A shrug. “Seemed to make sense. Considering you own it.”
Her lower lip was trembling—a stupid quiver—so she pressed her lips together. She counted to five. Then ten. The counting trick didn’t work. She still wasn’t calm. “What did you think I would do?”
His head tilted. “What do you want to do?”
She wasn’t going to tell him. But she’d show him. What did she want?
Simple.
Evie bounded forward and closed the last bit of distance between them. She grabbed Cole’s head and yanked him toward her. Her mouth crashed into his as she kissed him with a wild, insane fury of need because that was exactly how she felt—crazy. Wild. Desperate. A million things.
Her right hand slid down to his chest. She put her fingers over his heart and felt that frantic beat. So powerful and strong. And hers.
He belonged to her. He had, all this time.
Only fair, really, considering that she belonged to him, too. “I want you,” she said against his lips. “I want you right now. I don’t give a damn if this is optimum or not. I want you.”
He kissed her, driving his tongue deep and making her whole body ache. She loved the way he kissed her. The intensity. The need. The hunger. Like he was frantic for her. Good, she was frantic for him, too.
And there was no way—no way—that she would give him up.
He lifted her, swinging Evie into his arms, and he held her with that easy strength of his. A strength that had always made her feel safe. A monster? No way, no day. To her, he was the hero of the story. If someone said differently, she’d just have to kick that person’s ass.
He carried her back to the bedroom. Lowered her onto the bed. Kept kissing her. She kept kissing him, too. Sucking his lower lip. Making him growl. Dipping her tongue into his mouth.
“Don’t tease, baby,” he rumbled.
Oh, she wasn’t teasing. Not by a long shot.
He tried to push her flat down on the bed. She twisted, spun her body, and pushed him down.
He bounced on the mattress. Stared up at her. Started to smile.
She crawled on top of him.
His smile froze. “Evie?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to tease.” Her fingers trailed down his chest, over the beautiful ink that would always make her heart ache. I determine what marks me. “I just intend to drive us both crazy.” Her fingers unhooked the top of his jeans. Slid down the zipper.
“Fuck.” He grabbed for the covers and fisted them.
She nodded even as she stared at her prize. “Absolutely. We will fuck so hard. But first, I get to do something else.” She pumped the length of his cock. Long and hard and so thick. Evie licked her lower lip. “Didn’t get the chance to do this before…”
“I will not last if you put your mouth on me.”
Her gaze rose. Caught his. “I have faith in you.”
His pupils flared.
“I pretty much think you can do just about anything. Even hold on to that control of yours while I put my mouth on you.”
He growled again. She loved his rough, ragged growl.
“Let’s see, shall we?” Her head lowered. She blew a light, easy stream of air over his cock and it jerked hard in her hold. She was smiling right before she licked him.
Then she stopped smiling. She just started feeling.
Her lips parted wide and she sucked his cock into her mouth. Her cheeks hollowed as she worked him. Her hand was still curled around the base of his dick as she pumped him in and out of her mouth.
She felt herself getting wet. Wetter. Every lick and suck made her want him all the more. His hips surged up against her mouth, and she took more of him inside. Even more. Her head slid forward, bobbing, then retreating, and her tongue snaked over the head of his erection as she tasted the saltiness that made her moan.
“Enough!”
No. It wasn’t enough. She’d like plenty more, thank you very much. But he’d hauled her up. Trapped her beneath him on the bed. And now his mouth was between her legs. He wasn’t being hesitant or slow. He was devouring her. Lashing at her with his tongue and thrusting his fingers into her. Licking her clit over and over again.
Her hips surged up against him. Her orgasm was so close and—
“No, baby, I have faith in you.”
Her eyes flew open.
He licked his lips and smiled, as if he were savoring her taste. Why did that turn her on even more? A shudder slid over her.
“I have faith.” He grabbed a condom from her nightstand. When in the hell had condoms been placed in her nightstand? She sure hadn’t kept any stocked. “I have faith…that you won’t come, not until I am balls deep in you.”
“Then you’d better hurry,” she whispered back. “Because I’m ready now.”
He sank into her. Caught her hands with his. Threaded their fingers together and pushed them back against the pillows. Her head shoved back against the pillows, too, as she tipped up her chin and moaned his name. He filled her completely. Stretched her deliciously.
And she wanted more.
She wanted forever.
He withdrew, then slammed back deep. Her legs locked around him, and she heaved up, matching him thrust for thrust. He kissed her. Sucked her lower lip. She moaned his name. The bed surged beneath them. His hold tightened on her hands.
Evie could feel her orgasm growing. Building. Their bodies moved faster. The thrusts grew more frantic. Primitive and hard.
“I love it when you come,” he rasped.
Yes, she pretty much loved it, too, and—she was coming. Pleasure blasted through every cell in her body as she stiffened beneath him. The waves rolled through her, stealing her breath and making her eyes squeeze shut.
He came with her. Surged deep and shuddered. He roared her name and drove his hips against her.
Her sex kept squeezing him. Hard, tight aftershocks of release pulsed through her. She didn’t want the moment to end. If she had her way, they’d stay exactly like this. They wouldn’t move. They’d be together. Everything would be perfect.
But…
The world wasn’t perfect. She’d learned that long ago.
And you couldn’t just hide from the bad things out there.
Evie slowly lifted her lashes. She caught him staring down at her, and in that one moment, his expression was unguarded. So tender. Filled with so much love.
He loves me. It wasn’t some smooth line. Cole wasn’t really the type for smooth lines. He truly loved her.
He bent his head and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “How’s your throat?”
How was what? Oh, right, her throat.
He withdrew. Reluctantly, Evie lowered her legs back to the bed. He eased away from her as he rolled to the side of the mattress and sat up. When she didn’t answer his question, though, his head swung back to her. “Evie?”
“I forgot it was even injured.” She was sure she could take off the bandage. It had barely been a wound at all. So small. Her little injury hardly seemed important.
Cole was cut. Over and over again. And he’d said that he woke from nightmares, crying out for her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
His brow furrowed.
“When you called for me,” she added. “I’ll be there next time.” Because next time, nothing was going to keep her from him. Nothing. No one.