Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(30)

Including this woman.

Oh, she was flush against him, her mouth working his, the dampness from her skin edging through his T-shirt. Yet she held herself away, wanting to limit what they had. What they were.

Which should be exactly what he wanted. Instead, what he wanted was to blast right into her heart, where it was safe and warm and good. Where he could finally relax and be himself.

But she was refusing to take a chance and wouldn’t tell him why. Unless…she sensed who he really was and knew better. Knew that he wasn’t quite right.

Maybe Zara could be the one person, the one woman, who could accept all of him. The thought brought out a hope, a dangerous one. If he had her, really had her, he’d do anything to keep her. Maybe she was smart to keep her distance.

He took over the kiss, his fingers stretching to release her hair so he could cup her scalp. As his tongue met hers, she made a low sound deep in her throat. A sound of welcome.

Created just for him.

Such a small sound, and it skated right through his heart and straight down. His cock pounded to be inside her…now.

He snaked an arm around her bare waist, twisted, and pressed her down onto the bed. She tasted like mint and something sweet—all Zara. Stretching atop her, he balanced his weight on his elbows. When she opened her legs, allowing him to settle in, his heart skipped.

Then his cock hardened until his zipper caused pain.

Zara was something special, even among good people. She was smart and kind, and she made choices with her eyes open. He wanted to be one of her choices.

Her hands tunneled through his hair, her nails scraping. She reached down and tugged his shirt up. He had to release her mouth as the material was yanked over his head, but the second it was free, he found her again. Soft and succulent, her lips met his.

He wanted to go slow and show her tenderness.

Then she wrenched her mouth away with a small chuckle. A challenging one.

Right or wrong, such defiance burned electricity right through him. It crackled in the air around them. Fine. She wanted to play? Next time he’d go slow. A rumble came from his chest and sounded suspiciously like a growl.

Those stunning eyes widened. Her pink lips gaped in an O, and desire glimmered in her sky blue eyes. A flush covered her high cheekbones, and the smoothest skin imaginable stretched tight across very fragile bones.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, angling to the side and releasing his jeans. A couple of shimmies and quick kicks, and they dropped over the side of the bed.

She sucked in air. “You are too, and you know it.” The slow caress down his back served to calm him a little.

He nipped under her jaw and kissed her full breasts. It had taken a couple of months to get her comfortable with being nude with him, and he’d fully meant it when he’d assured her he liked curves. Lots of them. “Stunning, Zara.” He took a nipple into his mouth, trying to be gentle when all he wanted to do was bend her over and make her scream.

She arched against him, all woman.

He flicked her nipple, knowing she liked a small bite of pain. She gasped, and he fought a grin. Not once in his life had he experienced this type of need. Only with Zara.

“Ryker,” she breathed, her nails scraping across his ass.

His dick jumped against her, and she purred. The woman f*cking purred.

She dug in her nails. “You said you’d take the edge off. Do it. Fast.” Her legs widened, and her inner thighs gripped his hips.

Liquid heat coated his balls. Wet and ready. “Fuckin’ amazing.” He released her breast and kissed up her chest, angling his mouth over her fragile collarbone. Sometimes, the very smallness of her bones caught him off guard. His need to protect her came from instinct, not thought. He felt her inside his chest. Murmuring, he licked up her neck and enjoyed the full-body shiver that engulfed her.

The woman had a very sensitive neck. His woman. For the first time, he let the reality firmly take hold. He was done fighting it. Now all he had to do was convince her. Finally, he reached her mouth for a long kiss that sent his senses reeling. He leaned back and grabbed his dick to press into her. “After this, we’re gonna talk,” he whispered against her lips. When he could think of more than the wet heat waiting for him.

Her mouth curved under his. “Uh-huh.”

Oh, she did like to mess with his head. He kept her gaze and worked his way inside her, stretching her and fighting the overwhelming urge to shove in. His arms shook with the effort, but he went slow, giving her time to accommodate to his size before he went farther.

Her thighs trembled against his legs.

She swallowed and breathed out. “Each time…”

Yeah. He rested his forehead on hers. Each time felt like something new. Finally, after a century or two, he rested, fully embedded in her. Heat surrounded and caressed his cock, and he had to inhale to keep himself in check. “You okay?”

Her smile nearly lit him on fire. “I’m better than okay.” She punctuated the words with her nails on his ass. “I’ve missed you, Ryker.”

Those words. She had no idea what those small words did inside him. Hell. He didn’t understand it and had been running from it, rather unsuccessfully, from day one. The feeling should be soft and sweet, when actually it was raw and fierce. She created something in him that was almost primal. “Then it’s about time you trusted me.” The words came from deeper than his consciousness and were out of his mouth before he could think.