Page 70 of Surrender to Me
In one hand, he holds a damp cloth. A flannel shirt is clutched in the other.
He kneels before me again, filling my vision, making my heart skip its next beat.
His dark eyes are much softer, the predator retreating into something gentler, more attentive. “Let me take care of you.”
His voice is that gravel-over-velvet rumble, soothing the raw edges of my frustration even as it stirs the heat anew.
With the gentlest of touches that shouldn’t be possible in a man so big and strong, he eases my thighs apart and presses the damp, warm cloth against my swollen pussy.
With careful hands, he bathes me, wiping away the slick evidence of my arousal.
“Look at you.” He brushes his thumb across my tender folds. “So beautifully swollen, Allie. Pink and perfect from what we did.”
The words send a fresh throb through me. My clit pulses under the touch that he keeps light and caring instead of teasing.
When he’s done, I sit up and tuck my arms into the flannel shirt that he brought for me. The fabric is soft and worn, carrying his scent—pure mountain air and man.
He takes his time buttoning the front, allowing his touch to graze my skin, lingering at my breasts, my collarbone.
“Give me a second.” He stands to pull a chair closer to the fire, the legs scraping against the floor.
Then he offers a hand to help me up. He settles into the seat and pulls me onto his lap.
“Stryker…”
“Shh.” He tucks a blanket around us, cocooning me in warmth.
When he pulls me against his chest, I’m lost in the way he wraps his arms around me, strong and sure.
Helpless, I snuggle in closer. The steady thump of his heartbeat under my ear is a grounding rhythm, and his skin feels warm against me, even through the shirt.
“I promise you, sweetheart. I’ll make your earlier denial worth it.”
Worth it? “How is that even possible?”
“Delayed gratification. When you finally do come, it will be even more powerful.”
“Easy for you to say.” Restlessly I shift, and the hard rigidity of his erection presses into me.
“You’re not suffering alone, I promise you. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
I push my hand to his chest and press myself back so I can look at him. “Really?”
“Well.” He grins. “Not every time.”
“You have a pure evil streak, Stryker.”
“When it comes to you?” He tucks a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. “Yeah. I do.”
Maybe because of the crackling fire or the warm intimacy between us, I settle back into place again. “If you had any idea what I feel like inside…”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
I’ve never enjoyed this kind of ease with another human being. Not just a romantic partner, but a person. Even when I was little and my mom was still alive, we lived with a constant sense of danger. I never knew whether my dad would return home from work. So absolute peace isn’t something I’ve ever truly known. “How long do I have to put up with this?”
“You’ll know when I’ve decided.”
I wrinkle my nose in protest. “You’re awful.”
