Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers, #1)(43)

Sleeping? Make that f*cking. Hard-core, balls to her ass, f*cking. The man did it well. His mind may still be playing catch-up, but his body remembered her. Exactly what to do to her.

Good thing she was on the pill to deal with menstrual cramps.

They’d always used protection. Neither had wanted a baby during their brief marriage. Sure, someday she figured they’d have kids. But he’d left. No kids.

The idea of having a baby sent her into a spiral. She’d always planned on creating a large family… lots to love. But deep down, fear lived. What if she died? Leaving her babies alone in life scared the crap out of her. What if they ended up in foster care, too?

She wasn’t ready to make that decision.

The red numbers of the bedside clock illuminated the files sitting on the cheap table. Maybe she should get up and work.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Shane rumbled in her ear, running a hand down her arm. Goose bumps rose in reaction.

“I’m a thinker, Shane.” Yet another thing he didn’t remember about her.

He nodded. “No kidding. I have to ask… I shouldn’t because we’ve been separated, but I need to know.”

“Know what?”

“Did you sleep with Marsh?”

The question should’ve surprised her. But she remembered Shane’s possessiveness well. He’d need to know the truth.

Of course she hadn’t slept with anyone else while still married to him. “No, I haven’t slept with Tom.” Shane had been the one and only for her.

His body relaxed behind her. “That pleases me.”

She sighed. Pleasing him wasn’t high on her list. “How fantastic.”

He chuckled. “So. Tell me what I don’t remember about you.”

What? Oh man. She hated pillow talk. She sucked at verbal intimacy. Being naked with Shane made her vulnerable enough, and now he wanted her to expose herself more with admitting to her odd life? Nobody had ever taught her how to share, how to trust. Not really.

She sighed. “You already know I grew up in foster care—moved around a lot.” Rain pinged the window outside. “My childhood was all right. Most people were fairly nice, but nobody was mine.”

His sigh stirred her hair. “Until me.”

“Until you. Then you left.” Pain caught her breath in her chest. How could his disappearance possibly still hurt?

Soft lips pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”

Too much emotion for her. She couldn’t handle any more. “Earlier in my office. We didn’t use a condom.”

He stilled. “Huh.” One arm slid around her waist to tug her farther into his warmth. An erection settled against her butt. “I didn’t think of the possibility of, er, ah…”

“No kidding.” Heat pooled in her core. She fought to control her breathing, to keep her diaphragm relaxed. “Though I’m on the pill—for menstrual cramps.”

“Oh. I guess that’s okay. But about kids, we are married.”

“We’re about to get divorced.” He didn’t remember himself.

“No.” He licked up her ear to bite the shell.

She shivered in response. “Yes.”

“Nope.” His palm spread out across her bare midriff. “I may have screwed up, and we’ll find out why, but I won’t hurt you again. You’re mine, angel. The only thing in life that matters.” A tremor of desperation filtered through his tone.

His fingers brushed the underside of her breast. She shoved a groan down. “I’m the only thing you remember right now. The rest will come back.” Then she wouldn’t matter anymore. Something else would take him away again, and he’d leave her shattered. Rebuilding had almost killed her last time. She couldn’t do it again.

“I love you, angel. It’s the one thing I remember without a doubt.” The Southern drawl wound around her heart. “I’m not letting you go.”

“Please, Shane.” She couldn’t take the promise. No more. “This is just sex.”

He chuckled in her ear. Then he flipped her onto her back, his body pinning hers. Tension corded his muscles. “That sounds like an offer.”

Her heart caught in her chest. A humming set up in her blood. Warning flushed through her along with desire. “That wasn’t an offer.”

He settled his erection at the apex of her legs. “My mistake.” The rough hair on his thighs tickled her skin. He dropped his head to run heated kisses along the cord of her neck, one hand sliding to clasp her ass and squeeze, his grip implacable. “Are you sure you aren’t offering?”

Stubborn pride fought with basic need. A desperate need only the man above her could fulfill. “No.”

“No to sex? Or no, you’re not sure about the offer?” His drawl deepened. He plucked a nipple, the bite of pain sending raw need to her clit. The palm at her butt lifted her, rubbing her against him.

Her breath caught in her throat. She lifted her gaze to find him focusing on her eyes. Not her body, but her eyes. Watching her. Gauging her reactions. Learning her secrets, delving deeper inside her, allowing her to hide nothing.

At the knowledge, something uncoiled inside her. Something dark, something daring.

His fingers continued to play, tugging her nipples over and around—until she wanted to beg. So many sensations at once kept her on the edge. The hard body over hers, his pulsing erection, his demanding fingers—and that knowing gaze. As if she were completely bare to him.