Page 15 of Rescuing Royce

Polite conversation, dammit, he needed to do better, let her know she could lean on him.

“Um, thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful. And for all the texts. It was very sweet of you to check up on me.”

He hadn’t known what to do, so he’d sent flowers. He’d felt lame doing so, but it wasn’t like he could just show up at her house. He wasn’t that kind of guy. And he hadn’t trusted himself in being alone with Amber. Even now, as she stood before him, all he could think about was getting her naked.

“You’re welcome. I hope you haven’t been having any nightmares or...” Or what? Shit, he didn’t have much experience comforting a victim of a crime. And Amber was more to him than a victim. He wanted to help her in more direct ways, with his hands and certain other parts of his body. But, he’d held back during their text exchanges from outright telling her he wanted to bury himself inside her. That he wanted to give her pleasure instead of the pain and horror she’d experienced, but instead he’d done some light flirting hoping she’d see him as someone other than the man who saved her from a monster.

Damn, maybe he should have consulted with Caris, her boss was one of the best psychiatrists in the region, and she would know best how to approach Amber. He wanted to be someone Amber could go to if she needed someone to talk to. He needed to talk to her, really talk to her to make sure she was okay.

Hell, every night he woke up after a nightmare where he hadn’t been able to save her, and it was tearing him apart. Desperate to figure out how to get Amber to see him as more than the hero the newspaper made him out to be or the cop just doing his job, he’d stayed away.

He wanted her to see him as a man, a man who wanted to slowly peel off her clothes and lick every inch of her curves. He wanted to chase away any and all demons she had because ofthat scumbag. So, Royce decided to start where most men did, what he rarely did with any woman. He’d asked her out on a date.

“I, ah, I would have liked to do more. Maybe we could have dinner?”Dinner, come on, Kincaid, you can do better. Be honest with what you really want.

“I, uh, I’d liked that. But I was hoping we could talk. Is now a good time? In private?” Amber licked her lips.

In private? Her lips were wet. He couldn’t take his eyes off of them. And was she leaning in closer to him? Maybe his flirting had worked. Hell, yes, he’d speak with her in private and anything else she had in mind. “Sure. Wherever you’re comfortable.”

Amber wantedto do more than talk. She wanted him to know how thankful she was for rescuing her, but she also wanted him. Naked. She knew she’d be seeing him today, and she’d played out in her head exactly how she wanted to show him just how much she wanted him.

He’d texted her a couple times to make sure she was okay, and his tone had changed into what she thought was flirtatious, but each time she struggled with something witty or flirty to say in return. But not today. Today she was ready to go after what she’d imagined for weeks, what they’d tiptoed around. She wanted Royce Kincaid.

If there was anything good to come from being assaulted, it had made her realize if she wanted something or someone, you had to go after it and live in the moment. She was done wishing and fantasizing. She was going after exactly what she wanted.

“There are so many people here, and I know just the room where we could go and … be alone and—talk.”

She watched as awareness dawned on his face. Her gaze wandered down his body, her eyes widening, her belly heating as his erection strained against the fly of his jeans. Amber had never wanted a man as much as she did Royce. And she was grabbing the brass ring and ready for the ride of her life.

“Sure. Talk. I’d like that.” Royce cleared his throat.

She heard a promise in his husky response. Thrilled that she’d created the effect she’d been hoping for, she led him up a staircase at the back of the house.

“This is their guestroom. It’s private and has quite the reputation. Have you heard about it?” Lord, she hoped he had. She was ready to have sex with him. Hot, sweaty, soul-shattering sex. Her body needed the release, and she needed it with him. Yet, she wasn’t sure she could explain the history of the room being used for hook-ups by other Outlaw players, specifically Connor and his sister.

“I’m aware, but I hope you’re not bringing me up here to thank me for rescuing you because that’s not how I want this to happen.”

Neither did she.

“Amber, before we ‘talk,’ it’s important to me that you see me as Royce, not the guy that rescued you the other night. I don’t want this to be anything other than two people connecting.”

She was sure. Now she’d prove it to him. She moved another step closer to him. She could feel the heat emanating from his body; she was close enough to breathe in his unique scent. She licked her lips again and took one last step toward him.

“Royce, would it surprise you to find out that I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. That all I could think about was having you touch me, and that every time since I’ve been trying to get up the courage to ask you to fuck me?”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he ran his gaze over her achy body. He took his time when he reached her breasts. Her breathing became heavy, and her nipples hardened at the attention he was paying them.

His eyes darkened, and his gaze at half-mast, filled with a growing desire. She shuddered at the need she was witnessing, just for her. This is what she had been missing. This is what she craved, and she wanted more, so much more.

Her skin tightened in response as Royce lifted his hand and brushed a thumb back and forth over her rigid nipple. He held her gaze as she fought to stay still, not wanting the bone-melting sensation to end. She let out a whimper and sucked in a breath as warmth traveled from her belly to the top of her thighs.

“Surprised? No. Turned on beyond belief? Yes. God, Amber. I’ve wanted the same thing.” He stepped into her, lowered his head to her ear, and growled, “Tell me what you want.”

His breath against her ear, the vibration of his voice sent a sharp zap of electricity straight to her clit. A shiver ran through her as she let out a moan. She was done holding back her wants, her needs.

“I don’t want you to hold anything back. I’m not going to break. I want crazy. I want you to make me scream until I lose my voice. I want you to fuck me here in the hallway, up against the wall. On the floor. It doesn’t matter; I want you inside me. Now.”

He growled a “Fuck, yes,” captured her lips, and kissed her dizzy.

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