Page 45 of Shattered Hearts

I’m the luckiest girl in the world because he hugs me back.

In an unspoken agreement, he carries me into the bedroom. He’s patient, slowly undressing me, and he kisses my skin as he removes my clothes. Sweater, leggings, bra and panties. He strokes his thumb over my nipple, and I lean into his tender touch. It’s dark in the bedroom, the sun having gone down, but I’m learning not to be embarrassed standing in front of him naked.

“Are you okay? After yesterday?”

“Yeah. I try not to think about it.” The explosion happened only the day before, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

He sits on the bed, and I step between his legs and lick at his mouth until he opens for me. Relaxed tonight, he goes slowly. I like it, the leisurely way he consumes me, but I enjoy the urgency, too. When he’s wild, like if he doesn’t have me, he’ll die.

We kiss, a long, unhurried mating of our mouths, and I unbutton his plaid flannel shirt. The material is soft and worn, numerous washings fading the blue and grey pattern. He’swearing a white t-shirt underneath and I pull the hem out of his jeans.

“Pop read me the riot act after we left your place last night,” he says, throwing both shirts onto the floor.

“Why? It wasn’t your fault.”

I revel in the spicy flavor of Gage’s skin. Salty. I lick a little at his neck and brush my hands over the hard muscles of his pecs. I’ve never dated a man so cut. All the guys I used to see were lean, like Zane, from playing squash or tennis. They never lifted weights.

“How much can you lift?” I ask against his lips.

“More than what you weigh.”

I crawl onto the bed and watch him shuck off his jeans. “I’m a hundred and fifteen pounds. The drugs make me puffy.”

He comes at me, mouthwateringly naked, a predatory gleam in his eyes. It doesn’t scare me, though. It’s exciting. He’s hunting me, and I want to get caught. “You’re perfect.”

Gage hauls me into his lap, and his cock is thick and hard between us. I brush my fingers over his erection, his skin silky and smooth. He shivers and sucks in a breath. I don’t feel strange or apprehensive touching him anymore, and I love lightly running my fingertips over him, watching him react to me.

“What did your dad say?”

He cups my breast, teasing my nipple with the pad of his thumb. “That I put you in danger, that I wasn’t being careful. I wasn’t. You could have gotten hurt.”

“That’s not fair. How were you supposed to know?”

He covers my mouth with his and gently sucks on my bottom lip. Moving his hand between my legs, he opens me and I’m wet and swollen. I never need long when we’re together. I tilt my hips and slightly lift on my knees, encouraging him to explore as I stroke his cock, enjoying his body. I love how hard and soft heis at the same time. He’s so strong, but he’d never hurt me...he defends me instead.

He sheathes himself with a condom, and I lower my body onto him, the perfect fit. I feel more in control, and I stare into his eyes as I steady myself, my hands gripping his broad shoulders. Maybe it was the appointment today, or maybe I’m feeling more secure in our relationship, but whatever it is, I’m more in tune with him.

His finger circles my clit and I come, pressing my face into his neck. He groans as I orgasm, and he forces me down on his cock, his tip hitting my center in a delicious quiver of almost-pain.

I catch my breath, my heart beating frantically, sweat covering every inch of my skin.

His next words freeze my boiling blood in an instant.

“Will you turn over for me?”

Images flash in my mind, hazy pictures of men pushing my head into a mattress, spanking me, fingertips gouging my hips as they ram into my body while I cry.

I look away, ashamed I can’t do what he wants. “I’m not ready.”

Hs moves his hand up and down my back. “Okay, I’m sorry. We can stop if you want.”

I hate that my past affects us. I hate that what those men did to me can turn what Gage and I are doing into something ugly.

Burying my fingers in his hair, I pull him close. “Make love to me, Gage. Make it go away.”

Gently, without us losing our connection, he lays me onto my back and settles on top of me, murmuring promises into my ear.

He comes and presses his lips against my shoulder. “I love you.”

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