Page 62 of Rebel

Her hands found my chest in the darkness, palms flat against my T-shirt.I stood perfectly still, letting her set the pace.This wasn’t just sex.This was Rio trusting me with her body after what she’d been through.

“You sure about this?”My voice came out rougher than I intended.

She answered by pulling my shirt over my head, her fingers tracing the tattoos that mapped my life across my skin.The Devil’s Boneyard colors over my heart.The dates commemorating fallen brothers on my ribs.The half-sleeve that told the story of where I’d come from.

When her lips pressed against my collarbone, I couldn’t hold back the groan that escaped me.I cupped her face, tilting it up toward mine.Even in the darkness, I could see the intensity in her eyes.

“Rio,” I breathed.

“Shhh.”

Her mouth found mine again, urgent this time.I slid my hands under her shirt, fingers tracing the warm skin of her back.She shivered against me, and I paused.

“Cold?”

“No.”She pressed closer.“Don’t stop.”

I pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a simple black bra.My breath caught.Even in the dim light, she was beautiful.Scars and all.Each mark told a story of survival.

“You can touch me,” she whispered.

I traced the outline of a scar that curved along her rib cage.“Tell me if I do something you don’t like.”

“I will.”

We moved toward the bed, stumbling slightly in the darkness.I hit the mattress with the back of my knees and I sat, pulling her between my legs.Eye level with her stomach now, I pressed my lips to the soft skin just above her navel.She trembled.

“Dixon,” she breathed.

My name in her mouth was like a prayer.I unfastened her jeans, sliding them down her hips as she stepped out of them.The moonlight caught the curve of her hip, the dip of her waist.

I stood up slowly, letting my hands skim up her sides until I was standing over her.She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, letting it slide down her arms.My throat went dry.

“You’re gorgeous,” I murmured.

She hooked her fingers into the waistband of my sweatpants.“These need to go.”

I stepped out of them, standing before her in just my boxers.We were equals now, nearly bare in the darkness, vulnerable in ways that had nothing to do with our lack of clothing.

“Last chance to back out,” I said.

Rio answered by pushing me back onto the bed.She followed, straddling my hips, her hair falling around us like a curtain.I could feel her heart hammering against mine.

“I trust you,” she whispered.

Those three words hit me harder than any “I love you” ever could.Trust was rare in our world.Precious.I cupped the back of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss that was almost reverent.

Her body melted against mine, curves fitting perfectly against the hard planes of my chest.I rolled us carefully, pinning her beneath me, my weight braced on my forearms.

“Tell me what you want,” I said against her throat.

“You.”Her hands slid down my back, nails digging in slightly.“Just you.”

I took my time, exploring her body with my hands and mouth.Found the places that made her gasp, the spots that made her arch against me.I tugged her panties down her legs then teased her wet pussy.She let out a little moan as my fingers rubbed against her clit.

“This still okay?”I kissed her neck, then her lips as she nodded in affirmation, giving me the green light to keep going.I eased a finger inside her, testing how tight she was.The last thing I wanted was to hurt her.

“Dixon, I need more.”

---