Page 83 of Fragile Heart

Does it? All I can smell is him—his mint and his aftershave and the faint smells of the barn that cling to his jeans. Not even the spot where the jerk grabbed me smells any different.

I push him away as I shake my head and try to sit up.

“I don’t care,” I say desperately. “Don’t rip it.”

He grunts but releases the neckline, grabbing the hem of the shirt and easing it off instead. The bralette goes with it in a smooth move that has anticipation bubbling low in my belly. His calloused hands make my nipples tighten with each almost-there touch against my sensitized skin.

The moment the shirt’s free of my wrists, he throws it into the corner of the room. Just like with Caleb, it takes all my self-control to not cover myself, to stay still under his uncanny gaze. But, hell, is it worth it. His breath catches as he takes me in, his cheekbones growing sharper and his scent intensifying to the point it practically drowns us both. His eyes are a wild, brimming storm, full of need and ache and unfulfilled promise.

My stomach clenches even as another wave of need rushes through me.

He attacks my jeans with the same single-minded ferocity, pushing them off my hips and tossing them behind him before palming my thighs. He crouches in front of me, his eyes lockedon mine, and then pushes my legs apart, his lips slowly tipping into a smirk when I don’t resist him.

My will crumbles, the need to feel his skin against mine overpowering the power I feel at having him so brazenly in want of me. I reach for him, trying to twist my hands into his hair, but he shakes his head.

“Hands flat on the bed, princess.”

The name rips through me, just as strong as the first time he whispered it at the Outpost.Princess. I never thought I’d be called that again. Something soft and delicate flutters under my sternum, but I ignore it.

“Now,” he says when I don’t immediately acquiesce.

My fingers tremble as I dig them into the mattress, the first ember of unease flickering behind my navel that I’m not quite able to quell, but I purse my lips and let my legs relax more. His lips flick up in a half-there smile as his eyes drop back to the small bit of fabric covering me. With a quick twist of his wrist, his knuckles brushing my sensitized clit enough that my hips buck, he rips the panties at the seams.

I can’t help but gasp.

Lavender explodes around us, so potent it’s borderline embarrassing. He groans as he throws the panties toward the rest of my clothes in the corner.

“What is it with you and Caleb needing to destroy expensive panties?” I ask, breathless.

His eyebrow rises even as he keeps his eyes between my legs.

“Expensive panties?” His voice is just as breathless as mine.

“Those were scent blockers,” I mutter, rolling my hips to try and get some kind of relief, some kind of pressure where I need it most. His hands tighten on my knees and force them even wider. “The newest on the market. They’re just as expensive as the La Perla panties Caleb has shredded twice.”

Now both eyebrows rise, and his gaze lifts to mine.

“La Perla?” he asks, disbelief and shock warring in his voice.

I swallow the lump in my throat and force my voice steady.

“Millionaire finance mogul, remember?”

The corners of his mouth tighten as his hands flex on my knees.

Silence stretches between us in one awful, unending moment.

And then he presses on my belly, encouraging me onto my back. His beard scratches at my thighs as he drags his lips along the sensitive skin. I can’t help but tense. I twist my hands into the sheet.

My back bows with the first swipe of his tongue, and he groans against me, forcing my legs even wider.

“Fuck, I forgot just how good you taste,” he mutters against my skin.

I roll my hips toward him, his breath on my clit enough to have me aching for more.

“Ethan, please,” I whisper.

He hums and tightens his grip on my knees, holding me open. And then heeats. Every swipe of his tongue, each drag of his teeth has me twisting my hands tighter into the bed, has my moans growing louder until they reverberate through the small bedroom. He sucks my clit into his mouth, pulling until I groan, my orgasm racing through me like a wildfire across barren woods.

---