Tears of Blue (Shades of Death Book 2)

by Hoffman McManus, Stephanie

  A look passed over her face and something guarded settled in her eyes. I don’t even think she realized she shook her head, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.

  I dropped down to my elbows and lowered my head, “I mean it. Obviously, I knew you were gorgeous from the moment I laid eyes on you.” Something in her eyes closed off to me, like she’d heard this line from a thousand guys. “But right now, right here – not a trace of make-up on, spread out in my bed, letting yourself be vulnerable, giving me that trust, giving me you – you’re the sexiest, most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Some of the guardedness melted away, but there was still tension in her body. I dipped my mouth to hers, hoping to kiss it away. She kissed me back, but not the way she had on the stairs. It was almost mechanical. I pushed myself up and cupped her cheek. “We don’t have to do this. I got carried away on the stairs, but we can put on the brakes if this is too much too soon for you.”

  He features softened and I felt her relax beneath me as her hands came up to the sides of my face and dragged my lips down to hers. This time she kissed me like she meant it.

  Her hands traveled down over my shoulders and gripped my sides. I could feel her letting go again, losing herself in this feeling and giving her body over to me as she kissed me greedily. I nudged my knee between her legs and she rocked her hips upward. Hard denim dragged over her soft core and her nails bit into my back.

  I swallowed her breathy moan and traced a hand over her curves from her ribcage down to her hip. I wanted to memorize every inch of her.

  I tore my lips from hers and sat up, straddling her hips. I watched her lust-filled eyes as I grabbed the hem of her shirt and dragged the little blue tank top up just below her breasts. I traced a finger from the waistband of her shorts up over her pale skin and watched her stomach muscles contract beneath my touch. I dipped my head and blew warm breath over her stomach. She quivered. I pressed my lips to the little indent at the base of her breastbone just below where the shirt hovered. I looked up at her and nudged the shirt a little higher.

  She raised her arms over her head and I shoved it even farther. I dragged it up over her head and pulled it free, sitting back on my heels to take in the sight of her bared to my eyes. She kept her arms raised and let me have my fill.

  I bit my lip and slowly skimmed my hands up her ribcage to the perky, perfect handfuls of flesh peaked with dusty pink nipples. I wanted to wrap my lips around them. I flicked my thumb over one nipple and her chest heaved. When I filled my hands with her breasts and squeezed, her head fell back, eyes closed, and her lips parted.

  I had to silence a groan, and dropped my mouth to one breast, continuing to massage the other in my hand. I flicked my tongue over her hard nipple before sucking it into my mouth and giving it a gentle bite. Her fingers tangled in my hair and her body squirmed beneath mine.

  I continued to lavish attention over her breasts, switching my mouth from one to the other until it wasn’t enough for either one of us. I slipped one hand south, underneath the elastic waist of her cotton shorts.

  Her panties were soaked through with her need and when I pushed them aside, I found her hot, wet and swollen with that need. I slid my finger through her center finding and pressed on her hardened nub. Her body bucked slightly and her breathing became even more ragged.

  I was relentless with my mouth and tongue on her breasts while my hand teased her little button, making her writhe beneath me. When I finally pushed a finger inside her, she was so damn wet, practically dripping. I eased a second finger into her tight, hot channel and rocked my hand back and forth.

  She was panting and tilting her hips trying to get me deeper. Her hands fisted in the sheets, as she slowly came apart. When I could tell she was about to shatter, I pulled my hand free and lifted my head. “I want to be inside of you to feel you come.”

  She jerked her head in agreement.

  I sat up, grabbing her shorts and panties by the waistband and tugged them down. She shimmied her hips and helped to kick them free until there was nothing separating me from her except for my own jeans which had to go.

  Her eyes dipped south as I popped the button and then stood from the bed to take them off and retrieve a condom from my dresser. I returned to the bed in only my black boxer briefs. I tossed the condom down beside her and climbed back onto the bed and over her.

  I cupped the side of her face with my palm and met her lips once more with mine as I settled my body into hers, fitting our hips together perfectly. It was sweet fucking torture. I was torn, equal parts wanting to shove my boxers down and slam home, and wanting to take my time, make it last as long as possible, because I was pretty sure it wouldn’t take long once I was finally inside of her.

  I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth, scraping my teeth over it before letting it go to trace my lips over her jaw, down to her neck. I rolled my hips, dragging my erection over her, feeling the wetness through the cotton of my boxers, biting and sucking on the tender flesh of her neck as I did it. My teeth found her ear and I tugged on the lobe with my teeth. “I want you so fucking bad,” I whispered. “Can you feel how rock hard I am for you?” I rocked my hips into her again.

  She groaned and her legs parted even further to accommodate me there. I slid a hand down past her belly. “Are you ready for me?” I whispered in her ear as I pushed my finger into her again. Her body was more than ready, but I needed her to say it. When an answer didn’t come, I stilled and withdrew my hand. I listened to her shallow breathing, felt her sweat slickened body, could see the pulse in her neck throbbing and knew she was just as lost to desire as I was.

  I drew back slightly so that I could meet her eyes, which were dark and hooded. I hummed my lips along her cheek to her ear again. “Do you want this darlin’?” I lifted my head again to see her face.

  She nodded, but it wasn’t convincing.

  “Are you sure? Because I need you to be sure. I don’t want to do this if you’re just trying to prove something to yourself. I need you to want it as bad as I do.”

  “I want it, I do. It’s just that . . . I haven’t . . .” Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes flicked to the ceiling. “I haven’t been with anyone since before . . .”

  Understanding clicked. I swiped my thumb over her lip and then kissed her softly. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll go at your pace. Whatever you want. If you just want me to lay here and kiss you all night, I’m perfectly fine with that.”

  She forced out a shaky laugh. “I suppose it’s like riding a bike.”

  “Em,” I kissed her brow, “what’s happening here with you and me is nothing like riding a bike. Riding a bike is something you have to learn, but this,” I brushed a kiss over her cheek, “between you and me – is natural.” I skimmed my lips along her jaw. “It’s instinct and all you have to do is let yourself feel it.”

  “God, I feel it. I feel so much with you. Too much.” Her head lifted off the mattress and she took my face in her hands and brought my lips to hers, soft and sweet at first. Then her kisses became more demanding and urgent and just like that, any hesitation or reluctance was gone. I crushed her to the mattress, not able to get close enough, needing to take control back.

  Her hands ran down my spine, nails raking my skin, leaving a fiery tingle in their wake that made my entire body burn. When she reached my lower back, her fingers hooked in my boxer briefs and started forcing them down over my ass. I pushed myself up onto one arm and assisted her in removing them.

  I closed my eyes briefly and wanted to cry out in relief when my erection sprang free. I kicked my boxers the rest of the way off and then I felt the soft caress of her hand on my hardness. It took serious effort for me to stay still.

  Her thumb brushed over the tip and I had to bite my lip hard. If she wanted to explore, I would let her, but fuck I needed more. This was torture. When her hand finally wrapped around all of me and squeezed, I had to keep from thrusting into her fist. That wasn’t how I wanted to go off.
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br />   I crushed my mouth to hers as she slowly dragged her hand up and down my length. Once, twice and then when I could take no more, her hands reached for the condom. I watched her tear it open, and expertly roll it on before she guided me to her and then wrapped her hands around my back, urging me the rest of the way. That was all I needed.

  I found her entrance and buried myself deep in one agonizingly slow thrust.

  Fuuuuuck!

  She felt so good.

  I stilled inside of her, resting my head on her shoulder for a moment to collect myself before I started moving again.

  Her fingers dug into my back and her hot and heavy breaths fanned across my shoulder. I rocked my hips driving in deeper and the pressure of her nails digging into my skin increased. I fucking loved it.

  I eased back just a little and then did it again. This time she sucked in a shuddery breath. I began a steady rhythm, alternating kisses and gentle bites at her neck. Her head rolled to the side, exposing more of the slender column of her neck. I bit down as I drove in deep and her nails raked my spine.

  I knew I would still have the marks in the morning.

  This little kitten was fucking feisty and it only spurred me on. What started out slow and gentle, became a frenzy of passion. She urged me faster and deeper with her sexy little groans and the way her hands clawed at my back and hair and even my ass at times. She scratched and bit and pulled like a wild cat and I went harder.

  I hooked one arm under her knee and dragged her leg up to get a deeper angle. She raised it higher and dug her heel into my back as I drove into her over and over. When I thought she might rip the hair from my scalp because she was close, I took her wrists in my hand and dragged them up over her head and held them there.

  Braced on my other arm, I rocked into her hard and fast until I felt her body shudder as she slammed her head back into the pillow and her lips parted on a silent cry.

  Thank fuck, because I couldn’t hold back much longer and I wasn’t about to be the chump that got off before her. I buried my head in her neck, driving in once, twice, and then finally I exploded. I pumped myself dry into the condom and then collapsed.

  After a second of catching my breath I rolled to my back so that I wasn’t crushing her. Her labored breathing matched the cadence of my own and it felt like several minutes passed before either one of us spoke. I wasn’t sure because time stopped meaning anything in the after effects of one of the most powerful orgasms of my life. I couldn’t think of another time I had come that hard.

  “Oh, God, I think I might have died,” Emily finally mumbled, drawing a chuckle from me.

  “I hope not, because I can’t wait to do that again.” I shifted onto my side, laying a hand over her stomach.

  “I’m done. I’m gone. You killed me.” She lay there, her body completely lax, looking flushed and sated and altogether thoroughly fucked. It was almost enough that I was ready to go again. My dick began to stir, gearing up for round two, but I didn’t think the rest of my body had had enough time to recover.

  I forced myself to sit up. “You need anything? Water, Gatorade, a sandwich?”

  A breathy chuckle fell from her lips. “Just a glass of water please.”

  I stood, removing the condom, and found my discarded boxer briefs. I left her naked in my bed and padded down the hall to the bathroom, where I disposed of the condom and cleaned up a bit. Cash and Kota were on my heels again as I made my way downstairs to grab two glasses of water.

  Before heading back upstairs, I did a quick check of the house and made sure we were locked up tight for the evening, even going as far as setting the rarely used security system again. The trick would be remembering to disarm it before I let the dogs out in the morning.

  Emily was snuggled deep in my blankets when I returned to the bedroom. This time I allowed Cash and Kota to follow me in. They took up their usual spots on the floor at the foot of the bed, and I set the water on the night stand so I could crawl in beside Emily.

  Her sensual eyes fixed on me, a lazy grin playing with her sleepy features. I reached for her, happy to discover that she was still naked beneath the covers, and pulled her to me. She came willingly, snuggling her back against my front.

  I swept her hair off her cheek and brushed it out of my face so I could lean in and lay a kiss just below her ear. “Sleep well tonight. I hope your dreams will be sweet,” I murmured softly against her skin that smelled of sex and vanilla and those fucking apples. I inhaled softly before relaxing into my pillow with her tucked in my arms, right where I wanted her to stay.

  Fourteen

  Emily

  I woke feeling more rested than I had in over a year. The sun was just barely peeking through the heavy curtains. Camden was still dead to the world beside me, putting off enough heat that I needed to extricate myself from his arms before I caught fire. There was no clock on the nightstand, but when I fumbled for his phone, it said it was only a few minutes after six. That was early for me, but I’d slept through the entire night, which never happened. I hadn’t woken once, and I couldn’t remember any nightmares plaguing my sleep.

  Whether it was because he wore me out with his sex Olympics, which he definitely took gold in, or because I’d been safe in his arms all night, it didn’t really matter. Either way, he was the reason I’d found peaceful sleep for the first time in way too long.

  Two heads and wet noses poked up over the side of the bed, their eyes on me. As vicious as they’d appeared when they first discovered me in their house, now they were just so adorable with their big eyes and dopey dog smiles. Their tails wagged excitedly and they started spinning in half circles and jumping up and down. I was afraid they’d wake Camden. I started to slip from the bed when I remembered I was still naked. Cam was too tangled in the sheets and bedding for me to steal a cover up, so I grabbed a pillow to hold over my front while I scrounged for his discarded t-shirt.

  I found it on the floor and bent to grab it.

  “What are you doing?” A sleepy chuckle startled me. I jumped, spinning around, still covering my front with the pillow. Not sure why since he’d just had a nice view of my backside bent over.

  “I was letting the dogs out before they woke you up.” It came out more like a question.

  “The pillow?” His brow arched.

  “I didn’t want them to see me naked,” I shrugged, hugging it closer to my body, feeling more than a little exposed and embarrassed for some reason.

  He grinned and chuckled again. It was low and gravelly, thick with sleep. “I don’t think they care much about modesty, darlin’.”

  “I still didn’t want to go walking through your house naked.”

  “Maybe I want you walking through my house naked. It’s definitely a pleasant sight to wake up to.” He sat up in bed, the blankets falling away from his perfectly chiseled chest.

  Pleasant sight indeed, but I rolled my eyes and clumsily pulled the t-shirt on, maintaining my hold on the pillow until I was mostly covered. Then I threw it at him. He caught it before it smacked him in the face.

  “Don’t make me drag you back to bed,” he growled softly.

  “The dogs need to go out and I’m sure they’d like to be fed.”

  He sighed and then shoved the covers away, standing up in his black boxer briefs, which hugged him nicely. Now I was the one that wanted to drag him back to the bed and not come up for hours, maybe even days.

  “I need to turn off the alarm.” He didn’t bother with a shirt or pants of any kind before traipsing off downstairs. I followed behind him, enjoying my view of his firm, muscly backside. Red marks from my nails still trailed down his spine. I almost felt bad.

  Almost.

  He walked over to the alarm pad first and punched it the code to disarm the security system. It was the same kind Nora had, set up by Spencer’s company.

  “You going to change the code since I know it, or are you not worried about me breaking back in some time?” I teased him.

  “As long a
s you promise to take advantage of me in my sleep, you’re welcome to break in any time. I’ll even write the code down for you so you don’t forget it.”

  We both grinned stupidly and then he skirted past me, copping a feel under the t-shirt. I swatted his hand and he laughed.

  “You can just open the door and let the dogs out. I’ve gotta piss.” He disappeared down the hall.

  I let the dogs out the front door and stepped onto the porch. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and already it was warm outside. It was going be another beautiful day. I watched the dogs run into the grass and start chasing each other.

  A moment later, a warm, hard body pressed up against me from behind and one strong arm wrapped around my waist. I started to say something, but stopped when I heard his voice.

  “Mmhmm . . . so they’re letting her go home today?” I realized he was on the phone. From his side of it, I guessed he was talking to his brother. The call was short, and I just stayed there in his arms, resting my head back against his chest while he spoke.

  I closed my eyes and let myself imagine for just a moment how it would be to wake up like this every morning. I quickly realized that was a mistake. It was dangerous to want that, and already I did. But at the moment, what I wanted most, was something else entirely.

  He ended the call and his other arm came around me. I trailed my fingers along his arm and intertwined my fingers in his, taking him by the hand and pulling him back inside.

  “What are you doing?” he asked with a sly grin. He knew exactly what I was doing.

  “I want to go back to bed.” I pushed the door closed behind us and then turned and tugged him toward the stairs.

  I met no resistance, not even when I dragged him into the bedroom and forced him down on to the bed. He let me take control as I climbed onto his lap and straddled his legs, my knees pressing into the mattress on either side of his hips.