by Sharon Kay
“Cruz, please. I need more.” She gasped the words, forcing them through lips that still tingled from his kiss. “Touch me, pinch me, bite … please. I need it.”
With a rumble, he sucked her nipple deep into his mouth. His tongue lashed the tight bud, swirling. He rolled her other side between his fingers. God, yes!
She dimly realized she was rocking against him—as much as she could. His heavy body had hers pinned at their hips, torso, and arms. He released her biceps only to cup both her breasts in his hands and flick his thumbs across her nipples.
“What do you want, baby?” he growled.
“I want to come,” she panted. Maybe that was selfish, but her body ached for release. He was driving her over the edge of sanity.
He leaned back to trail one hand down her stomach and to the edge of her panties. “Yeah?” One wicked finger traced the top lacy edge.
She gritted her teeth. “Yes.” Her own hand went to her neck and she dragged it down between her breasts, stopping at her ribs. She teetered on a knife edge, seeking release, hot, desperate, craving him. She couldn’t catch her breath. Cruz was beyond intense—he was a force to be reckoned with, or to willingly submit to.
He slid his hand down her center, over the silk of her panties, skimming over her clit. Her hips jerked and she gasped. That tiny touch was her breaking point. She grabbed his hand and pulled it to her core. “Don’t stop,” she rasped.
He growled and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a brief kiss to her knuckles before he set it down. His hand followed the reverse path hers had, traveling up her belly and stopping between her aching breasts. His eyes shone with a force that was rougher and more wild than anything she’d seen in him.
He laid his hand just below her collarbones and pushed her back with gentle but firm pressure. He moved between her legs. Rough hands gripped the edge of her panties and peeled them down. She tilted her hips to wiggle out of them, not caring that she was fully exposed and vulnerable.
Cruz would take care of her. She shivered, mind lost to lust.
Hungry eyes roamed her body. He dipped his head and dropped soft kisses across her abdomen…
Along her scar.
In her Cruz-fantasy come to life, she’d forgotten he’d see it. And it was the last thing she wanted to think about now…but the tender attention he was paying her erased any worry she might have.
He didn’t say a word. Didn’t need to. And when he had covered every inch of the uneven silver line with those sexy lips, he gave her such a heated, dominant grin that a whimper escaped her. No man in existence could ever be this hot.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He lowered his head.
Just his warm breath on her made her heart nearly fly out of her chest. When he licked her, slowly and gently, she cried out.
“Jesus. You taste good,” he muttered, and dragged his tongue along her slick folds again. He explored, going slowly, a perfect pace to make her lose her mind.
“Cruz,” she murmured. “Feels so good.”
His only reply was to rumble his approval against her skin, a vibration that made her moan. When he traced circles around her clit with his talented tongue, she was almost there. Almost…she reached down for one of his hands and guided it up to her breast.
She just needed a little more…he tugged at her nipple as he kept up his magic between her legs. Waves built inside her body, a churning storm induced by Cruz. He brought her higher and higher until she shattered, her body quaking in heart-stopping bliss.
She trembled and shook, riding out the waves that kept coming. She’d never come this hard in her life. “Cruz!” she gasped as her body trembled in a delicious afterglow.
He prowled up her body and paused at her neck to kiss his way to her ear. “You’re the most fucking sexy woman I’ve ever seen.” He took her lobe gently between his teeth. “I want to make you come again.”
She slid her arms around his shoulders. “You’ll kill me. I almost died just now.”
He cupped her neck, not hard but possessively. Maybe she should have thought the gesture was too proprietary, but she didn’t. Every cell in her body craved him, in every possible way. “You look alive and sexy as fuck to me.”
“So do you,” she whispered. Her fingers traced lightly down his biceps. “I want to lick every inch of you.”
Chapter 16
Cruz groaned. He had Rosie beneath him, sated. His hand on her throat, he could take her right now, rough or gentle. She’d let him, he knew it. But there was no reason to rush. They had all night.
Her words and her exploring fingers made his cock jump. He’d been hard since they’d gotten out of his truck. Just the thought of her naked curves made him crazy. And seeing her come apart, tasting her, he knew once would never be enough.
He was already addicted to her, and he planned to do all in his power to make her feel the same.
“You’ll get your turn, baby. But not this time.”
She stroked her hands down his back, her soft touch igniting fire as she drew lower. She reached the waistband of his boxer briefs and hooked her fingers under the edge. He released his hold on her and set his hands on the floor on either side of her head. Drawn to those sexy, naughty lips, he dipped to kiss her.
She met him eagerly, hungry, as if she were still as needy as he felt. Her little tongue darted along his, sweeping inside boldly. She arched her back, pushing those perfect breasts up into his chest.
He groaned, unable to resist cupping one full mound. “God, the things I want to do to you,” he murmured against her mouth.
Her breath hitched and she pushed at the fabric of his shorts. “I want whatever that means.” Her drawl tickled over his cheek in a verbal caress.
Hell. He stood and held her gaze as he pushed his underwear over his hips and let them fall. He tracked her eyes in the low light as she stared at his cock. Freed of its confines, it bobbed straight toward her. She licked her lips.
God, she was an angel. A sassy one. A sweet one. And one that needed to be satisfied again.
Reaching for his jeans, he dug a condom from one pocket. He tore it open and rolled it on, spurred on by those hungry eyes of hers.
He dropped to cover her body. She still had that scrap of a tank top around her waist and hips, and that’s where it could stay. There’d be time to get her completely naked later. She instantly reached for him, gripping his shoulders as he settled his weight between her legs. He let his cock brush against her center, intending to tease her. But just the hint of her heat was enough to tear through most of his restraint.
She leaned up and kissed his shoulders, anywhere she could reach on them. Her lips were a soft contrast to her teeth as she nibbled his skin. Her hair tickled, her body was hot, her breasts pressed against his chest.
Beautiful Rosie. He needed her this goddamn second.
“You ready for me, baby?” he rumbled, needing to ask. Needing to hear she was on board. Just to make sure.
“Yes. I want you,” she whispered and lightly scraped her nails down his back.
Thank the lord. He positioned himself at her entrance and pushed in an inch. Watching her face, he gauged her reaction.
“I can take you.” She caressed his upper arms again.
He nudged in farther. Her eyes went wide for a minute and she let out a deep breath. “I’m good, Cruz. Just like that.”
Thank god. Because stopping would be hell. She was hotter than he could have imagined, her body gripping him like a vise. He sank fully inside her velvet heat and a groan slipped from his mouth.
God, she was perfect. His balls brushed the soft skin between her legs. Beneath him her face was flushed, lips parted, and she mouthed his name.
He pulled back and rocked in again, coating himself in the evidence of her release. Slick. Heated. Her legs came up to lock around his hips.
&
nbsp; She traced the ink on his shoulders before her hands wandered down to his abs. Every little brush made him ache for more, for her to touch him everywhere. Fascination lit her eyes as she explored him, like she was trying to memorize him. And hell, he’d give her every chance she wanted.
“You’re so tight and perfect,” he gritted. Her hands were magic. Her body so open and lush and ready. It all combined to urge him faster. “Need you, baby.” He curled his hands under her shoulders and started a steady pace.
Every inch of her squeezed him as he slid in and out. The pressure on his cock was sweet torture, every ridge of him stroked by her tight walls. He couldn’t remember when sex had felt this good. He rocked harder into her and her breasts bounced against his chest. Those fuckable breasts that he planned to spend lots of time on later.
She was breathing hard as he moved faster, but her eyes glowed with an earthy heat. She skimmed her hands down his sides, teasing the skin at his hips before moving around to grab his ass.
“Fuck, Rosie.” He thrust faster, past the point of no return. All that existed in his world was fucking her, and the mind-blowing orgasm that was building at the base of his spine. A light sheen of sweat slicked between them. Her hair fanned out around her head like a halo. So pretty, so perfect…a growl tore from his chest as he exploded inside her. His hips slammed hers. There was no way he could go slowly but thank god, she didn’t seem to mind. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on, nipping his skin with her little teeth.
As the last wave shook through him, he let his weight settle on her. His heart hammered in his chest as his lungs kicked into gear and remembered to breathe. “Baby,” he mumbled against her neck. Blissed-out numbness spread through his limbs.
“Cruz.” Her voice was barely audible and she tapped his back.
“Shit.” He pushed up, straightening his arms. “Sorry.”
She took a huge breath. “It’s okay. You’re just a lot bigger than me.”
An image flashed into his head of her on top of him, along with the plan to do it that way next time so she could collapse on him. Hell. They were still connected, and his dick throbbed inside her.
“You’re amazing.” She pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, and the sex glow of her eyes made him swell with pride.
“So are you.” He dipped down for a quick kiss, then slowly withdrew from her. “Be right back.” He stood and headed to the bathroom, where he quickly disposed of the condom.
Returning to the room, he found she’d turned off the light. She stood silhouetted against the window, framed in the barely there light of a half moon, soft hair wild from his loving. She stepped toward him and he pulled her close.
“Can you stay?” she asked softly.
“Of course.” Had she thought he wouldn’t? That he’d fuck her and leave? Anger bubbled up in him, wondering if that’s how she had been treated in the past. He slid a finger under her jaw and tilted her head to look at him. “I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”
She smiled, a sweet, genuine, delighted smile. “Let’s go upstairs.”
“You got it.” She could ask him to go anywhere with her right now and it would be fine. Upstairs, outside, out on the grass, on the porch. He scooped up his jeans, which held his condom stash, and grabbed the rest of his clothes.
She did the same and led the way up the stairs in the foyer, but hell if he could pay any attention to things like steps. Her bare, sexy ass was right in front of him and he couldn’t keep his hands off. He dropped his clothing and grabbed her hips.
She let out a squeak as he pressed a kiss to her lower back and squeezed each of her perfect cheeks.
“You have…” He kissed down the swell of one side. “The hottest ass.” At the bottom of her sweet cheeks, the scent of her release was concentrated and damn intoxicating. He licked her skin, moving closer to her core.
She gasped and clutched the railing. “C-Cruz?” She twisted to look at him.
He straightened, keeping one hand firmly on one buttock. Maybe that was new for her. He leaned in to her ear. “Have you ever…” he kissed the shell of her ear. “Let anyone…” He slid his fingers closer to the center of her ass.
“No.” Her eyes were wide, but the more he massaged her, getting close but not touching her directly, her lids dropped lower. A tiny sigh escaped her lips.
“One day, baby.” He dragged his fingers up her ass from bottom to top and back down. “But not tonight.”
“Okay,” she whispered on a shy smile.
Christ, she was killing him with her mix of naiveté and knowledge. Inexperience in one thing, a pro at another. And the thought of what she had just agreed to sent blood surging to his cock. He smacked her bottom. “Let’s get to bed.”
She whirled and darted up the steps, turning left. He charged after her and found himself in a large dark room. Bare wood floors, smooth under his feet, glowed faintly in the light of windows on two sides of the room. Rosie stood next to a bed with an antique intricate white iron headboard. He stalked toward her beautiful naked body and pushed her down onto a soft quilt.
Rosie giggled and scooted over to make room for him to lay next to her. A soft breeze lifted gauzy curtains, but the bed was all in shadows. Talk about one place he never expected to be—naked in bed with Rosie Marlow, with an unfinished poker game downstairs.
She lay on her side, facing him, eyes devouring his chest. “I want to know about all of these,” she murmured, and reached out to trace the tattoo on his right pec. “What does this mean?”
“Vivir por la espada, morir por la espada.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”
A tiny frown knitted her brows. “Why?”
He rolled to his back, still holding her hand. “That kind of life was all I could envision. Constant violence. I figured I’d end up dead soon. Definitely never thought I’d live to be twenty-eight.”
Shock strained her voice. “Oh my god, Cruz.”
“I saw so many brothers die. And guys in rival gangs. Teenagers. Drop outs like me.” He studied her smooth unmarked skin. “Then there were the innocent people in the neighborhoods, caught in the crossfire. It happened all the time.”
“Why doesn’t it get better? What about the police?”
“They can’t be everywhere at once and they can’t keep up.”
“I’m so glad you’re here and away from all that.”
“Me too.” He forced a smile he didn’t feel. Because, like he’d tried to tell her, he’d carry the scars of that lifestyle forever. He was hundreds of miles from the city, but the darkness still lived inside him. Rosie was too sweet, too pure, for him to deserve her. But he was pulled to her as if by gravitational force. He was a bastard for stealing this time with her, but he couldn’t stay away.
Chapter 17
Rosie released Cruz’s hand and rolled closer, so she could lie on that sexy chest of his. Her head swam with sadness at the harsh and hopeless view he’d once held. Though he had explained it, his utter matter of factness hit her hard. He seemed so intense, at least to her. How could things have been so grim?
Then again, she had almost died. And that had changed her in ways she never expected.
But that had been one moment in time, unexpected. His had been a numb realization brought on by a bleak, uncaring environment.
Once again, she wondered about his family. If she had a child—a knife sliced through her psyche, just from the hypothetical—she couldn’t imagine him or her being on their own so much they would turn to crime. But what did she really know? Times like this, she felt so sheltered. All she knew was her cozy little town.
Dragging herself back to the moment, she again couldn’t believe how lucky she was that he was here. He’d provided the most excitement she’d had in years, given her a giddy anticipation she thought was behind her forever. He’d p
rotected her and helped that woman at the fair who he didn’t even know.
Eager to keep him talking, she lightly traced another tattoo on his left forearm. It was a cross, but it was unlike any she had seen before. The ends of the black bars were pointed, and weaving around them were thin tendrils of ink that mimicked the ones on his biceps. “This doesn’t seem like it goes with those words.” She moved her hand to the Spanish script flowing across his pec.
A half smile graced his mouth. “I kinda got that one for my grandma.”
“Really? That’s sweet.” Her heart warmed at the family reference.
“Yeah, I thought she’d like it. She was always praying for me. I thought it’d make her feel better, worry less about me, thinking that God was watching out for me or something.”
“Did it work?”
“She said it was nice, but I needed to go to church more.”
Rosie giggled. “Grandmas. They start out so sweet when you’re little, then when you’re a teenager, they call you out on everything.”
He snorted. “Exactly. But they do it so nicely, you know they love you. And they’re not gonna ground you.”
“It’s beautiful.” She traced her fingers up to his shoulders, where swirls both thick and thin flowed around his muscles. They curled and flexed when he did, almost like they were part of him. He’d been so sexy, moving on top of her, those inked lines begging for her mouth. She’d nipped him then, unable to resist. And now, temptation ripped through her anew. “What about these?” She raised her head and moved to the lowest edge of one dark swirl.
“Just liked ‘em.” Blue-gray eyes pierced her.
“Me too.” She held his gaze and pressed her lips to his skin, tasting a hint of salty sweat. Then she did what she’d been dying to do and licked a line along one sharply defined edge.
He sucked in a breath and one hand went to her back.
She kept moving up, kissing, licking, nibbling. His skin was so smooth in contrast to the hard strong muscles beneath. “Been wantin’ to taste you,” she murmured.