Page 58 of Torn In Two

A tremble of anticipation rolled through me as I pushed myself off his lap, leaving his erection to strain against his pants. I focused on it when doubts crept into my head about whether he’d find my body as attractive as Hawk did.

Or as repulsive as Josiah had.

I undid the row of tiny cardigan buttons that ran between my breasts. I only wore a bra beneath, and it wasn’t a pretty one, because I didn’t own anything sexy.

Josiah had been of the opinion that lingerie attracted the Devil.

But in that moment, I desperately wished for something more attractive. “I’m sorry.” My lack of confidence reared its ugly head. “I’m not pretty.”

Ever so slowly, Hayden moved his hand to the bulge in his pants. He flicked the button on his fly and lowered the zipper.

“Look what you do to me,” he whispered. “I’m so fucking hard over how goddamn sexy you are, Kara. Don’t ever tell me you aren’t pretty again.”

His hand slipped inside his underwear, and he hissed, wrapping his fingers around his shaft and pulling it out.

I stared at the thick head of his erection, the rest of him engulfed in his hand. I’d thought Hawk big. His dick more than any I’d seen before him. But Hayden’s was bigger again. Probably the same length but thick enough my legs trembled at the thought of how he’d stretch me if he were inside me.

I clamped my thighs together, needing something there to ease the throbbing need building inside me. I stared down at the beautiful man sitting at my feet, well aware he wasn’t in my league. “My clothes…” I protested. “My underwear—”

“Will all look best on the floor.” He pushed to his feet and took off my cardigan, dropping it by the door. He reached behind me, undoing the wide, unattractive backstrap on my bra and freeing my heavy breasts.

They hung lower than I thought was nice, but if Hayden noticed, his gaze didn’t give it away. He just continued undressing me, undoing the zipper at my hip and letting my skirt fall to join the rest of my clothes.

It wasn’t cold, but I shivered at being naked for him, his erection straining toward me, but him otherwise dressed. I eyed him, lowering his pants and underwear so I could get a better look.

“Do I scare you?” he asked softly.

I glanced up at him. “You’re big. I don’t know if I can take you.”

He chuckled. “That wasn’t what I meant.” He placed a kiss on my shoulder. “I have no doubt in my mind you’ll take my cock, Kara. I’ll get you so wet I’ll slide in without a second of resistance from your sweet pussy. But I can only get your body there if you aren’t scared of me.”

I focused on the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one after the other to reveal the golden skin beneath. “I’m not scared of you.” I drew the shirt off his shoulders. He’d kicked off his shoes and socks while I’d been working on his top half.

For a second, both of us just drank the other in. For the first time, there were no barriers between us. His body was all hard lines of muscle with dustings of golden hair across his chest that darkened as it trailed down his abs and met with the patch of hair at his base.

His gaze ran over me in a similar way, trailing across every curve as if committing it to memory, lingering on my breasts and hips and the junction of my thighs. But then he forced his gaze to meet my own. “I didn’t protect you when I should have. I kept you against your will. I’m as bad as—”

I silenced him with fingers to his mouth, my voice turning fierce because I knew exactly what he was going to say, and none of it was true. “Don’t ever say you’re anything like them. Caleb and Josiah and Luca…you’re nothing like them, you hear me? Not a thing. You’ve never hurt me, and I know you never will. You’re the reason Hayley Jade is even alive. We both would have died in that house if it hadn’t been for you. Don’t you know you’re my hero? One day, you’ll be hers too.”

He slowly shook his head. “I don’t deserve that.”

I wanted to argue. Wanted to wipe away the disgust he held for himself for the mistakes he’d made in the past. Except I knew he had to fight that battle on his own. It wasn’t one my words could forgive.

He had to find forgiveness in himself. I already had, from the moment he’d placed my daughter in my arms.

I kissed his lips. “Make it up to me then. Right now. Here, in this room where it’s just you and me. Make it up to me now and then we never talk about it again.”

He trailed a finger down my chest then pressed his hand over my heart, rubbing at the spot, his head low. “I wish it were that easy.”

I clasped his hand, moving it lower to my breast. “It can be.”

He cupped me there, squeezing my nipple between his fingers.

A jolt of pleasure erupted at his touch, and I let out a moan to encourage him, to show him I liked what he was doing.

He smiled, then leaned over, plucking a bottle of honey from the shelf beside me. He uncapped it and squeezed a dollop over my skin.

It was cold and sticky, but in the next second it was followed up with the warmth of his mouth, licking me clean. My nipples went hard, aching for more.

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