Page 51 of When You Got a Good Thing (Misfit Inn 1)

XANDER DREW HER IN, stroking a hand back through her hair before laying his lips on hers. The tenderness in his touch felt like a benediction. He knew all, and he still loved her. The miracle of that had her clinging to him, as if he were a dream that would turn to smoke and disappear. Under the gentle coaxing of his mouth, she began to unwind, releasing the tension and anxiety o

f the past couple of days. With each, slow degree, her heart began to ache a little less.

His hands slipped beneath her shirt, skimming up her spine. Her skin shivered, then heated as those calloused fingers spanned her shoulders, pulling her to him until she felt surrounded. Until she felt safe. It had been so long since she’d felt truly safe. His mouth moved across her cheek, along the shell of her ear and down the column of her throat. Her head fell back to give him better access. He took his time, trailing languorous kisses up the other side, inching up her shirt as he went. His big hands swept up her rib cage and brushed at the underside of her breasts. They went full and heavy, her nipples taut and aching for his touch.

Kennedy reached back, tugging the shirt up and over her head. She wished she were wearing something other than the plain cotton bra, something sexy, with satin or lace. But Xander’s eyes were dark as his gaze roamed over the newly exposed flesh. They went darker still as she released the catch and drew it off. When he pressed her back, she didn’t resist, already anticipating the welcome weight of his big body. But he didn’t follow her down, moving instead down the length of her to pull off her shoes. It was such a basic thing, but it did something to her, seeing this powerfully-built man, with her shoe in his hand. Somewhere deep down, something shifted. The wall she’d erected to protect herself when she’d been forced to flee family, friends, and safety began to crumble. And she could let it because he would take care of her.

“Let me see you.” Her voice felt thick.

With hooded eyes, Xander tugged off his shirt.

Kennedy’s mouth went dry. He’d been in amazing shape back in high school. Football, baseball, and good genes had made sure of that, and she’d more than enjoyed his body. But now...now he was beautiful. His chest was broader, thicker, with a smattering of hair that trailed down the center and disappeared beneath the waistband of jeans that did little to hide an impressive erection. She watched the flex of Xander’s biceps as he held himself over her, admiring the curve of muscle, giving in to the temptation to touch. His strength was intoxicating.

He planted one knee on the sofa, between her thighs, as he bent to her chest, pulling one budded nipple into his mouth. She arched up, the growing ache in her center brushing against his leg. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough to assuage the pulsing need, but she pressed against him, rubbing, seeking in time to his suckling. Switching to the other breast, he reached between them, working open her belt, unfastening the tab of her jeans and drawing the zipper down.

When his hand slid inside her panties, she cried out, bucking into him, needing more of that deliciously possessive touch. Confined by her jeans, the heat of his skin and the pressure of his hand against her core was an exquisite torment.

She wrapped her hand around his wrist and slid the other in to cover his. “More.”

Acquiescing to her demand, Xander flexed his fingers, working them slowly between her folds, until he slid one into her wet heat. Kennedy writhed, trying to take him deeper. He added a second finger as he kissed her again, dipping his tongue into her mouth. She welcomed it, welcomed the thrusting rhythm he set. Her hips rose and fell, riding his fingers until her body screamed over that first, brutal edge.

As she came back to herself, Xander was carrying her. To a bed, she hoped, because her legs weren’t going to function for anything vertical. He climbed a set of dark stairs, headed down a short hall, and turned into a bedroom. She had a dim impression of big, rustic furniture before he laid her down on the wide, soft mattress. He tugged off her jeans, taking her underwear with them to leave her fully naked. The cool air felt glorious against her heated skin. He followed suit, shedding the last of his clothes and climbing in after her. Then she was lost to sensation, his hard to her soft, as he kissed her again and stoked the flames. She surrendered to him utterly, greedily soaking up everything he gave her, until he forced her to wait, impatient, body vibrating with need, as he rolled away to sheath himself. Then he covered her, his heavier weight pressing her into the mattress.

She welcomed him in the cradle of her hips, arching up to meet him as he slid inside her at last. It was coming home in a way nothing else could be. Love and relief crashed through her, washing away the grief.

This—he—was everything.

Kennedy didn’t know she was crying until he kissed away her tears.

“Don’t cry, Lark. I’ve got you.”

“Xander.” It was all she could manage past the tightness in her throat. So she framed his face in her hands and kissed him, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist.

He began to move, pressing deeper into her, filling all the empty places with his slow, inexorable rhythm. This was more, so much more than what they’d been before. The sweetness of it buoyed her, sweeping her up in a tide of pleasure that left no room for thought, no room for anything but him.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

Kennedy forced her eyes open, blinked past the blindness of passion to look into his eyes. The fierce tenderness there rocked her.

“With me.” He thrust harder, deeper. “With me,” he repeated, and pushed them both over the edge.

Her body pulsed around him as he shuddered through his release, then collapsed like a dead weight on top of her. She couldn’t really breathe and didn’t care. Xander was breathing hard enough for the both of them, his chest heaving against hers, the warmth of his exhalation tickling her throat. Kennedy slid one hand into the fine hair at his nape, rubbing slow circles as their hearts slowed and she basked in the aftershocks of their lovemaking.

When he shifted to roll off her, she tightened her arms and legs. “Don’t you dare. You’re perfect exactly where you are.”

“Practicalities to take care of,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cooling skin.

“Damn it.”

She felt his smile against her throat.

“I’ll be right back.”

Kennedy watched his retreating backside for a long moment, admiring the perfection of his ass, before she mustered enough energy to burrow under the covers. He was back less than a minute later, hauling her against him and tangling their legs with a sigh of satisfaction.

“This. This is what we never got to do back in high school.”

“I concede it’s a definite benefit to being adult lovers.” She snuggled in, wrapping tight around him. “God, you feel good. There’s nothing like skin on skin.”

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