Page 71 of Cruel Ice

But…she didn’t love him. She wanted him. He could make her go wild with passion. Already, his fingers were sliding between her legs. She wore the t-shirt, but no underwear, and he strummed her clit the way he knew would make her crazy. Strumming wouldn’t be enough. Not for him. He needed his mouth on her. Needed to taste her pleasure before he drove inside of her.

She doesn’t love me, and I don’t know that I can ever love anyone. I’m too much my father’s son. Too much?—

Her fingers fluttered over his back. Then darted between their bodies. She stroked him softly through the jogging pants. Her mouth broke from his. “I think you’d better grab some protection this time.”

In the darkness, he stared down at her. “What if I don’t?”

No, fuck, he shouldn’t have said?—

“Then I might get pregnant, Declan, and you’d have to marry me for real. No charming pretense.” She didn’t sound worried. In fact, he couldn’t tell how she did sound. Odd, when Marley had always been so easy for him to read in the past.

Wasn’t that something he enjoyed about her? No pretense. What he saw was what he got. Marley told him how she felt while he…

While I trick. I lie. I hold everything back from everyone in this world because I can’t trust anyone.

His body had frozen.

“Grab a condom, Declan.” Soft. Her fingers still stroked the dick that ached for her. A dick that was far, far from soft. His body had locked, but his dick was still big and damn near bursting for her. “I want youinme.”

“I’m going to marry you.” A flat promise. “It was never pretend.”

“What?”

He pulled back. Kicked the covers out of his way that wanted to tangle him up, and then he was pushing her legs apart. The powerful pounding of his heartbeat seemed to echo in his ears. The blood poured through his veins like lava. Everything felt heightened. Too intense.

His fingers were shaking as he pushed her thighs wider apart. When he put his mouth on her, a tremble skated over her body. He’d been careful until that instant. Using a soft touch. Becausethis was Marley. But, when his mouth pressed to her, when her taste hit his tongue and she began to moan his name, something seemed to tear loose inside of him. No, not tearing. Like a wall, breaking. Crumbling. Smashing into a million pieces so that it could never, ever be rebuilt.

His mouth turned feverish on her. Licking. Kissing. Taking. Harder and more frantic. She twisted beneath him, and his hands just caught her hips to hold her down. He took and he took and she came against his mouth. Once.

Not enough.

He lapped her up, too greedy and desperate to take every single bit of her.

She came a second time. “Declan!” Sharp. Gasped.

Another lick. He could taste her pleasure. Nothing else in this world would ever be as good.

But he was nearly exploding. He ditched the jogging pants. Rolled from the bed to grab a condom from the nightstand.

Don’t want it. Want to be bare in her. Want to make her pregnant. Want her tied to me forever. Only…

What if the child turned out like me?

Fear slid through him when there should only be pleasure in this moment. His hand curled around the handle of the drawer, and he yanked it open. He grabbed for the box of condoms and pulled out one packet. He turned back for the bed.

Marley slipped from the bed. Her knees hit the carpet, and her fingers curled around his dick.

“Marley—”

“Not fair that I have two…and you have zero so far.” She pumped him. Base to head. Once. Twice. And then… “Let’s fix that problem.”

She took him into her mouth.

His hand flew out. Hit the lamp. Turned on the light because he had to see this. Marley, taking his dick into her mouth. Thoselush lips parting for him. Pulling him in. And the way her tongue felt…the wet heat of her mouth…the way she gave that little moan as if she loved having his dick and?—

He curled his hands under her arms. Lifted her onto the bed. Tossed her down. She laughed when she bounced. Marley’s laughter—it was as beautiful as she was.

And some bastard shot her. Her blood was fucking all over the limo, and I thought my world was ending.Who would have thought that just one person could end the entire world?

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