by Amber Lynn
If Trevor wanted to brand someone a sociopath, Brayden needed to introduce him to Pauline Jamison. Just thinking about the woman’s almost heartless expressions gave him chills.
“I won’t let her hurt you.”
As if that simple declaration made it so. Maybe with Willow it did, but it still didn’t explain why she was there.
“Okay. Why do you need to see me alone?”
He shouldn’t be looking a gift horse in the mouth, but he’d spent half a day in crippling fear for her safety, and then had her ripped away from him again. He didn’t imagine the visit would last long, so the ripping was bound to begin again soon.
She stared up at him, actually meeting his eyes and holding the connection. He knew she didn’t like to make eye contact, and he didn’t remember her ever doing it so close to him. She’d removed the contacts at some point, leaving her purple eyes open for him to stare into. They were an interesting shade. He’d thought amethyst and violet before, but specks of blue were also in there.
“Before my life turns into a whirlwind, and I’m forced to prove to the world I’m not a little kid anymore, I want you to make me a woman.”
Brayden had grown used to odd things flying out of her mouth. But, had she really just asked him to take her virginity? No, he thought as he shook his head. His brain just thought about sex too much for its own good.
There was no way Willow meant her words that way. No way. And he’d believe that, if it wasn’t for the fact her eyes darkened to a purple that bordered on black and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. He saw the slight wince as she touched the spot with stitches.
“You’re going to have to tell me what you mean, because in my head, that came out that you’re here for sex.”
Her head moved up and down, while her eyes stayed on his.
“Isn’t that what ‘make me a woman’ means? I know I’m not great when words aren’t literal, but I thought I heard that somewhere.”
He knew he had to look like a complete idiot, but he stood there in utter shock. She was there to ask him to sleep with her.
“I thought you said you wanted to. You’re leaving tomorrow for Minnesota, and apparently, I’m supposed to be on some show. I don’t know, my mom set it all up, and I’m confused. But I know that at least for a while, we’ll be separated.”
That seemed like a lot of words for her to say at once compared to her usually simple statements. They spoke for hours the first week he’d been on the road, but it had mainly been him carrying the conversation. Asking questions and her straightforward answers. He understood her now and knew it wasn’t all about her being evasive.
With that in mind, the idea of her mom setting up what he assumed was an interview rankled him. Willow didn’t belong in front of TV cameras. She belonged cuddled up some place where she could forget about the last fifteen years. Not relive them.
She was right about him having to go, though. It was Sunday and he wouldn’t be back until the next Wednesday. He had four games during those days, not to mention practice and travel. When he’d planned on taking her with him, he knew they wouldn’t see much of each other, but he’d at least know she was safe.
It didn’t feel right leaving her to the vultures out there. Brayden didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, but he knew sleep wasn’t going to come easy on the trip. He wondered if they could go back to doing the nightly calls.
“Are your parents talking about taking you back to Nevada?”
A change of topic made more sense than talking about her request. His body had tensed as he pondered what she meant and getting the confirmation didn’t help matters. Technically, things had awakened at just the sight of her at his door. He was tight and hard, and a cold shower needed to happen soon.
She shrugged. “You don’t want to have sex anymore.”
Yeah, that was how conversations went with Willow. As if the words weren’t bad enough, she reached over and grabbed the front of his jeans.
“Fuck,” he said as her hand curled around him.
Brayden had never been with a virgin before, but the woman in front of him was not the scared, delicate flower he had in mind when he thought of them.
“You’re engorged.”
No shock. No fear. Just, ‘you’re engorged.’ His tombstone would read: Here lies a man who died because of his good intentions.
“I am,” he said as he took her hand and removed it from his dick. “It seems to be a state I find myself in a lot around you. So, clearly, the question isn’t whether I want to have sex. It’s a matter of there’s a lot of shit going on in your life right now and running over here to have sex with me shouldn’t be one of them. You should be with your parents. They haven’t seen you in years, Willow.”
She shrugged again. “I don’t miss them. Truthfully, I don’t think I ever really did. I miss Connor, but I know he’s waiting for me. Early, when Gayle took me, I missed you. I only trust you, and I want you to do this for me.”
As if her words were some kind of conclusion. She reached down and tugged her shirt off. If Brayden had been thinking clearly, he would’ve tried to stop her. As soon as she exposed her pert breasts, he knew he was a goner.
Chapter 31
The current running over Willow’s skin made her feel constrained, like her body would wrap inside itself at any moment. She’d known coming here and telling Brayden what she wanted could’ve gone many ways. As much time as she’d spent observing him, she knew he’d hesitate. But he seemed capable and the way his eyes stared almost hungrily at her chest told her he was close to giving in. At least that was how she decided to interpret the fire in his eyes.
He wanted to understand her request. They’d talked about mating before and separated with the acknowledgement it wouldn’t happen. At least not that night. Things were different now, and Willow wanted him. She’d spent more time around men today than she ever had in her life. Big hulky police, who she guessed were supposed to be attractive, but not a single one of them made her feel like Brayden did.
Truth be told, she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again. As hard as that was to stomach for her, she had to be practical. He had a life, and even though she’d become a part of it for a few weeks, he might not want to be a part of hers now. The way her mother talked, they would be hopping around making in-person appearances for the foreseeable future.
The thought nauseated her, but she figured she should try to make the woman happy. Her mother had looked like a fountain with the streams of tears down her face. Willow knew it hurt her when she’d avoided her outstretched arms and went for Connor instead. Or maybe it didn’t. What her mother felt wasn’t something Willow had ever grasped.
“I’m going to hell for asking this, but are you absolutely certain?”
Movement caught Willow’s eyes, annoyingly since she’d done such a good job staring into Brayden’s eyes. She saw his fists clench and then unclench repeatedly. The movement confused her. Rather than let that go, she reached down to take one of the hands and held it against the bare skin of her chest.
Brayden groaned and flexed his fingers to grip her breast. The heat that she felt every time she was around him pooled low in her body. Exploring what he did to her body was more important than taking her next breath. It could be her only chance to capitalize on the moment before fate dragged them apart.
“Willow,” he said. His voice registering deep and penetrating. “Are you viewing this as a clinical study or just something you want to get out of the way and think I can help you?”
“Does it have to be either of those? Can’t it be because my body feels like it’s on fire when you touch me like this. If not, how about the fact that I’ll never trust another man to touch me like this again.”
Both statements were a hundred percent true. She knew it was probably foolish to even trust him, but something told her she could. If the choice came down to seducing him now or never feeling a man’s touch, she knew which option she planned on picking.
“Brayden,” she whispered.
If she thought the inferno burning her before was anything, she went nuclear when his head bent down and sucked her other nipple into his mouth. She said his name again, but this time the neighbors probably heard it.
“Shh,” he cooed, only reiterating her thought. “In my dreams, you do plenty of screaming, but I want to make sure you understand what’s going to happen if we continue.”
He stopped his game long enough to tilt her chin, so her eyes met his. They’d drifted shut as the sensations took over her body.
“Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”
She groaned in frustration. Were they seriously back to that?
“We already discussed that I know what’s going to happen. You’re going to thrust into me, break my hymen and eventually ejaculate. If you don’t understand how it works, I’m pretty sure I can figure it out and make sure we hit those steps.”
He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. A scream bubbled up from her as he tossed her backwards. She hadn’t realized they’d moved from the entry, so along with being tossed, the fact that she saw a dresser cross her vision confused her. Things became a little clearer when her back hit a soft pillowtop bed. It was so high off the ground that she didn’t have long to fall.
Brayden laughed as he stood over her. The look in his eyes gave her a little pause. She’d thought he looked hungry before. The way he looked at her made her feel like prey, and rather than scare her, it excited her.
“This isn’t an experiment, Willow. I’m going to show you pleasure you never dreamed of, and then I’m going to do it again.”
Again? The idea made Willow gulp. Didn’t people rut like animals? A quick insertion, a couple of thrusts and then it’s gone? She hadn’t considered anything that related to pleasure. Sure, her body felt wonderful anytime he was near, but she didn’t think the act necessarily equated to pleasure. At least not for her.
“Now, you understand. Are you still sure about this? I’m going to do everything I can to fulfill that promise, but it’s probably going to hurt a little at first.”
She’d felt the large girth of his penis. Telling her it would hurt a little seemed like an understatement. She didn’t know much about how big men were in general, but she knew how tight she was, and she’d be terrified if she didn’t know her body would adapt.
Her eyes drifted down to his jeans. The fabric was worn and showed off the hard length of him. She’d already taken off her shirt, but he was still fully dressed. That seemed unfair. Plus, she wanted a better picture of what hid beneath his clothing.
“Take your clothes off.”
His eyebrows raised as his smile widened. Evidently, he thought it was funny she commanded him.
“I love how you always speak your mind,” he said as he followed her directions by lifting his shirt over his head.
Actually, it was two shirts. And as his muscular torso appeared from underneath, Willow was glad to see them both gone. His body was perfect, every muscle group on display. A dusting of hair covered his pecs and trailed down to where a V formed at the top of his pants.
“Tell me you aren’t naming different muscle groups in your head.”
It scared her a little to hear how well he knew her. Her mind could have easily gone that way, but something else drew her attention.
“No naming, just admiring. I’ve never seen a nude male body outside of a book. It is fascinating.”
Her eyes roamed over his butterscotch-colored skin. It appeared smooth, but she saw several scars of various ages. As much as she wanted to try to be in the moment, the need to analyze every part of his skin overruled. She wanted to touch and feel each mark, then speculate on what made it, the amount of destruction done and how long ago it happened.
She hustled to get on her knees and reached out to run a finger along the scar she thought had at one time been the worst. The skin along the six-inch scar was paler than the skin around it but looked like it had been healed for a while. It started at his waist and cut diagonally down to the top of his jeans.
Brayden took in an audible breath, but he didn’t stop her from running her fingers across it. While the skin felt smooth under her touch, she imagined the roughness of the scar as it healed. She could imagine how much it itched and how many stitches it had taken to close it up. Around thirty she figured. She had three for the little cut on her lip.
As Willow traced the one scar, she looked at the others, quickly added up stitches. Not all of them would have needed them, but she imagined the fact that they left scars at all meant most of them were deep.
It made her wonder where else she’d find scars on his body. She remembered when they first met that his lip had a small scar next to it. It had healed in the weeks since then, becoming just a trace of a cream-colored line.
Her one scar, the one that had never really bothered her before, made her feel a little uncertain. He had so many, and none of them that she’d seen took away from the beauty that was Brayden. On the other hand, her scar stood out against her pale skin. The lotion to darken her skin had faded and the pink of the scar made itself known.
Men were supposed to have scars. It proved to women they were battle-ready and able to protect them. Willow’s scar showed how weak she was. It’d been there since she was eleven, but that didn’t change her opinion of it.
Brayden’s large hand moved to caress her face. His thumb rubbed against the scar on her cheek. Thankfully, the bruising and cut she’d received earlier were on the opposite side of her face.
“I took a skate to the gut my first year in the league. How’d you get yours?”
Willow’s eyes had been fascinated by the sight of him, so minutes flew by since she’d last looked up at him. When she did, the fire she saw in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Without a doubt, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, whether on television or in person. He took her breath away, making her anxiety to speak even more pronounced. She was surprised she’d ever been able to get a word out around him.
“Knife,” she whispered.
He growled as he leaned to kiss the scar. The gentleness behind the act made goosebumps pop up and down her arms.
“If he wasn’t dead, I’d kill him. Did he do this to your face?”
She shook her head. Her thoughts had been a whirlwind that afternoon, but she’d started to think about things differently, or at least rethink how events of the past had gone. There were so many things she’d clearly missed. She wanted to stop thinking about them, which had driven her to Brayden. He made it easy to think about other things.
“Can’t we just focus on us?”
After being babied by her mother and fawned over by the police and doctors, then hearing the shouts of reporters wanting every detail, Willow needed an escape. She needed to hide away somewhere to calm the pain building in her head.
Brayden kissed her scar again, just as tenderly as the first time. Then his lips were on the move, trailing kisses from her cheek down to her neck. She heard the sighs escaping her mouth with every touch but couldn’t do a thing to stop them.
“For now,” he whispered in her ear before sucking her earlobe into his mouth.
Chapter 32
Brayden kept waiting for her to tell him to stop. He knew she wouldn’t. When Willow Jamison decided she wanted something, her focus was too keen to change her mind, but he still thought there was a chance she’d change her mind about this.
As he nibbled her earlobe and moved back to her neck to suck a small piece of skin into his mouth, Willow’s hands went behind his back and her nails dug into his skin. For being so small and fragile, she sure had a grip on her.
He
smiled and let go of the little love bite he’d made. With so many other marks on her skin from the assholes who’d taken her, he wanted to leave one mark created with the affection he felt for her. He’d love to suckle her whole body and spend hours teaching her how his touch felt on every inch, but he wasn’t naïve enough to think they lived in a bubble.
It was surprising someone hadn’t already showed up at his door to collect her. Knowing that, he knew it was stupid to give into her wants and teach her why her body responded to him. He didn’t care. Living close to her had killed every good sense he had, and there was a strong chance he didn’t have much to begin with.
“Lay back on the bed,” he said as he pushed her in that direction.
She followed without hesitation. Her chest heaved with every breath. The movement mesmerized Brayden, the small rise and fall of her breasts almost hypnotic.
“You’re going to kill me.”
The words were soft, more to himself. Willow didn’t seem to notice, so he continued with his initial thought of stripping the jeans off her legs. She’d told him to undress, and he’d done all he was willing to do before she was naked. If he didn’t have something holding him back, he’d tear into her like a teenager whose girlfriend finely gave him the thumbs up.
That’s exactly how he felt. Although, the pure lust and desire to bury himself deep inside of Willow was new. He’d never wanted to be inside a woman as much as he did her, which is exactly why his pants stayed on.
He moved to unbutton her jeans, but her hands quickly met his. While his thoughts were on taking things slow, hers clearly weren’t. She unbuttoned, unzipped and had her jeans and underwear off before he even had a chance to see the color of her underwear.
Then she reached for his. For half a second, he forgot everything as she got him unbuttoned and unzipped. She was about to yank his jeans down, when his sense finally snapped to, and he stopped her greedy hands from their quest.
As if her intentions weren’t enough to distract him, her beautiful body sat before him. He’d imagined what she looked like beneath her clothes. His nights were filled with what could be, but they didn’t hold a candle to the milky skin or the soft patch of fuzzy blonde hair at the apex of her thighs.
