Page 127 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

My lips found his throat and blazed a hot trail up to his jaw while he squeezed the flesh of my ass in his hands. He pushed my panties aside and unzipped himself. I had a moment of panic when I realized what was happening. If I couldn’t resist him now, I didn’t know how I ever would in the future. I tried to pull away.

Ryland gripped me by the arms and growled into my neck. “Don’t deny me what’s mine, Brighton.”

I whimpered when he dragged his teeth along my throat, clamping down when he got to my shoulder. He knew I couldn’t resist that. He knew how wet I was for him. It was always for him.

He gripped my inner thighs and nudged my legs apart, positioning himself at my entrance. He was watching me, his blue eyes searching mine so carefully. He needed to see that I wanted this too. And right then, I couldn’t deny him.

I bit down on my lip and gave him a little nod. And then he was inside of me.

“Oh, fucking Christ...” he muttered. “Ah… God, I’ve missed this. You feel so good, baby girl. So fucking wet.”

He gripped my hips with bruising fingers, rocking me back and forth along his arousal. He was harder than I’d ever felt him, his eyes heavy with lust and pleasure. He didn’t have to tell me this was where he felt he belonged. I could see it written all over his face.

“Give in to me,” he pleaded, gripping my face in his hands. “Say you’ll be mine again.”

I buried my face in the space between his shoulder and his neck, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I couldn’t give him what he wanted. Not this time.

“Brighton.” His voice cracked as his touch grew rougher. Hard fingers dug into my hips, his teeth marking my body everywhere they skimmed. He was desperate to claim me. Tears clung to my lashes as he pressed me against his chest, his heart hammering against mine.

“Do you feel that?” he asked. “It doesn’t beat without you. I need you.”

I couldn’t stand to hear his sweet words. I couldn’t be pulled back into that vortex. So I pulled his face to mine and kissed him until we were both gasping for air. His fingers slipped between us, touching me in the place I so desperately needed. My head fell back, and my eyes squeezed shut as every nerve inside of me flared to life.

“I’m the only one who can give you this,” he murmured. “You know it’s true, Brighton. I’ll always be the only one…”

I exploded around him, crushing his shoulders with the grip of my fingers as I thrashed against him until I thought I might pass out. It had been so long. Too damn long. My contractions set him off soon after, and his face twisted into a mixture of agony and bliss as he uttered a throaty groan against my neck.

One last deep thrust and he was convulsing inside of me. “I love you,” he clipped out. “So fucking much.”

I let my body weight melt against his chest, and he stroked my back, maintaining the connection between us. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep the tears from falling. How could something so bad feel so right? How could I love this man so much? It was killing me, and I was only making it harder on both of us by allowing this to continue.

So with more strength than I felt, I pulled away and put myself together again. Ryland watched me carefully, and when I glanced out the window, I realized we were parked outside of my apartment already.

“Come home with me,” he begged.

I couldn’t look at him as my hand reached for the door handle. “I can’t, Ryland.”

“Brighton…” His voice filled with desperation. “I’ll never be able to sleep knowing you’re here. This is too much. I know you want to punish me, but…”

“I’m not punishing you,” I whispered. “I’m really not, Ryland. I forgive you for the accident, okay. And I’m grateful for what you’re doing for Norma. I… I honestly don’t even know what to say about it. But right now, it doesn’t change anything between us. You and Brayden…”

“I’m done with that,” he insisted. “What do I have to do to convince you?”

I glanced back into his tormented eyes and shook my head. I honestly didn’t know what he could do to convince me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I would always be wondering. And if something happened to Brayden while I was with him, I would never forgive myself for it.

“There’s nothing you can do,” I answered. “I just need you to go home, Ryland. Go home and… live your life. The life you had before me.”

“There was nothing before you,” he protested. “And there’s nothing without you. Don’t you get that?”

He was getting frustrated. But that was good. It meant he believed this was what I wanted.

“Goodnight, Ryland.” I opened the door and stepped outside.

***

I was on the sofa, stuffing my face full of Wasabi chips when Nicole walked in.

She set her bags down on the counter and gave me a weird look. “You do know there’s a body guard outside the door, right?”

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