He reached out and brushed his fingertips along my jaw, touching me with such care that I might’ve been made of porcelain; something precious that he coveted and protected.
“All mine,” he rumbled. Calm settled over his shoulders as he traced each of my features, as though relearning the shape of my face. By the time his calloused thumb reached my lips, his eyes were heavy-lidded, drunk on the intoxicating intimacy we shared.
My lips parted, and I licked the pad of his thumb, loving the roughness against my sensitive tongue. My body still crackled and burned for him, and my wanton invitation for him to penetrate my mouth seemed to trigger his beastly hunger to overtake him once again. His emotional needs had been soothed, but his body hadn’t been sated. He was still rock hard against my hip, and a single, gentle rock of my hips jolted him to action.
He shifted off me with a growl, reaching for the nightstand to grab a condom. Moving with desperate haste that was in shocking contrast to his leisurely exploration of my face, he sheathed himself and settled his weight over me.
He gripped himself in one hand, lining up with my swollen, achy pussy. His thick cockhead rubbed the line of my slit, testing my wetness.
“Please,” I panted, lifting my hips. I was beyond ready for him to finally claim me, and I needed no further preparation to accept him. “Raúl…”
His name on my lips seemed to be his undoing. His harsh features twisted on a possessive snarl, and he drove deep, thrusting all the way inside me with enough force to rock my entire body.
I cried out at the shock of his ruthless penetration, and my sex contracted on a flare of painful protest. It’d been so long since I’d last been with a man, and Raúl’s cock was almost too big to bear.
He stilled inside me, shuddering with the effort of restraining himself. His palm glided along my cheek, his thick fingers sliding into my hair. He leaned in close, so we exchanged every rapid breath; his rough with restraint, mine heaving with pain and a touch of panic.
His forehead dropped to mine, and the steady pressure soothed the tension in my mind. My body followed, relaxing to accommodate him. I accepted him completely, yielding to his harsher needs. I knew deep in my soul that Raúl would never hurt me. The protective cage of his strong arms was the safest place in the world, and I could place myself at his mercy without fear.
“I’m yours.” My shaky whisper softened the deep lines around his mouth, and his concern melted to wonder.
He captured my lips in his and began to move inside me. The careful, shallow thrusts mirrored his kiss. His tongue caressed mine, gentle and coaxing.
My inner muscles eased around the thick intrusion of his cock, allowing him to push deeper. Pleasure built at my core, tentative at first, then pulsing more intensely with each delicious thrust.
Suddenly, his cockhead dragged over the sensitive spot that melted the last of my physical resistance. My body flowered open for him, and there was no twinge of pain that accompanied his slow thrusts.
I tipped my head back, inviting him to deepen our kiss. At the same time, I rocked my hips up to meet his, urging him to take me harder.
He groaned into my mouth, and he speared deep inside me, unleashing himself from the effort of handling me carefully. With each thrust, his cockhead hit my g-spot, pulsing ecstasy through my body.
My mind receded, reducing me to a primal state where I was just as savage as he was. I moved against him in desperate, greedy undulations. He devoured my soft moans that left my chest on each of his rough thrusts.
His huge hand wrapped around my thigh, raising it over his hip and opening me even wider. He drove impossibly deep, reaching dark, pleasurable triggers I hadn’t known existed.
I wrapped both legs around him, digging my heels into his muscular ass to urge him on. His shocked shout vibrated against my tongue, and I devoured the sound of his pleasure.
Our perfect, savage union pushed me over the edge, and I screamed as ecstasy exploded through me in a shockwave that started at my core and rushed outward. All my muscles tensed, and my legs locked around him, trapping him deep inside me while my core contracted, greedy for as much pleasure as he could possibly give me.
My demanding release triggered his, and he tore his lips from mine on an animal roar. He pounded into me without a shred of gentleness, ruthlessly claiming every drop of pleasure from my pussy. My inner muscles danced around his pulsing cock, locking us both in prolonged orgasm; an impossible, earth-shattering release after long denial.
When we both came down from the peak, he collapsed on top of me, shaking and spent. His weight pressed my body deep into the mattress, but I didn’t want him to move away. I kept my legs loosely hooked around his hips, weakly demanding for him to stay inside me. I didn’t want to be parted from him. I didn’t want this intimacy to end.
“Mine.” His deep, triumphant declaration teased over my swollen lips.
“Yours.” I sealed my promise with a kiss, proving to him that I would never leave.
Chapter 22
Marisol
Raúl’s deep, satisfied hum rolled through the kitchen in a slow wave when he joined me at the counter. As soon as he reached me, he brushed a kiss against my temple before his big hands set to the task of putting the food away, which had been delivered only minutes ago. He’d stepped outside to take a phone call, but he’d barely been gone for three minutes before he returned to me.
As I bent to store the perishable items in the fridge, the soreness between my legs drew a smile to my lips. Delicious, wicked images of the intense intimacy we’d shared yesterday flooded my mind, and I let out a happy hum of my own.
Raúl’s ferocity had scared me at first, but his harsh possessiveness had tapped into my darkest urges. Finally surrendering to them—surrendering to him—had been the sweetest release. The primal, hungry force inside me didn’t frighten me anymore. There was no reason to fear it when it brought only transcendent ecstasy.
Raúl would never hurt me, so there was no risk that I’d be blinded by my lust if I gave over to it. It wouldn’t cloud my judgment, because he’d given me the time that I’d needed to feel secure in my decision to be with him.
Raúl was a criminal. He was a dangerous man. That would never change.
But there was goodness at his core. I might be the only one who’d ever seen it, but I knew his soul.
Worry for my loved ones lingered, but the painful truth was that I’d left them behind. They wouldn’t be at risk because of my relationship with Raúl, because I no longer had any ties to them.
A wrenching pain twisted my gut at my final acceptance of the loss. I could never go back, could never see them again. But they would be safe, and that was what mattered. It was why I’d risked everything and fled from our home.
The hole in my heart would never fully heal, but Raúl’s strong arms would always offer his comforting embrace, soothing me and softening my grief.
When I closed the fridge, his hand closed around my wrist, calling my attention to him. Automatically, I leaned into his solid frame, lacing my fingers together behind his neck.
His thumb traced my lips with reverence, but his eyes were serious on my face.
“Stefano just called me. Isabel admitted that she acted alone when she decided to make the blog post. She confirmed that you only told her your story in an attempt to defend me.” Calm seemed to settle over his shoulders, relaxing his muscles. “I already believed you, after last night. But it’s good to have confirmation that Isabel has testified to your innocence, for the sake of the cartel. It focuses the blame solely on Isabel. No one will blame you for it. No one will threaten you.”