She watched his eyes when she said it. He looked merciless. Ruthless. The moment the words were out in the open between them, those eyes went soft. Melted. She saw absolute, raw vulnerability and the flood of love there. She’d never seen him like that, or imagined him like that. Naked for her to see into him. Her stomach clenched. Her channel spasmed, and her heart turned over. She needed to hold him, to put her arms around him and get as close as possible. She wanted to cry seeing the look on his face because in her wildest dreams, she never imagined he really felt that way toward her. That soul-searing deep.

“That’s my Kitten,” he whispered softly. “So brave.”

She couldn’t stop the warm glow that spread at the thought of putting that look on his face, of giving him something that obviously meant everything to him.

Eli moved then, fast, coming over top of her, blanketing her completely, pinning her under him. His mouth went straight to her breast, his hand slipping between her legs to position himself at her entrance. She tried hard to push herself against him, to impale herself on his gorgeous, erect shaft, but his weight made it impossible to move. He held her there, watching the helpless pleasure on her face. Loving that.

“Eli, honey, I want to hold you. I want to be able to touch you.” She whispered it, half desperate to feel his skin with her hands.

Without hesitation, he reached for the key on the nightstand and deftly stretched one arm up to unlock the cuffs. He tossed them aside along with the key and caught her wrists to look at them quickly.

She didn’t care about her wrists. She wanted him inside of her. She wanted to feel his hot skin under her palms so she wrapped him up as quickly as she could, as tightly as she could. Her arms. Her legs. She hooked her ankles around his hips, her breathing ragged, while her nipples rubbed tight against the heavy muscles of his chest.

She ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders, over and then down his back, taking him in, pulling him closer. She couldn’t get enough of him.

“Honey, you have to be inside me,” she whispered against his chest, her tongue licking at his skin. He tasted wild. Masculine. Like rain forests. Her fist clenched in his hair for a moment, pulling his head back. She felt wild with pleasure, with hunger. “I need you inside me, Eli.”

His eyes glowed like those of the leopard he was. Hot. Golden fire. Piercing her soul. He was hers, as wild and primitive as a man could be. A shifter. Dangerous and dark, but he loved her. And he could bring her to ecstasy.