by Leah Brooke
When she tried to cover herself, he shook his head. “Please. Don’t do that. Don’t cover yourself from me.”
When she dropped her hands, the relief that went through him almost took him to his knees.
Staring at her, he knew that walking away from her wasn’t an option. They had a lot to work through, and he had to make her feel safe before he could pry her out of the hard shell she’d built around herself.
Frowning, Lana blinked in confusion. “J.W.?”
“Thank you. Your trust is very important to me.” Pushing her hair back from her face, he glanced pointedly at her bra. “Take it off. Let me see those beautiful breasts.”
* * * *
Lana trembled with need, the way he looked at her making her feel like the most desirable woman in the world.
The combination of strength, forcefulness, and tenderness ripped through her defenses with an ease that stunned her.
Unhooking her bra, she released it slowly, pausing when he held out his hand.
After a few seconds, a dark brow went up, and feeling foolish, she finished removing her bra and handed it to him.
Fighting the urge to cover her breasts, she folded her hands in front of her, her nipples tingling under his steady gaze.
Surprised when he lifted her bra to his nose, she started to take a step back, stopping abruptly when his eyes narrowed. “The panties now.”
Lana had felt sexy many times in her career but never as sexy as she felt now.
She’d worn lace and silk by famous designers, but she’d never felt as desirable as she did wearing plain white cotton panties with J.W. staring at her as though she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Automatically moving in a way meant to entice, she eased her panties down her legs and straightened, letting the plain panties dangle from her fingers of one hand while lifting her other hand to her chest.
The flare of lust in his eyes, accompanied by something she couldn’t identify but that warmed her all the way through, sent a tingling heat to every erogenous zone in her body.
His lips twitched, increasing the sense of intimacy. “You teasin’ me, darlin’?”
Lana surprised herself by smiling in return while standing stark naked in front of him. “Would you mind if I was?”
His eyes narrowed with a combination of seduction and intent. “Not at all, as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.” Holding out his hand, he eyed the panties she held and wiggled his fingers in demand.
Lifting her chin, she placed them into his hand, her heart pounding furiously. “What sort of consequences?”
Holding her panties to his nose, he smiled. “Go start your bath water and come back to me.”
Lana turned to do his bidding, but curiosity had her pausing and turning back. “What if I don’t?”
J.W. smiled as if he’d expected the question. “I’d come get you.”
Watching her walk away, J.W. willed his cock to behave.
She would be too sore for sex for a couple of days, but he could still give her pleasure.
She needed a man she could depend on, one she could rely on.
A man of his word.
A man who could, and would, back up words with action.
Listening to her start her bath water, he took off his T-shirt and tossed it on a chair in the corner.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked up when she appeared again, letting his gaze rake over her. He’d already established the foundation of trust. Now he just had to build on it.
“Come here.”
As she stepped forward, he wondered if she knew how her entire demeanor had changed, and if she realized how seductively she walked toward him.
“I’m going to flood the bathroom.”
J.W. caught her waist and lifted her onto his thighs facing him, using his own thighs to part hers. “You’re so aroused that this won’t take long.”
Holding her securely with an arm at her back, he slid his hand between her thighs, parted her folds, and zeroed in on her clit.
Prepared for her jolt, he tightened his hold, her position not allowing her to close her legs and giving him complete access.
He wanted to give her pleasure.
He wanted to touch her.
He wanted to wipe everything else from her mind except him and get the rest she so desperately needed.
Not allowing her to wiggle away, he focused his attention on her clit, biting back a groan at the warm rush of her juices as she threw her head back and came almost at once.
Pulling her against his chest, he continued to manipulate her clit with slow strokes, bringing her down gently and thrilling at the soft cries and moans pouring from her.
Ignoring his throbbing cock proved difficult, but he’d always prided himself on his control and needed every ounce of it with Lana.
Her soft whimpers accompanying each shiver of pleasure filled him with a contentment he’d searched for his entire adult life.
With his lips in her hair, he crooned to her, his chest swelling at the way she curled so trustingly against him. Adjusting her position on his lap, he slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her high against his chest.
Staring down at her features, he strode to the bathroom. He bent to kiss her soft lips again. “You’re so damned sweet.” Lowering her into the tub, he paused next to her, smiling at her apparent struggle to keep her eyes open. “Soak as long as you like.”
He rolled a towel and lifted her head to ease it behind her neck. “Call out of you need anything. I’ll be in the bedroom waiting for you.” Tapping her nose, he smiled down at her limp form. “Don’t fall asleep in here and drown.”
To his surprise, she reached out to grip his arm, her eyes huge in her face. “You’re really staying?”
Touched, he lifted her hand, automatically turning it to kiss the scar on her wrist. “Nothing could drag me out of here tonight. Now, take your bath and relax. When you’re done, we’ll get some sleep.”
Twenty minutes later, he sat propped up in her bed, watching the news but listening for Lana.
He’d already noticed the baseball bat she’d propped against the nightstand on the other side of the bed and the can of mace under her pillow.
He’d turned off the closet light and closed the closet door, hoping it didn’t upset her.
When she walked back into the bedroom, she appeared more relaxed and flushed from her bath, looking so adorable that he couldn’t help but reach for her.
Dressed in a thick, terry robe, she hesitated only slightly before putting her hand in his.
Her trust humbled him.
Smiling, he drew her slowly toward him and loosened the belt of her robe. “Feel better?”
“Much.” She grinned, showing her dimples and giving him a glimpse of the imp he suspected she’d been before.
The imp he wanted very much to know.
Sliding a hand inside her robe and over her ass, he nudged her closer. “Lose the robe and get into bed. I want you naked against me.” Smiling at her look of shock, he leaned forward to kiss her abdomen. “I promise I won’t let you get cold.”
A giggle escaped before she moved away. “I believe you.” Looking everywhere except at him, she went to the closet, holding her robe closed as she opened the door and turned on the light. “You know that I’ve never slept with anyone before.”
J.W. smiled at that, pretending not to notice that she left the door partially ajar and the light on before crossing back to the bed.
He also chose not to mention that she’d left the bathroom door open and the light on.
Waiting until she got closer, he pulled the covers back on her side of the bed, the side closest to the window and with the baseball bat. “I know, baby.”
He smiled, letting his gaze rake over her. “That’s something you should have told me before I took your virginity.”
Shrugging off her robe, she slipped under the covers, glancing at him with a smil
e. “You’re a man who thinks he’s responsible for everything and everyone, aren’t you? You didn’t take my virginity. I gave it.”
J.W. lifted the remote and pointed it at the television, turning it off before setting the remote aside. “Why did you?”
* * * *
Lana inwardly cursed, calling herself all kinds of fool for giving J.W. the opening he’d apparently been waiting for. “I had my reasons.”
Shifting restlessly under his steady gaze, Lana slid a glance at him and then another, but he didn’t push.
He just kept watching her.
Waiting, his patience seemingly endless.
With a sigh, she looked away. “Because you made me forget.” Shrugging, she glanced back at him, smiling at the look of stunned wonder in his eyes. “And because you made me feel safe.”
Holding her gaze, he lifted her hand to his lips, placing a hot kiss in the middle of her palm before turning it to brush his lips over the scar on her wrist. “I’m glad. You have no idea what that means to me.” Tugging, he pulled her onto his chest. “You can always trust me. I’ll never hurt you. Ever.”
The feel of J.W.’s hands sliding up and down her back had Lana tightening her hands on his shoulders, her fingers pressing into the tight muscle there. “I like being with you. You make me feel good.”
J.W.’s slow smile sent a wave of longing through her. “Good, because I have no intention of going anywhere.”
“But let’s get something straight.” She slapped a hand on his chest. “You’re not responsible for me.”
To her surprise, J.W. rolled her to her back, covering her before kissing her forehead. “Whatever you say, baby. Get some sleep.”
“I mean it, J.W.” She wanted him to want her for herself, not because he’d been the first man she’d made love to or because her brother had asked him to look out for her. “I need to be able to take care of myself. I don’t want a man who feels that’s what I want from him.”
“Okay.” J.W. reached over to turn off the light on her side of the bed, leaving the room in semi-darkness, with only the lights from the closet and bathroom streaming into the room.
Lana went willingly into J.W.’s arms, loving the feel of sold warmth all around her. To her surprise, once he’d settled her against him, she yawned.
They lay there in silence for several long minutes while she struggled to understand why he hadn’t said anything about the fact that she’d left several lights burning. “J.W.?”
His arm tightened briefly around her, settling on her back. “Yes, baby?”
“Thank you for not giving me a hard time about the lights. I just feel better when they’re on.”
“I know. Go to sleep. No one is going to get past me to get to you. You’re safe, honey.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the image of her attacker trying to take on J.W. “I know.”
After several minutes, she found herself drifting and, out of habit, struggled to stay away. Listening to J.W.’s even breathing, she wondered if he’d fallen asleep.
She found herself listening for any signs of movement in her apartment, but her focus kept drifting back to his breathing.
He’d claimed to be a light sleeper, but anyone could sneak in.
What would happen if her attacker came back with his knife, or even a gun, and shot or stabbed J.W.?
“I can hear the wheels in your head spinning.” J.W.’s deep, sleepy drawl comforted her, the arm tightening around her and pulling her partially onto his chest heightening her sense of security. “What’s wrong?”
Blowing out a breath, Lana fought to keep her eyes open. “Nothing.” Praying that his presence would keep the nightmares at bay, she let her eyes close.
“Good. Then go to sleep.”
* * * *
J.W. waited until Lana’s breathing evened out, and she slumped before sitting up slightly to look at the clock on her nightstand.
Almost one in the morning.
Clenching his jaw, he stared down at her, the number of lights she’d left on allowing him to see her clearly.
Stunningly beautiful, even in sleep, she lay curled trustingly against him, her hand gripping his wrist.
He waited a full half-hour before moving, curling her hand around the pillow as he slid from the bed. Moving as quietly as possible, he dug his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans and left the room, making his way to the living room as he dialed.
He’d just finished leaving a message for Alice to tell her that he would be late coming home when a shrill scream sent a chill down his spine.
Tossing the phone aside, he raced for the bedroom, desperate to get to her, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Finding her standing next to the bed, her eyes wild as she held the baseball bat over her head, J.W. rushed to her side.
Fighting back his own panic and anger at what her attacker had done to her, he adopted the crooning tone he used when he broke horses. “Baby. It’s me. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
Relieved when her wild eyes met his, he smiled, hoping she recognized him in the semi-darkness. Purposely standing in the stream of light coming from the bathroom, he reached slowly for the baseball bat, seeing the nightmare still screaming in her eyes.
He needed to bring her back to the present. “Lana!”
Jolting, she gasped and blinked, relief and recognition replacing the horror in her eyes.
J.W. took advantage and moved in, closing one hand over the bat and the other around her waist. “You don’t need this, darlin’. Give it to me.”
Suddenly, it was as if all the fight went out of her. She sobbed, her entire body slumping.
Cursing, J.W. tossed the bat aside and caught her against him.
Naked, she trembled and threw her arms around his neck. “Hold me.”
J.W. fought back his own panic and sat on the edge of the bed, yanking the blanket and wrapping it around her, crooning to her as he began rocking her. “I’m holding you, baby. I’ve got you. Nobody else can get to you. Just me.”
“Please, don’t let go.”
Her voice, thick with tears, reached in and grabbed him by the heart.
Rubbing his cheek against her forehead, he ran his hand over the blanket from her knee to her thigh and back again. “Never, baby. I’m never letting you go.”
Holding her with a gentleness he hadn’t thought himself capable of, he kissed her hair. “You’re mine, Lana.”
A shudder went through her. “Show me.”
When she looked up, he lifted his head to stare into her eyes, his heart breaking at the tears shimmering in them. “J.W., make it go away. I can’t stand it anymore.” Fisting her hands in his hair, she pressed her lips against his.
It was like a match to gasoline.
Passion ignited, and the need to take her and show her just what she meant to him had his cock throbbing in an instant.
He wanted her, but what he felt for her now went far beyond want.
He needed her as much as she seemed to need him.
The closeness. The passion.
He wanted everything about her.
He needed to block out the rest of the world until she knew nothing except him.
He was a man caught up in the need to take care of his woman—the need to show her that he was there for her in every way.
He wanted to be everything to her.
Rolling her to her back, he moved back slightly to work his underwear off.
“No!” Lana frantically grabbed for him. “Don’t go. Don’t go. Please don’t leave me.”
J.W. tossed his underwear aside and shoved the covers out of the way to feel her nakedness against his. “Oh, baby.” Using his weight to press her to the mattress, he braced himself on his elbows and stared down at her, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I have no intention of leaving you. I went out to the living room to call the ranch to let them know not to expect me early tomorrow.”
* * * *
Lana held on to hi
m, the only solid thing she could count on, moaning when he eased his cock into her. “Oh, God. Yes, J.W.! Yes!”
His cock, so thick and hot inside her, stretched her and made her feel so full.
There was only room for him.
Each slow slide stroked her inner walls, every bump and ridge caressing her delicate flesh and setting off a maelstrom of sensations.
So hot. So solid.
It felt so incredible to be in his arms, the feel of him inside her adding to the sense of being surrounded with a heat and strength that made the rest of the world disappear. “Please. Oh God, J.W.! It’s so good.”
He slid deep, so deep that it felt as if he was part of her.
“Easy, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.” His groan rippled over her as he started to withdraw.
“No!” Afraid that he would leave her, she dug her heels into his taut butt, lifting herself against him and gripped his biceps. “Don’t you dare stop. I want you to take me like you mean it, damn you! I’m so cold. I need it hotter.”
His entire body tightened and began to shake, his hands fisting in her hair. “Never in my life has my control been tested the way it is with you.” He thrust deep again and again, his teeth tugging at her bottom lip. “Does this feel like I don’t mean it? I’ve got news for you, baby. I’ve never meant it more. Never wanted like this. I’ve never, ever, wanted like this, but taking you hard and fast would hurt you.”
Lifting his head, he stared down at her with eyes glittering with possessiveness. “No matter how much you tease me, baby, I’m not taking you like that.” He slid a hand to her breast, tugging at her nipple, his eyes flaring at her cry of pleasure. “This time. You heal up some, darlin’, and I promise to fuck your brains out.”
Thrilled at the need in his growly voice, Lana squeezed her eyes closed and threw her head back, consumed with passion and heat. Rocking her hips in an effort to get him to move faster, she slapped his arm, her nightmare dimming with every stroke of his cock.
