Part 14 (2/2)

aThank you,a she said again.

He didnat budge. aFor what?a aFor believing in me. For caring about me all these years.a aIave cared about you my whole life, Anna. I did a s.h.i.+tty job of showing it, I ran when I shouldnat have, but I never once stopped thinking about you or caring about what happened to you.a Tears filled her eyes and she almost broke, not sure she deserved a man who gave more than she could possibly give back. But she knew she had to try to show him the kind of love he needed.

She rose on her toes, cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his, feeling shaken to the core.

She heard the growl low in his throat. His arm snaked around her and he jerked her fully against him. His lips met hers as his hand wound into her hair, holding her head in place as he devastated her with his kiss. His hand roamed down her back to grab her a.s.s and he squeezed possessively, whether to warn her off or bring her closer, she didnat know.

Probably to warn her he wasnat going to accept her backing away, that shead better be in it until the end, or walk away now.

She didnat want to walk away. Shead made her decision and she wanted Dante.

She knew what being intimate with Dante was going to cost her, what he was going to ask of her. It would be nothing like what she was used to. Head bare her to the core, strip down her emotions and make her reveal her feelings, everything she tried hard to keep bottled up inside.

The thought of it made her feel naked.

With Dante, she couldnat keep anything locked up. Not when he slid his hands up her body, cupped her face between them and brushed his lips across hers, his tongue flicking out to tease and entice. She shuddered in a breath, her nipples tight, aching points against the silk of her bra.

She burned for him, needed him more tonight than she ever had before. His confession had sc.r.a.ped raw her need for him. Shead always thought herself damaged, but hadnat realized how damaged head been by his past, how much he needed to be healed.

They were a matched set. Two screwed-up souls who gravitated toward each other like magnets.

aYou need me,a she whispered when he trailed his lips down her jaw to her neck.

He raised his head, his half-lidded gaze so intense it made her s.h.i.+ver with delight that it was directed at her. So much power in that look. A lesser woman might be afraid of all that desire.

A few days ago, she might have been afraid. Not anymore. Now she craved it.

aI do need you. And you need me, too.a He reached for the hem of her tank top and lifted the s.h.i.+rt over her head, tossing it to the ground. She followed suit, sliding her hands under his s.h.i.+rt, feeling the searing heat of his skin as her hands traveled upward toward his chest. He grabbed his s.h.i.+rt and pulled it over his head, throwing it on the floor near her tank top. He skimmed his fingers up her arms, then across her chest, circling the heart-shaped scar.

She held her breath when he bent and traced the scar with his tongue.

Shead always hated that scar, hated that she couldnat get rid of it, that it would always remind her of that horrible event in the alley twelve years ago.

Dante lifted his head and traced the scar again with his thumb. Now, the scar throbbed, but in a different way as her nipples tightened with need and an ache for Dante that grew more powerful every time they were together.

aThis scar doesnat define you. Itas part of you. Part of the beauty of who you are.a She released the breath shead held. Shead always thought it ugly. Only Dante could make her hideous scar turn to something beautiful as he bent and licked it again, then the seam of her bra, pulling the cups down to capture a nipple in his mouth to suck. Bursts of pleasure made her back bow as she pushed her breast farther into his mouth until she thought shead die from the exquisite sensation.

When he pulled away she was out of breath.

He found the front clasp of her bra and unhooked it, pulling the straps down her arms and adding that garment to the fast-growing pile of clothes on the floor.

His gaze roamed over her, her nipples pebbling under his inspection. His erection made her throat go dry, made her feel like a teenager againa”uncertain and shy.

aWeave never been naked together,a she said, then cleared her throat because she could barely get the words out.

aThatas going to change tonight.a He undid the b.u.t.ton on his jeans, then the zipper, and dropped his pants. Head gone commando. Somehow that didnat surprise her at all. It also made her want to unleash a little feminine growl, because he was magnificent. Everything shead imagined about him hadnat been adequate. He was built and muscled and thick and pulsing and while her throat was dry, other parts of her definitely were not. Just looking at him dampened her, made her swell and throb and want. He made her body come alive in a s.e.xual way like no man whoad come before him. The way he looked at her had a lot to do with thata”like a predatory beast whose patience had run out, who needed to mate and mate now. What woman wouldnat be primed and ready when a man like Dante looked at her that way?

She licked her lips, realizing it was all for her.

He dropped to his knees and drew her cotton shorts and panties over her hips and down her legs, tossing them to the side, then lightly grasped her ankles, slowly lifting his hands upward, over her calves, her knees, then her thighs, spreading them apart.

When he raised his head to look into her eyes, her legs began to shake.

aYou are so beautiful, Anna.a He pressed a kiss to each of her thighs. aAnd you smell wild and sweet. Right here.a He pressed a kiss to her s.e.x, his tongue darting out to circle her c.l.i.t. She placed her hand on his head, grabbed a handful of his hair and gasped as he took a long, slow lick. She lost her balance and all sense of awareness as he pleasured her with his mouth.

aDante.a His name fell from her lips as the only coherent thought in her head.

He moved his hands behind her to cup her b.u.t.tocks, to hold her solidly, to bring her toward his mouth. She held on tight, afraid she was pulling on his hair because it was just so d.a.m.n good, but she couldnat stop. She was lost in the sensations, lost in this unbearable intimacy as he took her right to the edge and made her hover there.

aYouare teasing me,a she whispered, watching him. She couldnat not watch him. It was the only control she had left.

He lifted his gaze to hers and she swore his eyes were smiling at her.

A devilish, wicked smile.

He swept his tongue across her, dipped inside her, and she was lost. Her climax hit with a resounding force, and she tilted her head back and simply let go. Dante held tight to her while she rocked against him, so incredibly, wildly free, so uncharacteristic of her that she shocked even herself.

And when he pulled her down to the carpet and climbed up her body, pressing soft kisses to her hip bone, her belly and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she was able to catch her breath and wonder how she had lost herself so completely.

But she could do this. She could give herself to him and still retain herself, could show him he was worthy of being loved, and still hold a part of herself intact.

Dante knew the second Anna tensed up again, could feel it in the way her body locked up.

She was a master at control.

Fortunately, he was good at breaking down walls. And he was determined she wasnat going to lock him out, no matter how afraid she was to let him in.

And when she fought to roll over on top of him, he understood.

It was what head told her about the safe-deposit box. It had gotten to her.

He stopped her, pushed her onto her side.

aI donat need a pity f.u.c.k, Anna.a Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed. aI donat know what youare talking about.a aDonat you?a She started to get up, but he held her there, draped his leg over hers.

aI can get plenty of p.u.s.s.y, honey. Thatas not what Iam after with you.a Her chin jutted up and he knew head p.i.s.sed her off, which was exactly what head been going for.

aThis isnat sweeping me off my feet, Dante.a aNo, Iam sure it isnat.a He grazed his fingers up her arm, felt the tension coming off her. aBut I also know youare trying to control this. You lost control a few minutes ago, and it scared you.a aDonat psychoa.n.a.lyze me, Renaldi. It p.i.s.ses me off.a Ignoring her, he said, aI liked you out of control, Anna, your body shaking against my mouth when you came. You threw your head back and all you thought about was your own pleasure.a She shot him a mutinous glare. aStop it.a He traced the veins on her skin, from her collarbone to the well between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her nipples puckered and hardened. aYou need to stop listening to your mind and start listening to what your body wants.a He bent and took a long, slow lick of one nipple, rolled his tongue around it, then captured it between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue until she hissed.

He almost laughed. She was the only woman he knew who could be p.i.s.sed off about being turned on.

When he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked, she grabbed the back of his head and drew his mouth to her breast, holding him there while he fed on her nipple. After he worked it for a while, he pushed her onto her back and moved to the other nipple, watching her reaction.

Her eyes had closed, her hands clasped into fists and her body arched as he played with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

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