She didn’t need to fear being manipulated by the likes of him. The frustrations that women had with James stemmed from other imbalances in his life. He claimed all of his faults and held them close, but he never once hid behind ulterior motives. The man showed the shames of his lifetime both visibly and freely. The disappointment occurred when his words came true – he was no prince charming. He was not there to flatter, sugar coat, pamper or validate; he hurt feelings by calling out the hard truths, the things that people wanted to keep locked away. James was, by far, much too observant for his own good and it only had somewhat to do with his own supernatural capabilities. And Lane was an easy book to read. He saw the hesitancy in her eyes, the anxiety reflected back at him like a skittish animal ready to flee. There was one part of him that almost stopped the current flow of events to drag her into his arms and simply talk.<br/><br/>The part that was incited by her muffled moan careened forward instead and called on more animal instincts to act out. And then the louder, more excited one that followed. Over everything else, he was still a man.<br/><br/>His own moan vibrated against her skin as he dragged his lips away from hers, nipping her lower lip in passing, before he nuzzled his face against her neck to breath her in. Fervently, his free hand roamed down to the front of her neat white blouse, his fingers deft as they undid each button one by one. Impatience almost got the best of him halfway down and he nearly ripped the garment right from her form, instead of completing the task and pushing it away from the prize he was trying to obtain. This time he growled against her skin and dipped his head to the soft swell of her breasts.<br/><br/>His hand finally released the wrist that he still held into place, and while he helped in shrugging his jacket from broad shoulders, both his own reached around to unclasp the bra that pushed up the soft mounds. Letting it drop, his lips were quick to capture one pert bud in his mouth, dragging it hard. She would feel the sharp graze of his teeth against her nipple before he released suddenly and raised his head to meet her eyes.<br/><br/>He was searching for any kind of hesitancy, but seeing only lust that mirrored his own raging hunger, he slid his arms around his waist and dug his fingers into the thin cotton that covered her bottom and pulled her hard against him. He ground his hips forward so that she felt every inch of his erection that pressed against the heat of her sex.<br/><br/>For him, it was never about what a woman<i>wore</i>. For him it was the sensory details; that her breath came out in pants; that her skin now had a flush to it that it hadn't before; that her eyes mirrored the arousal between her legs, hot and damp. He didn't even bother to comment when she made her suggestions and smiled in a way that thrilled him down to the core. James simply grinned and slid his hands lower so that they hooked under her thighs, hoisting her up in his arms.<br/><br/>“Wrap your arms around me,” he murmured, then leaned in for another lingering kiss before he headed to the staircase that led to her room. Once there, he walked them both over to her bed and lay her down. He had to unfasten himself briefly from her so that he could undo the buttons of his own shirt and shrug the garment off.<br/><br/>Underneath, he bore testament to his life visibly. Along with a scattering of scars that gleamed against his tanned flesh and lithe, muscular frame, there was an intricate pattern of runes etched right into his skin that wrapped around his chest and circled around to his back. If her arcane knowledge stood sound, she would recognize the markings as a ward of some sort. What few others knew was that they went deeper than his skin. On his back was the loudest of it all; a tattoo done in black ink, the design an intricate portrayal of a pentagram. And it wasn't simply for the aesthetic of it.<br/><br/>The markings on his body hardly made him hesitate. As soon as his shirt fell away, the man slid back in between her thighs. This time, it was his hands that palmed her breast and calloused palms that stroked her nipples. They continued the journey across her stomach and glided down to her hips. The skirt he left alone except to hitch it further up her hips to expose dampened cotton panties. The devious smile he wore dimpled his cheek. Green eyes flickered up to her face and then back down and he tugged the fabric aside to expose her wet folds. Two fingers slid up her slit, parted the curtains, and circled the hooded bundle of nerves once. Teasing her. They slid inside her after and curled to stroke against her inner wall. His thumb was left to rub against her clit.<br/><br/>“You're so fucking soft,” he growled in her ear as he leaned over to nibble at her lobe.