Page 33 of Call Sign: Thunder
She snapped her eyes closed, afraid he might detect the excitement his words sparked inside her body. Confusing desire warred within her. On the one hand, she was horrified that he'd even think of raising a hand to her in her precarious mental state, and then recognized that the skin on her ass now tingled as if calling out for the spanking he'd promised.
He was wrong. She couldn't want him to overpower her. That was what the bad guys had done to her — overpowered her — hurt her.
Despite being awake, her nightmares returned with a vengeance. Each time she closed her eyes, her body remembered her treatment in the warehouse months before. Her brain knew she was supposed to hate the memories, but she shamefully had to admit the thoughts triggered a base sexual desire inside her she'd been trying hard to ignore. The problem was it had been taking more drugs to beat back the growing unnatural urges. In her current state, surrounded by Zachary's masculinity, she didn't have a chance.
The urge to have him inside her seized her as hard as it had in the forest months ago when the illegal drugs had raged through her bloodstream. This time, she couldn't blame her shameful desire on anything but her own destroyed moral fiber. She felt like a dirty slut. Her brain shouted at her to move away from him. To take control of the situation.
Her body refused to move, leaving her an easy target for his heated gaze.
"It's okay, honey. I understand."
How could he? He didn't have a clue how messed up she was. If he did, he'd never bothered coming to her.
For the first time since he'd grabbed her to him in the kitchen, his hands released her, moving to cup her face in his palms, holding her head stationary. The light brushing of his thumbs softly against her cheeks was in direct contrast to the penetrating glare he pinned her with.
God help her, but her bottom ached for his touch as much as her lips missed his crushing kiss. She felt so small in his lap and she loved the feeling. He was her protector. He'd saved her once. Could he do it again?
She leaned in, wanting another kiss, but Zachary had other ideas, holding her face like a vice, his eyes serious.
"Not yet. We need to set the ground rules first. I mean it, Allison. No more drinking booze. None. No more drugs unless they are prescribed by your doctor. No more self-destructive behavior. You're gonna start eating three good meals per day, getting at least eight hours of sleep per day and you're going to gain back ten pounds."
"Wait a minute. I like that I lost weight."
"Ten pounds." He moved his hands down, pulling the belt of her fluffy rope and opening it wide to expose her body. His fingers closed around her thin waist. "I remember you having the perfect curves, Allison. Now I can feel your hip bones poking out. It's not healthy."
"But…" She opened her mouth to protest, but he captured her in another kiss, silencing her until she melted into his arms. She felt helpless to resist. He made her feel safe, right up until his hands lowered to cup her naked bottom, squeezing her cheeks as he lifted her body, angling her so she fell against his body. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him hard enough to make him groan.
His lips left hers and fell to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His tongue and lips paid homage to her in a way that made her feel treasured. She'd dreamed of being in his arms every day since he'd rescued her, not sure it would ever happen. The swell of his hard cock grinding against her through his jeans felt better than any dream.
"Zach, please. I need you so bad."
His lips froze, suspending them for a moment. Allie's heart pounded hard, suddenly worried she'd gone too far by begging him to make love to her.
When he pulled them apart, she saw indecision in his eyes, assuming he didn't feel the same about her.
"Ah, Allie, I don't want to hurt you, honey."
"That's not possible. You've saved me."
"That's not what I mean. I… well, I don't do relationships. I don't want you to get your feelings hurt."
"What does that mean, you don't do relationships?"
He struggled to find words. "I just… well, I've had problems making commitments in the past and I'm so much older than you. I think you need to find someone closer to your own age."
Embarrassed anger flared that she'd made a fool of herself showing her vulnerability. She overcompensated. "Hey, I'm not asking for a damn wedding ring. I thought you might want to fuck me."
Her crude exclamation angered the man holding her. "That's enough. You deserve more than just a damn fuck, Allie. You deserve someone to cherish you. Take care of you. Be there when you need them."
"What, and you're saying that can't be you? Stop trying to blame it on age. If you don't want to screw me, that's fine. I'm sure I can find someone else who'd be more than happy to…"
She didn't finish her sentence. She saw sparks practically flying out of his eyes he was so angry at her. Allie had no idea why he was so pissed. He'd said it himself that he wasn't into relationships. He had no right to be upset if she wanted to fuck a football team.
She felt as if she'd left her body and was watching from above as she felt Zach open the robe and roughly shove the open ends back to fall off her back, leaving her naked on his lap. She was only sitting for a few seconds before he lifted her as if she weighed nothing and moved her head to his left and her legs to his right, her tummy against his groin.
Panic set in as she realized his words early hadn't been an idle threat. He meant to punish her for her reckless behavior. Allie reached her right hand back as soon as she figured it out in an attempt to cover her bottom, but he caught it in his left hand easily, pulling her arm up uncomfortably against her back.
She flailed her legs in an attempt to be free, which only made him lift his right leg, sliding her legs between his before he brought his right leg down to trap her properly.
