Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(12)

“Your shirt’s all wet. I want you to take it off. I want to see your skin.”

He gave me an appraising look. “That’s it? All I have to do to get you to my car is to take my shirt off?” He was whipping it off before he’d even finished his question.

Hoots and whistles were starting up around the lounge as people took in the spectacular sight of his naked torso.

I gasped at the sight of all of his bare skin. He had definitely bulked up in the month we’d been apart, his already impressive chest swollen attractively. It was distracting, to say the least.

“You’ve been lifting more weights,” I observed.

His smile was a little pained. “I needed a little more physical activity to adjust to the whole celibacy thing. I usually work out for two hours in the morning. I added two more in the evening, as well, as a sort of…sleep aid.”

I felt a strange stirring of guilt, and a not so strange thrill of joy at his mention of celibacy. I opened my mouth to say…something, but I couldn’t seem to hold a thought, with all of his bare skin in front of me.

My captivated gaze moved lower.

His jeans dipped low. I traced the skin just above his jeans. It was dangerous territory, dipping into a sharply defined V. An impressive and growing arousal was making his jeans more obscene by the second.

He gripped my hand. “Unless part of my convincing you was that you want to get f**ked against the nearest wall, I’d start walking, Buttercup.”

He grabbed my hand and started walking.

“I need a new shirt,” James called in Stephan’s direction as we passed. Stephan gave him a wide-eyed look, but just nodded. “We’ll be back.”

“I want to have his babies,” someone muttered as we passed.

I sent a glare in their general direction. I couldn’t get real mad about it, though. I had made him bare the finest chest in the world to a room full of hungry flight attendants… And if anyone got a glance at his jeans, it certainly wouldn’t lessen their interest.

Clark met us at the entrance of the club, holding the door open, face impassive.

“Nice catch, Sir,” he said quietly.

I smiled at him, knowing he was referring to James moving to protect me from the thrown drink.

“Any paparazzi in the parking lot?” James asked brusquely.

“Max just did a sweep. Looks clean so far, Mr. Cavendish.”

James just nodded, almost dragging me through the small back parking lot.

Clark managed to get in front of us again to open the car door. “Your suitcase is already in there, and open.”

James nodded. “Very good,” he said, ushering me into the car first.

I sat down, then scooted across the seat to make room for James. He crowded in behind me without a pause, the door shutting behind him. I heard him take a few ragged breaths, and then he was on me.

He had me on my back between one breath and the next. He opened my legs wide, crawling between them. He unbuttoned his jeans, pulling his stiff erection out with a harsh groan.

“I wanted to take my time with you, when I finally got my hands on you again, but I can’t wait. Unbutton your blouse. I want to tear it too badly to touch it.” As he spoke, he was inching my skirt up over my hips. It was a little stretchy, luckily. I thought that he wouldn’t have hesitated to tear it if it wasn’t.

My panties weren’t so lucky. He gripped the lace in his hands and ripped both sides. I wriggled my lower half while working on the small buttons of my blouse. When I had released the last one, he was pushing my shirt open impatiently. His hands were already on the front clasp of my bra when what he saw made him freeze. My torso was still dotted with the last vestiges of what had been some truly heinous bruising. I saw his hands shake a little as he unclasped my bra. He brushed along the fading marks with just his fingertips.

“Over a month later, and it still looks like this?” His voice was deep with agitation.

I turned my face away. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve talked about it enough.”

He gripped my chin, turning my face back to him. His eyes were wild. “I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to you. Do you understand that? I’ve never felt so powerless or terrified in my life as I did when I watched that ambulance driving away with you, having no clue what had happened, or even if you were alright. And then to find out that some monster had put his hands on you? I want to kill him. I need to protect you.”

I just set my mouth in a hard line. “That’s not what I want from you. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

He was kissing me suddenly. It was an angry, passionate kiss. I kissed him back with just as much passion. Just as much anger. He was thrusting into me so fast that I was filled before I knew his intent. I was wet and ready but I was so tight and he was so big that it still caused a delicious friction that bordered on pain.

I gasped, my head falling back, my eyes closing.

He gripped my chin, hard. “Look at me,” he ordered.

I did, watching the fervor in his eyes with a wistful pain that I felt deep in my chest. I would have given anything to have him feel the way he looked at me when he was deep inside of me. He looked at me like I was more dear than his next breath at times, and it was almost more than I could bear.

His hair trailed over his face and into mine as he leaned his face close. He held my wrists above my head, using his hands as shackles. He moved my wrists into one hand, the other moving to my jeweled collar, tugging at the ring roughly. His thrusts never let up or slowed. “You’re mine, Bianca. Say it.”