Chapter Twenty-One
GENEVIèVE
I pressed my body against Roux’s, mumbling between kisses.
“Please believe me when I say I’m not usually this forward.”
“All good, Geneviève,” Roux replied just as breathlessly.
He slid his hands around my waist, then down my rear, while I traced the hard contours of his shoulders. In tiger form, his most prominent features were the stripes decorating his back. Now, the lines of his ribs were most obvious, along with the muscles slabbed around them.
“Speaking of which…” I pulled up his shirt.
“Speaking of what?” he asked, helping me work it over his head.
Muscles rippled along his torso, accentuating every move.
“Ribs,” I said, splaying my fingers over those etched, parallel lines.
“You speak in riddles, woman.” Then he flashed a mischievous smile. “Or did you mean these?” He slid his hands under my shirt, touching me the same way.
I hadn’t, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to interrupt his train of thought if it chugged in that direction.
And, oh. Every touch sent another flurry of sparks through my veins.
In no time, he had my bra and shirt off. Bending to kiss me, he could only reach to about the level of my shoulders without contorting, and that wouldn’t do. Not with my nipples peaked and calling desperately for his touch.
He helped me execute a graceful descent to the bed — far more graceful than the flop I would have done on my own — and latched on where I needed him most.
I arched under his touch — and, oops, under my own touch too. The man had me so turned on, I was getting all mixed up.
I skimmed my hands over his back instead, enjoying the contrast of my fairer skin against his.
The glide of big, powerful hands over my body gave me a double thrill — the immediate pleasure and the thrill of picturing the other side of him.
In tiger form, those hands would be platter-sized paws and armed with claws.
The soft lips skimming my skin would be punctuated by dagger-like fangs.
And while he was gentle, there was no mistaking the ferocity underneath.
“Oh!” My chest heaved as he moved from one nipple to the other.
His movements were ninety percent controlled, ten percent almost-but-not-quite rough. Commanding was more like it.
Well, two could play at that game.
With a firm tug, I guided him back up to my lips. That put the top button of his pants within reach — and reach, I did.
And wow. What a long way to reach. The man was already hard, ready, and…er, at impressive proportions, one might say.
Not that I said anything, other than grunting, “Pants. Off.”
His eyes glinted. “I’ll do mine if you do yours.”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll do yours, and you do mine.”
An entire light show illuminated the jewels of his eyes.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Seconds later, we had that mission accomplished. Which left only one last obstacle in my way.
“I know you love this watch, but…” I trailed off, trying to unclasp the damn thing.
It was huge, with dozens of unnecessary functions. Especially at a time like this.
He removed it using some super-secret method that escaped me. Not that I had the brain space for anything that trivial at the moment.
“Finally,” I grumbled, giving Roux a playful shove.
He dropped to his back, and I straddled him, bending low.
“I like this angle,” I chuckled.
His cheek twitched. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
A shudder of anticipation went through me. This man could bring me to orgasm with a few words. Or just one — my name.
“Geneviève…” he murmured once I’d worked my way down his body, trailing kisses, stripping away clothes, and rolling my lips over his shaft.
He threaded his fingers through my hair and helped me set a rhythm that suited us both, murmuring my name again and again.
If my mouth hadn’t been — er, otherwise occupied, I would have mumbled in the same dreamy tone. Because this was more than exploring his body, as heavenly as that was. This was two souls connecting. Trusting. Sharing.
I brought him as close to exploding as I dared, then backed away.
He groaned. “I might die if you tease.”
“I thought Bene was the dramatic one.” I chuckled, crawling back over his body. “And I’m not teasing. I’m just desperate to feel you inside me.”
“That can be arranged,” he rumbled, taking the top in one smooth roll.
The man made everything feel so right. So inevitable.
Destiny, a little voice whispered to me.
He trailed his lips to my breasts, leaving one hand free to pleasure me below.
In no time, I was heaving sharp, achy breaths, blindly extending my hands over my head. It ought to have left me feeling scarily vulnerable, but I’d never felt more secure or in better hands.
Literally. I would have cackled in laughter if I hadn’t been moaning in ecstasy.
Speech wasn’t possible, but I did manage staccato words between breaths.
“Good. Thing. We’re. Upstairs.”
He chuckled. “Why do you think I let Bene take the double tonight? It’s right next to your sister and Marius.”
I snorted. “They would drown us out with their own noise.”
Seconds later, I contradicted myself with louder and louder cries.
“Shh,” Roux said.
“You try shushing with two fingers inside you,” I mumbled, gyrating against his hand.
Two very talented fingers, in my defense.
He blushed but didn’t stop — a perfect combination, as far as I was concerned.
Moments later, his expression went all serious, and he pulled away. I tried yanking him back, but he guided me into a roll, then tugged my hips, bringing me to all fours.
“Like this.” His voice was low and gritty with need.
Oh yes. I practically yowled in anticipation.
He paused just long enough to roll on a condom, but even that took too long for me. I bumped his rear and lowered my head, then moaned when he finally slid in.
Calling it doggy style seemed woefully inadequate. Tiger-style was more like it.
“Okay?” he asked, practically trembling with need.
Gentleman was one word for it. Soldier of honor was even better.
“Hell yes,” I whispered, bracing myself.
He pushed deeper, making my insides burn in the very best way. Then deeper still, advancing cautiously for my sake.
“Don’t hold back,” I insisted, butting back for more. And more and more…
A tiny bit more would have been too much, but this was perfect. I didn’t want tame or plain. I wanted a high to beat all highs, and that was exactly where we went. Soaring, searing, dancing…
Roux made love the way he did everything else. Ferociously. Honestly. Intensely.
The burn spread through my body, bathing me in heat. I fisted the sheets and buried my face in a pillow before my howls woke everyone in the hotel. Fireworks went off in my mind — the kind with crescendo after crescendo, each outdoing the last.
With a rough gasp, Roux came. I shuddered, then cried out in my own high. Time slowed, and we teetered at the peak of ecstasy for a glorious eternity before tumbling down the other side.
We lay panting for a long time, limp, sweaty, and satisfied. My body felt like rubber, but Roux had enough coordination to dispose of the condom before snuggling up. Locking his arms around me, he held me close enough to lose track of which heartbeats were his and which were mine.
“Paris rooftops are all well and good, but there’s a lot to be said for a bed,” I mumbled.
He chuckled. “True.”
There was also a lot to be said for being able to shadow-weave to reach his room unnoticed, as I was proud to note. Maybe I had some useful magic after all. Being extra motivated had helped too.
“On the other hand, we haven’t really put this mattress to the test,” I mused.
He rested his chin on my head, keeping me firmly trapped. “Soon.”
I chuckled. “Not rushing. Just observing.”
He snorted. “Observing, my ass.”
I snaked my arm back, feeling around. “As you wish.”
And man, oh man. I firmly established his to be an A-plus ass.
He laughed, and I almost wished for paint and canvas to capture the moment. Not the sight — blurred lines and dots would be fine — but the cozy feel, the flickering heat inside me, and the sound of that rare laugh.
I wove my fingers through his. “Were you surprised when I came knocking on your door?”
“Relieved. You could have been Henrik.”
I broke out in laughter. “That would put a damper on things, for sure.”
“Not sure he likes me that way,” he joked.
An actual joke. I hid a smile.
Then I sighed. “I’m not sure he likes anyone.”
Roux shrugged. “He likes you.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s why he’s so cold, arrogant, and snooty to me.”
“To most people, he’s cold, arrogant, and downright rude. But okay — maybe, he respects you is a better way of putting it. But—”
I sighed, cutting him off. “I know, I know. I have to be careful around him. But I do have that necklace of his. You think he’ll respect his promise if I ever need a favor?”
“I think so. I hope you never have to find out, though.”
So did I.
“What do you know about the woman he mentioned?” I asked. “Katarina.”
“Not much, other than she was his fiancée before he was turned.”
“Turned voluntarily or against his will?”
“I’m not sure, but against his will would be my guess.”
I ran my fingers over his arm, thinking. “So sad. For them both.”
Roux nodded. “I think he truly loved her. Maybe he still does. Hard to tell with him.”
Hard to tell with lots of people, I nearly said. Not because I doubted Roux, but because of all the times I’d been fooled or had fooled myself.
I wove my fingers through his. Was I fooling myself now?
Roux ran a hand over my hip, and I rolled in his arms.
“Enough about Henrik. Definitely kills the mood,” I said.
A bit of a fib, because even that subject couldn’t delay my second wind. I ran my hands over Roux’s chest, then lower…lower…
Roux sucked in a breath as I touched him. “No risk of that, I think.”
In no time, we were tangled together again.
I lay back with my arms over my head, panting and bucking in time with Roux’s moves.
Total surrender wasn’t usually my style, but hell.
The guy was a tiger shifter, and it showed.
Besides, I was too deep in ecstasyland to think about things like image or pride.
Some time later, we sank back into the sheets. Well, I sank into the sheets. Roux sank into me. I locked my arms around his back and kept him there.
Out in the hallway, a cuckoo clock sounded — ten p.m. Not all that late, but we were both wiped out. Roux snoozed off first, and I ran a finger gently over his shoulder, tracing where his tiger stripes would be.
I sucked in a long, contemplative breath. A short time ago, I would have laughed at the idea of myself with Roux. Now, I was painting images of forever in my head.
Be very, very careful, I ordered myself. Don’t get hurt again, and don’t hurt him.
The latter seemed laughable, but I had a feeling tough tigers weren’t half as tough inside.
I swallowed hard, knowing full well I had a long history of judging men through rose-tinted glasses. I’d done that with Brandon, Nate, and all my other exes. I’d done the same with Gordon in a way too.
The moral of the story? I needed to look at people for who they were, not for what I wanted them to be.
I traced Roux’s eyebrow, then his jaw, replaying every interaction of the past hour, day, and week. But no matter how I hard I looked, I saw the same, good man. No cracks in the facade. No facade at all — just genuine Roux.
I rested my hand over his heart and closed my eyes, hoping I had finally gotten it right.