by J E McDonald
“Roman?” Her chest tightened, her mind filling in the blanks. He’d recently put himself in danger, enough to get hurt. The bandage wasn’t small, which meant the injury wasn’t either.
Her mind went to the three scar lines on Jude’s face. If she pulled away the bandage, would Roman’s injury look the same? The blood pattern told her so.
But it wasn’t the only thing on his body that drew her eye. On his other leg were healed scars, jagged. The angriest of them was the scar on his wrist she’d seen earlier as it disappeared under the edge of his sleeve, leading her eyes to his face.
Aubrey swallowed at his shuttered expression. “Are there more?” she whispered, her throat tight.
He didn’t answer.
Not getting the response she needed, she lifted the hem of his sweater to see the rest of his body. He didn’t stop her. She kept going until she’d pulled it over his head.
She gasped. His body was riddled with scars, his chest, shoulders, and arms, most of them jagged like he’d been clawed. Her movements became frantic as she knelt beside him on the bed, searching his back. She found more of the same.
Panic crawling through her, she stepped back and away from the bed, knowing she couldn’t hide the horror on her face. His job with the Church, with the Lillers, put him in danger enough to get hurt over and over again. How could he do it? How could he risk himself like that?
The truth of what he did for a living finally settled deep inside her. Before, it was an intangible thing. Now the reality smacked her in the face, making her breaths come out short and fast. Thinking of Roman in danger scared her so much she couldn’t see straight.
In only his underwear, alone and bared before her, he waited, tense, his expression guarded.
He’s waiting for me to reject him.
The realization made her heart crack into a million pieces. Maybe he thought the marks too ugly to ignore. But it wasn’t the scars that filled her with dread, no. It was the fact that he repeatedly put himself in danger.
Her chest ached for him so bad it burned. This moment had turned into something else. It wasn’t about two people needing to blow off some steam. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she allowed it to cleanse her, counting out slowly to calm her racing heart. There was nothing to panic about. She needed to let him know he was safe here.
Once her breaths had evened out, she stepped forward between his legs where she’d started. When she touched his jaw, he sucked in a quick breath. She hesitated, but when he didn’t tell her to stop, she held the other side of his jaw too, cradling his face.
He kept his hands beside his hips, fingers digging into her duvet. His blue and amber eyes pierced right through her. With barely any pressure, she leaned forward, and brushed her lips over his.
Another quick inhale broke through his lips. He kept still as she skimmed kisses across his cheekbones, forehead, and jaw. Light stubble tickled her skin.
She pressed her mouth to his throat and inhaled his distinctive woodsy scent, letting her nose and lips travel up over his ear, then back over his cheek. She tasted him again, loving how soft his lips were for such a hard man.
When she pulled away, she saw the heat in his eyes, but he didn’t touch her. She glanced at his hands, and they were clenched in fists. It was almost like he didn’t know what to do. Had no one ever been tender to him? It made her heart hurt to think about.
Running her hands over the skin of his collar bones, her fingers traveled across his shoulders and down the muscles of his arms. She hesitated when she got to his wrist.
“Does it still hurt?” she asked, setting his palm in hers.
He shook his head.
Keeping his gaze, she lifted his wrist to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to the damaged skin.
A gasp escaped his parted lips.
She brushed tender kisses along the grooves, and when she turned his hand over, she realized the burn mark looked like a hand print, the ridges of it long and narrow.
Aubrey swallowed, pushing the observation out of her mind. Entwining her fingers in his, she kissed her way up his wrist and forearm, past his elbow and up to his shoulder. Every time her lips skimmed over a mark, she made sure to stop and give it attention. But with each kiss, her chest kept getting tighter and tighter, her worry for him growing, until a tear escaped.
She tried to swipe it away before he could see, but he took her hand in his before she had the chance.
“No one’s supposed to care this much about me,” he said, swiping the tear off with his thumb.
“Please don’t say that,” she said quickly, her eyes meeting his. “Everyone needs someone to care about them.”
His throat moved up and down as he swallowed. “I don’t deserve it.”
She shook her head then kissed him, letting all her emotions pour into it. Cupping her face, he returned the kiss with equal fervor. She tasted his tongue and inhaled the scent of him. When he groaned in the back of his throat, the sound shot conduits of pleasure right between her legs, creating a pulsing ache. She had the urge to straddle him right then, to ride him until they both reached satisfaction.
She pushed the image aside. This wasn’t about her right now. She wanted to return the pleasure he’d given her in the stockroom.
Breaking the kiss, she branded a path down his body with her lips, over rock-hard pectorals and washboard abs. She gave each scar a light lick, the skin alternating between tight and smooth, before continuing downward. Settling back on her haunches, she followed the path of soft hair beneath his belly button until it disappeared under the elastic of his underwear.
She looked up at him and her breath caught at the heat in his eyes. The space between her legs became even wetter. From his dark hair to his unusual eye color, to his defined muscles…how could a man be so beautiful?
He’d braced his hands against his thighs during her exploration, but his fingers twitched like they wanted to grab her. How far would he allow her to go before he cracked?
Hooking her fingers into the band of his underwear, she pulled down and he lifted his hips to help her. His cock sprang free, thick and unabashed. She licked her lips at the sight. It was as hard and big as the rest of him. The pulse between her legs ached. She wanted him so much.
She tossed the underwear to the side and fell the rest of the way to her knees. Her heart galloped in her chest, so loud it filled her head. He looked like something out of a porn magazine, perfectly built and eyes smoldering. Licking her lips, she reached to grip him at the base, then gave him a squeeze.
“Fuck, Aubrey,” he breathed, his body twitching.
“Do you like that?” she whispered, bringing her face close to his length.
He gave her one, short nod.
“What about this?” She flicked her tongue over the head of his cock.
He hissed between his teeth. “Fuck, Aubrey.”
Keeping his gaze, she took him in her mouth. He tasted salty, the skin smooth. She lapped up his texture, relishing every hitching breath that passed his lips, every groan rumbling through his chest. Licking him from root to tip, she didn’t miss an inch. Paying close attention to the head of his cock, she then took him deep into her mouth.
“Fuck, Aubrey.” This time the words were almost indistinguishable from his groan.
His fingers dove into her hair, creating shivers through her scalp and down her spine. She loved the catches in his breath and every little moan that escaped his lips as she took her fill. Looking up, she watched the expressions cross his face. As she pleasured him, her own need increased. His eyes were glazed, smoky with desire, his lips parted. She would increase her pace, then back off, building up the tension inside him, watching him lose control.
Just when she thought he was about to come, he grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up off the floor, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close.
“I wasn’t finished yet,” she said against his shoulder, disgruntled, then shifted to see his face. The intensity of his exp
ression made her gasp. He kissed her with an urgency that made her writhe. His mouth and tongue consumed her like he was starving and she was the exact thing he needed to survive. Possessive arms held her tight, almost restricting her airway.
His grip softened as he ran kisses down her jaw and throat. He turned, placing her gently on the bed, then followed her down. The tender look in his eyes made her chest ache. He ran his hand up and down her body, the touch scorching a path through the layers of her clothes. He skimmed his hand over her breasts and stomach, then petted her through her jeans. She spread her legs, rocking into his hand with need.
“I have too many clothes on,” she said. Everywhere burned for him, desperate for skin to skin contact.
He shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes she’d never seen before. He kept kissing and nipping at her through clothing, captured her wrists above her head when she tried to remove her shirt. She let out a groan when he kept her restrained, gently biting her nipples through a layer of fabric.
“Roman,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
He skimmed his face down her ribs, nuzzling the hem of her T-shirt up a bit so his lips touched the skin of her stomach.
She inhaled sharply. “I need…” She lost her train of thought when he pressed his face against the fly of her jeans.
“What do you need?” he murmured, moving lower and inhaling between her thighs.
“I need you,” she said, freeing one of her hands to dig her fingers into his hair. “Inside me,” she added, giving him a tug. “Right now.”
He clucked his tongue and returned to her stomach. Now that her hands were free, she couldn’t stop touching his naked flesh, running her hands up and down the hard planes of his body.
“I’m savoring you.” This time he lifted her shirt high enough to expose her bra.
Her fingernails gripped his scalp. “Less savoring, more plundering.”
He shook his head at her, filling his hands with her breasts, licking and biting at her nipples through the material of her bra. “Plundering is for pirates.”
A frustrated laugh escaped her. “The first time I saw you, I thought you’d make an excellent pirate.”
He shook his head again, tucking his face into her throat and inhaling her skin while his other hand went between her legs.
She lifted her hips against him, wanting to be naked too. “You’re making me ache so much right now, it hurts.” And it wasn’t an exaggeration. Her core pulsed and throbbed for release.
“I don’t want you to hurt.” His eyes became serious for a moment while he continued to stroke her through her jeans.
She reached down and grabbed his cock. “Then give me this. Put me out of my misery.”
His head reared back. “Misery?”
“Delicious and tortuous misery.”
“Hmmm,” he replied, then lowered the cup of her bra, freeing her breast. “How about this?” He ran his lips over her nipple, making the already-puckered nub harden.
She gasped, her heart stuttering in her chest when his tongue circled her. He freed her other breast, then switched side to side, never leaving one too long before returning to the other. The ache between her legs grew.
Keeping her gaze, he unbuttoned the top of her jeans and spread them wide. Kisses pressed against the material of her underwear, teasing her. Moisture gathered between her thighs.
He peeled the material down her legs and she lifted her hips to help. He pressed more kisses to her silky underwear, then nibbled at her swollen lips, the warmth of his breath making her tremble.
The heat inside her built until she couldn’t take it anymore. With jerky movements, she whipped her T-shirt over her head and threw it to the floor. Her bra came next. That left her in her underwear and him completely naked. He didn’t take off her last garment, seemingly content to drive her stark raving mad.
Impatient, her hands ran up and down his muscles, relishing each ridge, stroking each mark with light touches. And still he didn’t take that next step to rid her of her underwear and take what she offered. With the way the heat built inside her, she needed it before she burst.
“I’ve never begged for cock before,” she whispered against his skin, “but I’m getting close here.” Lifting his head, his eyes flared. Her fingers brushed the ridge of his jaw. “I need you.”
He gave her one hard kiss in response. Then, shifting away from her for a moment, he reached beside the bed for his jacket, pulled out his wallet, and took out a condom from one of the card slots.
Always prepared. “Were you a Boy Scout too?” she asked when he tossed the packet on the bed beside her.
He shook his head, a smile lifting the corner of his mouth, the heat and purpose in his eyes never wavering.
“Well, in case that’s the only one you’ve got,” she said, clearing her throat, “I bought a fresh jumbo-sized box the other day.”
His movements stilled.
She jerked her chin to her side table. “They’re in the bottom cupboard. I guessed you were an XL.” Then, so he wouldn’t get distracted, she tugged down her underwear.
His hands stopped her. “Let me,” he murmured, his voice rough, creating shivers across her skin.
Letting her arms fall to her sides, she watched the concentration on his face as he peeled the fabric away from her body, stopping after every inch to kiss her skin. Hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, the arches of her feet, no spot was safe from the gentle touch of his lips.
When he tossed her underwear to the floor with the rest of their clothes, she reached for him restlessly. “I need you inside me.”
Instead of following her wishes, he settled his face between her legs and toyed with her flesh with his long fingers. Willingly, she spread her knees. He started with his knuckle, massaging her outer lips, then probing deeper.
“So wet,” he murmured. His hot eyes met hers, creating a whole new flush over her body.
“Basically, you just have to be in the same room as me and it makes me wet.” Her eyes blurred as fissures of pleasure rippled through her.
“I’m going to remember that,” he promised, his tone dark. He kept playing with her, and her hips thrust toward him over and over again, demanding more.
The first flick of his tongue nearly sent her over the edge. He spread her with his thumbs and went deeper. Every touch pulled something new out of her, some sensation she was sure she’d never felt before. She could only hang onto his scalp and hope she survived.
While he licked her, his hands explored her thighs, stroking her creases, then upward over her abdomen. He lifted her hips, opening her even more. His tongue alternated between flicking her clit and plunging inside her. She couldn’t stop moaning in pleasure.
Satisfied groans emerged from his chest, like he was hungry for more. She writhed on the bed, the heat in her body scorching all the way to her toes. His fingers explored and played as his mouth continued to work its magic. The inferno inside her built and built. When he sucked her clit, she nearly arched off the bed with her orgasm.
“Roman!” she shouted, her body clenching, her fingernails digging into his scalp. Even through her body tremors, he kept licking her, taking every last shudder into himself like they sustained him.
Through her haze, he kissed a leisurely path up her body. “I need you,” she whispered and reached down to grab his cock. He was solid and warm in her hand, the skin smooth, but the shaft as hard as a rock. It made her want him more. She shifted down the bed, spreading her knees.
“So demanding,” he murmured against the skin of her breast, satisfaction in his expression.
“Now,” she replied, giving him a tug.
A sudden urgency fueling his movements, he reached for the condom package by her hip, tore it open, and rolled it on. She licked her lips, and he brushed his mouth over hers, her musky scent and flavor on his lips. His cock teased her entrance again and again, making her pant.
“Please,” she whimpered. She was more than ready
for him, her insides clenching in need.
Finally, he plunged inside her, and she let out a savage moan at how good it felt. He groaned too, settling himself inside her. His forehead rested against hers, their bodies adjusting to each other.
“Fuck, Aubrey,” he murmured, every part of him hard and unyielding. “You feel so good.”
She shifted against him, hissing at the shot of pleasure that speared through her. His girth stretched her, delicious tingles shooting through her body. Restlessly, she moved against him.
The pace began slow and deliberate, each thrust of his body building the tension between them. She lifted her knees, taking him as deep as he could go. Pressure built inside her one increment at a time. She noted how he took care to angle his body just right, trying to give her as much pleasure as was written on his face.
So considerate. The squeeze of her heart became painful at his tender expression. She took his face in her hands and leaned upward to brush her lips over his.
A groan ripped from his body. Abruptly, he shifted their positions until they were both sitting up, her legs wrapped around his waist, his fingers stroking her spine. He pressed her against him, her nipples brushing the hairs of his chest. Shivers ran through her body.
The intimacy of the position had her breath freezing in her throat. They were face-to-face and eye-to-eye, both of their arms free to stroke and caress. Any time she wanted, she could look down and see how he slid in and out of her, the sight of them together exciting her more.
Heat as hot as the sun spread through her chest at the way he held her, the way his fingers brushed her skin and tucked her hair behind her ear so he could see her face better.
“Fuck, Roman.” She’d never been so aflame. She’d never felt this slow buildup that made her burn from the inside out.
His hands on her hips, he controlled the pace, tilting her back and forth at exquisite angles, his cock rubbing all the right places inside her. The heat between them grew as they rocked, finding the perfect pace meant only for them. His fingers stroked her flesh, upward past her breast until he held her jaw, then kissed her slowly as he plunged in and out of her wetness. The scent of their lovemaking rose around them.