Page 149 of Cruel Tides

Barren leaned back, his shoulders slumping in relief. “I was worried my sister’s gift might affect you, too,” he admitted, his chin tilting back so he could look up at the ceiling. “That you might—might fear me. Not want to touch me. I’m relieved that’s not the case.”

Oh, she’d tried it.That bitch. Forgotten anger welled up in me like it had been waiting for me to remember just how much I disliked Barren’s sister. “Fear you? Not want to touch you?” I almost growled the words, my insides seething. “Barren…” I climbed on top of him, placing my hands on his chest as I straddled his lap. His eyes opened wide, and I could feel his heart thumping, a steady drumbeat under my palms.

“Idowant to touch you,” I said softly, brushing my lips against his. “I want to keep touching you. If I’m afraid of anything, it’s that I’ll never want tostoptouching you.”

The corner of his lips curved under mine. His arm swept low around my back, pulling me further onto his lap. “Really?” he asked, his breath tickling my lips.

I tried to think of a clever response, but the hot pulse of his erection coming to life underneath me proved to be quite the distraction. The way Barren’s body responded to mine was a heady sensation—the warmth of his skin, the way his muscles tensed with my every move.

“I’m going to touch you, Barren,” I murmured, my hands sliding down his chest to his abdomen. I didn’t know why I said it, but it felt right, and the way the words made him shudder had me thinking he enjoyed hearing me say it.

“But I want you to touch me, too,” I whispered, flashing a heated grin up at him. His hand wasted no time, dropping low enough to cup the swell of my ass. I groaned, loving the strength of his grip. His lips were suddenly on mine again. This time, there was no holding back the heat that coursed through us both.

Barren slid his tongue against my lips, tempting me to open my mouth for him, and I obliged, letting his tongue tangle with mine. My hands found his shoulders—goodness, I loved his shoulders—and my body moved of its own accord to further straddle his lap. I felt his cock, hot and heavy, rub against my inner thigh. That part of him had been teasing me all night, and I wasn’t sure if Barren even knew it.

Now it was my turn to do the teasing.

He let out a low grunt when I dipped between us, taking his cock into my hands. He was impossibly stiff, and I feathered my fingertips over the tip, marveling at the silken feel of him.

“Damn, that’s huge,” I said, the words spilling out against his lips. Sure, I knew he was massive, but it wasn’t until I held him that I understood the true scope of his size.

I must have forgotten myself, because the way Barren stopped to chuckle told me I hadn’t whispered that thought as quietly as I’d intended.

I continued stroking him from base to tip, letting my fingers ghost over the plump head, fascinated by the way his muscles tensed at my touch.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his tone amused, almost cocky.

I nodded, the only response I could manage while clasping his erection in my hands. I was enjoying myself.A lot.

“Mmh,” he rumbled, and before I knew what was happening, he’d rolled us over. My back went flat on the bed, and I stared up at him, his cock still in my hand.

I felt Barren’s scorching gaze as he stared down at my nearly bare body. His every movement seemed to radiate desire, sending a shiver of anticipation running through my center.

But then he spoke, and his words were like a splash of cold water doused over my senses. “Your head hit the dock hard,” he muttered, his voice. “I’m supposed to be watching you.”

Was he really still worried about that? “What? It’s fine—I barely even feel it,” I assured him, but his concern was written all over his face.

“Barren. I’d still want to touch your dick, even if my head hadn’t hit your dock,” I said evenly, giving his cock a firm squeeze that made his jaw clench and eyes roll upward.

He shook off the sensation with a groan before leaning down to press another kiss next to the bump on my head. “All right. How about this?” he muttered. “After you recover, if you still want to touch me, I’ll be yours to do whatever you want.”

I stared over at him, my eyebrows raising in curiosity. “AnythingI want?”

He nodded, letting himself fall on the bed beside me with a tired sigh. I realized then how exhausted he looked. He’d stayed up doing chores earlier while all of us rested in preparation for meeting with his sister.

Frustrated in a multitude of ways, I blinked up at the ceiling for a moment before jerking over to my side. Barren was watching me, of course, his arm perched on the side of his hip.

As if my eyes were magnets drawn to another, my gaze slid down to his erection. Swollen and red, it looked like he was almost as frustrated as I was.

“You’re really worried that I’m not of sound mind?” I asked with a frown.

His chest rocked with a steadying breath. “I’d rather not remember tonight as the night I hurt you and then acted on my desires.”

Oh—well, when he put it like that, he had a point. A lot had happened today. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day all around.

“Are you sleeping in here with me, then?” Nestling closer, I tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. “I’ll have to lie next to you if you’re going to watch me, right?” I asked teasingly, giving his chest a nudge.

“Mmh. I’ve missed this.” His head rolled back to find one of his pillows. “Although I usually sleep underneath the sheets,” he said flatly.

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