And whatever happened in that bed, she wasn’t going to run scared from it. No, quite the opposite: she was going to love it.
“Warren?” she called.
Right away, the door opened, and there he stood, just in his boxers. Tall, broad, strong. So sexy, and funny, and generous. The only man that she’d ever want, and the one man that she could never have.
But she had him for now.
Pushing aside her gloomy thoughts, she held her arms out to him, and he moved to her swiftly. Again, her feet came off the ground, and Shay found herself held against that amazing chest. It was the only place in the whole world where she felt truly safe right now, and she shut her eyes, committing this place to memory. She knew that she’d recall this feeling of being so totally cared for on long, dark nights alone in her bed, back in Montana. For the rest of her life, every man was going to be measured against this moment, against this feeling. Against him.
A small crunch of despair hit her in the stomach as she realized that no man would ever come close.
Her arms came up now, curled around his neck, holding him tighter. He exhaled, hard, and then suddenly, they were in his bedroom, standing next to his bed.
Their bedroom, she corrected herself. Their bed.
So gently, he lowered her to the bed, followed her down. He stroked her hair back off her cheeks, gazed down at her. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table, and was shocked to see that it was going on eleven o’clock. Her pain meds had to be wearing off by now, if they hadn’t already, and his chest flared with worry. When he dropped his eyes back to hers, this time he saw the lines of tension around her eyes, around her mouth.
“OK, Shay?” he asked, all husky-soft. Dear sweet God, she loved that voice. “Hurts?”
The truth was that her leg was throbbing again, and that it had been for a while, but she didn’t want to tell him that. If she did, he’d get up, go find her some painkillers, and she didn’t want that to happen. She wanted him here, here for as long as possible.
Then a sharp pain sliced the length of her leg, and despite herself, she gave a small cry. Right away, Warren did exactly what she’d feared he would: he pushed up and away.
“Shay?” he said gruffly. “Answer me, baby. It hurts?”
She nodded, clenching her teeth. “Yes.”
He rolled off the bed, strode out of the bedroom. She blinked back tears as the pain intensified, bit her lip. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She should have said something an hour ago, and she knew it. Now – instead of enjoying being in bed with Warren – she was going to be a pain-wracked mess.
Yeah. That was sexy. Jesus.
He hurried back to her side, helped her to sit up. He gave her two white tablets, held the glass of water to her lips. “Drink.”
“No more needles?” she asked, popping the pills in her mouth.
“No. That medicine was hardcore, honey, and I don’t want to give you any more of it. Just plain old prescription painkillers are fine for you now.”
She nodded again, swallowed the cool water. He eased her back to the mattress, turned her on her left side, then lay down behind her. Just like that first night, he gathered Shay in his arms, held on to her like he’d never let go.
“It’ll take a few minutes for the meds to kick in, I’m afraid,” he said. “Hang on, alright?”
She shut her eyes as another wave of pain surged through her body. Despite herself, she gave a small moan.
“Relax, kitten,” he murmured in her ear. “Just breathe for me, yeah?”
She opened her eyes, twisted a bit to stare at him. “‘Kitten’?” she repeated.
“Mmmmm. Yep.”
She blinked at him, and he grinned at the astonishment in those incredible green eyes.
“How’d you come up with that one?” she said.
“Dunno. It just seems – right for you.” He paused, reconsidered. “I mean, it’s right sometimes.”
“Just sometimes?” she teased him.
“Yeah. When you’re curled up all warm and soft like this, it’s the only word that comes to mind. But when you’re kicking me in to a fridge and bashing me with a pan, or off killing mountain lions in the forest, or reading me the riot act, you’re more of a hellcat.”
“And which do you prefer?” Her question was practically purred at him in a sultry, sexy little voice, and she saw the heat flare in his eyes. “Kitten or hellcat?”
“Do I really have to choose?”
“Hmmm. No, I guess not.”
“Good,” he growled. “‘Cause I want both to stick around.”
She gave a small laugh, then turned to face away from him, snuggled down deeper in to his solid embrace. “Good. ‘Cause both are here to stay.”
“Excellent.” He brushed her long hair over one shoulder, pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck. “Sleep now.”
“I wanted to stay awake for a while,” she protested, but her words were seriously undermined by a massive yawn and her drooping eyelids. “I wanted to be with you.”
“You are with me, baby.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Tomorrow, Shay.” His words were heavy with promise. “Tomorrow. Now, close those gorgeous eyes. I got you.”
“For now,” she said, her voice thick with exhaustion and drugs. “You’ve got me for now.”
“Yeah, baby.” His arms tightened around her. “For now.”
“You promise me that it’s enough?” she whispered, halfway to blacking out. “Now is enough for you?”
“It’s more than I deserve, and more than I ever thought I’d get from a little miracle like you.” Warren kissed her again, and even though she was already asleep, he finished his thought. “It’s a fucking miracle that I’ve even got you in my life for a little while, Shay, so, yeah. I’d damn well say that it’s enough. It’s more than enough.”
She didn’t move as he pulled her closer, and for a long, long time, he just lay still and looked at her as she slept. His eyes traced every line and curve of her face and body, and he committed every part of her to heart. He just looked at her, drank her in, until she was a part of him. The best part of him.
In those hours, he stored Shay in his memory, just tucked her away someplace safe and far away from the ugliness of his day-to-day life. He’d pull out the memory of this sweetness, this softness, and he’d look at it when he felt like he had nothing, when he felt like he was nothing. In the face of all the vile and violent acts he’d perform in the future, she’d restore his humanity. In the face of his sins, she’d save his soul.
She was going to be the brightest, cleanest thing in his life – even when she was gone, taking her shimmering light with her. He knew it.
And yeah. It was enough.
Shay was enough.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Warren woke up first. Moving slowly, trying to not disturb his sleeping angel, he turned slightly, looked over his right shoulder at the clock on the beside table. He was shocked when he saw that it was past noon.
God, he’d actually slept. Slept well and long and deep, for the first time in eight months.
He moved closer to Shay, carefully pressed his front to her back again. She stirred, sighed, made a soft sound in her throat. He held his breath, torn about what he wanted to happen next.
On the one hand, he wanted her to stay asleep, since she was clearly still not fully recovered. On the other hand, he was experiencing one hell of a raging hard-on, and he longed to do something about that with her.
Assuming she’d want to go that far, of course. But hell, even if she didn’t, he hoped that she’d let him touch her, just a bit. Let him make her feel good. He’d do or give anything right now for the chance to make Shay come for him.
As he imagined her cries and gasps of release, her slim body trembling with an orgasm that he’d
given her, his cock jumped against her pert ass. She moaned again, but it sounded different this time. Less lost, more aware. More needy.
“Shay?” he whispered. “You awake, kitten?”
Her giggle answered his question. “Again with kitten.”
“You don’t like it?”
Shay rolled over on to her back now, her face so sweet and soft, her golden waves spread across the white cotton pillow case. “I like it when you say it.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmm-hmmm.” She gave a small stretch, and he watched as her nipples pressed up against the material of his shirt. “So – good morning.”
“Almost afternoon,” he said, his eyes still fixed on her taut little buds just inches away from his mouth. “You sleep OK?”
“Good God. I slept like someone hit me with a frying pan.”
He laughed, delighted. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Yeah?” She turned on her side to face him head-on, gave a small wince as she landed on her right leg. “Argh. Shit.”
“Alright?” he asked, already sitting up and ready to grab her some pain meds. “Shay?”
“I’m alright,” she reassured him, turning on to her back again. “I just forgot for a second. I’m OK like this, when I’m not putting any weight on the leg or stitches.”
“We need to change the bandage soon,” he said, then he swung his feet to the floor and stood up, thanking Christ that his erection had calmed enough that he wasn’t embarrassing himself in front of the woman. “Actually, we can do that right now.”
“No, we can’t.”
Warren paused, cocked his head at her. “We can’t?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“How come?”
“Because right now, we’re going to do something else.”
He stared down at her, loving the heat in those green eyes. “We are, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Like what?” He lay down next to her again, extended his left arm up and over their heads, rested the other one on the curve of her hip. “What do you have in mind?”
Without a word, holding his fierce blue gaze, her hands dropped to the top button on the denim shirt that she was wearing. He blinked, then watched as she slowly undid the button, moved down, undid the next one. Her small breasts peeked out from the gap in the material, and she kept right on going. One button at time, so slow and seductive, she worked her way down, and Warren watched.
She undid the last button, the one between her slim, curvy thighs, and then she moved her hands back up to her shoulders to remove the shirt. He stopped her, though, gripping her two hands in one of his.
“Let me,” he said, his voice so guttural, he barely recognized it. And yeah, his cock had thickened and hardened again, almost to the point of pain.
She dropped her arms to the bed, and he loved the trust that she showed in him. “OK.”
His hand above their heads gripped her hair now, holding her still so he could watch her face as he touched her. He didn’t want to miss even one second of any of this.
Slowly, gently, he stroked her throat, loving how she arched under his touch. His fingers trailed down the centre of her body, stroked the exposed skin, before finally moving the shirt to one side. Delicately, he unpeeled her, unwrapped her, like she was a delectable gift. One that he was going to thoroughly enjoy.
Shay gasped when cool air hit her nipples, hit her clit, and his eyes sparked in to flame.
“Oh, God, baby.” He lowered his head to her breast, flicked her nipple with his tongue, and she arched again, mutely begging for more. He obliged her by kissing his way over to her second breast, blowing on the pouting pink nub, then sucking on it. “So beautiful.”
“Ah,” she said softly as he nipped between her breasts, licked the tiny red mark that he’d left there. “Warren…”
“Hmmm?”
“Kiss me.”
He moved up her body, took her mouth slowly, languidly. Like they weren’t on a ticking clock; like they had all the time in the world.
His tongue skimmed the curves of her lips, and when she opened to him, he delved in to her sweetness, tasting her. Luxuriating in her, just richly and unaplogetically enjoying her.
When his hand moved down again, Shay moaned in to his mouth, spread her thighs wider. He smiled, loving how responsive she was to him. It was innocent, somehow, and spontaneous, but also knowing, needy. Shay needed what he was doing to her, what he was giving her, and he swore right there and then to give it until she collapsed in to his arms.
When he skimmed her stomach, she trembled; when he slid lower, barely touching her tender folds, she cried out. Right away, Warren tightened his hand in her blonde waves, dragged her eyes to meet his.
“You good, kitten?” he asked, almost harshly. “You with me?”
“Yes,” she panted, seconds away from begging him to just fucking touch her, already. “Oh, God. Yes.”
He smiled again, and this was a smile that she hadn’t seen on that gorgeous face before. She’d seen him hot and sexy, she’d seen him playful and sweet, she’d even seen him tough and possessive and predatory. But this smile? Dear sweet God, it was – hungry. Hungry for her.
His kiss this time was rough, demanding, uncompromising, and Shay just let it sweep her away. She didn’t want to fight anything that was happening here, definitely didn’t want to stop what was happening. She wanted him. She wanted anything and everything he’d give her.
Warren paused, a part of him still thinking about what she’d told him the night before, about what those fucking animals had done to her. She said that she’d had therapy, and that she was mostly past it, and that there had been men since… but Warren knew more than he wanted to about the hurts and traumas that linger. The invisible scars that pierce and permanently mark your soul. He had his fair share, thanks to his father, but Shay had more, and they went deeper. He had to be sure.
“Baby,” he said, his voice barely above a raspy whisper. “Eyes up here again.”
Right away, she gave him that brilliant green gaze, and he stroked her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin.
“Listen up, yeah?” he growled. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nobody here but us. This is about us. All I want to do is make you feel good, any way you’ll let me, for as long as we have. But before I do that, I need to know that you’re here with me, here and now. That you want what I’m offering you, baby.”
Shay smiled, reached up and dragged his mouth down to hers. She kissed him, heard him groan against her mouth, felt his cock lengthen even more against her upper thigh.
“I want you,” she said simply. “I want everything that you have to give me.”
His eyes burst in to flame, and she sucked in a breath, knowing that there was no turning back now.
And to hell with wanting to turn back. She’d follow this man anywhere that he wanted to take her; she’d take his hand and just follow in a heart beat.
It was starting now: he was stroking her aching sex. Slowly, gently. Shay bit her lip to stifle the cry working its way up her throat, and shut her eyes. It was good – it was so damn good. And it was just beginning.
His fingers were on her taut bundle of nerves, circling, pressing, rubbing. Shay dug her head back in to the pillow, trying to remember to keep breathing, but it was hard. The waves of pleasure were already starting, already building, and she rotated her hips against his hand, trying to increase the pressure.
“Can I touch you inside?” he whispered against her breasts, his breath teasing her nipples to stiff peaks. He sucked on them, gave them gentle bites. “Touch you deep?”
“Oh, God.” Her whole body gave a spasm at his words, and she knew that once he slipped those thick, gentle fingers inside her, she was a goner. “Please. Yes. Yes.”
“OK, then. Hang on, baby.”
Mindlessly
, helplessly, she raised her arms above her head, grabbed the headboard. He grinned at her utter abandon, and his cock throbbed at seeing her this trusting and turned on. Fuck, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to hold on to his control, but he was going to give it his best shot. He was determined to make this about her, and he took a deep breath, fought down his arousal.
He gave her pussy lips one last, long stroke, and then he moved one finger to her slick channel. He probed it carefully, moved in an inch, paused. When she whimpered and thrust her hips up, he slid in deeper, waited again. Good God, she was wet, and warm, and tight. She was perfect, and she was all his.
When she opened her eyes and stared up at him, silently begging and pleading, that was when he added a second finger and slid home. Her whole body jerked in reaction, and both her cry and her eyes were wild. Fuck, yeah, his little hellcat was back – and he hoped he had the scratches to prove it later.
“Shay,” he murmured as his fingers moved in and out, in a smooth, steady rhythm. “Tell me how it feels.”
“So – so good,” she managed to get out between gasps. “So good. Don’t stop – please don’t stop.”
“No way, kitten.” He sped up the pace, went a bit deeper, a bit higher. “We’re both gonna enjoy this.”
His fingers were fucking her now, and Shay was slowly but surely losing her mind. Without even knowing that she was doing it, she planted her feet on the bed, started to thrust and twist her hips. The movements took him deeper than she’d ever thought a man could go with just his hand, and when he turned his wrist and stroked her sweet spot with his fingertips – that little spot hidden so high and deep in her body – she stiffened in shock.
“Baby?” He stilled his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she panted. “I just – you touched – that was – again – more –”
Dark Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 6) Page 15
