowly began gathering up fistfuls of her petticoats. He dragged them up out of his way with a whisper of noise. Mina ached badly at the sudden cease of sensation. She quivered at the thought of what was to come.

Then his lips caressed the sharp mark his teeth had left against her neck and his hand finally fell from her throat, curling possessively down over her breast. “I’ve never been your enemy, Mina,” he whispered.

And then those clever fingers slid through the slit in her drawers until they found hot, wet flesh. Sinfully wet. Betraying her last secret to him.

Mina’s lips parted on a silent gasp as he traced slow, steady circles around where she wanted him most. She couldn’t help herself. Her hand slid between her body and the door, finding his through the acres of petticoats and guiding him exactly where she wanted him.

There. This time her breath was almost a sob.

“There’s no rush, my love.” His lips nuzzled her ear, but his fingers pressed hard against her and she almost screamed.

She hadn’t been touched in so long, and never like this. Always, always, she’d controlled her liaisons. It went against everything in her to let him do this to her.

Or no, she had no aspirations.

She had no control when it came to him. He was her master, taking the breath from her lungs and the words from her lips. Taking everything he damned well wanted from her and leaving her moaning helplessly like this as he fucked her with his fingers. Sliding just his fingertips inside her until she shamelessly arched her hips to give him better access, silently begging him to fill her.

Thighs falling apart, she couldn’t stop the cascade of sensation. Of his breath, wet against her ear, or his teeth, sinking into the soft flesh of her lobe. Her body was bucking against his hand, pressing harder, wanting the release that he promised. The hand between her legs stroked, delicious tension unfurling, and she bit back a sob. Barrons pressed against her, crushing her body against the door so that she couldn’t move, not even a twitch, forcing her to let his fingers do the work so that she was completely under his control.

“Let it out, Mina.” A hot whisper against her skin. “Let me hear you come.”

A swift shake of the head. Oh God. Her claws raked the door, sinking into the timber. Biting her lip, she relished the small pain as her hips jerked against his touch.

And then it was sweeping over her like a fever. Somewhere a soft moan sounded. Herself. She collapsed against the door, firm hands capturing her and holding her there, quivering, as a strangled sort of noise came from her throat. Fingers brushed against her mouth and she sank her teeth into them, moaning softly as his other hand whispered over her wet skin, making slow, devastating circles with his fingertips that knotted her tight again and pushed her over that exquisite edge. This time she came with a gasp, almost a scream, buried against his fingers.

Mina shook her head, silky hair tumbling down around her shoulders. “Stop,” she begged. “No more.” I can’t take any more.

The world dropped away, leaving her a quivering mess. Somehow she found herself in his arms, her face pressed against the smooth, clean linen of his shirt as he held her against the door, making quiet shushing noises. A hand, so gentle, stroked over her hair, as if to soothe her in the aftermath of something that had been so shockingly potent, her bones still felt burned to ashes.

Mina clung to him. Time seemed to stop and she could hardly breathe, some part of her not daring to break the spell. She was no stranger to sex, but this…this tenderness… She didn’t understand it. Nor could she pull away from it. This, more than anything, drew her like a moth to a flame. Had any man ever held her in his arms like this, quietly waiting for her to come back to herself?

She knew the answer to that. No. She’d never allowed any man to touch her like this, even if he’d had the inclination. Only Barrons didn’t bother to ask.

And she wanted it. She wanted to be weak enough to lean on him, to let him hold her. Someone she could lean against to catch her breath, just for a moment, even though she knew she could never rely on him. Just a fancy, a dream, a foolish little wish. Her fingers flexed in his coat and then she gathered herself and withdrew from his arms, her skirts tumbling down her stockinged legs.

Mina pressed her hands against her cheeks. So hot. And she was throbbing too, her body crying out for more, telling her that this was not done yet.

“Mina,” Barrons murmured, lifting a hand to her hot cheek. “Are you all right?”

At that she breathed a laugh. All right? Shocked, broken, shattered. Shaken to the core. But not all right. She didn’t think she’d ever feel like herself again. “I’m fine.”

Leo cupped her face in both hands and forced her gaze to his, trying to see the truth of that. In the darkness, he could barely make out her features, but even here he could see the bottomless black of her eyes. Her hunger.

His heart was pounding, his own need a flush of heat through his veins. That she had let him do that to her… That she had wanted it. Blood and glory, he wanted more—had to hold himself back—for what he saw in her eyes was hunger, but wariness too. She wasn’t ready, and he’d long known this to be a game of patience between them. A game of seduction. He had to take this step by step or he would risk frightening her away.