Page 84 of Queen Rose

A raspy whisper passes her lips. “You don’t want me like that anymore.”

In shock, I pull her into my arms, helping her straddle me. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve been giving you time. I thought you needed it.”

“Being with you has only ever helped me.” She shakes her head, looking up at me. “That night I ran to Xander’s? Our first time? That all happened following an assault.”

All the air whooshes from my lungs, and I’m left breathless and not knowing what to say.

Aria clings to my chest. “You help heal me, Nate. You make it all go away. I needed you that night, and you were there for me.” She sucks in a breath. “I don’t want you to think I was using you. Not like that. But you helped me.”

I wanted it to be you. Not him.

I squeeze my eyes shut at the memory. “Shit.” I run my hands up and down her back for several seconds before I can say more. “And here, I’ve been tiptoeing around you, assuming that’s what you needed from me.”

Reaching up, she touches her fingertips to the necklace I gave her. “You were there with me in the basement. Before you physically got there. He had me by the throat… and my fingers caught on the pendant. It gave me strength when I needed it most.” She stares up into my eyes. “I-I need your touch. Help me remember that I’ve made it through the darkness. Make me see the stars, Nate.”

I can’t deny her anything. My mouth crashes down on hers, tasting the saltiness of her tears on her plump lips. I’m desperate to show her I want her in every way she’ll have me. Our mouths open, slanting, tongues hungrily seeking each other out.

My heart trips over itself as she breaks the kiss just long enough to tug her sleep T-shirt over her head, and then she helps me out of mine. Her soft breasts smash against my chest and her arms wind around me. As we kiss, my brain can’t seem to shake what she’d said. That I heal her. That I make all the bad stuff go away. But also, that she thought maybe my knowing all the ways Conner had abused her would make me change my mind about wanting to be with her. It guts me.

I take her head between my hands, thumbs sweeping over her flushed cheeks. “Do you know how much I’ve missed this? How much I need us? Baby, you’ve healed me, too. Made me feel worthy. You’ve shown me that despite the colossal mistake I made, I still deserve love and happiness.” I can’t resist another taste of her sweet mouth. She answers by sucking on my lip and moaning, taking the kiss deeper, stroking into my mouth as her hands land on my ass. I hiss as she tugs me close, my erection liking very much the feeling being pressed up against her stomach.

In one quick motion, I have her on her back in the middle of the bed. Her hair fans out around her head, and she smiles softly. It’s a smile meant just for me. I hook my fingers into the waistband of her sleep shorts and slide them down her silky-soft legs, only to find she doesn’t have anything on under them. Jesus. I suck in a quick breath before I nudge my shoulders between her legs. My fingers trail up her thighs, sliding over her skin and setting off goose bumps in their wake. I cup her ass in my hands and lift her, licking a wet stripe up through her folds. A gasp flies from her mouth as I do, then a moan as I kiss the pretty pink skin of her opening. And another gasp when my tongue strokes into her, giving me the full, heady flavor of her arousal. I take my time, humming my pleasure as her body responds to my coaxing, making her writhe with desire.

Before long, her fingers are wound in my hair, tugging me closer. Her hips rock as I lick her clit, and she’s definitely making enough noise that anyone nearby is going to hear. I don’t care. Let them know my girl is happy. Let everyone know that Conner didn’t break her. He didn’t break us.

She cries out. “Oh, God. Nate, Nate, Nate. I’m gonna—” Her jaw slackens and her eyes glaze over. She never finishes the sentence as the orgasm crashes through her body. I feel her pulsing on my tongue. It makes her spasm and twitch and shudder. And cry. She’s crying.

What? No.

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