Page 18 of Going Rogue
They gave her away because he released her so fast; she could’ve been a viper. Stumbling back a step with a dazed look on his face, he said in a low voice filled with disbelief, “Youare.”
Well, damn.
Now would be a good time for a sandworm to show up and swallow her.
CHAPTER 7
Crane
“You’re a virgin.” The shock had knocked him back a step, but something else flooded his system. A fierce streak of possessiveness followed by a wave of excitement sent his blood sprinting through his veins. Rogue would be his—only everhis.
But as soon as the desire made itself known, a latent realization stopped him in his tracks.
She’s saving herself for marriage.
He hadn’t thought she was religious, but surely that had to be the reason. Because there was no chance this gorgeous woman hadn’t had opportunities.
While he waited, all the questions he’dhad over why she kept pulling away found answers. It settled something in his being, knowing the why behind her actions. The hurt he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge drained away like sand through an hourglass.
Because she had his heart.
The moment she walked into his life, the whole of it belonged to her. For the last two years, it beat faster whenever she came near, craving her recognition, approval, and love.
Now, more than ever, he wanted to show her what they could be together. So much so that he had to fight the urge to touch her again.
“Rogue?” he probed when she hadn’t said anything.
Her face still shined as red as he’d ever seen it, making the few freckles along the bridge of her nose pop. “Yes.”
He hadn’t meant to embarrass her and stumbled over an apology. “It’s okay. A lot of people wait for marriage.”Not any I know, but . . . probably, a lot. “I’m not going to judge you.”
A strangled noise emitted from her throatbefore she said, “I’m not saving myself for marriage, idiot.”
Though it hadn’t been used in jest, he let the ‘idiot’ go. If she wanted to push him away, she had another think coming. “Then why . . .” The words were out before he could stop them. If the goal had been to make her less embarrassed, he failed—miserably.
No way would she answer. Willing to change the subject, he opened his mouth. Anguish flashed in her eyes, and he stepped toward her without hesitation, ready to comfort her. She turned away, leaving him staring at her tense profile. Her hands fisted at her sides while her chest heaved with jerky breaths.
Whatever she was going through, he wanted to help her with it. When he would’ve reached for her, her quiet words stopped him. “I’m afraid.”
His mind instantly jumped to the worst conclusion, and he growled before he could stop himself, “Who the fuck hurt you, squirrel?” A crimson haze veiled his vision, firing his blood with rage. Whoever the fucker was, he would pay.
I’ll plant my fist into his nose until no woman ever wants to look at him again.
She faced him with a defeated sigh. “No one.” Her lips twisted into a wan smile. “That’s the point.”
Confusion cooled his wrath as he tried to decipher what she meant. It must’ve shown on his face because she took pity on him and explained, “I’m so afraid of getting hurt I’ve never let anyone close enough to try.”
A thread of loneliness weaved itself into her words. Hearing it, Crane said fuckit and wrapped his arms around her. He cradled her head to his shoulder and wondered what happened to make her so timid in this when she was a force to be reckoned with in everything else.
Her body relaxed, melting into his, and he tried not to think about how soft she felt pressed against his chest. How right. Everything with Rogue felt right . . . like they belonged together. If only she could see it.
When she sighed, his stomach muscles contracted with the desire to make her sigh in pleasure. He desperately wanted to give her that—watch her come apart in his arms.
“My father . . .”
The catch in her voice stalled his libido as his mind jumped to the worst-case scenario again.If she lifted her head, she’d see the murder promised on his face because he wanted to kill the man. If her father had abused her, he didn’t deserve to live.
Dinner roiled like acid in his gut at the thought of anyone hurting this precious woman.
