Page 76 of Wicked and Ruthless

“That’s fucking it. God, no one feels like you.” He slammed into her again, both of them ignoring her headboard beating into the wall with his every lunge deep inside her. “Hais…baby. Fuck. Yes. Oh, god…”

“I’m here. Yes. Give me everything.”

“Not until you come for me again,” he growled.

Even his words had her tightening around him. Why could this man—and he alone—make her body dance to the tune of his commands? Why couldn’t she stop wanting him?

Nash’s pace increased, his control seemingly fraying. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breath hot against her skin. “Now!”

His command pushed her over the edge. Haisley cried out as yet another climax crashed over her, more intense than the others combined. White-hot pleasure seized her body, suspending her. She jolted and reeled with a head-swaying, tingle-filled thrill of ecstasy. How could Nash keep undoing her over and over so perfectly?

Moments later, he followed her over the cliff, his hips jerking erratically as he found his release, filling her with a warmth that had her clenching onto him desperately again.

Their harsh breaths synched up. They clung together in the aftermath, bodies slick with sweat and trembling with aftershocks. He gripped her as if she were the most precious thing he’d ever held, tight yet gently as he peppered her shoulder and neck with soft, reverent kisses. Haisley’s heart swelled, threatening to burst.

As their breathing slowly returned to normal, Nash eased free and rolled Haisley to her side, then pulled her against him. She curled into his chest, savoring the solid warmth of him. His arms tightened around her, as if he feared she might slip away.

Haisley pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. The steady thump beneath her lips grounded her, a reminder that this was real. They were here, together, after so long apart.

But even in the quiet hum of her satisfaction, the weight of her secret pressed against her conscience. Haisley pushed it aside once more. The truth would only ruin them—not only this moment, but anything real that might follow. More than likely, they were doomed, but she refused to dwell on that. Just like she refused to let Nash go again until reality forced her. For now, she basked in the feeling of being loved and cherished by the man who held her heart.

As sleep threatened to claim her, Nash held her tighter and settled his finger under her chin, lifting her stare to him. “The last two years without you were some of the worst of my life. Are we finally going to stop fucking around and talk about what happened between us and why you left?”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Haisley’s heart stopped. She didn’t want to shut Nash down. He deserved better. She didn’t want to lie, either. But the truth? Catastrophic.

She settled for as much honesty as she dared. “You scared me.”

His face hardened. “So your sobbing confession over the phone about me being too rough, too kinky, and too?—”

“No. None of that was true. I’m sorry I lied. That wasn’t fair to you, but I didn’t know what to say. I had broken one of our rules. Remember, we made a pact on our very first night that we wouldn’t get emotionally involved. Neither of us wanted entanglements, and I…messed up.”

His breath caught. His eyes searched hers. “You cared about me?”

Haisley nodded. Maybe the adrenaline of the evening had crumbled her defenses. Maybe the power of her orgasms had wiped her out. Or maybe she should just blame Nash’s closeness and her own traitorous heart. Whatever the culprit, she couldn’t stop the tears stinging her eyes. “I was in love with you. And I knew if I stayed, it wouldn’t last. You would only break my heart so?—”

“Never,” he vowed, holding her close with all his gentle might. “I would never have hurt you. I was in love with you, too.”

Once, his confession would have sent her soaring with elation. Now it was crushingly bittersweet. If they had communicated more clearly… If she had been brave enough to tell him what was in her heart… If he had even whispered that she wasn’t alone in this aching tangle of feeling and need…

But none of that had happened, and when push had come to shove, Haisley had only seen one option: to run.

Her tears fell. “I had no idea.”

“I had no fucking idea how you felt, either.”

They’d consigned their unspoken feelings to the dark corners of their hearts, only daring to express them wordlessly during the blissful nights of mind-blowing sex.

Why was it she’d felt little fear when she’d found herself capturing photos of protests that quickly devolved into riots or rolling video of gang violence that had long gripped LA, but the thought of bleeding out the contents of her heart and baring her soul to this man had been utterly terrifying?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, aching with how much she meant that. “I didn’t handle our breakup well. I assumed that you only wanted sex and?—”

“I was going to propose, Haisley. I bought you an engagement ring. I was waiting for the right moment.”

Haisley’s heart stopped—right before it broke. No… She couldn’t have heard that right. But she replayed his gruff whisper in her head, and…yeah, he’d said those words all right. Her chest threatened to cave in.

“Oh, my god. I…” She bit her lip, staring into his eyes, feeling both a stunning spark of hope and, at the same time, deep despair. “Oh, god…”

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