Shatter Me

by Tori St. Claire

  He didn’t want to know the answer—he suspected he could all too easily. Instead, he grabbed at logic like a drowning man thrown a life preserver. “What happened here, Reagan?” He swept an arm around the room, indicating the sad house. “Where did the insurance policy go? Where is Drew’s family, and why aren’t they helping? Where’s Shelley?”

  She shook her head, and her gaze clouded for a heartbeat. Slowly, carefully, she answered, “Shelley’s been busy. I haven’t had time to really talk with her.” The touch of sorrow left her eyes as her tone became more decisive. “The man you knew wasn’t the man I married. Can we leave it at that? Can that be enough for you?” She rose from the chair, crossed the distance between them, and stopped at arm’s reach. Reaching behind her back, she unclasped her bra and dropped it to the floor. “Can I be enough for you…for a little while?”

  A groan slid from his throat. Jesus—she expected him to think rationally when every temptation he’d ever craved stood right in front of him. Offering herself.

  She didn’t give him a chance to answer. She took a step forward and ran her fingertips down his chest. Alex backed up. If she touched him again, he’d crack into pieces.

  Reagan followed his retreat, the subtle sway of her hips mesmerizing him. “Can it, Alex?” she whispered. “Or do we let life pass us by and regret it forever?”

  She moved forward another inch, and her breasts brushed his chest. Even through the fabric of his shirt, her nipples were hard. The contact obliterated him. In one hot pulse of arousal, all that mattered was sinking home inside her, feeling her heat grip him tight, and reliving the ecstasy that she alone provoked. He was fucking addicted already, and God help him, he’d gladly go to hell for sacrificing his honor.

  “No regrets,” he murmured, dragging his gaze down her body, then back to her eyes.

  He grabbed her around the waist, fused his mouth to hers, and spun her around so her back pressed against the wall. Bracing one arm above her head, he sank his body into hers. His hard cock pressed into her center, and he flexed his hips, stroking them both as he broke the hungry kiss.

  Reagan’s breath came out in a shaky exhale. She laid her head back against the wall. Eyes closed, she slid her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and twined them around his neck. She levered her body against his, rubbing against his groin.

  Another groan rumbled in his chest, and he dropped his mouth to the exposed vein on the side of her neck. It throbbed hard beneath his tongue. Her skin was cool to the touch, damp from her hair, and the scent of coconuts made him think of beaches, sand, and heat. Incredible heat.

  Fuck, she felt like heaven. Tasted like heaven. How the hell did she do this to him so easily? He was putty in her hands…and goddamn, he didn’t care. He couldn’t get enough of the way she made him feel. He’d felt dead for so long. But every fucking time she touched him, she breathed life into his veins.

  Yet, he didn’t dare hold on to the hope it could go somewhere, that when all the truths came out, they had some sort of future. She refused to acknowledge what would always lie between them. When he pushed, she used passion to her advantage. He’d be foolish for thinking this was anything more than another means of avoiding grief.

  But he didn’t need permanent. He could do this without mixing it up. And he damn sure craved that pleasure. Craved her.

  “I don’t want to go slow,” he whispered against her throat. “I want you hard and fast. I want to fuck until it hurts, Reagan. Can that be enough for you?”

  She opened her eyes slowly. Desire turned those pretty blues a deep indigo. “Upstairs?”

  In the bed she’d shared with…oh no, that was pushing things too far. “Takes too long to get there.” He set his hands on her waist to guide her. “Turn around.”

  “No.”

  Alex blinked. He hadn’t expected that.

  She held his gaze steadily. “I want to look at you. I want to watch you take me.”

  A low growl slipped free as he hoisted her into his arms and headed for the couch. “There’s not going to be much to watch if you keep talking that way.”

  A teasing grin spread across her delectable mouth and flashed in her eyes. “You wanted hard and fast.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He laid her on the couch, then stepped back to shuck his clothes. With a nod at her, he indicated her shorts. “Lose those.”

  She didn’t hesitate as she shimmied out of the shorts. She’d worn nothing beneath, and the sight of her fully naked on the couch stole the air from his lungs. For a moment, he stared, drinking her in. He’d wondered last night. Created a dozen fantasies. But nothing he’d ever imagined compared to the beauty of Reagan in the flesh. Her belly was flat. The slight flare of her hips was made for a man’s hands, his hands. Toned thighs, sweet slender legs, and shapely calves.

  His cock jumped against his abdomen, and a bead of moisture rolled down the shaft.

  Reagan’s gaze locked on his erection. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, then released it and ran her tongue over it.

  Desire gripped Alex so hard he nearly stumbled. But she’d started this game, and he wasn’t about to let her best him so easily. Hard and fast. If he held on to that thought, he couldn’t get tangled up in emotion.

  “I want your mouth on me, Reagan.” His voice was coarse even to his own ears.

  Her gaze lifted, challenge glinting in her eyes. “Where?”

  “You know where.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Let me make sure I’m clear. You want my mouth on your cock?”

  Oh, God, she was killing him. His erection bobbed again, his body anticipating the wet heat of her tongue. “Yeah,” he rasped.

  “Maybe you should come a little closer.”

  Alex straddled her, his knees on either side of her ribs. She lifted her head, and the tip of his cock brushed against her lips. Her breath washed over his skin, coiling his entire body into a fierce knot.

  When she parted her lips and closed them around the first inch of his erection, pleasure surged through his veins. He gasped, hard, and clenched one fist on the back of the couch. Closing his eyes, he focused on breathing as her talented little tongue worked around the ridge of his swollen head.

  She leaned forward more, taking him deeper. An involuntary tremor raced down his spine as he held himself back from thrusting into the depths of her mouth. Choking her would bring this exquisite torment to an immediate end.

  As if she sensed his building need to bury himself in her wet heat, she slid her hands over his ass and urged him forward. His body shook as he pushed in slowly. Savoring each incredible inch she allowed him.

  When he reached the back of her mouth, her lips tightened around him and the pressure of her suck increased. He pulled back against the friction, then dipped back in. Her eyes closed, the corners crinkling as if she were truly enjoying herself.

  Likely she was—she couldn’t be immune to the shaking of his thighs as the thin tethers to his restraint threatened to snap.

  He repeated the stroke again, and again, until he glided smoothly, his system on autopilot, chasing one drop of ecstasy after another. Sliding deeper into her throat with each painfully perfect thrust.

  Pleasure ratcheted up until he thought he might implode if he didn’t come. As release threatened to overtake him, he pulled out, sliding between her slick lips with a quiet pop, and hovered over her, panting, desperately trying to chain his desire.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, wide eyes full of confusion.

  “I’m not coming in your mouth,” he managed between ragged gasps.

  “What if I didn’t object?”

  It was all he could do to not groan. But as much as the idea of losing himself to her amazing mouth appealed, he wanted her body sheathed around him even more. He shook his head. “I want to hear you scream when you come. You can’t if your mouth is occupied.”

  “I’m going to scream?” She raised both eyebrows, false innocence giving her expression a playful light.
/>
  Alex shifted down her body, nudging her thighs apart with his knees. She parted her legs farther, giving him a glimpse of the damp flesh between her legs. He groaned again, already craving her heady flavor. He was going to visit that soft skin again. Lap at it until she thrashed and begged for release. But not now. Now he was sticking to their agreement. Hard and fast.

  He gripped his shaft, aligned it with her, and in one hard thrust, he sank home. Reagan let out a sharp cry and wrapped her legs around him tight. He eased back, braced his hands on her knees, and spread them apart. His gaze dipped between their bodies as he slid inside her again.

  When he looked up and found her watching as well, his body bucked involuntarily. It was erotic as hell. Her watching him possess her. Focused on the way he pumped in and out of her body. Her breathing becoming sharper with each hard, deft stroke.

  He felt the clench of her muscles. She tensed, widening her legs more, giving him room to slam home. And he couldn’t stop himself if he wanted.

  He pistoned in and out of her like a well-oiled machine, each hard thrust jostling her on the couch. She let out a soft, pleasured cry each time he hit her clit, pleasure clearly spiking through her as it consumed him.

  With one last stroke, she shattered beneath him and thrashed her head as she let out the promised scream. Ecstasy rained down on his shoulders, carrying him into blissful oblivion. He surrendered to all-consuming release with a guttural shout.

  Chapter Ten

  Reagan dragged her nails up Alex’s back and smiled. She loved how he felt against her, how he filled up all the empty places, including those deep inside. He fit like a glove. An expensive, supple leather glove made especially for her.

  She turned her face toward his and pressed a soft kiss to his damp temple. She’d lost the courage that urged her to confront him half naked, but the truths she conceded were far more powerful. For now, she wanted to bask in the moment, in the all-consuming reality of him.

  He blew out a hard breath as he adjusted his weight and braced himself on his elbows. With one hand, he stroked her cheek.

  “You’re priceless, Reagan,” he whispered.

  Funny how, when it was just the two of them, when they let go completely, he forgot all his objections. At times like this, the tenderness in his eyes made her think they might have a chance. That nothing would ever make him turn away from her. Not even the destructive truth. And the consideration he showed when they made love erased the thread of concern that he shared the same controlling nature as Drew. Her husband certainly hadn’t shown restraint when it came to his sexual needs. Not the way Alex held himself back, waiting for her encouragement, seeking to fulfill her pleasure as well as his own.

  He pushed off her, grimacing as he eased out of her depths.

  She dropped her hands to his toned buttocks and held him in place. “Don’t. Not yet.”

  “If you insist.” Levering himself into her arms, he pushed back inside her body.

  Reagan chuckled. Trailing one hand through his short hair, she grinned up at him. “Oh, I insist.” Lifting up, she brushed her lips across his. “And I think you should do that again.”

  His eyes widened a bit, before a naughty smirk danced on his mouth. “You mean this?” Slowly, deliciously, he pulled out by a small fraction and then nudged back in.

  Tingles spread through her body. “Oh, yes. That. Exactly that.” Deep inside, she felt the stiffening of his cock again.

  “Hm. I think I’m fond of that, too.” He dipped his head, caught her earlobe between his teeth, and tugged gently. “Or maybe I’m just fond of you.”

  Another warm wave of pleasure flowed through her veins at his whisper. There was a deeper level of emotion to his words, one Reagan longed to believe in, longed to hold close forever. But there was no use focusing on anything but the here and now, so she held tight to what she’d been allowed and lifted her hips a tiny degree, creating the barest amount of friction.

  Alex closed his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath, his expression tender. When he looked at her again, he set his strong hands on both sides of her head and stroked the hair at her temples with his thumbs. His hips barely moving, he gazed into her eyes and exhaled heavily. “I thought I could ignore how much I want you. And part of me wants to. But a bigger part of me is worn out from the fight.”

  She spanned her hands along his rib cage, then wrapped her arms around him in a snug embrace. It was a mighty confession from an honorable man, and the significance wasn’t lost on her. “We don’t have to make promises, Alex.” It’s better if we don’t. Then he couldn’t break them.

  He nodded. For several minutes, he said nothing at all. The power of his forest green eyes held her captive. The intimacy of the silence made her heart drum heavily. And the slow, rhythmic motion of his body stoked a deeper, more engulfing passion.

  Alex’s serious expression gave way to a teasing grin, and he nipped the tip of her nose with his teeth. “I think we can agree to this promise.” He pushed his weight onto his hands and leaned back, sliding from within her. Rocking forward, he thrust in again, hot, slick, and fully erect.

  The slow, deliberate stroke brought Reagan’s back off the cushions. She moaned as he filled her to capacity, stretching her tight, dragging himself over her G-spot. When he had sunk as far as he could go, he stilled, humor still glittering in his eyes.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “God, yes.” She curled her nails into the tight muscle at the small of his back and rotated her hips.

  He chuckled softly. “Do you have any idea how pretty you are when you’re aroused?”

  At the simple compliment, heat filled her cheeks. She lowered her lashes, unaccustomed to the praise. For so long her life had been nothing but faults, errors, mistakes, and wrongdoings. Now, she simply didn’t know how to react. He can’t be like Drew.

  Alex took the response out of her hands and drew her into a hungry kiss. The stubble on his chin chafed pleasantly. She drank in the taste of him, reveled in the erotic tangle of their tongues, until he tore his mouth away to suck in a ragged breath.

  Closing his eyes once more, he increased their tempo, driving into her more steadily, more deliciously. Each time he pulled away, nearly withdrawing completely, she wanted to beg him not to stop. But just as the words rose to her throat, he impaled her again, stealing her air and making it impossible to speak. She clung to him, falling deeper and deeper into the man she’d always yearned for with every tip of his pelvis, every clench of his muscles.

  Pleasure didn’t just rise to envelope her, it hit like a jagged strike of lightning and was every bit as powerful. She bucked forward, crashing into his muscular chest as a sharp cry broke free. Alex crushed her close with a sudden sharp gasp, and his body tightened like stone. Deep within, she felt his release pulsing in time with hers.

  He relaxed with a low, hoarse groan and lowered them both into the couch once more. “Jesus,” he murmured with no small degree of surprise. “Didn’t see that coming.”

  Reagan let out a light laugh. “Me, either.”

  He nuzzled the side of her neck. “I think you broke me.” Amusement rumbled in his chest.

  “Me?” She gave his bare buttocks a scolding slap. “That was all your fault, Alex McCray.”

  With a playful growl, he bit her on the shoulder. “Absolutely not.”

  “Uh-huh. I suppose—”

  A light rap on her front door cut her off. She gave Alex a quizzical look.

  He shrugged, his expression just as startled and confused. But he rolled to the side, giving her room to escape the couch. She grabbed his shirt and slipped it over her head as she sat, handily hiding her back. After her shower earlier, she’d meant to tell him everything—before she’d lost her nerve and changed the context of why she’d been waiting in the front room half naked.

  Still tugging on her shorts, and feeling fairly decent as his shirt hung to her thighs, she went to the door and peeked out the window.

  Desi stood
on the other side, looking uneasy.

  Reagan opened the door. “Desi? Is something wrong?”

  “Ah, no.” Color raced to her cheeks. “I walked by the window…um…I don’t mean to interrupt.”

  Oh. Oh. Reagan’s eyes widened. Behind her, Alex coughed as understanding evidently hit him, too. That must have been quite a shock to the unsuspecting. With the front window wide open, Desi had a front-row seat to an X-rated show.

  Reagan choked down a laugh. “We’re good.”

  “I’d say so.” Desi smirked. She bent around Reagan, presumably to steal a glance at Alex. “Chance and I have steaks. He’s firing up the grill. You two want to join us?” She waited a beat, gave Reagan a knowing look, and added, “Or would you rather…stay in?”

  Reagan looked over her shoulder at Alex, who’d managed to drag on his boxer briefs and sat on the edge of the couch, clearly uncomfortable. His gaze held hers, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. She didn’t want to push him into something awkward, but she could use the time in mixed company. The last hour or so had wrecked her, and her head was entirely too preoccupied with foggy, dreamy hopes of an unrealistic future.

  Alex shrugged and then reclined on the couch with a sigh.

  Up to her, huh? Well, the time in a relaxed environment, free from any pressures they could put upon themselves, would do them both good. She turned back to Desi. “How soon?”

  “He’s just lighting the grill. Say…fifteen minutes?”

  Not much time to get cleaned up. Way too little time for conversation, however, and the last thing Reagan wanted was opportunity for Alex’s head to get in the way of what they’d just shared. She gave Desi a nod. “Give us twenty, and we’ll be right there.”

  Desi cast one more surreptitious look at Alex before tossing Reagan a wink. “See you in a few.” She carefully picked her way off the porch, then turned and disappeared across the yard.

  Reagan drew in a sharp breath, preparing herself for Alex to try to drag them into a discussion now that he’d had time to his thoughts, and turned to face him. But instead of serious introspection, or some frown of self-condemnation, he gave her a warm smile and beckoned her to the couch.