Page 30 of Easton’s Claim

Piper shuddered and rolled her hips, twining her legs with his to hold him close. He slowed the kiss and made love to her mouth, reveled in the tiny whimpers she made as he nibbled and sucked at her lips and slowly rocked the bulge in his jeans against her core. Christ, he’d imagined this so many times, and now that it was actually happening he almost felt drunk.

“Easton.” Her raw whisper threatened to slice through the last threads of his control.

“I know,” he whispered back, tipping her head back to trail kisses across her jaw to her throat. He licked at the pulse beating so frantically beneath her tender skin, raked his teeth across it gently and felt the tiny shudder that ripped through her.

She shook her head and he kissed her again to stop whatever she was going to say. He didn’t want her to think, didn’t want her to question this or feel guilty about it. He only wanted her to feel, to give her all the pleasure he’d been dreaming about for so long.

It’s too soon.

The stark whisper at the back of his mind cleared his head like a bucket of cold water to the face. She’d responded to him more perfectly than he could ever have wanted, but if he kept going things were going to get out of hand in a hurry.

There was no way he’d let her use her desire as an excuse to run from him. If he kept going, they’d both wind up naked and he’d be buried balls deep inside of her before he even realized what he’d done.

Charlie’s earlier words came back to him, about Piper being hurt and wary. He didn’t want to fuck up his only chance with her. She hadn’t made any commitment to him and he refused to let this be just physical between them.

This wasn’t a game. She wasn’t some random woman he was looking to have a good time with. It was Piper, and he wanted all of her. So he had to slow things down, no matter how much it killed him.

He kissed her softly for another few heartbeats, then made himself raise his head. Her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath and he could feel the tension humming through her body.

With gentle sweeps of his hands over her face and hair, he soothed her as he nibbled his way across her mouth. Showing her without words how much he cherished her, proving he was willing to take things slow.

When he finally lifted his head a minute later, she stared up at him in confusion, her cheeks flushed with arousal. “Why did you stop?”

“Because I don’t want to lose you by rushing this. And because I want all of you, not just your body.”

She drew her fingertips down the side of his face, her eyes soft with understanding. And a regret that made his heart clench. “I don’t know if I can give you what you want,” she whispered, confirming that he’d made the right call in stopping.

Be patient with her.She wasn’t ready yet to take the step he needed her to, so he had to back off.

“Yes you can, you’re just scared to right now, and I understand that.” Biting back a groan, he softened his words with a kiss, then rolled off her and got to his knees, grimacing as his erection pushed against his zipper. When his phone rang, it was almost a relief. He got up and grabbed it from his saddlebag. It was his teammate, Jamie.

His buddy had shitty timing. Or maybe great timing, depending on whatever Piper had been about to say to him. “Hey,” he answered, part of him grateful for the reprieve. “You on your way down?”

“Nah, I’m already here, got in a few minutes ago. Your dad says you went out riding with someone.”

Easton bit back a sigh. “Yeah.” He guessed it wouldn’t be cool of him to ask Jamie to hang out with his dad for a few hours while he and Piper talked this out, but he’d said all he had to say, and had to give her time to think now anyway, so leaving was for the best. “I’ll head back now. Should be there in half an hour or so. You can meet me at the barn if you want. I’ve gotta untack the horses and brush them out.”

“Okay, man, sounds good.”

Slipping the phone into the front pocket of his flannel shirt, Easton steeled himself and turned around to face Piper.

“Was that Brody?”

“No, a teammate I invited down to spend a couple days.” And now he wondered what the fuck he’d been thinking when he had. Hanging with Jamie was the last damn thing on his mind now that he’d finally had a taste of Piper, but maybe it was good to give them a little break from each other.

“Oh.” She looked uncertain as she crossed her arms over her breasts and cleared her throat. “We should get going then.”

“Yeah.” He took her hand in his, bent to press a kiss to her knuckles before pulling her to her feet.

Their interlude might be over but they still had unfinished business between them to settle. Before his time home came to an end on Sunday night, he intended to make her his.

Chapter Ten

Charlie stumbled down the stairs the next morning, eyes still half-closed. She didn’t even know what time it was because she’d left her phone downstairs last night but the sun was already up so it had to be after seven.

After getting only a handful of hours of sleep she was in desperate need of coffee and had smelled it brewing from up in her room. She yawned and scratched at her shoulder as she hit the last step—and jerked to a halt when she saw the man standing in her childhood home’s kitchen.

His back was to her but there was no mistaking who it was.

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