Rose traced a scar on his left pectoral right as he laid her down in her nest. Callie had followed them and stood near the door, which made Rose laugh. Seth frowned and then looked over his shoulder.
“Callie, go lie down,” Rose said. Callie hesitated before trotting to her bed; Rose could hear her huffing out a sad doggy sigh at being banished.
With the moonlight coming through the window, it bathed Seth in an ethereal light. Rose almost wondered if this were another dream. Yet as Seth pushed her tank up to expose her belly, she knew this was truly happening.
After Johnny, Rose hadn’t wanted any man to touch her. She hadn’t dated, and she definitely hadn’t slept with anyone. It had been too painful, and it had only reminded her of what Johnny had destroyed.
Tonight, though, she wanted a man for the first time in years. It thrilled her as much as it scared her.
Seth kissed her, caressing her, not pushing her to go any faster. His lips were surprisingly soft for a man who presented such a tough exterior. What other secrets did Seth Thornton’s heart hold? She wanted to know all of them: the good, the bad, and even the ugly.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said as he kissed down her neck. He pulled her hair tie from her braid and fanned the locks over her shoulder. “Why the blue?”
“I wanted something different.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to be like anybody else.”
“No one would think that of you.”
Her heart beat faster; she had to close her eyes for a moment to reorient herself. It didn’t help that Seth continued to kiss her and caress her, his fingers so gentle she wanted to cry.
“We don’t have to do anything tonight,” he said again.
Her eyes flew open. The thought of him leaving—she clutched at him. “No, no. I want you to stay. I want you.”
She pulled off her tank top and was about to take off her pajama shorts when Seth stopped her.
“Like I said: we have time. Don’t rush this.”
She nodded, and then when she saw the heat in his eyes as he gazed at her bare breasts, she felt like flames were licking across her skin.
Her breasts were on the small side, and she didn’t have to wear a bra all the time if she didn’t want to. Johnny had always hated her small breasts, telling her he’d pay for implants, but she’d never accepted his oh-so-generous offer.
Right then, she was glad she hadn’t.
“Beautiful,” Seth breathed as he brushed his thumb across one straining nipple.
Rose was sitting up, but at his touch on her breast, she fell back onto her blankets. Rising over her, Seth took her breast into his mouth, the feeling so shocking that all the air left her lungs.
She arched, she moaned, she begged. He sucked one nipple and rolled the other, and she’d never known her breasts could be this sensitive. Running her fingers through his hair, she whispered his name like a benediction.
As he kissed her breasts, she managed to push her pajama shorts and panties to her ankles. Seth’s gaze met hers when he felt her bare hip brush his own.
“Touch me,” she breathed. “Please.”
He sent her a wicked grin, and when he began to lick at one nipple while his hand found her swollen sex, she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Or maybe from crying. She wasn’t sure anymore.
He parted her, growling when he touched her there, and she could feel herself growing wetter with every stroke. She bucked against his searching hand, but he refused to give her the release she so desperately wanted. Not yet.
“Widen your legs for me. That’s it, princess. I can feel how much you want me and it’s driving me insane.” He stared down at her now, his fingers spreading her wetness, delving into her tight sheath ever so slightly.
She clutched his biceps. “Don’t call me that,” she managed to squeak out.
He laughed. “You’re right. You know what I thought you were after that second time I met you?”
She wanted to die; she wanted to kick him. When he began to rub her clit in slow circles, she started gasping.
“I thought, ‘She’s not a princess. She’s a hummingbird. All color and movement.’” He started rubbing faster, his index finger pressing inside her.
Stuffing her fist into her mouth, Rose wondered if you could die from wanting. And right as her release hit her, she experienced not only the untold pleasure from Seth’s skilled fingers, but a fear that had been lurking in the corners of her mind all night.
She struggled to find herself within the shadows even as her orgasm made her cry out. She wanted to hold Seth close and push him away. As she opened her eyes, the moon had moved so it was too dark to see Seth’s face. Was it still him? Or was this another version of her nightmare?
But then he kissed her, and she tasted him on her lips. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and he laughed again.
“Hummingbird, what are you—? No, it’s all right. I’m here. Hush.”
She struggled to keep herself from sobbing. She was so mixed up, so confused. Why had she done this? She was so stupid. She needed to think.
She needed to be alone.
When she managed to find her equilibrium again, her body no longer trembling from her release, she rose from the nest of blankets.
She could just make out Seth frowning up at her.
“What is it?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
She almost shook her head, then stopped. “I need to go to sleep,” was the only response she could muster.
The clouds covering the moon moved again, and she saw his confusion. His hurt. Her heart twisted. Then he rose and kissed her—hard—before leaving her to be alone again.
Just like she wanted.
Chapter Ten
The weekend before the Fourth of July, the entire Thornton clan and their various significant others rented a boat to celebrate Caleb’s thirty-fourth birthday. Caleb had told Megan he didn’t want anything big, but she’d decided that he should definitely have a party. Not only to celebrate his birthday, but to celebrate his promotion at work.
When Caleb and Megan got on the boat, everyone yelled “Surprise!” when they walked to the stern. Caleb jumped a little and then laughed.
“Happy birthday!” Megan kissed him with a smacking sound, and Seth was amused to notice his brother blushing a little.
“Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want a party?” Caleb shook his head, but he looked pleased nonetheless. “How did you manage to plan this without me knowing?”
“Oh, a woman never tells her secrets,” Megan demurred.
That resulted in laughter all around, and then the drinks were being poured. Since Harrison had rented the boat, they had a captain to make certain the boat didn’t go anywhere it shouldn’t, which really just meant everyone could drink to their heart’s content.
Seth grabbed a beer from the cooler and watched his siblings—Harrison with his wife, Sara; Caleb with his wife, Megan; Mark with his wife, Abby; Lizzie with Trent (and Bea, as she couldn’t be away from Lizzie very long), and then Jubilee. Megan had also invited Trent’s brother, Ash, and his sister, Thea; and then, to Seth’s utter delight, there was Heath DiMarco, glaring at him from the top deck.
Seth had heard someone mention Rose’s name and that she’d been invited, but she’d apparently declined to attend.