She shook her head and pressed into the cushion behind her.

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her slowly from her seat. “It is time. Come with me.” Tugging her along behind him, he kept going until they reachedthe hallway and passed through the other archway into a living area. There were chairs and a couch along with a lot of buttons on the walls.

Gesturing her toward the long cushioned furniture, he went to a square structure coming out of one wall. Pulling out a drawer, he walked back across the room and handed her asmall hand-held device, like a personal computer. It had a small screen at the top.

She moved closer to one side as he sat down beside her. “What’s this?”She felt crowded by the weight and heat of his big body beside her. Even the big couch seemed too small for the two of them. She was overwhelmingly aware of him.

His eyes danced as she shifted further away from him, but he answered her seriously. “The pactmaker has supplied your records to me. It is only fair that I do the same. These are my medical tests. I am completely healthy. I have been given my suppression shot this month, so pregnancy should not be a concern for you either. There are payment records from my employer, too, showing my ability to provide. There are statements from friends and family detailing my character. These are allrecordsto let you know you are safe with me. That I am, what do humans usually say? A good guy.”

“A prospective mate resume,” she muttered. She knew the pactmakers checked out everyone. Barely looking at thedevice,she putit aside.“Okay, I understand. You’re wonderful. I’m sure you’re kind to small kids and animals. But, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to just jump into bed with you. All these people know you, but I don’t know you.”

“You will.” Moving the device from her side to the floor, he scooted over and leaned toward her. His eyes, those bright blue piercing eyes, were suddenly burning. “You chose Seduction. That means you will follow the rules of courtship according to that choice. We need to understand one another,sherree. Yesterday we kissed, mouth-to-mouth, tongue-to-tongue. Today we will do more of that. But today, you will allow me to run my hands over your body, to learn each curve. I will not remove your clothing.”

His voice, which had turned husky, became firmer and more determined.“But,sherree, hear me well. I will do my best to take things as far as possible. I want you. I want to rock inside you and feel your sweet walls gripping me. I want to taste every inch of you, know what makes you tremble, what makes you wet.”

A shiver went through Sharon followed by a wave of heat. He was seducing her with words, with mental images. It was brutal in its effectiveness. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she tried to form some response, but his eyes dropped to her lips and the words died in her throat. Her body was stiff with tension.

Reaching out one hand, he began running it along the edge of her blouse. Goosebumps followed in the wake of his fingers. His mouth was close to her ear as he said, “This garment is so thin. Already your breasts swell and your nipples harden. They ache for my touch, don’t they? For my hands. For my mouth.”

The moist warm of his breath teased her ear as he leaned further down and began placing kisses along her throat. He continued kissing and talking as he worked his way down. “I would like to run my tongue around your nipples. I would play with them; make them ache for the sweet pressure of my mouth. Can you imagine how it will feel when I finally suck on them?”The mental picture of his mouth sucking on her breast nearly scalded her.

Kissing his way back up to her chin, his mouth moved to the corner of hers. As his hands moved from her neckline to the upper swells of her breasts, he whispered, “Easy…” She wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or himself.

Sharonfelt like she couldn’t get enough air. His words and his touch were too much. She felt her chest rising and falling rapidly under his hands. She began to tremble as the excitement rushed through her. Already, she was growing wet, hot.

Running his tongue along her lips, he said, “Let me in.”

Her trembling lips parted under firm pressure from his. The kiss was growing harder, hotter. Slanting his head, he took her deeper, thrusting along her tongue, running his tongue teasingly along her teeth and the inner edges of her lips. Then returning back inside, to stoke. Her eyes closed and the muscles in her legs went lax. She began to duel with him, meeting each thrust with her own tongue, feeling the wet slide and unconsciously asking for more. With a moan, he gave her more.

Sharon felt one of his hands move down to her breast. He avoided the hard nipple, merely gripping lightly across the upper swell and then sliding around the side until he held her from underneath. As he began to shape her breast, kneading and pressing, she moaned and opened her mouth even wider. Their mouths met in a sexual feast.

She hardly noticed that her body had slipped downwards toward the arm of the couch. If she had looked down his body at that moment she might have seen the huge bulge of his aroused cock. But in that moment, all she could feel or see was his mouth, his hands. She was drowning in a sea of sensation.

Lifting his mouth a fraction, he said softly, “I am going to touch those hard nipples now. You are aching for it, are you not?”

Sharon’s answer was weak but understood, “yes…”

Lifting his mouth away from hers completely, he looked at her. Her mouth was swollen and wet. She opened her eyes. Those beautifulmer green eyes were dazed, the pupils dilated. Looking down, he saw the hard points of her nipples against the fabric. Bringing both his hands up, he covered her swollen breasts with them and felt those stiff nipples stabbing into his palms.

His cock, already hard, throbbed in time with his heartbeat.She was so responsive. He wanted to thrust inside her wet heat, to feel her close around his aching cock. He clung to his control.

Sharon gave a little cry as his hands finally covered her breasts. The contact of his palm against her nipples gave a little relief to her aching tips, but it was short lived. The ache continued to build. When he took his fingers and began playing with those twin points, she involuntarily arched her back wanting more. Twisting, lightly tugging, he played. Rough and gentle, by turns, his touch kept her surprised and restless. Looking into his face, she saw masculine satisfaction and hunger. For her. That look drew her almost as much as his touch.

As one of his hands began drifting downward onto her stomach, she felt that light brushing sensation in her mind again. Like the feel of his tongue lightly teasing her mouth before entrance, his mind touched hers, tempted. When she felt the brush again, she stiffened and said, “Wait!”

Lifting those hungry eyes to her again, he said, “No,sherree, I am within my rights.” His hand continued over her stomach. Her legs tightened and she frantically drew them together in protest.

With a sigh, he placed a gentle kiss on her mouth. The hand and fingers at her breast never faltered, but the hand heading south paused. “Spread your legs for me now, Sharon. You have no choice in this. You chose yesterday when you took the Oath.”

Her hands, hanging limply at her sides until now, came up in defense, grabbing the top of his. “I don’t want this,”she said desperately.

The hand under hers grabbed and then took her arms over her head. With one hand, he kept her pinned. She strained to get her hands free, but he was too strong. The hand at her breast began to move downward.

He said, a little less patiently, “That is a lie. Already your wetness shows through on the cloth. You made a vow, Sharon. Honor it or I will assume my vow to go in courtship stages is broken as well. Spread your legsfor me,” he demanded.