Page 26 of Cruel Love

I laughed, giving up on holding back the tears. He tugged me to him and wrapped his arms around me. We lay together on the couch, and Phoenix held me to him with one strong arm while keeping the other possessively over my belly. I shifted so one of my legs was on his.

I needed to ask because I really wanted something to happen between us tonight, and I hoped he didn’t snap at me again—I would have hated to have to leave. But I would have. “How are you feeling? Your legs?”

“I’m fine.” He tensed. “I pushed myself too hard.” He sounded frustrated. “And the stress of finding out you were pregnant then not being able to talk to you made everything worse.”

I tilted my head back so I could see his face. “How did you find out? Your mom doesn’t know that you’re the father, and I can’t see your cousins telling you. Did Shane?”

“No. This chick Jillian stopped by. She’s not your biggest fan.”

I snorted. “I’m not hers either. I bet she had a lot of flattering things to say about me. And she and I don’t know each other, but she sure as hell wants you.”

“She’s a clinger. Even though I can’t remember my life at nineteen, I can tell you she was not a permanent fixture in it.”

“Well, she’s pretty sure she was and will be. I doubt you’ve seen the last of her.” I couldn’t even be mad about it. Jillian and manipulative girls like her would always be around, waiting in the wings for something to go wrong.

“Why did you come back?” he asked softly.

I closed my eyes briefly. No secrets. Not anymore. “I didn’t like how things went between us, and… I want you.” My entire face went up in flames. I couldn’t believe I’d been that direct. A slow grin spread across his mouth, and I frowned. “It’s the pregnancy. I can’t help it. Stupid hormones.”

“I don’t care if that’s it or not. I’ve wanted you from the moment I opened my eyes in that stupid hospital.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

PHOENIX

“I want you,” Aspen said.

The words rumbled all the way from the pit of my stomach to make their way past my lips. She closed her eyes, and I cupped her cheek and drew her forward, sliding my hand into the thicket of her hair. She pressed her mouth against mine with a sigh, and our lips parted then came together again. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire, and her hand sliding over my chest made me want her with an intensity that I didn’t even know was possible. She moaned, and I deepened the kiss, needing more—needing all of her.

I couldn’t get enough of her, the clothes between us a barrier I wanted gone. I was hard enough to pound nails. Images flashed in my mind. The familiarity of how she tasted and felt merged with another time I’d kissed her and touched her. Holy shit. I pulled away. Her beautiful blue eyes were dilated, her eyelids half-mast. She looked so goddammed soft. I wanted more, but I had to know if the bits of memory were real. “Were you a virgin that day at the cove?”

“Yes.” Her swollen lips twitched at the corners. “But it’s not like I can get pregnant again.”

I chuckled. It didn’t bother me even a little that I’d found out about the baby hours ago, because that only tied me to her, and I wanted that. I eased her shirt up and over her head then paused as emotions swelled in me at the sight of her golden skin, sexy white lace bra, and small swell of her stomach. “You’re incredibly beautiful.”

Everything faded but Aspen. I grazed the curve of her neck, wanting access to every part of her. “Let’s go into the guest bedroom.” It was on that floor, so I wouldn’t have a problem walking there. I’d rested enough. Aspen made a lot of the stress melt away, which impacted me physically in a positive way.

Our fingers threaded together, energy crackling between us, as we walked hand in hand through the house to my current room. When we got to the bedroom, she took off the rest of her clothes, tossing them to the ground. I couldn’t get out of mine quickly enough. She was everything I’d ever dreamed of.

She shivered as I pulled her into my arms. Warm skin met my hands, and I nibbled on her neck, her pulse jumping at my touch. Need surged in me when she arched against me, and I took her mouth in a hungry kiss. When she moaned, I backed us up, breaking the kiss only long enough to get on the bed. I lifted her so that she straddled me.

Her fingers traced over my shoulders, down my chest, and over my abs. With my back to the headboard, I lightly caressed the soft curve of her breasts, the gentle swell of her abdomen, and the contours of her hips, loving every minute of it. I couldn’t get enough of her soft skin or how stunning she looked sitting astride me, confident in her nakedness.

Her gaze dropped to my mouth, and she licked her lips. They were plump and glistening, an invitation I couldn’t resist.

I kissed her again, exploring her mouth as my fingers teased the softness of the inside of her thighs until I grazed over the wetness of her seam. Groaning, I teased her, spreading her desire to coat her clit then applying gentle pressure in a circular motion. When she bucked against my touch, I eased her forward and positioned myself at her entrance. The wet heat drove me wild, and I urged her to lower until I was fully inside.

A wave of lust tore through me, and I guided her hips so she ground against me. But she took over the rhythm, and I was free to kiss and touch her everywhere. I bent to lavish attention on her pink nipples, taking one in my mouth and swirling my tongue around the stiff peak before releasing it with a soft pop. Her skin was soft. She was so beautiful.

She threaded her arms around my neck, and I ground her against me more quickly until she cried out, her body tightening around mine, and I flipped her onto her back. Her legs automatically went around my waist, and I pounded into her, chasing her orgasm until I moaned as my own tore through me.

Not wanting to crush her, I shifted us so that Aspen lay in my arms with her head on my shoulder and our legs tangled together. What we’d done… it was perfect. She was perfect. I never wanted to let her go, and the baby would ensure we always had a bond. But I wanted everything, and I couldn’t help but wonder why we hadn’t gotten along before my brains got scrambled in the accident.

Maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t know.

The only negative was the slight pain in my head. It wasn’t unbearable, and I tried to hide it from her. She would worry, and I didn’t want her going anywhere. Images came and went like fragmented pieces of a movie.

I remembered her and the first time we’d had sex. It wasn’t anything like what we’d just done. While this time had been frenzied and hot as hell, we had an emotional connection that hadn’t been there then. Our first time had been driven by incomparable attraction and combustible lust.

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