by Asha King
“You couldn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart...” His voice trailed off, all thought leaving his head and there was just feeling—her soft touch, her lips finding his and kissing him boldly. She ran her hand up and down his shaft, fingers tentative and careful. The more she touched him, the more comfortable she seemed, immediately understanding his panting breaths and groans of pleasure. She gripped him harder, the dampness of the bathroom and rain still clinging to them helping to make him slick and ready, gliding easily in her hand. He kissed her, devouring her lips, sliding his hands over her body. But as much as he wanted to take over, to hear her sigh and cry with pleasure as he drove her to climax, he reined himself in, let her lead.
It wasn’t long before orgasm was barrelling toward him, just her seductive yet earnest touch enough to push him right over the edge after wanting her for so long. A familiar tingle started low, his body ready to erupt.
“Back up, sweetheart,” he whispered against her lips and her lust-hazed eyes met his in question. “I’m going to come.”
She gave their bodies just a bit of space but didn’t let go of him, sliding up and down, grinding her palm against the head of his cock. He gripped the edge of the sink with one hand, locked the other in her hair as he kissed her, pleasure rushing through his entire body. Desire unraveled him and he gave up control, let climax tear through him. His seed jetted out, splashing across his abdomen as he struggled to calm his breaths.
Brennen panted, his heart thudding loudly. He kissed her softly, nuzzled her cheek, wanted to take her straight to his bed for a second round. But he still didn’t know why she showed up at his door or what else was going on.
Little by little she peeled away from him, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I just—”
“You do not need to apologize for that, Gina.”
Her gaze skimmed his torso where evidence of their encounter waited and she blushed harder. He wanted to save her any more embarrassment and turned to run the faucet, soaking a cloth by the sink to wipe off his stomach.
“Is it okay if we...don’t do anything else, tonight?” she asked quietly.
“Of course.” Cleaned up, he cast the cloth in the laundry pile and turned to her, reaching past to switch off the bathtub water—it was already full, and running down the emergency drain just as quickly as it filled. He stood straight to wrap his fingers around her upper arms and pressed a tender kiss to her temple. “Your tea is probably cold, but take a few minutes to relax in the water. I’ll find you a change of clothes. And I won’t peek.”
Gina grinned up at him, her sweet smile warming him through. “Thank you, Brennen.”
He kissed her again and went to find that change of clothes. Still, despite his body’s hunger briefly quieted and the relief that she seemed a bit brighter and more settled now, worry gnawed at him. He still didn’t know what brought her to his door, what could’ve possibly happened that night, or how he was going to restrain himself if someone had hurt her.
****
Gina soaked in the tub, sinking deep into the water and closing her eyes.
Brennen had brought her an oversized T-shirt and a pair of his boxers, set them on the counter, and then scooped up her clothes all while providing her privacy by not glancing her way. Which she was grateful for—she was mostly hidden in the deep water, her knees drawn up and arms crossed over her chest, but she didn’t need to. He was a perfect gentleman, careful not to push or hurt her.
She wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking, showing up at his place, but she couldn’t stay at home after dealing with Maureen. Couldn’t bear the thought of heading back upstairs to her room, where she’d lie awake thinking about everything she couldn’t do to stop the sale of the bakery. Couldn’t tolerate another minute of that life awaiting her at home and couldn’t stop thinking about everything she didn’t have, everything she wanted.
Gina had very little money—her stepmother basically saw to that—except for the bits she’d gathered up over the years when someone offered her a tip for delivery or didn’t want their change back at the store. She’d grabbed a ten, ran down the street for the downtown core where she found a payphone to call Midsummer’s only late night taxi service, and then directed the cab out of town. Her ten got her about half a mile from Brennen’s property, and she’d walked the rest of the way. Though she was accustomed to the exercise, her feet hurt and her body was exhausted.
Maureen would wonder where she went. Especially when she wasn’t there to open the shop in the morning. With the Prescott anniversary just two days away, she wouldn’t have been at the bakery for long during the day anyway, but her initial absence would definitely be noticed.
She shoved the thoughts away, though. She couldn’t dwell on what Maureen would or wouldn’t do—she’d come here to get away from the woman, after all.
At last she opened her eyes and sat up, pulled the stopper and climbed stiffly out of the tub as the water drained. She hadn’t heard Brennen elsewhere in the house—she didn’t think he’d have gone back to bed, but perhaps he had since she’d woken him up so early. Rain pattered hard against the small bathroom window and lightning lit the sky but thankfully the electricity had held. She toweled off, changed into the borrowed clothes, and padded barefoot out of the bathroom.
Brennen waited in the living room, leaning against the couch and facing the hallway where she walked. He offered a small smile. “Feel better?”
Gina nodded, a blush creeping up her cheeks again. She continued forward and Brennen stood straight, watching her with concern she wished she could alleviate.
“You can take my bed and I’ll take the couch,” he offered.
She’d already dragged him from sleep—she didn’t want to kick him out of his own room. “I’m fine, sleeping with you. I mean, if you are.”
He reached out and clasped her hand, his warm strong fingers squeezing hers gently and drawing her to him. His lips met hers and the world melted away, all of her worry disappearing and, for a little while, letting her feel safe for the first time in years.
Chapter Nine
Gina’s eyes drifted open slowly to find sunlight streaming over the bed. An arm was heavy around her, another body warm against her back. It took a moment for her brain to adjust to the change of scenery and then it rushed back.
Brennen stirred behind her, drawing in a deep breath and sighing, pulling her closer. His arm was over her arm, fingers latticed with hers. It was warm and comfortable and safe, and for a moment she thought it was dream.
“I can’t remember the last time I slept in.” She yawned and closed her eyes again, luxuriating in the feel of not checking the bedside clock.
“It’s nine-thirty.”
“That’s sleeping in for me. Mmm.” She sighed happily as his lips pressed against her neck, scattering soft, sensual kisses over her skin.
He’d done nothing last night and she’d been grateful for it, falling into bed and sleeping almost immediately. But heat stirred now in her body, a flame lit last night as she touched him and brought him to climax now suddenly flaring to life once more, burning hotly. She squeezed his hand, felt his hips push forward and swiftly hardening cock rub against her ass. He continued mouthing her neck and goose bumps spilled along her skin.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered against her ear as she shifted, squeezing her thighs together to alleviate some of the pressure. “I like to hear you say it.”
She gulped down air and shivered, leaning against him. “Touch me, Brennen.”
His hand left hers, skimmed along her arm and gripped her breast. She moaned, pushing her chest into his hand as he massaged and caressed, finding her nipple and drawing it taut between his thumb and forefinger. The feeling was exquisite, a deep pleasure she felt everywhere. Warmth pooled between her legs and she bit her lip, desperately wanting him to move his hand lower, the memory of how his fingers drew her to climax last time entering her mind unbidden.
“Is your sweet pussy wet for
me, baby?” His breath tickled her ear and she gasped again.
“Yes,” she breathed out as his hand crept down, over her stomach, beneath the blankets, reaching for the apex of her thighs. She parted her legs as his fingers deftly moved past the borrowed boxers, driving straight to her pussy and waiting slick heat. Her entire body shuddered as he made contact with her clit, pleasure jolting through her. He touched her like he read every sigh, every moan, like he understood exactly what she wanted, what she needed, what she craved. Her hips bucked and he slid one finger into her tight channel, giving her a taste of everything else she wanted. Her body was primed and it wouldn’t take long to come, no matter how she tried to reign herself in again.
Brennen’s lips moved along her jaw, up her throat, sending shivers through her body. “Remember when I said I want my tongue on you the next time you come?” he whispered against her ear and she gasped.
“Yes...”
“I still do. But not until you ask for it.” He slid his hand from her pussy and eased her onto her back, gazing down at her.
Gina reached for him, ran her hands up his exposed chest, the hard muscle a contrast to his smooth skin. His hips settled between her thighs and with blinding intensity the thought of him there, naked, thrusting between her thighs, entered her mind and she couldn’t let it go. His chest was tanned and sculpted, her fingers lightly trailing over his pecs. When her finger brushed his nipple, he took in a sharp breath; the sound brought a rush of pleasure to her, the thought of him responding to her touch like that, like he enjoyed it. She took her time, feeling corded muscle, soft skin, and the fine dark hairs smattered across his chest and pointing down between his trim hips. Everything about him was beautiful—what in the hell he was doing with her, she didn’t know and didn’t dare ask.
Brennen leaned over her, kissing her temple, her nose, her lips. “I want to see you.”
Her body iced over and eyes closed, wincing. If he saw all of her, he would see that. God, she couldn’t bear the thought.
But he made no move to do anything else. “Only if you want me to.”
Little by little, she urged the tension back and forced her eyes open.
He stared down at her with kind, gentle dark eyes. He was asking and he wasn’t making her do it. And he genuinely seemed to want it.
At last Gina nodded, her eyes big, chest rising and falling with each breath.
Brennen sat back, still settled between her thighs, his gaze sweeping over her clothed torso once before his hands grasped the hem of her borrowed T-shirt. With painstaking care, so she felt every second of it, he worked the cotton up and off, tossing it to the floor beside the bed.
There was nothing about her figure worth paying attention to—her breasts were barely handfuls, bare to him now with her bra in the laundry. Her dark skin quivered with each breath, arms crossed over her torso.
Then she knew, he saw. She felt the shift in the air when he studied her right side, the slightly paler uneven flesh that ran for several inches. His fingers traced the pattern, frowning a moment as if pieces were falling into place for him, and he looked up at her again.
“Don’t ask,” she requested, wavering on the edge and wanting to put her shirt back on and run.
But Brennen nodded and kissed her, gentle but firm, seeming to work his lips deliberately until she began to relax again and momentarily forgot the scarring now apparent to him. He pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth, her jaw, moving lower over her neck, to the sensitive flesh over her collarbone. His hands slid up her sides, taking a breast in either one and fingers moving in a slow, seductive caress that had her panting. Her pussy throbbed and legs wrapped around his waist, drawing him to her.
Still he deliberately ignored her lower body, keeping his focus on her needy breasts. She watched him with lust-filled, heavy-lidded eyes as his weighted gaze moved over her, taking her in. She drew in a quivering breath, her body eager for release, and ran her fingers through his silky dark hair.
The moment his lips pressed her bare nipple, she threw her head back and gasped. “God, Brennen...” The pleasure was almost too intense to bear.
His tongue swirled, pebbling the hardened peak and jolting pleasure through her. Her borrowed boxers were soaked, pussy throbbing, but the request for more hovered on her lips and couldn’t quite escape yet. Both of his large hands cupped her breasts, squeezing.
“Say it,” he whispered against her skin, his eyes turning upward to meet hers. She felt rather than saw his grin, that sexy one that suggested he knew exactly what was going through her had. “Tell me what you want. It makes me so hard when you do, baby.”
Gina tried to catch her breath, failed. The words pushed against her lips and she knew he’d drag it out, wouldn’t give her a moment of relief, until at last she gave in and asked for it. “Brennen...”
His tongue flicked out and brushed her nipple. “Say it.”
“I want you to taste me,” she said in a breathy rush. “Taste me while you make me come.”
He groaned like the words touched him and he shifted downward, kissing along her stomach, not flinching from her scars. His hands worked swiftly to ease down the boxers, folding her legs to remove them. He breathed her in and her entire body flushed with heat. No one had ever looked at her like that, never been this way with her before, but she desperately wanted it, quivering with anticipation.
“Tell me what feels good,” he said, his fingers parting her folds and the heat of his breath brushing the sensitive flesh of her pussy.
When his tongue snaked out and licked up her slit, she moaned and melted against the bed, her hands grasping the sheets on either side. Slow, steady licks, like he took the time to really taste her had her writhing, back bowing. He reached her clit and she cried out with bliss.
“Say it again for me,” he whispered as a finger glided inside her.
Her pussy clenched, wanting something much larger and harder pistoning instead. The sensations were almost too much, especially when his free hand ran up her body to grasp her right breast. She rocked her hips against his face, climax barreling toward her even faster than the day before.
“Make me come. God, Brennen, I’m—” The words were lost in a cry of ecstasy as she orgasmed, her entire body shuddering as wave after wave overcame her. She thrashed and sobbed, his hands managing to still her while he licked her through the final throes of her climax.
At last she went limp, sweating and panting, blinking sleepily up at the ceiling.
Brennen settled next to her, drawing her close and kissing her temple. “Do you think you can start making time to date?”
Gina chuckled, easily imagining the wicked grin he was giving her. “Maybe.” She crossed her arms at her torso, her fingers brushing the raised scarred flesh on her side. He hadn’t asked, at least. He was patient. And she was grateful for that, but she wanted to give him something. “Do you want to know?”
“I want to know whatever you want to tell me.”
She burrowed in next to him, letting her eyes closed as his fingers trailed up and down her side, running along the raised flesh of old burn scars. “She threw a pot of boiling water on me.”
Silence. “How old were you?”
“Eleven.”
“That’s not all she’s done.”
“No. There was a broken arm when I was seven. Dad didn’t realize she did it and she acted so sorry.” Gina shook her head. “Generally she tried since to keep it restricted after that to things that didn’t leave bruises, but I really made her mad the day she burned me.”
He was silent and still, holding her tight, stilling running his hand up and down her bare back. She knew he wanted to say something, felt the words hovering in the air, but he remained careful and restrained.
“She hasn’t so much as slapped me lately—I think she’s afraid I’ll tell you.”
“Why did you never tell anyone?”
Shame burned hotly—she knew he didn’t mean to imply it was her fault for n
ot running, but she couldn’t help but feel that way. “No one would’ve believed me as a kid. I’d tried to tell my dad but he thought I just didn’t like my new stepmother. After he died...I tried booking an appointment with a guidance counsellor at school and I showed up to find Maureen there with her. She’d called my stepmother, concerned about me. And then I couldn’t run when I was older. My grades were bad because I spent so much time running the bakery and keeping the house clean, and she wouldn’t have given me money for college anyway. She’s on all these councils and groups in town, everyone likes her. I have nowhere to go.”
“You have me now, Gina.”
She did, and she trusted, somehow, that he wouldn’t force anything on her—he’d understand how badly she wanted to do things for herself on her own instead of trading one cage for another. Gina hugged him tight. “She’s selling the bakery.” Her voice broke on the last word, tears pressing against her eyes.
“What?”
She tried to swallow back the rising emotion. “I saw the purchase agreement draft. I’ve been trying to find a copy of Dad’s will because I just...I can’t imagine him just giving her everything like that. He would’ve looked out for me. But I wasn’t there for the reading and I’ve just had to trust her word that I wasn’t in it. Now she’s acting weird, pushing all these orders on me that I can’t keep up, and we had that break-in, and she’s claiming the store isn’t ‘profitable’ and that’s why she has to sell it, but it doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s why you came here in the middle of the night.”
Gina nodded, not wanting to go into detail about trying to break into the safe—Brennen knew enough. “I was so upset about that. She’s changed so much about the bakery but it was my mom’s...”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair, kissing her temple again and holding her tight.
She kept her eyes closed and held on, wishing the world outside would disappear and she could lie in bed with him forever.
