She tasted good. The kind of good that could bring a man to his knees. Worshipping this woman could become a daily habit he would never take for granted. As he found a rhythm, she began to relax and a primal hum rumbled from her chest.
“Mmm. I’ve missed all the sexy things you do to me,” she murmured.
He licked and sucked her swollen pearl again, then lashed his tongue over and inside her heat until her sounds became garbled. Returning to her clit, he slipped two fingers back inside and circled her G-spot. She shook violently, her insides tightening around them. Her release was a torrent of pent-up passion, which he welcomed into his eager mouth.
He slowed his pace, then kissed her tender flesh once more before inching his way toward her mouth, one pampering kiss at a time. She held him against her, their kisses ravenous, their sounds gritty.
When he slowed to tender pecks, she whispered, “I loved that.” Then, her gaze turned fiery. “Take off your boxers and sit on the sofa.”
Nudging him off her, she vanished up the stairs. Again, he was struck by the simple fact that she’d made herself at home and he loved that. He dropped his underwear and eased onto the sofa, his straining cock bobbing up and down.
Returning a moment later with a condom packet, she ripped it open, rolled it over him, and straddled him. One long luxurious kiss later, she whispered, “I need you inside me.”
“I’m dying for you.” The searing heat in her eyes made his pulse soar.
She rose up, positioned him, and slowly took him into her body. Groaning out his pleasure, the euphoria washed over him.
He ran the pads of his thumbs over her nipples, teasing her tender flesh. She rose up and pressed her nipple to his lips. He licked and sucked while fondling the other, his cock growing harder still. And when he’d had his fill, he lifted his face to hers. Her half-hooded eyes and flushed cheeks had him groaning out her name. “You are so fucking sexy.”
And then, she started moving on him. The sweet glide of her pussy, coupled with her mewling, had him propelling toward a fast release.
“Let go,” he murmured. “I want to feel you come with me.”
Her breathing grew erratic as she glided faster. Streams of adrenaline surged through him. Their carnal frenzy had him growling and fisting her hair. She cupped his face in her hands and thrust her tongue into his mouth. When he rubbed her ass and thrust to her end, they both cried out in surrender to the mind-blowing ecstasy.
His mouth found hers, their impassioned kiss softened as they drifted back to earth. Her curving lips had him opening his eyes, but it was the pure love that radiated from her that spoke to the deepest recesses of his heart.
“This feels like the real thing,” she murmured, her face glowing.
“That’s because it is,” he replied with a smile.
21
Exorcising the Demons
Evangeline rolled toward Sin, but he was gone. In the darkened bedroom, she slipped on a robe before padding out to find him pulling on his leathers in the living room. Her heart dipped.
“Hey,” she said as she entered the room.
“Did I wake you?”
She snaked her arms around him and dropped a soft kiss on his mouth. “I sleep better when you’re beside me.”
He kissed her forehead. “I need to clear my head.”
Breaking away to give him space, she eased onto the sofa. “I’m a good listener.”
“I know that, but I’m not much of a talker, you know?”
The ticking wall clock interrupted the silence. It was ten after four.
“We’ve had two hours sleep. Come back to bed with me.” She didn’t want him riding around the city alone. But Sinclair Develin took orders from no one.
He held out his hand. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”
Together, they returned to his bedroom, stripped off their clothes, and got into bed. Rather than snuggle, she laid on her back. “Can I hold you?”
He nuzzled her neck and threw his massive thigh over hers. Now blanketed by him, she relaxed into the mattress. For the moment, he was safe.
“I love touching you,” she murmured while running the pads of her fingers across his muscular back.
After a few silent moments of tender caressing, he sighed. “That feels good. I love your touch.”
In order for her to convey her true feelings, she had to tell him. C’mon, say it. Let him know. Be honest. As she willed herself to speak, she began trembling.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.”
He lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I love you,” she whispered. “I’m crazy in love with you.”
A smile spread over his face as her heart raced in her chest. “Terrifying, huh?” Leaning on the pillow beside her, he caressed her shoulder.
“This is all new territory for me.” She rolled toward him. “I don’t know what to think. All I do is feel when I’m around you. I’m concerned something will happen to you and I won’t be able to stop it.” Her chest tightened with emotion. “And I’ll lose you.”
Finding her hand beneath the blankets, he lifted it out and kissed her palm. “I love you so much, it hurts.”
A tender kiss grew into a passionate embrace. As much as she wanted him, she needed to understand him better. Slowing the kiss, she broke away.
“For as long as we’re together, I will encourage you to thrive.” Pausing, she stroked his shoulder, appreciating the dips and striations of toned muscle lining his thick arm. “Until we find Uncle Charlie, I want you safe. And that means not taking unnecessary risks.”
He rolled onto his back, tucked his arm under his head. “I’m not afraid of Uncle Charlie. You and Dakota think about him more than I do.”
“Then, why are you always running? Who or what are you running from?”
Sin stared at the ceiling, illuminated in a soft glow by the streetlight outside. He’d kept the answer to her question a secret his entire life. Would telling Evangeline free him from his demons? He didn’t fucking know. What he did know was that he’d fallen deeply in love with her. And she had opened up to him. Maybe it was time for the quid pro quo she’d been requesting.
“My past. I’m running from my past.”
She leaned up on her elbow. The love in her eyes empowered him to continue. On a deep breath, he said, “I’d mentioned that my mom got mixed up with the wrong group after my dad died.”
“I remember.” She laid her hand on his chest. Her warmth soothed him.
“I’ve never told anyone about this.”
“You can trust me.”
Trust. His heart kicked up speed. The scar left by trusting someone who’d failed him would never fade.
It required letting his guard down, allowing another person to see inside his dark soul. Her encouraging smile propelled him forward. But he shifted to stare at the ceiling.
“A few months after my dad died, my mom got fired from her job. It was about that time that she started doing drugs. She was getting high all the time and it was hard watching her fall apart. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen.