He snatched the phone from her hand and shoved it in his pocket. “We just had this conversation.”
Ignoring him, she stalked across the floor to the door. She succeeded in turning one lock when he jerked her away. He spun her around to face him, pushing her back to the unyielding door. “What is wrong with you?”
She shoved at his chest. He didn’t even sway. “What’s wrong with you?”
He gritted his teeth. “If you’re going to become hysterical, fine, but leaving is not an option.”
“You don’t want me here.”
“I volunteered!”
She shoved again. This time he jerked her to her toes as temper flared in his honey-brown depths. Maybe she went too far. “You don’t even want me. You never have.”
He blinked. For a second she thought he would release her. Instead he hoisted her over his shoulder. Her stomach bit into the hard muscle as he carried her across the room, her hair falling forward. “What are you doing? Put me down.” She thumped her fists on the hard muscles of his back and he brought his hand down on her behind in a stinging slap. “Ow!”
“Be still.”
And for good measure he spanked her again, then rubbed her stinging cheeks. Sparks singed nerve endings she didn’t know she had, while dampness clung to her thighs.
“Then put me down.”
Another stinging slap followed by his hand rubbing small circles on her backside. A soft moan left her lips before she could rein it in.
He dumped her in the middle of his bed. Masculine spice rose around her and she swept her hair from her face. She scrambled to her knees and saw a spark of passion ignite in his eyes.
“You move off the bed and I promise I’ll tie you to it.”
“Don’t toy with me, Rue. I can’t deal with the emotional yo-yo right now.” Her gaze remained steady on his as his hands went to his waistband. She held her breath as he undid the button on his jeans.
“I’ve tried to spare your feelings, but you insist on pursuing me. The more I push you away the more you keep coming back.” He whipped off his shirt.
Saliva pooled in her mouth at the expanse of toffee colored skin before her. He was perfect. Finely sculpted muscles provided the perfect backdrop to the colorful dragon tattoo marking the right half of his torso. Even the flames disappearing into the waistband of his jeans seemed real enough to burn. She wanted to follow the trail and see if he’d heat up as well.
“Why do you run?”
“Why do you keep chasing me?” He pushed his pants down, and his erection jutted out proud and ready.
She reached out and stroked the velvety tip. A drop of his essence landed on her fingertip. Holding his gaze she brought the offering to her mouth. Her tongue flicked the salty gift from the tip and she watched his eyes widen.
“I never wanted anyone else.” She wrapped her hand around the smooth hard shaft and stroked him from tip to base. His hips jerked and he pushed into her fist.
“You should. I’m damaged and will be for the rest of my life.”
“Is that how you see yourself?” She marveled at the texture of him in her hand. Rigid and soft. Velvet and iron. Over and over she caressed him, enjoying the breathy groans emanating from his throat. She leaned closer and blew her breath across the head, before sticking out her tongue and curling it around the tip.
He threaded his fingers through her hair and tugged on the tresses. She stared up at him, expectantly.
“I do want you. I always have.”
The admission was what she was waiting for and she wrapped her lips around him. He tried to thrust farther into her mouth, but she pulled back.
“I love you Rue, from the moment I laid eyes on you. Why can’t you just accept that?” She licked him, running her tongue under the weeping opening to the top of his sac and back again. She closed her lips over him and tried to swallow him whole, relishing the sharp edge of pain as his fingers tightened in her hair.
God her mouth was exquisite, so hot and wet. He jerked in response to her sucking him deep. Wisps of lightening arched through his veins, raced over his belly and tightened his balls. Each intimate kiss fueled his thrusts and all he wanted to do was stay right where he was, but she needed to know. She deserved to know why he couldn’t be the man she wanted.
He yanked her hair and pulled back hissing as her teeth scraped over the sensitive head. She curled her fingers around his thick shaft, stroking him from top to bottom. He closed his eyes as desire raced over and through him.
Grasping her wrists he held them in one hand, forced her back on the bed and raised her arms above her head. Her eyes widened and a quick inhale pushed her breasts up. She squirmed beneath him, but held his gaze. How he loved watching her eyes go to a molten green.
“I can’t give you what you want, Na’arah.” He traced her lips with the pad of his thumb. “No matter how much I desire you.” He released her hands to pull her shirt over her head. Such beautiful skin. He drifted his palms over the satiny swell of her breasts, teasing the dusky brown nipples to taut peaks. “Even during our sessions when you talked about family and love.” He leaned over and captured the soft weight in his hands. They seemed a little fuller than the last time. He lowered his head pursed his lips and blew cool air over the hardened tits. They perked up even more and he swept his thumb over them.
She whimpered.
“I can’t give you a family.” He momentarily rested a hand on her still flat abdomen. “No matter how hard you wish for one.” A quick flick of his tongue across the tip and she arched against him. Over and over he repeated his teasing motions until her breathless moans filled his ears.
Pleasure he could give her, safety he could provide, but a family? It would remain a dream and if he couldn’t give her what she truly wanted, why get involved with her at all? Yet he couldn’t let her go, not after tonight. And especially not after her declaration of love.
Street hugged the sentiment close, allowing the emotion to unfurl and settle like a new suit. An answering tug squeezed his heart, but he couldn’t tell her, couldn’t risk being that vulnerable. He’d just have to stick to seduction and protection.
He squeezed her nipple before curling his tongue around the peak and drawing it into his mouth. Her fingers slid over his scalp and he captured her wrists in one hand, while the other skimmed over her flat stomach and into the waistband of her shorts.
There he found her slick heat. He switched to her other breast and she whimpered. Good. He wanted her like this, especially since it was all he had to offer. He licked, kissed and caressed his way down her body. She shifted beneath him.
“Please, Rue.”
He smiled. “Not yet, sweetheart.” Hooking his thumbs in her waistband he dragged her shorts over her hips and tossed them aside. He knelt between her legs, feasting on the expanse of honey brown skin in front of him. Her scent, an exotic blend of sweet and musk tantalized his senses and tightened his groin. He couldn’t wait to taste her.
Na’arah wiggled her hips, savoring the scorching gaze drifting over her body. Knowing he desired her fanned her feminine pride. He skimmed her thighs, his calloused hand scraping across sensitive flesh. His thumb moved in lazy circles up her legs until he brushed the swollen lips at the apex of her thighs.
His strokes were deliberate, his passion filled eyes never leaving her face. She twisted beneath his hands. Slowly his thumbs parted her outer lips allowing cool air to skitter across her exposed core. She moaned, the sensation welcoming as he plunged one long finger in her weeping channel. Her fingers curled in the bed sheets as he thrust in and out.
“You are so wet for me.” He knelt between her thighs, and the slow rasp of his tongue against her most intimate parts brought a sigh to her lips. Up and down he licked, his fingers working in tandem with his mouth.
When he fastened on the tiny bundle of nerves, a cry stuck in the back of her throat. Lightning whipped through her system and she thrust her hips upward. He fastened a strong arm around her wa
ist and drew her closer to his marauding mouth.
She was so close if he would just move his tongue a little higher. “No!” she couldn’t stop the protest as he eased back, pressing light kisses over her pussy lips and thighs. He reached up and fondled her breasts, building her desire again. She just wanted him, deep inside where nothing else mattered.
Each time she neared her climax he seemed to sense she was close and would switch to slow drugging kisses. Street twined his fingers with hers as he blanketed her body. His erection butted against her hot entrance.
He held still and she tried desperately to move her hips to accommodate the ache.
His kiss was hot and demanding, scorching her from her lips and radiating to every cell in her body. She responded in kind, offering all she had and ever would be to him, but if he didn’t finish her off she would spontaneously combust.
“Wrap your legs around me sweetheart.”
Eagerly she complied and wanted to weep when his hard dick slid an inch into her welcoming channel.
In one powerful stroke he thrust into her. Her pelvis rose to greet his as she imploded. She hummed with pleasure as sensation swamped her. He pounded into her slick heat, stoking the flames of her passion hotter. Everything she was centered on their intimate union and the orgasm quickly approaching.
His lips were moist and fiery as he nibbled on the sensitive spot just below her ear. Her world tilted and her climax overtook her. She cried out as her muscles clenched the hard cock moving inside her, prolonging the waves roiling over and through her body. She clung to him as he quickened his pace, slowed a bit then came. He collapsed next to her, gathering her close.
She nestled in his arms. Finally she was safe.
Chapter Eleven
Cold and alone. Na’arah jerked upright afraid to breathe. Darkness closed in on her. Oh god, they found her. She couldn’t move her arms or legs. Nothing. She could see nothing. Strong arms wrapped around her. She struggled, thrashing against the steady embrace. A small shriek stuck in the back of her throat.
“Shh. Shh. I’ve got you.” The warm baritone slid through her fear as the heady masculine scent enveloped her senses.
Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as she clung to his broad shoulders. “Turn the lights on.”
The bed creaked and a moment later light shone throughout the bedroom, chasing away any shadows. She didn’t want the dark. Not now. Street slipped in beside her.
“Better?”
She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder when he wrapped his arms around her.
He smoothed her hair from her face and rested his chin on her head. “You wanna talk about it?”
She shook her head, afraid if she spoke she wouldn’t stop crying. Instead she moved closer, placing her palm over Street’s heart. The steady rhythm beneath her hand provided the calm assurance she needed. The hard body she leaned on provided the rest.
“I had nightmares for months after I jumped out that window.” A heavy sigh fluttered her hair. “As I was laying there on the ground, in the snow, all I could think about was how much my eyelashes hurt.”
She smothered a giggle.
He grinned. “It’s the stupidest thing in the world. I mean, the building’s on fire behind me and I can literally feel the flames licking at my back. The roar of the fire was incredible and I still shudder near an open flame, but in that moment when the earth was rising to greet me I just wanted to live. That’s all. And when I realized I was alive and pain lets you know, I learned that even my eyelashes could hurt.
“Some people still think I was dumb for rushing into that building and should’ve waited for the fire department.”
She jerked in his arms, but didn’t speak.
“If I’d waited no one would’ve survived.” His fingers drifted up and down her spine. “And when I did—why did you have to be in love with me? You should’ve picked someone else.” Raw emotion roughened his voice. “Besides being scarred and walking with a limp. I have nothing for you, Na’arah. That fire took the last of what I had to offer. I can’t give you the family you want or need.”
Tears clogged the back of her throat and she swallowed hard. He said the same thing earlier. “I just want you,” she whispered. “You’re all I ever wanted.”
He curled his fingers in her hair and tipped her head back until her gaze met his. What she read in his eyes broke her heart. The doubt was there. He didn’t believe he deserved anything from her.
“No matter what happens, I will keep you safe.”
He swept her tears from her face. She didn’t want safe. She wanted his heart.
Her stomach lurched and she rolled out the bed, stumbling into the bathroom. No sooner had she closed the door she vomited in the toilet. Her body shook with each violent spasm until she was only a quivering pile of dry heaves. Weak and less nauseous she labored to her feet, not surprised to find her legs limp and rubbery. All she wanted to do was lay down and pull the covers over her head.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Street leaned on the wall, a sleeve of crackers in his hand. He offered them to her.
“Thanks.” She accepted them and trudged back to the bedroom.
“Did Auggie know?’ Street asked.
Na’arah stretched on the bed, facedown. She twisted her head to look at him. “Know what?”
Street came farther into the room, favoring his right leg. “That you were pregnant.”
She lifted a brow. “Why would I tell him?”
“He’s the father.”
For one long strained silence Na’arah studied him. She pushed to sitting and carefully set the crackers aside. The plastic rustled in the quiet. A dog barked far in the distance while the faint purr of a car engine drifted through the open window. Despite his casual stance, tension ran through his body. It was in the tightness of his jaw and the way he clenched his hands.
With a sigh, she slid off the bed, picked up his T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She couldn’t have this conversation naked and if he still didn’t believe her she’d at least be able to take a walk.
When she was reasonably dressed she stood in front of him. “Rue, I’m going to say this one more time.” She held his gaze. The man had such vivid eyes. “The only business Auggie and I had was the shop. He sold it. I bought it. He tried on numerous occasions to holla’ but he wasn’t my type. When I told him how I felt about you, he backed off.”
Emotion she couldn’t quite decipher flickered through his eyes.
“Do you really think I would let you touch me if I was in a relationship with someone else?” She shook her head. “You are the father of this baby and whatever DNA tests I need to take to prove it to you, I will.”
She stood there a moment longer. When he didn’t respond she shoved past him. The fire had been banked in the fireplace. She knelt on the hearth and added another log, poking at the wood until it flared to life.
This was not how she envisioned her life. Single and pregnant at thirty, but at least she had a job...well hopefully she’d still have a business to run. There were clients who would love to see her back or she could always apply at another spa, but she really wanted to see this business succeed.
Soft off-rhythm footsteps scuffed the wood behind her. She spared a glance and returned her attention to the fire. She didn’t want to hear any more excuses or explanations. Right now she wasn’t even sure if she wanted his help anymore. She’d just wanted him to know he was going to be a father.
“How soon?”
She set the poker back in its holder. She didn’t need him to elaborate, “As soon as the OB says I can.” The fire crackled and hissed. She sat, then drew her knees to her chest.
“Na’arah...”
“I should really think about staying with my sister.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder, before tunneling it through her hair. “No. You should stay here.”
She shrugged off his hand. “We both know you don’t want me here.”
�
�That’s not true.”
She swiveled, opened her mouth to protest and promptly closed it again. Even though he wore boxers, she was eye level with his groin and the nasty scar that ran the length of his right leg.
The quarter inch wide line, including the tiny dots from staples, twisted up the outside of his thigh like a macabre railroad track, before disappearing into the bottom of his shorts. She could still see where part of the muscle was missing.
She swallowed the sudden tears clogging her throat. He must have suffered a lot of pain, and still must be in some agony. She pushed to her feet and grasped his hand.
“C’mere.” Wordlessly she led him into the bedroom and pushed him onto the bed.
Heat flared in his eyes and he grasped her waist.
“Not what I had in mind.” She moved away and walked into the bathroom. She returned a moment later with a bottle of baby oil.
“I do want you here,” Street began. “I wouldn’t have told Miles otherwise.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
He regarded her a moment and she allowed him to see her annoyance.
“All right.”
She nodded. “Good. Lay on your stomach.”
He didn’t budge.
“Come on, humor me.”
After a moment he did as she requested. She settled on the bed beside him, popped the flip top and poured a generous amount of the sweet scented liquid in her hands.
Gently she worked the oil into his leg, increasing pressure as the muscle loosened. She worked her hands over his back, noting the two small circular scars just under his right shoulder blade. She’d have to ask him about that another time.
“I see why they gave you those awards and medals.” She moved down his spine, relishing the slide of his skin beneath her fingertips. Another time and place she’d follow the curve of his spine with her tongue, but right now would be just for him.
“It isn’t that I don’t trust you, Na’arah,” he said.
“Rue.”
He rolled over and captured her hands. “Listen to me.”
She sat back and crossed her arms over her breasts.
Street Safe Page 11