BEASTLY LOVE BOX SET: Romance Collection

by Lindsey Hart

  “Leena? Do you want me- do you want me to stop?” It nearly killed him to say those words.

  She shook her head, but then she nodded. Alarmingly, huge tears welled in her eyes. He suddenly felt disgusted with himself. God, he was this thing, this broken thing that was so damn tortured he couldn’t even look after himself properly half the time. She’d seen him at his absolute worst more times than he could count. She picked up after him, did everything for him so that he could write and write and write his damn music. It was all he cared about until…

  Until he cared about her.

  No wonder she was disgusted by him. No wonder she didn’t want to do this, didn’t want him inside of her.

  He rolled away quickly before he could do any more damage. As he got off of her, moved to the empty, cold side of the bed, he jerked down her robe so that it covered her and protected her modesty.

  “Dallas! Where are you going… what…”

  He got off the bed and searched for his clothes, remembering too late that all he had was that damn costume. Lord, what had he been thinking, taking her up here like this? She was his wife, but he’d never had a kind word for her, not in years.

  She said she remembered. It wasn’t even like she had the last few weeks to go on, weeks that were so much different. She wasn’t like a completely different person, but she was changed. And now… now she remembered everything. Every ugly moment. She remembered that he loved her best friend, not her. That he had for years and years, even after her death. Or at least, he thought he had.

  He scooped his tunic off the floor, the taste of her still heady and sweet in his mouth. It was almost too much. He felt so tortured he half suspected walking out that door might kill him.

  “Dallas! Can you just stop!” Leena’s small, warm hand closed around his arm. He did stop, his tunic hanging from his hand. He turned slowly to face her. She was delicate, utterly astounding, so beautiful it hurt to look at her. She truly was a goddess, those high cheekbones pronounced and highlighted by the rays of the sun, her dainty jawline standing out in contrast, her lips red and bruised with his kiss. Her eyes were huge and luminous and shone with… not disgust as he expected. No, she looked at him the way she’d always looked at him. No judgment, no condemnation. She never wanted him to be like everyone else. She’d never told him to get it together and just try, for once, to be normal. She’d accepted him as he was, unconditionally, something not even his own parents had done for him. He’d put her through so much over the years and still, still she looked at him the same way. With love.

  How could he have been foolish enough to miss it before? How could he not have realized that she loved him?

  His tunic fell from his hand and he reached out and gripped her arm. He wasn’t gentle, but he made sure he didn’t hurt her. “How long?” he ground out. “How long have you felt like this?”

  She blinked hard, but it didn’t stop the tears from trailing down her cheeks in silvery lines. He couldn’t stop himself. He leaned forward, bent his head and kissed them away. He lapped at the salt of her sorrow, her love, her pain.

  Her lips moved against his cheek and the words floated up to him, invading his soul. “Forever. Since the first time I saw you.”

  She broke him. She brought him to his knees, humbled him, shattered his heart. “Why? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  She shook her head, pulling away just enough to look into his eyes. Her hand, when she reached up to caress his cheek, was so gentle he wanted to weep. “Take off my robe. I don’t want there to be anything between us when we do this.”

  “But you… you didn’t want- you were afraid or horrified or disgusted-”

  Her eyes flew away, towards the window. When she finally looked back at him, there were two scarlet smudges on her pale cheeks. “Don’t say that. I could never be disgusted by you. It’s crazy that you would even think that.”

  “What then?” He asked huskily. His stomach felt like it was tied in a thousand knots as he waited for her to reply.

  “I- I’ve never done this before. With anyone.”

  His head spun. The room tilted wildly like it had that day at the piano when he’d ended up on the floor. He pulled away and stumbled back, staring at Leena in amazement. “How? You’re…”

  “What? Thirty?” She smiled, half mockingly, at herself. “I know. But I met you when I was sixteen. There was never anyone else I wanted. Never.”

  “And what if I-”

  “Never realized? Had your head too far up your ass to ever think about anyone but yourself?” She shrugged, and she actually laughed, just a tiny giggle. “I was close to you and that’s what mattered to me. The way I felt didn’t depend on you loving me in return.”

  “But you’re young. Surely you wanted to… to be with someone.”

  “Dallas, I really don’t want to talk about that. It wasn’t easy, being so close to you and feeling like I did. Sometimes I thought I was going to go insane.”

  “God, I’ve lived my life as a shut-in, as… well, you know that I’m messed up and I’ve even-”

  “Stop it!” Leena blinked hard, distilling the moisture welling in her eyes. “You don’t have to ruin this. You have no idea what it’s been like for me. You have no idea who I even am. Not really.”

  “No one asked you to sacrifice yourself for me.” Dallas breathed heavily. He didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to hurt her, but he could see the hurt written all over her face regardless. She stared back at him, eyes hardening, face becoming a mask to keep him out, to keep him away, to stop him from wounding her further. He didn’t want that. He gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him. “Don’t. Don’t do that, Leena. I’m sorry.” He took a shuddery breath. “You have no idea how sorry I am. I- I just have no idea how to do this now that I know.”

  He felt the very second she relaxed. The tension went out of her shoulders and she melted against him. Her face tucked into his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his neck. The heat of her, the firm press of her breasts, her hips, her curves, into his own body set off the chain of violent chemical reactions and he was right back to wanting her so desperately that he knew he’d be ruined if he didn’t have her.

  “The same way you were going to do it before, I guess,” she whispered. She pulled away and he was relieved to see she was smiling again, delicately, but it reached her eyes. “I might be a virgin, but I’m not a saint.” That scarlet blush was back, burning on her cheeks. “I know how to pleasure myself. I’m not afraid. I just didn’t know how to tell you and I couldn’t not, because you’d find out anyway.” She swallowed hard. “Are you going to take off my dress or are you going to walk away and not give us what we both desperately want?”

  “I’m not going to walk away,” he said huskily, and his hand fisted in the silk folds of her robe.

  CHAPTER 15

  Leena

  In all her darkest dreams and fantasies, she kept hidden away, she’d imagined this moment a thousand times. No, likely more than that. She’d dreamed of Dallas when she was asleep, and she thought of him when she was awake. She’d never actually believed that the moment would be a reality.

  He ran his hand up her leg, stroking her softly, gently, as though gentling her, playing her like he would his music. She wanted to be his piano, her body his instrument. She wanted him to make her sing, to bring her to a life truer than anything she’d ever known. She wanted him to teach her what it meant to be free.

  Her body burned under his touch. Her blood was lightning, electricity, hot and wild, zinging through her veins. Dallas stroked her again so very gently. This time he was bolder, his hand caressing up the length of her thigh. His fingers fisted in her robe again and jerked it upwards, exposing her.

  She wanted to slam her legs shut, but the way he was looking at her, as though she was the most perfect woman in the entire world, kept her modesty at bay. She was so slippery and wet she felt trickles of her own desire running down her thighs. Part of her wished that he�
�d just throw her back on the bed, cover her with his massive form and take her swiftly and roughly. She wanted it over with and done so that she could enjoy him gently, less feverish, the second time.

  Her sex ached as he brushed his thumb over her. She whimpered, her hips bucking up in response. She couldn’t control the movement. Her body knew what it wanted. She wanted him and she wanted him more desperately than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. None of her fantasies compared to the real thing. The real Dallas, the flesh and blood and rigid, straining, rock-hard muscle.

  When he finally rose up over her, his hands by her shoulders, she thought she’d weep in relief. Her hands tangled in the flaxen strands of his hair. She brought his face to hers and he claimed her lips with a fury and a passion that shocked her. He loved like he played, with his entire being.

  “Dallas,” she moaned. “Please. Please, I need you inside of me. I can’t wait. Just do it.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he panted, the warmth of his breath like the whisper of a feather against her neck.

  “You won’t. Even if it does hurt, I don’t care. I’ve wanted this for so long…”

  Dallas groaned. A violent tremor ripped through him. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. He pressed closer, letting the hardness of his cock settle on her thigh. She couldn’t help it. She wriggled her hips, grinding against him, trying to fit him to where she wanted him most.

  “You are so beautiful,” Dallas ground out. “So damn perfect.”

  This time the shivers were all hers. “You are amazing. You are everything I have ever wanted. Make me yours.”

  “Mine,” he echoed. “You’re mine, Leena. My wife.” He said the word with amazement, as though truly realizing for the first time what it really meant.

  “My husband.”

  “I should… get you ready first.” He shifted, went to reach between them, but she stopped him with another hard grind of her hips.

  “No. I don’t want your hand. I mean, I do, but it’s not what I want right now. I want you. Inside of me. Filling me. I want the pain.”

  “Leena…”

  “I’ve only ever imagined this with you. I wanted to give this to you. You’re the only man I ever loved.” She knew she’d said it before, told him and he’d nearly left in his panic, but she had to tell him again. She wanted him to know. To truly understand what it meant, a lifetime of love and longing.

  She slowly shifted, lifting her hips under him and wrapping her legs around his waist. Dallas groaned. She felt his cock kick against her thigh. It made the throbbing at the center of her that much worse, feeling him so close, so very close and so rock hard.

  “I’ll go slow,” he said hoarsely.

  “Fast or slow, I don’t care. Just please, let me feel you.” Her nails bit into the golden flesh of his shoulder. She leaned in and inhaled, flooding her senses with the scent that was Dallas. A scent she knew so well and loved so very much. It was a scent she craved when they were apart for anything more than a day, that tang of sweet skin and sweat and music, of wild, unbridled male, undiluted by cologne or aftershave or anything artificial.

  “Leena, I’m going to lose it here.”

  “Then lose it.” Her thighs tightened around his hips. “Just damn lose it, Dallas. It’s what I need.”

  Dallas rocked his hips. She cried out when she felt him at her sex, slick and wet and so very hot. She closed her eyes as he moved to her entrance. Lord, he was huge and she felt so very small and tight. She knew it was going to hurt, but she hadn’t been lying when she said she wanted it. She lifted her hips again, bucking them up, trying to force him inside.

  He braced himself, shifting all his weight to his hands. And then slowly, achingly slowly, he entered her. The pain of it was sweet and acrid, biting and glorious. She couldn’t stop herself. She thrust her hips upward, slamming her pelvis into his. He plunged deep with the movement, tearing through her barrier.

  Leena cried out, but she didn’t stop. Her thighs tightened, and her heels dug into the backs of Dallas’ legs and she used the leverage to rock herself hard against him. His cock filled her, the thickness delicious and unbearably sweet.

  She felt the shivers of desire unfurl deep in her stomach. She knew what it was to give herself an orgasm and she knew she wasn’t far. She wanted to hold it off. She didn’t want it yet, not when the pleasure was so perfect. She wanted to hang on for just a little longer.

  Dallas moved above her. His motions were hard and swift. He pulled out, leaving just the tip of his cock inside. She nearly cried out at the lost sweetness of him before he plunged back in. He thrust harder, filling her completely, hitting spots she didn’t even know she had. He moved faster, harder, with every single stroke.

  “Dallas,” she panted. Her nails bit into his shoulders as lights burst behind her eyes. “Oh, god, Dallas…”

  “Come for me Leena,” he commanded. “I want to feel you come around me.”

  “Dallas…” when he said those things, it drove her into madness.

  He kept thrusting harder, harder, faster. She wasn’t prepared for him to shift away, put all his weight on one hand and slam the other under her hips. His fingers bit into the tender flesh of her ass. He kneaded her hips for just a second before he raised her hips up further as he pistoned in and out of her body.

  She couldn’t hold on any longer. The swirling sensation, the sweet, liquid heat inside of her unfurled and she cried out. She shuddered and bucked wildly as she screamed something out. She couldn’t tell. It didn’t even sound like words. She panted and gasped as wave after sweet wave rolled over her. Her hands scrabbled at his back, marring the beautiful golden velvet skin stretched over taut muscle.

  “I love you, Dallas,” she sobbed near his ear, hardly aware that the words had been ripped from her heart and given voice.

  Dallas shuddered violently, thrusting harder and harder. She knew he was going to come and she suddenly panicked, as they hadn’t even thought about the consequences. She opened her mouth to say something and then Dallas pulled out.

  She watched, mesmerized, as he stroked his hand up and down the length of his shaft. He worked himself for stroke after stroke before he finally came. The jets were hot and fluid on her stomach. They hit her overheated skin and she was surprised at how rapidly they cooled.

  Leena didn’t know what possessed her, but she reached down, dipped her index finger in the trail on her stomach and brought it to her mouth. She sighed in rapture as the salty tang of him hit her tongue.

  “Leena? What are you…” Dallas ground out. “Please, don’t do that.”

  Her eyes flew open and she stared into his fiery grey orbs. They were dark, wild, far from sated. Her body quickened at the hunger there. She was sore, achingly so, but she wanted more. A rush of moisture trickled down her thigh as she wriggled under his strong body.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I… I won’t be able to control myself if I see you do things like that.”

  “Who said I wanted you to control yourself?”

  “Leena, this is your first time. I don’t want… I don’t want to hurt you. It might not hurt now, but later-”

  “Then let it hurt later. I want it to. I want more.”

  Dallas groaned. “We don’t have protection. We’re playing with fire.”

  “There are other ways of finding pleasure. We don’t have to gamble.”

  “Leena…”

  She was already shifting out from under him. He rolled away so that she could move freely. He froze on the other side of the bed as she took his cock in her hand. She pumped him gently before she lowered her face. She didn’t know how the rest of the night was going to play out. She didn’t know if Dallas would still be there come morning or if she’d be just another regret or distraction. She was scared and uncertain and it made her bold. If this was the one night she had with him, she was going to make it an unforgettable one.

  CHAPTER 16

  Dallas

&n
bsp; Rapture. Bliss. Transcendence. He searched through his head for other words, but nothing seemed right. He couldn’t remember a single time in his life when he’d ever felt so at peace. There was no single word that could do justice to what he felt.

  Leena’s beautiful limbs were twined with his, their legs tangled, one of his arms thrown out protectively over her chest and shoulders. She breathed deeply, evenly, though she wasn’t asleep. He was on his side and she lay staring up at the ceiling, hardly blinking.

  I love you, Dallas.

  Those whispered words at the height of passion burned in his soul, twisted in a heart he’d always thought had no room for anyone or anything else. He was wrong. Leena had been there for so long, he just hadn’t realized it. She’d never dared tell him how she truly felt. He’d never given her a reason to.

  Leena spoke, her voice gentle, a mere whisper and a tickle of breath next to his ear. “My mother always wanted to be a concert pianist. She started playing when she was a little girl and it was her dream to one day do it for a living or perform, or something. I don’t know exactly, I just know piano was her life. She met my dad when she was twenty. He was a musician too, just not the same kind as she was. He was in a band. They weren’t looking for anything permanent, but she found out she was pregnant. They stayed together, got married. He got a real job and she gave up piano. That would have been it, but she never really gave up her dream. She wanted to live it through me, I guess. She was the one who taught me piano to start, but then she made me go to lessons with people who were anything but… nice I guess. They were very demanding, always wanted perfection. I wasn’t allowed to go out and be a regular kid. My whole life was piano. Always piano. That’s how I met- Hannah.” At the sound of her name, they both froze. Her voice trailed off.