---- Chapter 7 Erin Calhoun POV: My head was spinning from the wine and the dizzying intensity of his kiss. "Harvey," | whispered again, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. "Have you ever... been with anyone else?" He captured my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips for a soft kiss. "No." "Ever?" | pressed, my voice a little breathless. "Never," he confirmed, his dark eyes holding mine. The height difference between us was significant. Even in my heels, | had to tilt my head back to look at him. My free hand slid inside the collar of his open shirt, my fingertips finding the thrilling pulse at the base of his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed under my touch. His whole body went rigid, and the hand holding mine grew impossibly hot. | felt a cocktail of emotions swirling inside me-bitterness, confusion, and a desperate, aching desire that demanded to be released. | closed my eyes and leaned in, pressing a soft, deliberate kiss to his throat, right over his pulse. ---- A strangled sound escaped him. His fingers tightened in my hair, not painfully, but with a sense of desperate control, as he tilted my head back for another searing kiss. He was breathing hard now, but he was holding it in, a testament to his formidable self-control. "It still hurts," | murmured against his lips, my own little game of provocation. "My chest." | suggested, my voice a husky whisper, "Maybe you should examine me." | took his hand, the one that wasn't tangled in my hair, and guided it to my breast, pressing his palm flat against the thin silk of my dress, right over my heart. The moonlight was cold on my bare skin, but his touch was fire. | could see the raw want in his eyes, a dark, consuming hunger that stripped away his civilized veneer. "Can we begin the examination now, Doctor?" | asked, my own hand tightening over his. His palm was scorching hot. His Adam's apple moved again, a sharp, convulsive motion. There was something deeper in his eyes now, something more than just lust. It was possessive. Territorial. It was the look of a man who had waited a very long time for something and was finally claiming it. ---- We were pressed so close | could feel every hard line of his body, every subtle shift and tremor. He was like a dormant volcano, radiating a heat that made my head spin. Just as | thought he would lose control, he wrenched his hand away from my chest, his breath coming out in a harsh, ragged gasp. | felt a pang of shock, of loss, of raw vulnerability. "Not here," he growled, his voice thick with restraint. He pulled me into his arms again, but this time it was a gentle embrace. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "Let's get you inside," he murmured. "You need a shower. A warm one. It will be good for you." A strange tremor went through me. It wasn't just desire anymore. The mountain wind suddenly felt softer, warmer. | was falling, and | had no desire to save myself. Inside the villa, | bent down to take off my heels. But he was there before me, kneeling on the floor, a pair of soft slippers in his hand. He gently took my foot, his movements surprisingly clumsy as he fumbled with the delicate strap of my shoe. His fingers wrapped around my ankle, his touch sending sparks up my leg as he carefully slid the slipper on. ---- | looked down at the top of his head, at the breadth of his shoulders, the lean strength in his back. A restless energy coiled in my stomach. As he stood up, | rose on my tiptoes and captured his mouth with mine. We kissed our way down the hall, a desperate, fumbling trail of discarded clothing. By the time we stumbled into the bathroom, his shirt was unbuttoned and hanging open, and the straps of my dress had been pushed off my shoulders. He pinned me against the cool tile of the shower wall, his kisses growing more urgent, more demanding. The bathroom filled with steam, and it felt like he was trying to consume me, to absorb me into himself. "Erin," he rasped, his voice raw with a need that mirrored my own. | thought this was it, that we would finally cross that line, but he suddenly grabbed my wrists, his grip like steel, and pulled me away from the wall. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!