Page 42 of Rage

Arkady froze above me, concern flashing in his eyes again. “You okay, Tara?”

“I’ve been living a lie this whole time,” I muttered, tears forming in the corner of my eyes. “I just realized?—”

I slapped my hands over my mouth and turned a wonderful shade of scarlet.

I was about to fuck Arkady Accetta. For the first time.

Again.

Chapter Four

Arkady

Istudied her for a long time, searching for any sign she didn’t want this. I knew I was a bastard of the highest degree, both before and after jail. But I wasn’t a rapist. And I wasn’t my brother.

I wouldn’t take her choice away from her, not ever.

“Tara?” I asked again when she didn’t reply, worry creasing my brow. “Talk to me.”

Her blush receded, but her hands moved to cover her eyes, and she moaned in mortification. “I just realized—no, it’s too embarrassing. I can’t say it.”

“Do you want me to stop?” I asked slowly, placing a gentle, exploratory kiss on the backs of her hands. “Because?—”

“God, no. All this time, I thought I was sleeping with Arkady Accetta and found out it’s a lie. Now therealyou wants to—and I?—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Her embarrassment was adorable when I stopped to think about it. To her, she’d already been living this life. But to me, it was a chance I didn’t ever think I’d get, and now that it was right here in my grip, I wasn’t about to let it slip away. “I’ll make you forget all about that fuckstick. Promise.”

She grinned, her hands finally falling to her sides. “Good.”

“Tell me how you like it,” I commanded, my hands trailing to my hips to unlatch her legs from around me. “I wanna make it good for you.”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, turning her head to the side in shame.

And we couldn’t have that. I wouldn’t let her feel shame for her own sexuality.

“Well then, I guess we’ll just learn together.”

My hands trailed up her legs as I set them down on either side of me, one at a time, her body shivering beneath my touch. I ached behind the rough zipper of my pants, rock solid and barely containing myself. Hell, when she’d stuck her sweet ass against me and writhed like a fucking hellcat, I nearly blew my load right then and there. I wanted to bury myself in her wet heat. I hadn’t had a woman in my arms, around my cock, in five years. And to have the first time in all that time be with Tara?—

Fuck me, I was gonna come in my pants like a teenager.

I bit my tongue and thought of anything to keep from blowing my load before I could even get inside her. I might not need more than a single pump, but I wouldn’t be like all those other men who’d never seen to her pleasure first. I wanted her to enjoy it, too. And that meant keeping my cool.

I could do this.

“It’s been awhile for me, fair warning,” I admitted as I let my hands fall to her top, undoing each button so slowly it was like torture. “I hope I don’t disappoint.”

“I’m not exactly batting home runs here, buddy; the bar’s on the floor,” she muttered, then covered her mouth with a little gasp that made her turn pink again.

I buried my face in her stomach so she wouldn’t see me laughing.

What a pair we made. A woman whose lover beat on her, and a man who’d spent the last five years in prison for someone else, both apologizing for their low expectations where sex was concerned.

How fucked up was that?

Screw that.

If I didn’t satisfy her this time, then I’d just have to keep coming back until I did. She might sleep next to my imposter at night, but I’d be the one whose cock she dreamt about, whose tongue she tasted on hers, whose fingers left an imprint on the inside of her tight little cunt.

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