Bridged by Love

by Nancy Corrigan

  “If it’s my absolution you want for the way you treated me, consider it given and walk away with a free conscience.”

  Her word choice wasn’t lost on him. She didn’t forgive him. She merely offered him a means to let go of his guilt.

  His throat squeezed tight. He let his gaze roam over her. Despite everything he’d done to her, she still sought to comfort him. To be the woman he needed. To be the lover he dreamt about night after night.

  His perfect fantasy.

  His heaven on earth.

  His angel.

  He closed the small distance between them, a mistake, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. Seeing her had stirred his possessiveness. Talking to her had reaffirmed his respect. Touching her had reawakened his hunger. And looking into her eyes made the truth real.

  He loved her. Always would.

  And she’ll be gone in a week.

  He couldn’t let her go without experiencing her passion one more time. Maybe Hannah was right. He was a glutton for punishment, but he wanted his last memory of loving Riley to be one he’d treasure, not regret.

  She lifted her chin, holding his gaze and treating him as her equal. From the way she challenged him, argued with him and enflamed him, she was. His mate would never take her place in his heart, life or bed. Tonight he’d do his best to show Riley that, even if she never believed him. It was all he had to offer her.

  He brushed the backs of his knuckles over her cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly. “Your absolution is not what I want.”

  “Then why did you come here if not for forgiveness?”

  “I suppose it’s the reason I came, but it’s not what’s keeping me here.”

  Her gaze mapped his face, skimming over his features and making his pulse race. “Then what is? I won’t cry over—”

  “Riley?”

  She raised a brow.

  “I don’t want to make you cry.” He slid his fingers up the back of her neck and into her hair to cradle her head. “I want to make you moan my name like you used to when you came apart for me.”

  She sucked in a rough breath and stared at him wide-eyed. A blink and a slow exhale masked her shock. Desire still darkened her eyes, but the slackened expression she’d worn while she rubbed her hot cleft over his dick no longer graced her features.

  She’d perfected her mask. Part of him envied her that.

  “You no longer have that right, Nic.”

  Tension tightened his shoulders at the reminder. One night. I have one night to make a lifetime of memories.

  Tomorrow he’d leave his heaven behind and meet the females vying for the position of his mate. Hannah had texted him earlier, confirming she’d lined up appointments for him to speak with the women she’d thought would birth him strong kids. Like a goddamn interview, he was selecting from the cream of the crop. He pushed away the bitterness. Nothing would taint his time with Riley.

  “I know that, but you won’t deny me. Will you?”

  She slipped under his arms and moved to the other side of the kitchen island. Her gaze strayed to the patio doors opposite it. He followed the direction of her stare but saw nothing unusual, only the natural beauty of their pack lands. Finally, she sighed and glanced over her shoulder. “I think you should leave.”

  He walked around the counter, giving her plenty of time to run. She tracked him with her gaze. Her breathing quickened and her body tensed the closer he came to her, but she didn’t flee. The scent of her desire grew thicker, richer, more alluring. He licked his lips, already anticipating her taste, another thing he’d never shared with any other woman. Tonight would be the last he indulged his craving too.

  His steps faltered with the reminder of his bleak future. He shoved it back. No regrets. He swallowed hard and stepped in front of her. With a single finger, he tipped up her chin. “Answer me.”

  One corner of her mouth rose, and her eyes glinted with humor. “What was your question again?”

  A growl rumbling his chest at her sassiness, he fisted her hair and tugged. Her back arched, pushing her breasts into his chest, and her lips parted on a sigh. He leaned over her and yanked her strands more. A low moan escaped her.

  Yeah, he liked that sound too.

  He bent closer until his lips touched hers, and their air mixed. “You still like to tempt me, don’t you?”

  She chuckled, and the sound reverberated along the line on their bodies. “It never took much.” She tipped her head back in order to capture his gaze. “The challenge came from breaking through your control.”

  He groaned with the rush of memories—her commanding his body, him begging, their passion taking them both to heaven. “That’s not an option tonight.” He’d never survive leaving her.

  She pushed her full lips out in a fake pout. “Aww, you’re no fun.”

  He caught her lower lip between his teeth and nibbled on it. She clutched his forearms, her nails digging in. No push accompanied the bite of pain. She offered the opposite, pulling him closer, inviting him to kiss her. He licked the tender flesh he’d teased, and then eased back.

  The desire to possess her mouth nearly overpowered him. Once he kissed her, however, he’d end up buried deep inside her body. After the way he’d treated her, she had to agree to be with him, not get caught up in the lust they both still felt.

  He released the firm hold he had on her hair but didn’t let her escape. He slid his hands to her back: one between her shoulder blades, the other at the base of her spine. “I want to fuck you. Say that you want that.”

  She linked her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I’ve missed you.”

  Silence stretched. The tension between them built. Passion or anger—he wasn’t sure how it’d end. He only knew it’d be explosive.

  Life-altering.

  She skimmed her fingertips along his jaw and finally to his lips. He parted them, inviting her inside. She didn’t take his offer. With her index finger, she traced the curve of his mouth. The soft caress affected him the same way the rough tugs on his dick had moments before. He turned his head slightly, captured her wandering finger and sucked. Her breath escaped in a rush. He allowed her to drag her finger partially from his mouth before biting down, stopping her from retreating.

  “Nic.” His name came on her soft exhale.

  He grinned, pleased with her response to him, and drew her finger back into the warmth of his mouth for another swirling lick until she arched into him, her lashes fluttering. He released her and flashed her a smile. “Yeah, angel?”

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  His heart pounded, and his muscles tensed. “Is that a yes?”

  A long moment passed. The look in her eyes held love and passion. It was the same expression she’d always worn for him when they were together.

  Finally, she dropped her gaze to his lips. “I should say no.”

  He wrapped his fingertips around her throat. Her rapid pulse beat against his palm. “But you don’t want to.”

  She flicked her gaze to his. Her steady stare entrapped him. He held his breath and waited on her answer. She gave it with a small shake of her head.

  “Riley, I can only give you toni—”

  She grabbed a section of his hair and tugged him close. His words morphed into a groan. She covered his mouth with hers, swallowing the sound, and feeding him her low moan. With a passion he remembered well, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and kissed him hard. Their tongues dueled, and teeth banged.

  Dominance laced the wild melding of their mouths. She demanded it. He fought her. It was in his nature to resist. Knocking him to his knees used to be her favorite bedroom game. Apparently, it still was. Or maybe her aggression came from her need to punish him. Either way, she wasn’t ge
tting it, not yet. She had to moan his name first while she came around his tongue.

  He tore his mouth from hers, panting hard. The sight of her dilated eyes and swollen lips tempted him to continue kissing her. He would, but there were other needs riding him, including her acceptance of what tonight meant.

  He refused to hurt her, no matter how much he hungered for her.

  Hands on her hips, he lifted her and dropped her bottom on the counter. A small gasp escaped her lips, not in shock. Excitement fueled the sound. The look in her eyes held the same carnal hunger he felt.

  He gripped the front of her shirt. The material under his fingertips felt thinner than it had the last time he’d worn it. He couldn’t help but wonder how often she had. Yeah, he had to make sure she knew what they did was only a one-time thing, not the renewal of their relationship.

  Gaze on her face, he popped the buttons. At the last one, he paused. “Tonight I’m going to love you, Riley. Exactly like I used to. Give you all the things my mate will never get.” He parted the material and spread the faded fabric but didn’t cup her lush mounds or even glance at them, for that matter. He couldn’t or else the precarious hold he had on his control would snap. “Do you understand what I’m saying? My plans haven’t changed.”

  She linked her ankles behind his ass and drew him closer. His groin lined up with her hot center. He closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. With strokes of her small hands over his back, she pulled their bodies flush. He popped his lids open. Her desire-ridden eyes filled his vision. “I don’t want to think. Not about the past or the future. I’ve missed you. What you can do to me. How you can make me wild. That’s all I want to think about. Do you understand?”

  Sex. She wanted his cock, nothing more. Some emotion built a growl in his chest. Anger, maybe? He didn’t understand it. She gave him the answer he wanted.

  She grabbed his ass and rocked into him before he could take the thought further. His dick jerked, and his body froze. The wet swipe of her tongue over his chest redirected his growing unease back to the woman in his arms. She nipped at his muscles and licked the sting away. He held still for her teasing bites, savoring every one. She worked her way up to his neck. At the base, she swirled her tongue before dragging the tip up the length of his pounding vein.

  “No more talking, Nic. I want more of your kisses.” Her lips brushed against his wet skin with each word.

  His hand in her hair, he tipped her head back and took her mouth, pushing the confusing feelings aside and giving her what she demanded. She relaxed in his embrace, letting him control the kiss and lead her. The small sign of her submission appeased the last of his irrational response. She wanted his touch. She wanted him. He focused on that and let the rest go.

  He slipped his hands under her shirt and ran them over her back, her sides, her ass, everywhere he could touch. She arched into him on a low whimper. The sound whipped through him and took the last of his control with it. He gave himself over to the lust and kissed her.

  From slow strokes to biting nips, he commanded her. Loved her.

  Punished her.

  She linked her hands around his neck and accepted the wild melding of their mouths, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted her as crazed as he was.

  He turned his head, breaking their kiss. Her guttural groan added to their rough breaths. He flashed her a crooked smile. “Was that kiss good? Like you remembered?”

  She perused him with hooded eyes, the hunger displayed in them clear. “Yes, but that’s not all you’re going to give me, is it? I remember you doing a hell of a lot more with that mouth of yours.”

  He snorted. So did he. “No, baby. I’m not done with you.”

  He licked the swell of her breast, dipped his tongue into the valley between, and across to her other perfect breast. Her soft sigh told him she liked where he’d directed his attention. Good. It was only the start of his worship. He knew how she liked to be touched, and he’d give it to her.

  He cupped her breast, squeezing her plumpness and enjoying the delicious softness of her body, before he lifted her heavy flesh to his mouth. With slow swipes and teasing licks, he worked his way from the dip between her mounds to around the hard tip, being careful not to touch her nipple. It stood erect, a tempting point to latch on to. Her breasts were sensitive, and toying with them had once been his favorite pastime. Hell, he planned on indulging himself, but not yet.

  She shifted against him, rubbing her moist center over the bulge in his sweats and silently asking for more. A lifetime ago, he would’ve obliged her. Tonight, he wanted to hear her voice as much as he wanted to drink of her.

  “You need something, angel?”

  She squirmed over him. Her wetness dampened his pants, teasing him, torturing him, making him crave what only she could give. “Yes, you. Touch me.”

  He repeated the featherlight strokes of his fingertips over the swell of her breasts, avoiding her nipple on each pass. “Like this?”

  “Lower.” She grasped his wrist and tugged, but he locked his muscles, not allowing her to move his hand. She groaned. “My clit, Nic. I want you to make me come.”

  He licked the path his fingers had taken, making sure his hair tickled her skin. She shifted against him, and he grinned, pleased with her response to him. “Hard? Do you want to come hard?”

  “Yes.”

  The tiniest bit of desperation laced the word. Damn if he didn’t like hearing it. He wanted more, though. He wanted her begging for him.

  He dragged his fingers down her sides, over her hips, and lower to the rough edge of her panties. Not fancy, the black cotton thong was her idea of everyday undies. He remembered that from their time together. Only on planned dates where they’d sneaked away to be together had she worn anything different. Most of their encounters had been spur of the moment, him coming to her or dragging her into some secluded spot. Not once had she ever denied him, even when he didn’t have time to give her any foreplay. She opened her arms and welcomed him.

  Guilt stabbed him. He’d often reached out to her when he was horny, fucking her and then walking away.

  “Nic.” She breathed his name on a long sigh and wiggled her bottom. “Don’t stop.”

  His realization had frozen him with his fingertips under the waistband of her underwear and his tongue at the edge of her breast. Let it go. The past is over, and I already know I’m a bastard. So does she.

  He turned his attention to pleasuring her. In one quick move, he shoved the material covering her sex aside and plunged two fingers into her core, holding them deep inside. Her gasp sounded far away. He focused on the sensation of her silken muscles gripping him. Memories assaulted him. All of them involved Riley spread out and open for him, moaning his name.

  He wanted to hear it again.

  He flicked her nipple, and her body tightened around his fingers. A swipe of his flattened tongue over the peak, and she ground herself over his hand, urging him to move. Her unspoken plea and the heat of her core tempted him to free his dick and replace his fingers with his cock, fucking her until he exploded.

  Soon, dammit, soon. She hadn’t come for him yet.

  He caught the erect tip of her breast between his teeth. She tensed. He waited while more warmth greeted his fingers, and her breathing quickened.

  She tightened her grip on his shoulders, her nails scrapping him. “Nic, please.”

  Yeah, that was what he wanted to hear. He tugged on her nipple and curled his fingers, hitting her G-spot and sending her over the edge. Her orgasm took her, and she moaned his name, exactly as he remembered.

  He stroked her inner muscles and suckled on her breast, dragging out her release and enjoying every damn second of it. Finally, her hands slid from his shoulders, and her nipple slipped from his mouth.

  He yanked his fingers from her warm body and licked her arousal from his hand. A low rumbly sound crawled from
his throat, not a noise he’d ever made around her or any woman, for that matter. He ignored it, knowing his body had changed since he’d last been with her. He was mature, and darker hungers rode him, ones he’d never felt comfortable fulfilling with anyone else.

  Riley would give him everything he craved.

  A hand on each knee, he spread her legs wide, then shoved the crotch of her panties to the side, giving him a perfect view of her slick cleft. No hair covered her lower lips, a change from the last time they’d been together. A good one if he had anything to say about. It would leave her more sensitive. His already responsive female would combust once he got his mouth on her.

  Not my female. Not anymore. Anger rushed up. He pushed it aside. He had a lifetime to curse his life, only tonight to enjoy heaven.

  “Do you like what you see?”

  Riley’s husky voice drew him back from the edge. Tension drained from his limbs. He yanked her panties off, tossing them across the room. “Yeah, baby, I do. I like it a lot.”

  Using his thumbs, he swiped the length of her lips from bottom to top, spreading her folds and searing the memory of her perfect sex into his mind. Pink and glistening, she looked damn inviting. He knew every inch of her body, inside and out. He’d memorized her every trigger point and learned how far he could push her before pleasure turned to pain, but the sight of her, wet and welcoming, always left him in awe.

  “Fucking beautiful.” His mouth watered. The small taste he’d gotten from licking his fingers hadn’t been enough to satisfy his craving. He needed to lap up her spilled cream and drink of her release. The urge took over, one he couldn’t resist. He bent and licked her cleft. Her rich flavor hit him. He groaned.

  So damn good.

  He wanted to get drunk on her. More licks, more swipes, and she writhed for him. He laid a hand on her lower stomach and pushed, urging her to lie back and let him pleasure her. She followed his direction. No hesitation. He slid her bottom to the very edge of the counter and massaged her hips as he teased her lower lips with slow strokes of his tongue over her cleft.