Page 41 of Retaliation

“Do you have any tattoos?” he asked, hoping to draw her attention away from the pit she seemed to be standing at the edge of again.

“Just one.” She smiled, turning her back to him.

She slid the strap of her top down her shoulder as she pulled her hair to the side, revealing her shoulder blade.

He traced the outline of a semicolon, the comma curving to the left—the full stop bursting open into tiny little birds soaring into the sky.

His stomach lurched. He knew the meaning behind the tattoo without asking. The semicolon meant the author had the choice to end the sentence but decided to continue, just as she must have contemplated ending her life’s story but chose to continue instead. The thought of potentially having lost her before he even met her grabbed his heart in a painful twist.

Without thinking, he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on the ink, forever etched into her skin.

THIRTEEN

His lips touched her exposed skin, setting it on fire with a heat threatening to consume her. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, she reached her arm back, lacing her fingers into his hair.

It frightened and excited her at the same time how much she craved his touch—like a drug, she couldn’t resist. Each time his fingers, his lips brushed against her skin, it sent shivers down her spine, igniting a fire deep within her—the heat pooling at her center.

She needed more, ached for the intensity of his touch, even as a part of her recoiled in fear of the power he held over her. It was a dangerous dance—reeling on the edge of desire and danger, unable to resist the magnetic pull drawing them closer together. She knew she should resist, push him away, but the enchantment of his touch was too strong, too intoxicating to deny.

She turned to him, and their mouths collided with a raw, desperate hunger that had been simmering between them from the moment they met. The kiss was anything but gentle—each movement fueled by a need that neither of them could contain any longer. As he pulled her onto his lap, she straddled him, her knees digging into the cushions on either side of his hips, her breasts pressing firmly against his chest.

His hands gripped her thighs with a possessive urgency, pulling her down onto him, his instant hardness straining against the thin fabric that separated them. She couldn’t stop herself from grinding against him, seeking out any form of friction to ease the ache that had built within her. The feel of him, hard beneath her, sent a shiver of desire coursing through her veins.

His lips left hers, trailing a hot path along her jawline, his breath ragged against her skin. When his teeth snagged on her ear, a gasp escaped her lips, her hands threading through his hair, tugging him closer. Her fingers fumbled for the buttons of his shirt, each one coming undone with a practiced ease, and she pushed the fabric from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

Her hands roamed over his chest, her fingers tracing the hard planes of muscle, feeling the way his body responded to her touch. Each ripple beneath her fingertips was a demonstration of the strength he possessed, a strength she found intoxicating. When she ran her hands down his back, her touch lingered over the defined lines of his spine, drawing a sharp inhale from him as his muscles tensed under her exploration.

In one fluid motion, his hands slid up her sides, his fingers brushing the sensitive skin just beneath her ribs. He tugged her shirt over her head, tossing it aside without a second thought. His lips immediately found her neck, the heat of his mouth sending sparks through her as his hands explored the newly exposed skin. The contrast between his rough palms and her soft curves was electrifying, each touch igniting a fire that burned hotter with every second.

She pressed herself closer to him, the feel of his bare chest against hers made her see stars. Her hips moved on their own, grinding down against him in a rhythm that made her head spin. Every kiss, every touch, was charged with an intensity that bordered on madness, a shared desperation that only seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment.

His mouth moved lower, his lips trailing down her collarbone as his hands gripped her hips, guiding her movements as they both lost themselves in the rush of sensation. There was no need for words—everything they felt was conveyed through the way their bodies moved together, each touch a promise of more to come. And in that moment, nothing else mattered but the two of them, lost in the heat of the moment, both craving the release they knew was inevitable.

She gripped his slightly dimpled chin with a firm yet teasing hold, her thumb and index finger guiding his head to the side. Her eyes locked onto the pulse beating just beneath his skin, and she couldn’t resist the temptation to trace it with her tongue, dragging the wet heat from the nape of his neck up to his ear. She caught his earlobe between her teeth, pulling gently, and the low grunt that rumbled from his chest sent a thrill straight through her, making it hard to keep any semblance of control. His breath, hot and ragged against her cheek, fanned the flames of her desire.

With a fluid motion, she slipped off his lap and settled between his legs, her eyes never leaving his as she began her exploration. Her mouth traveled across his chest, tasting the salt of his skin, savoring the feel of every muscle beneath her tongue. Each defined line on his stomach beckoned her lower, and she followed them with an almost reverent touch, her tongue tracing the paths that disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants.

His head fell back, a low growl escaping his lips as his hands tangled in her hair, holding on as if she were the only thing keeping him grounded. When her fingers found the buckle of his belt, she took her time, unfastening it with a deliberate slowness that bordered on torturous.

His breath hitched, the tension in his body growing as she unzipped his pants with maddening precision. Her lips remained pressed to his skin, kissing and tasting as she tugged his pants over his hips, leaving them on his thighs, with a strength that took him by surprise. His head snapped forward, his eyes wide as he stared down at her, hunger and awe in his gaze.

She bit her lip, her own desire evident in the way she took in the sight of his erection, hard and ready for her. The power she held in that moment was intoxicating, and she decided to make him feel every second of it. With a slow, deliberate motion, she dragged her nails from the sensitive tip of his cock down to the base, her touch light and teasing. She watched as his eyes fluttered shut, his breath catching in his throat.

Without hesitation, she leaned in and let her tongue follow the same trail, this time moving in the opposite direction, from base to tip. The sharp intake of breath he sucked through his teeth was like music to her ears, and his head rolled back again, surrendering to the sensation.

She did it again, and again, each time savoring the way his body responded to her, the way he seemed to unravel under her touch. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, feeling the heat of him pulse in her hand. Her lips closed around the tip, her tongue flicking across the slit, tasting him as she teased the most sensitive part of him.

His breath came in deep, ragged gasps, his hands tightening in her hair as she worked her mouth over him with deliberate slowness, dragging out his pleasure and driving him closer to the edge.

With unhurried pressure, she took him deep into her mouth, sliding his cock past her lips until it reached the back of her throat. The sensation drew a guttural groan from his chest, a sound so raw and primal that it sent a rush of heat straight to her core. She didn’t stop, pulling back only to plunge him deep again, her throat tightening around him as she pushed herself to take him further. Each time, the contact was more intense, more purposeful, and when he let out a feral, half-strangled growl, the sound reverberated through her.

Her pace quickened, her mouth working in perfect sync with the steady stroke of her hand around his shaft. She could feel the tension building in him, the way his muscles tensed under her touch, but her own need was just as insistent. Her thighs rubbed together in desperate search of relief, and she looked up, locking eyes with him, her gaze filled with the desire to see him completely undone.

But she needed more. She needed him in every way possible, to feel him overwhelming her senses until there was nothing left but the two of them. Her breathing was irregular, her heart pounding with the intensity of the connection between them.

Before she could even prepare for it, his tattooed hand closed around her throat, his grip firm but measured, the pressure perfect as he restricted her breath just enough to make her head spin. The control he exerted over her body made her blood race, her skin flush with the heat of their shared hunger. He captured her lips with his, the kiss rough and demanding, forcing her to surrender fully to the sensation. She gasped against his mouth, her lungs burning as he devoured her, leaving her breathless in more ways than one.

His free hand slid down to her ass, his grip possessive as he pulled her up from her knees, lifting her effortlessly to her feet. His movements were swift, almost dizzying, and before she could fully process what was happening, he spun her around. His hands traveled from the back of her knees, over the curve of her ass, dragging her skin tight skirt up and exposing her to the cool air. The sudden shift left her gasping, her mind struggling to keep up with the surge of sensations.

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