“Because of you!” She arched up, trying to buck him from her body, but his weight pinned her down.
“Me? You want to see what I’ve been doing all week?” That wild look returned and he yanked her from the room. “Want to see what I’ve been so busy doing?”
He led her into Hoyt’s room, the bright light streaming from the window blinded her. Sparrow threw her arms over her head, trying to block out the excruciating brightness.
Jared didn’t give her time to acclimate. He ripped her around, forced her back to his chest and pinned her arms to her sides. When he spoke again, his breath was hot and heavy in her ear. “That’s what I’ve been doing. Taking care of my brother.”
The bandage on Hoyt’s face and chest were gone. Black stitches curved up the side of his cheek, holding together the long cut running the length of his face and pulling his lips up to the side. The hundreds of small cuts on his chest had crusted over; the two deep ones that were held together with stitches were swollen and angry looking.
Hoyt gasped, his eyes still closed, and arched off the mattress, rolling onto his side as his body convulsed.
Jared released her and ran for his brother, quickly holding his arms down, and Sparrow could see why. There were multiple bandages up his arm where he’d ripped the IVs out. And from what she could see, there weren’t many places left to put one. No wonder Jared looked so haggard. “Is this what he’s been like all week?”
“No, this has been a good day.”
Sparrow approached the bed slowly. “Why don’t you strap him to the bed so he won’t hurt himself?”
Hoyt jerked sharply and Jared grunted, trying to keep him under control. “Tried that. He just fought harder and ripped open all his stitches.”
“Can’t you give him something that’ll knock him out?” Hoyt continued to shake in Jared’s grip.
“Not for another hour. Doc’s regulating his meds pretty heavy because he’s had so much.”
Sparrow glanced around the room, searching for anything to help. That’s when she realized the door was wide open and Jared was on the other side of the bed, fighting his brother. This would be the perfect opportunity to escape.
But she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave Jared like this, no matter how much he’d hurt her. No matter how the last week had driven her crazy. And seeing the torment on his face was tearing her part.
Sparrow approached the bed with caution, silently waiting on Jared to yell at her. She’d never cared for anyone this sick, so she didn’t really know what to do. There was a washcloth on the bed stand, so she picked it up and laid it across Hoyt’s forehead. He didn’t throw her off, so she counted that as an accomplishment.
He shuddered hard and she watched the veins pop in Jared’s arms as he held his brother down.
A long lock of curly blond hair fell in Hoyt’s face and Sparrow reached out to brush it out of his face.
“He’s not getting any better. The infection’s gone…all he has to do is wake up. But he won’t. He refuses.” She felt Jared’s bone-deep grief as if it was her own.
“May I try something? I used to have nightmares when I was a little girl. I remember my mother singing to me to calm me down. She was good at that.”
She half expected Jared to deny her. “I’m willing to try anything.”
Sparrow scooted up to the top of the bed, near Hoyt’s head, and threaded her fingers into his hair. The thick strands were matted together with sweat. Sparrow closed eyes and thought back to her childhood, trying to remember the words. They came to her, as if her mother were there whispering in her ear. Sparrow sang the sweet lullaby, her voice soft and soothing as she gently caressed his scalp, praying that her voice would help ease this tortured soul.
28
Jared was transfixed by Sparrow’s voice as she softly sang the sweet haunting lullaby. He felt himself relaxing, lulled by the tune.
But also by the girl singing it.
Realization struck him like a bolt of lightening. Someone who cared as deeply as Sparrow could never inflict unimaginable pain and torture. Regret crawled the walls of his stomach and he closed his eyes under the weight of his guilt.
He had been desperately wrong and he didn’t need his brother to wake up and tell him that. The facts were all there, staring him in the face.
When Sparrow finished the song, she opened her eyes and gazed deeply into his. The rest of the world seemed to melt away, and it was just the two of them and this incredible passionate bridge connecting them together. A bridge he intended to cross.
“Sparrow.” His voice was thick with emotion.
Seeming to understand his silent plea, she reached for his hand. His fingers closed around hers and he felt something warm expand in his chest.
Then he heard a sniffle from the doorway, and when he looked up, the spell had been broken. Hayden stood there dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “That was beautiful. And look how you calmed him.”
A blush rose on Sparrow’s cheeks and Jared realized she was probably not used to getting praise. Something he planned to rectify soon.
He cleared his throat and let go of her hand, gently releasing Hoyt so that he lay fully on the mattress. “Hayden, would you mind sitting with him for a moment?”
Hayden met his eyes with a look of understanding. “No, I just woke up from my nap, so I’ll be good for a while.”
Jared rose from the bed and walked around it, taking Sparrow’s hand in his own and leading her from the room. He bypassed her room and went straight to his, shutting the door behind him.
Sparrow faced him, her gaze open. Her trust nearly destroyed him. He’d hurt her so many times, and yet she hadn’t given up on him. She was willing to try again. Jared took her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers. He intended to put every ounce of his feelings into that kiss.
*
Sparrow broke the kiss and stepped back, reveling in the sight of him. He was wearing low-slung jeans and a black muscle shirt, revealing biceps carved out of molten lava and honed into rock-hard steel. His wide chest narrowed like he had been cut with a knife. Black shirt. Black hair. All darkness. Like dark chocolate. Good for her in small quantities. But it could give her a heart attack if she ate the whole package at once.
She swallowed as she became achingly aware of her vulnerable position. If he lifted the hem of her new dress, he’d reveal everything God had given her. Jared stood staring at her like she was going to be his appetizer, dinner, and dessert all in one.
A strange sort of heat came over her body, like a fever. Delirious. She couldn’t move. Her body felt like it was floating, drifting in and out of itself. Touching that heat and pulling away, like a moth to a flame, then returning once more.
Jared growled, the sound vibrating his chest. Sparrow snapped her heels together, hoping to hide the flood of heat building between her thighs. The raw edge of lust that they’d been skating along was about to cut them in two.
She arched toward him as his massive arms closed around her waist, lifted her up, and laid her out on the bed like a morsel he couldn’t wait to devour. Jared pushed her flat and she spread her legs willingly, savoring the feel of him as he settled on top of her. He was huge, his corded muscles and wide chest could easily suffocate her, but he held himself up on his elbows, supporting his own weight. His hands caged around her head, holding her hostage for his mouth. She wanted to tell him he didn’t have to do that, she wasn’t going anywhere, but she couldn’t move.
Sparrow wiggled, seeking his hands on her body, but he held back. He stayed right there, driving her wild with his mouth on hers. He didn’t stop until she was moaning and struggling for more. Finally he broke the kiss and she sucked in a breath. His lips trailed down her neck, pausing to deliver feather light kisses.
“Jared.” She pulled him down, silently begging for him to take her.
But he pulled up. “No. I want to do this right. You deserve better.” He lowered his head to press kisses across her skin again, never
taking too much. The barely there caresses drove her wild, but left her wanting more.
“You don’t have to.”
Jared stopped all together and took her face between his hands. “Yes, I do. I need to show you that I believe you.” He kissed her gently. “That I cherish you.” He kissed her again. “That I need you.” This time he took her mouth deeply and Sparrow felt every nerve in her body respond.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. I was a fool. Please forgive me. Stay with me, let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“I’ve already forgotten.” She grabbed his hair and tried to pull him down to her, but he resisted.
“I’ve taken you before, and loved every damn minute of it. But today isn’t about me. It’s about you.” Jared threaded his fingers through hers and pushed her hands over her head. Then he lifted her dress from her, leaving her completely naked.
“You’re so fucking sexy. So perfect.” He reached a hand out and gently caressed her tummy. Sparrow sucked in a breath.
“Jared, please!”
He fell forward, taking her lips and then trailing down her neck, stopping at the hollow of her shoulder to suckle. After a few seconds of that torture, he moved lower, lavishing attention to her sensitive breasts. He licked. Teased. Tormented. Never sucking too hard. Never drawing her into his mouth. It was as if he were scared to hurt her.
She was losing her mind.
Chill bumps raced across her skin, trailing behind his hand as it drifted down, circling her navel and then moving back up to gently squeeze her breasts. She arched into his touch as his lips trailed to the other side of her neck and both his hands moved to cover her chest, massaging her aching breasts until she was ready to scream.
“Jared.” Sparrow gasped and grabbed his shoulders, sinking her nails into his skin. “I need you. Please.” She needed him to take her like before. But he refused, intent on proving some point.
Finally, when she was ready to groan in frustration, he took her nipple between his lips, drawing on her softly. “Harder. Suck harder.” Sparrow tugged his hair, silently communicating her needs.
“No. Not tonight. All I’ve done is take from you. I intend to give to you tonight.” Sparrow wanted to sob at his words.
“But I need you to do it harder. I want it.” Sparrow took his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. Really look at her.
“I want this to be perfect for you.” Jared said, but she could see the flicker of indecision in his gaze.
“Well then stop pussy footing around.” Sparrow threw down the challenge and held her breath. Praying he would accept.
Jared growled and ripped her hands over her head. Liquid flooded her thighs. His mouth closed over her nipple, and this time he sucked hard, drawing her fully inside the hot depths of his mouth. Then he bit down and she cried out, but not in pain. The burning intensity roared out of control. When he finished with that one, he licked and sucked her other nipple, driving her past the point of awareness. Logic. Control. He lavished attention to her breasts until she thought she would snap.
Sparrow sobbed from the pleasure. She’d thought it was great before, but tonight, tonight something huge had happened between them. There was a deeper, more special connection. One that touched her soul.
Jared trailed kisses down her belly and settled between her thighs. “Do you want me to touch you here?” His voice was rough, more of a command than a question, and she nodded eagerly.
“Say it. Tell me you want me to touch you there.”
Sparrow licked her lips, burning with need for him to pleasure her. “Please, please touch me there.”
Her body arched into his touch in accordance with her words. His mouth closed over her clit with a growl and held there, licking and tasting. Sparrow rode his tongue unashamed. Screamed out her pleasure when he slipped a finger inside her. She needed oxygen, but not as much as she needed his body on hers. In hers.
He tore his mouth from her and he sat up, leaving her cold and alone. She jerked forward, trying to drag him back down, but he shackled her wrists and dragged them overhead. Then he smiled at her—an animalistic, possessive smile, and she melted.
He reached down and flicked her clit, causing her to arch into his touch. He repeated that process, rubbing feather soft then pressing hard until she panted. She felt his fingertip slip inside her and pull out, then massage up and around her clit before dipping in again. When she was close, he stopped the slow languid strokes and rubbed in hard small circles. The pressure building inside her broke. She spasmed arcing off the bed and finally drifted back down in a hazy cloud of lust.
“That’s a good girl.” Sparrow tried to regain her composure, but all she could do was close her eyes. The bed shifted, and then she felt something warm and hot on her clit. Her eyes flew open to see Jared’s head nestled once more between her thighs, his hands pushing her legs wide. His tongue licking her clit in one long slow stroke, reigniting the fire. Another long stroke. The small flame burst back into a raging wildfire.
“God you taste like honey. Sweet. I can’t get enough.” She couldn’t take her gaze off the erotic sight. Never in her life had she imagined anything like this. One of his hands trailed from her thigh to her center and she felt his finger probing her entrance once more. Only this time he pushed in further until he filled her. He worked the finger in and out, his knuckles grazing against her skin. He felt so good. So right.
The pleasure built inside her again, and she knew if he continued she would burst. Then he put two fingers inside her, stretching her, and she lost all thought.
“God you’re so tight.”
She sobbed, needing more. “Please.”
He came up on his knees, tore off his shirt, and jerked his pants down. Then he nestled between her legs, touching her entrance with his rigid cock. “Are you sure?”
Sparrow wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels in. “Yes!”
Jared thrust forward, filling her in one long stroke, leaving her gasping for air. She’d never felt so full. So right.
Jared dropped his head to hers and closed his eyes as if pain. “Fuck you’re tight. Squeezing me like a goddamn glove.” Sweat beaded on his forehead and dropped onto hers.
He pulled almost all the way out this time and thrust forward again, driving even deeper, stretching her more.
“Please, Jared.” He lifted his head and kissed her gently, cradling her face between his palms. He lifted his hips, pulled out and then drove forward, not stopping until he bottomed out.
And then he repeated the move, the slow friction hot. Building. Again and again, his slow strokes drove her wild with pleasure.
“Jared, please.” She knew she was begging, but didn’t care. She needed him to take her harder. Lay claim to her.
He growled and slammed in hard and fast, and her entire body jerked in response. He drove into her like that until Sparrow was mindless, moaning and begging. She couldn’t take it any longer and burst into a thousand pieces. No longer one body but countless floating particles around the room. Sparrow felt him jerk on top of her, followed by his own groan of pleasure.
Jared collapsed against her, his heavy weight welcome as she drifted back into her body. He stayed inside her, stretching her, and she never wanted him to leave.
Jared placed soft, tender kisses on her cheeks, her nose, and then her mouth.
A while later, when they’d settled and simply lay together in bed, caressing each other, Sparrow broached the subject that had been bothering her all week. “Jared, I know you don’t want to talk about this. But I have to at least warn Kay about Jimbo. If he takes over the mountain, I’ll never make it in time to save Squirrel.” Sparrow sucked in a breath, anxiety tripping up her heart. What if he refused?
“How about you call her in the morning?” Jared’s open response pulled tears from her eyes.
Sparrow nodded, unable to speak past the emotion clogging her throat.
They’d not only fa
ced the bridge between them, they’d crossed it.
29
The next morning Sparrow rolled over in an empty bed. Savoring the languid ache, she stretched. Even the sheets felt different, somehow softer, and yet her skin felt more sensitive. Just thinking about the way Jared had held her sent a rush of chills across her body.
The shuttered window blocked out all light, leaving her without any idea of the time of day, but her stomach grumbled, indicating she’d slept past breakfast.
Sparrow rolled from the bed and dug in the sheets for her dress, slipped it on and ran to the restroom to relieve herself. She flipped on the lights and leaned in close to the mirror, studying her reflection. The glow of happiness couldn’t be denied any more than she could stop a huge grin from spreading across her lips. Lips swollen from earth-shattering kisses.
It meant so much to her that Jared had agreed to let her call Miss Kay and warn her about Jimbo. After all he’d suffered at Kay’s hands, somehow Jared had found a way to overcome the hate in his heart, and he had done it for Sparrow. No one had ever scaled such a hurdle for her before. They’d crossed some invisible barrier, reaching an altogether different level. One that involved trust and respect and love.
Even though Hoyt hadn’t awoken to confirm her story, Jared believed her. The thought filled her with happiness and a newfound energy. Already missing him, Sparrow quickly combed her fingers through her hair and ran to the door of the bedroom, turning the knob to yank it open. Only the knob wouldn’t turn.
She gripped it harder, putting all her strength behind it, but still it wouldn’t give. Her heart beating uncontrollably in her chest, she ran to her own adjoining bedroom and tried the door. The knob didn’t budge. Dread slammed into her, nearly knocking her to the floor.
No. No way, not after last night. He’d been so tender, so sincere. She refused to believe the solid evidence of the locked doors. Sparrow drew back her fist and pounded, screaming Jared’s name.
The lock clicked and relief hit her so hard her knees almost buckled. But when the door opened, Merc was the one standing there. A wave of dizziness assailed her senses and she grabbed the dresser. “Where’s Jared?”
Reckless River: Men of Mercy, Book 3 Page 21