Anna had her legs curled up under her bottom, a book in her lap. But her focus wasn’t on reading. It was on Landon, who was crouched on his haunches stoking the fire. A horrible storm raged on outside, rain pelting against the window like tiny bullets. There was a flash of lightning and she tensed, knowing the thunder would come like a war drum. And then a second later the booming of thunder came, like the sky opening up and raining hell on earth.

She brought the blanket around her shoulders and set the book aside. She couldn’t focus, not with the storm going on outside, and certainly not with Landon just feet away. After he’d gotten her off the night before, that was all she could think about. She was in this constant state of arousal, the heat consuming her, her pussy constantly wet, her nipples hard and sensitive. But he hadn’t touched her again, maybe wanting to give her time, thinking she needed it. But she didn’t. She didn’t want it.

He stood and she watched the contrast of his muscles playing under his golden skin. The T-shirt he wore didn’t hide his power, his strength. He added another log to the fire and she stared at his bicep, watching as his sinew and tendons flexed, moved.

She felt herself breathing harder, faster. She shifted slightly, feeling how wet she was, that her panties were starting to get soaked. Anna was insane, like this fiend that needed a fix and only Landon could provide that. He braced a hand on the mantle, leaning in slightly and staring at the flames. The way the light flickered over his face, the shadows mixing with it, made him seem almost dangerous. But she knew better, had learned a lot in the short amount of time. He was a gentle man, sweet and gentle, at least with her.

And then he turned just his head and stared at her, their gazes clashing, his pupils dilating. It was in that moment that she knew he wanted her, but his self-control was like an iron fist, keeping him in check, keeping him prisoner. She felt the same way, but she felt like she was losing a battle, one that she was more than happy to surrender to.

And then after last night, when he’d given her so much pleasure she’d felt like she had an out-of-body experience, all Anna had wanted to do was reciprocate, give him as much pleasure as he’d given her. But she also couldn’t deny that she enjoyed having him hold her, that sleeping beside him had been one of the very best experiences she’d had in a long time.

And ever since then, she’d been sleeping in his bed, beside him, his arm wrapped around her body as he kept her close to him. With Landon she felt protected, safe. She knew that no one and nothing would hurt her, get to her while he was in her life. And she was falling hard for him, so hard that she was drowning in it.

I’m already head over heels for him. There’s no going back.

“You can’t look at me that way,” he said softly, his voice deep.

“What way?” She could barely form a coherent word right now. The lights flickered, and she broke their gaze to look up. A second later the electricity was cut and only the light from the fire illuminated the room. She shifted on the couch again, the blanket slightly falling off her body. But Anna was frozen in place and didn’t bother grabbing it, didn’t try and bring it up to her chest to hide her nipples, which she knew poked through her shirt.

“You can’t look at me like you want me.”

She swallowed, her face feeling hot. “Why?” she whispered.

“Because I want to devour you as it is, and I’m holding onto a thread to keep my control.”

Her heart was racing, and she sat up, the blanket now on the floor. She didn’t care if he could see her arousal pressed against her shirt, her nipples aching, wanting his mouth. In fact, Anna wanted him to notice, wanted Landon to be so lost in his feelings for her that he lost it and did devour her.

She found herself standing up, intent on making the next move, when a loud crash came from outside. She cried out in surprise and spun around. Landon was beside her a second later, his arm wrapped around her, the feeling of his possessiveness clear. He moved toward the front door a moment later, but not before grabbing his rifle. When he opened it, the wind and rain whipped inside, slamming into Anna. She gasped at the frigid feeling of it.

Through the open door she could see a fallen tree, the lighting having cracked it right down the middle and laying it like a carcass in the front part of the property. Landon was standing outside on the porch, his rifle held loosely in his grasp as he stared at the carnage the storm had delivered.

And when he turned to face her, the rain pelting against him, the wind moving the short strands of his hair, she felt heat move through her. Here was this man, rugged, feral … hers.

There was no mistaking that tonight she’d finally give herself over to him and not allow him to not take his pleasure too. She needed to be with Landon in all the ways that counted, in the way a wife was with her husband. Tonight they would finally consummate their marriage.