Page 146 of Riv's Sanctuary

His finger hovered over her bra next and Lauren’s eyes widened.

As she grabbed his hand, his surprised gaze met hers.

He searched her face, the heat in his gaze slowly dying.

“You wish for me to not go further?”

“Oh, please do continue, but…don’t rip that. It’s the only one I have. It’s almost dead after wearing it for a complete year—I washed it, of course—but I don’t want you to rip it. It’s one of the most valuable things for a human on this planet.”

Riv looked down at the bra, his brows furrowing slightly.

Extending a finger, he retracted his claws and pulled the cup down. She watched his nostrils flare as her breasts were exposed.

“Why do you cover such beautiful teats with this useless garment?”

She didn’t know if it was a question or if he even knew he asked her something because the way he was looking at her breasts seemed as if he wasn’t aware of anything else.

She could feel her skin tingle underneath his gaze.

As she eased up to slip out of the ripped tunic and remove her bra, he didn’t stop staring and when she eased back down, his eyes fell to her trousers.

He raised a hand to rip those, too, claws protracting again, and Lauren chuckled.

“No. Don’t rip those, either. Let me remove them.”

Riv made a sound in his throat as if it was a great inconvenience but he retracted his claws and allowed her to wriggle out of the clothing.

Naked, Lauren bit her lip as she looked up at him.

She hadn’t been naked before a guy in so long, she’d forgotten how self-conscious she could feel doing it for the first time.

Would he like what he saw?

Would he want her as much as she was dying for him?

But when her gaze rose to Riv’s face, his gaze was filled with such devotion, she felt worshiped and her heart fluttered happily in her chest.

No one had ever looked at her like that before.

Riv was looking at her as if she was a goddess—as if he was the luckiest man to get to behold her in her naked form.

"La-rehn," he growled, dipping his head once more to take her lips as he crawled over her, bracing himself on his arms.

A deep rumble echoed from his chest as he eased off her to stare at her breasts.

He was looking at them for such a long moment she wanted to squirm. But his gaze was so lustful that her nipples grew hard underneath his scrutiny.

"You’re phekking beautiful..." he murmured, reaching forward and clasping each breast underneath his palm. “These,” he growled. “So soft but firm when I squeeze them.” He shook them and his gaze grew even hotter. “They jiggle.”

She didn’t know how to respond.

She’d have thought that would be a bad thing but the way his eyes widened a little before growing more intense had her nipples tightening even more.

His gaze was making her feel all sorts of things, most of them centered between her legs, and when he suddenly dipped his head, his tongue flicking out to curl around her nipple, Lauren closed her eyes, biting down on her bottom lip from the sheer pleasure.

His tongue was warm. Thick and warm.

His licked her again, before closing his mouth around her nipple and a strangled groan left her lips.