Page 53 of Once Upon A Second Chance
The engine roars to life, tires spitting gravel as he peels away.
I don't turn around. Can't. Not until my hands stop shaking.
Then—
"Richard."
Penny's voice cracks. When I face her, she's trembling, her fingers still clenched around those damn keys.
I reach for her slowly, giving her time to pull away. She doesn't. My thumb brushes her wrist, feeling the rabbit-quick pulse beneath her skin. "Did he hurt you?"
She shakes her head, but her breath hitches when the neighbor's porch light flickers.
That's all the answer I need.
I cup her face, my touch feather-light. "Look at me."
Her lashes lift, revealing stormy green eyes. There's fear there, yes—but something hotter, darker. Something that makes my blood pound.
The keys clatter to the porch.
Then her hands are in my hair, her mouth crashing against mine. The kiss is all teeth and desperation, her body pressing flush against me. I back her into the door, one arm caging her in as the other finds the curve of her waist.
Bijou's barks turn frantic. Penny nips my lower lip. "Inside. Now."
The door barely closes before she's on me again. Her nails scrape down my chest, fumbling with my buttons. I lift her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my hips as I carry her to the couch.
"Wait," I growl against her throat. "We should—"
"I don't want to talk." She tugs my shirt open, buttons pinging across the floor. "I want to forget."
Her teeth sink into my shoulder. I groan, flipping us so she's beneath me, her hair fanned across the cushions. My hand slides under her shirt, finding warm, soft skin.
"Tell me to stop," I murmur, tracing the lace edge of her bra.
She arches into my touch. "Don'tyou dare."
She yanks at my belt, breath coming hard and fast. I catch her wrists, pinning them above her head. "Penny—" Her name is a rasp. A plea. She twists beneath me, a fierce, beautiful tangle of limbs and heat. It undoes me.
My mouth finds her neck, tasting salt and skin as my hand slips lower. Her shirt rides up, and I push it over her head, feeling the shiver that runs through her when I bury my face between her breasts.
Her breath hitches again—this time for me—and she writhes against my thigh, frantic and eager.
"Richard," she gasps, snapping the word like a thread.
I let go of her wrists. Her hands are on me instantly, pulling at my jeans until they sag around my hips.
She's relentless, insistent, her touch everywhere at once. I hook a finger in the waistband of her scrubs, tugging them down with one vicious pull.
Her thighs cradle me as I press against her, both of us still half-dressed and wild with need. She loops an arm around my neck, dragging me close for another bruising kiss.
"Please," she breathes into my mouth.
It's enough to make me reckless. I tear off the rest of our clothes, losing myself to the sound of fabric ripping and Penny's soft moans.
Then I'm on her again—in her—her body arching to meet mine in a perfect fit.
We move together in an urgent rhythm—harder, faster—until all I know is this: the slick heat of her skin against mine; the broken way she says my name when she shatters; the fierce relief when I follow.
