Page 23 of Chasing Temptation
“Fuck.”
Dropping my hands to her hips, I force her to take a step back. My eyes skim down her body, taking in her curves and the angry welts and bruises that cover them.
My teeth grind to the point I fear I might break one at seeing the evidence of his abuse so clearly in front of me. Listening to what kind of a monster he was, the hints of things he might have done to her in the past was one thing, but this… The kind of anger this drags up is like nothing I’ve experienced before. I’ve hated my life and those around me with a passion but never to quite the level I feel forhim.
“Joe?” Her voice is a soft plea as her fingertips brush my chest. It brings me back to what she’s asked of me.
Taking a small step towards her, I lift her hand and bring her wrist to my lips. I kiss the delicate bruised skin that’s been marred by the constraints he tied her with.
Her body trembles as I kiss all the way around, but she doesn’t once try to pull her arm back.
My eyes find hers. If I’m going to continue, I need to know she’s with me.
Her eyes hold fear, more than I ever wish to see within them again, but the blue I’m still so unfamiliar with also holds fire. My girl wants to fight, and I couldn’t be prouder of her, knowing that she’s taking control of what she needs to rid herself of him, of the past, of her memories.
I trail a line up her arm, kissing and licking at her sweet skin as I go. Goosebumps erupt the higher I get, and the fire in her eyes begins to win out over the fear.
I nip across one collarbone and then the other, her body trembling beneath my lips, but it’s with need, not fear.
Sliding my fingers into her hair, I tilt her head back to give me the access I need to her neck as I make my way up to her lips.
“Joe,” she moans as I suck on the sensitive skin beneath her ear. Hearing my name falling from her lips is like fuel to the fire that’s already raging inside me. My need for her is all-consuming, but this isn’t about me right now.
I kiss across her jaw before my lips find hers. As I suck her bottom one into my mouth, her eyes flutter shut.
“Look at me, babe. Let me see your beautiful eyes.” Guilt fills them as she realises what I mean, but that wasn’t why I said it. I thought she was stunning with her dark eyes; I hadn’t been prepared for what these big blue ones would do to me, but one look into them and I’m on my fucking knees for this woman. I’d give her the fucking world if I could.
Not allowing her to dwell on her choices, I slam my lips down to hers and plunge my tongue into her mouth. She wastes no time in allowing hers to join and soon she’s sucking it deeper. My cock throbs painfully behind the wet fabric of my boxers, wishing like hell it was that that was being sucked on.
My chest burns for air and I’m forced to pull back. Her breaths race out over my face and a smile twitches at my lips that I’m able to make her breathless from one kiss alone.
“Ready for more?”
She nods, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, but the second I pinch her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers, her chin drops and her gasp of shock sounds out over the running water. I love how responsive she is to my touch. I’m pretty sure I’ll remember the night in the club when I’m on my deathbed. Feeling her coming apart beneath me while we were surrounded by all those people from my simple touch alone was hands down the hottest experience of my life. My need for her after that was off the charts, but she wasn’t one of my usual hook-ups. I knew that the minute I laid eyes on her, and I was going to do everything in my power to do things the right way.
Her head falls back as I continue to tease and pinch her sensitive peaks. Her hips writhe as she tries to find some friction, and I can’t hold back any longer.
Dropping to my knees, I ignore the pain radiating from my surgery and focus everything on Quinn and giving her exactly what she needs.
My eyes run over the marks he left on her stomach before they drop to her thighs. What I find has my movements halting and something wild exploding inside me. Pushing her legs wider, I find the rest of his handprints that are bruised into the soft skin of her inner thighs.
Everything around me fades as I stare at those marks. Images play out in my head of her lying on that cold, hard wooden floor as he...as he...
“Fuck,” I roar, unable to keep a lid on my emotions. My hands tremble, my stomach twists, and my head spins as I sit there under the torrent of water, staring at what he did to my girl.Mygirl. I’m the only one who should be touching her. I should be the only one able to be in this position. “Quinn?” I ask, my voice weak and shaky as I try to prepare to hear the words I know that are to come. “D-did he…” I trail off, not even able to ask the question.
I can feel her stare burning into my top of my head as I focus on his fingerprints.
“Quinn, I need to know if—” My words are cut off when her fingers twist into my wet hair. She tugs slightly and I’m powerless but to look up at her.
Her eyes are full of unshed tears, her face pale and terrified. It’s all I need for her to confirm my worst suspicions. She swallows, the muscles in her neck quivering with her uncertainty. She thinks I’m about to back away. She thinks I can’t handle this. But everything I said to her earlier was true. Nothing about him or what happened will change how I feel about her. It won’t change us. I refuse to allow it to.
She opens her mouth to say something. Knowing her, it’s probably to apologise for something she had no fucking control over. Before a word passes her lips, I force her legs wider, part her, and lick up the length of her pussy.
If she needs to forget, then I’ll damn well give her everything she fucking needs.
“Joe,” she cries, but I don’t react other than to up my tempo. Her fingers tighten in my hair and the pain is a welcome relief to the insistent one in my abdomen that won’t abate.
“Oh god.” Her hips flex, allowing me more access, and I thrust my tongue inside her as her legs tremble with the strength it takes her to stay upright.
