Page 51 of Knight's Desire

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Until I apologize.”

Brick sat so still, she started to wonder if he heard her. There was no reason for him not to. He gave her no indication he wanted to hear what she had to say, but she would have her say. She couldn’t move on without making sure he understood.

“You are the bravest, strongest man I know, and that’s tough for me to say because I’m a daddy’s girl. I don’t know how I would have dealt with any of this without you. I wish I could say my decision to leave had nothing to do with you. I can say it’s my fear that made up my mind for me. And it’s not fear of the stalker getting to me because I know you would give up your life to make sure that won’t happen. It’s the fear of you giving up your life to protect me. I couldn’t live with myself if I was the reason you were hurt or killed. I…”

Her emotion clogged her throat, making it hard for her to say the words. Tears spilled out of her eyes, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. She had to get through this because she couldn’t stand the idea that he hated or was disappointed in her. She had to fix this because he meant too much to her.

“I want this stalker out of my life, but more than that, I want you to be safe. If that means I have to leave town for a while, that’s what I’ll do. You’re too important to me to sacrifice just so I can selfishly keep the things that don’t matter as much. I will not have you or your friends hurt because of me. That’s why I’m going home. It’s not because I don’t trust you. It’s because I care about you. Simple as that.”

Her tears fell in waves now, and she turned to retreat back to the bedroom. Her foot had only taken one step before she was whipped back around and crushed in a tight embrace that chased her misery away. Her arms wrapped around his waist as far as she could reach. She breathed him in and closed her eyes to savor the feel of his hard body next to hers. He had one arm around her waist, and his other hand buried her in hair, holding her firmly and securely in place. She felt his lips first touch her hair, then her temple, then the curve of her jaw. When they landed on the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, they nibbled before his tongue snaked out to sooth her skin. She gasped at the swirl of pleasure that started in the pit of her stomach and wound its way to her chest, prompting her to react.

She reached up to place her hands on either side of Brick’s face. The stubble covering his face tickled her palms. She pulled his head up until they locked eyes. His beautiful irises swirled with rich blues and smoky grays, their intensity heating her blood. Her fingers caressed his jaw, and her thumbs traced the outline of his lips. Lips that she already knew could give her the most delicious pleasure. Pleasure she wanted to feel now before she had to leave it all behind.

When she recalled the moment later, she wouldn’t be able to remember whether she initiated the kiss or if he did. But their lips met in mutual want, desire sparking white hot between them. Their tongues tangled in desperate need to taste, to experience, to feel the passion that only built between the two of them, locked in an embrace that shut out the world with all its fears and uncertainties.

It was a moment that shouldn’t happen. She was leaving, he worked for her, and with a stalker in her life, danger overshadowed any chance they had to be together. But it was a moment they both wanted. She wanted to feel something other than terror. She needed to know she hadn’t driven him away from her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Brick loathed to break the contact, but he and Hope needed a breath. He ended the kiss, but he couldn’t stop tasting her sweetness. His lips traced the line of her jaw, down her slender throat and over her collarbone where it peeked out above the crew neck of his T-shirt. The shirt was a simple green tee. There was nothing special about it and wasn’t one he wore a lot. But on Hope, the shirt left her shapely legs exposed and hinted at her generous breasts. It was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a long time, and he was consumed with the idea of getting the fabric out of the way to touch the treasure underneath.

“Hope,” he breathed against her skin and smiled at the goosebumps that puckered up in response. “If this isn’t what you want, you need to tell me before I’m passed the point of no return.”

“You are what I want.”

“And how far are you willing to take this? Because I want you in my bed, in my arms, naked.”

She jumped, and Brick reacted instantly. His arms held her up, flush against him, and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her hot core pressed against his beckoning cock, and her smile was wicked.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

He held her gaze captive with his, and he moved faster than he ever had in his life. The short distance to his bedroom felt like it took forever, and he stopped by his bed, his nostrils flaring at the tousled sheets and imprint of her gorgeous head still left on the pillow. His pillow. The sight felt right and was one he could get used to.

Her legs dropped, and her body slid down his until her feet hit the floor. The move branded his body with her heat and bunched her shirt up enough to expose her panties — pale pink cotton panties, with lace around the waistband, cut high on her leg. As much as he wanted to rip the shirt from her body, he took a moment to run his hands up her thighs, over her hips and around to cup her luscious ass. The round cheeks fit in his palms as if they were made for his caress, and he lowered his head to capture her lips in a searing kiss as his hands squeezed and fondled her ass. She moaned into his mouth, and his cock pressed painfully against his zipper.

Her hands reached under the hem of his shirt just enough to stroke his abdomen just above his waistband. Her touch was light but nonetheless devastating. He clung to his control by a thread. He wanted to go slow and savor every touch, every kiss and every moan, but his need consumed him. He wanted her. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t. He couldn’t remember a night where he didn’t fantasize about how she would feel in his arms. He couldn’t remember a shower where he didn’t jack off to the image of her coming apart as he pumped inside her perfect body.

He wanted to make her his. He wanted to brand her with his lips and his touch. Because he already belonged to her. All she had to do was crook her little finger, and he would be at her mercy.

Her fingers released the button on his jeans, and he broke the kiss with a strangled hiss. “Not now, Hope. I’m on the edge, and if I lose my clothes, I’ll lose my control. I want to take my time and worship your sexy body.”

A blush stained her cheeks, and his chest puffed up to see how he affected her with his words and his touch. He planned to keep that pink tint to her skin for the rest of the night. He twirled a strand of hair around his finger as he wondered how much of her body flushed when she was embarrassed.

She raised on her tiptoes, her lips pressing against the outer shell of his ear. His body shivered when her husky voice swept over his skin as she whispered.

“We have all night for slow. I want younow.”

His hands snaked up the hem of her shirt and whipped it off over her head. His own shirt joined hers on the floor, followed by his boots, socks, jeans and boxer briefs. He stepped back and stared. Hope was looking her fill, but he was enthralled by her, standing in only her underwear. Her hair fell over her shoulder and down her back, and her arms were at her sides. Her slender neck melded into petite shoulders that rose over the full breasts with their dusty pink nipples that had hardened into nubs under his perusal. Her curvy waist dipped and then flared into hips perfect for his hands to grip as they made love.

When his gaze reached her pelvis, he hooked his fingers through the waistband at her hips. As he drew her panties down her legs, he lowered his body to his knees. She stepped out of her underwear, and he tossed them to the pile of clothes. She stood before him, naked and lovely. Then his hands cupped her breasts, molding them as he ran his thumbs over her nipples. Her gasp had his lips curving into a smile. His hands moved down her body to her hips, and with a slight pull, he had her standing close enough for him to breathe in her arousal.

Then his lips touched her mound, and she moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair. His tongue caressed its way between her pussy lips, tasting her nectar as though it was his last meal. Hell, if he died in that moment, he would be content with his life except for one thing. He wanted to sink balls deep inside her before he met his maker.

“Mason,” she moaned, and Brick increased his attention on her pussy as his hands moved around to knead her ass.

Her legs started to tremble, but he didn’t stop his ministrations. He wanted her weak in the knees, begging for his touch and his kiss. He wanted her to fall apart at the feel of his mouth on her. He wanted her body to mold specifically to the fit of his hands. He wanted her to feel as he did — that nothing would be as exquisite or as perfect as the two of them together, lost in the mounting desire that tied them to each other.

“Mason, I…” Her words morphed into a series of moans that intensified when he slipped a thick finger into her wet channel.

---