Page 40 of Vow to Protect
My hackles flare. The thought of him fucking me while thinking of his lost love makes my stomach roil. “Don’t.” My tone bites with hurt. “Don’t shut me out. Don’t pretend.”
His eyelids flick open. “Pretend?” he repeats.
“That I’m her.”
Brett withdraws, quick and uncertain, like I knifed his heart with my tongue. His brows pinch together, and he glares at me, vibrating with danger. I jolt upright, stupidly covering my breasts. “I… I think you should… leave,” I stutter.
He wipes the corner of his mouth with the pad of his thumb, silently staring. I’m hyper aware of the drop in temperature as grey clouds snuff out pale pink slashes of sunlight. My pulse thrums. “This is a waste of time,” I whisper, indignation clawing away my lust.
I bend over, snatching the top puddled next to his feet. A hardened gaze clashes with mine. What are we doing? I draw back my shoulders and hitch my chin, lifting off the bed to meet him head on. In bare feet I’m a good few inches lower, a circumference of power smaller, but my posture never weakens. He steps back, all flesh and muscle and delectable sin.
“Thank you for helping me escape, Brett. Like you said from the beginning, there’s no need to blur the lines. We both know my time here is temporary. So there’s no point…”
“Stop fucking talking,” he snarls, hands curling by his thighs. An angry vein pumps overtime in his neck. Energy fluctuates through his entire body like a beast preparing to attack.
I suck in, shocked by his gravelly tone. “Brett.” His name crackles free in a breathless gasp.
Liquefied eyes drill into me. “I’ll count to three, and when I get to three, you better fucking get out of my way.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t, I’ll…” he growls so deeply the room darkens to deadly. “I’ll not be able to stop myself. It’s been too fucking long since I’ve wanted a woman, and guess what?” An icy glare pins me. “I want you. Now get the fuck out of my way before I do something I regret.”
“You want me or a replacement for her?” I dare to suggest. My heart jumps and gravity yanks it back down to earth.
That statement earns a thick grunt. “One.” The number rumbles like distant thunder, promising a bolt of lightning.
I swivel on the spot, hesitant and spooked. “Brett.” I flash him a risky glance, gulping down dizzying palpitations.
“Two,” he continues. “Don’t test my patience.”
My pulse skyrockets. Whether it’s the thrill of his threat or the fact his dick looks solid and angry, either way I’m lightheaded. I dart sideways. He twists, lurching into me so large hands cinch my waist.
“You said up to three,” I pant as he crowds me against a thin pane of glass separating us from the world outside.
A thick hard-on nudges my quivering belly. Palms span the heavy sky at either side of my head. “Three,” he says deadpan.
The t-shirt plummets to the floor. A powerful knee shunts open my thighs. “For too long, it’s only been her,” he hisses, grabbing my jaw. He has the control. All the fucking control. “Then you showed up with all your fascinating flaws and injured perfection.”
“What are you saying?” My palms curl around his arms.
The awareness of his authoritative grip skitters to my toes. Its pressure weakens, and his forehead drops. A flicker of heat covers my nipple. Teeth scrape and tug. Every part of me shudders under the volts. “Now it’syourface creeping into my head all fucking day and night. Not hers.” His voice is hoarse with lust. “I don’t need to pretend when all I see is you.”
I’m dumbstruck. Panting expectantly. My fingers delve into his thick hair, directing his mouth up to mine. My spine tingles when our lips blend with an unforgiving harshness. There’s no tenderness or gentle coaxing, only a raw surge of neediness. His hand hooks under my knee, draping my thigh around his hip.
The solid tip of his shaft travels along the slick heat between my legs, locating my entrance. Brett rips his mouth away. Onyx eyes spike my heart. “Wait. I don’t have protection.”
“I had the coil fitted a while back.” I lock my leg, gripping him tighter.
His entire body stiffens, the muscles firm and restrained. I moan a little when he catches my messy tresses in his fingers and brings the feathery tips to his nostrils. The electricity sparking between us makes him even harder and me even wetter.
With a powerful thrust, he enters my body. A shiver showers my scalp, reaching to the tips of my fingers. Every hair barbs, and I moan out a plea for more.
“Fuck!” The strain in his voice howls through me.
I clasp his neck and sink deeper into the movement. His hips piston, slow and precisely controlled like he’s revelling in the tight sensation.
Rigid strength secures me, swathes me and takes me to a place I’ve never found before. I claw his sinewy shoulders and buck into his thrusts. My limbs no longer have power. I tremble through the energy reverberating through me.
