“Relax,” I urged. “You’re safe with me.”
I heard her take a breath, and the tension drained from her body. I kept my hold on her hand as I drove the short distance to her apartment. The silence that filled the car wasn’t uncomfortable; it was thick with sensual tension, and I didn’t dare break it with an inane question about her studies. Besides, I didn’t want her asking too many questions about my life. I’d resolved to put my dark past behind me, and that meant hiding it from everyone in my new life, even her.
Especially her.
I’d never experienced such a strong physical connection to any woman, and the long weeks of denial had only intensified the feeling. If we’d shared a quick fuck on the night I’d first laid eyes on her, maybe I could’ve gotten her out of my system. As it was, I idolized her. In my mind, I’d made her into more than just another beautiful woman. She was the life I craved, everything I couldn’t have and didn’t deserve.
Tonight, I’d finally get a taste of what I so desperately wanted.
I parked outside her apartment complex and got out to open the car door for her. She was already halfway on her feet by the time I got to her, but I took her hand again, as though she needed my help. A stupid, delusional part of me was enjoying playing the part of her white knight. I’d protected her from Stu.
I’d do my best to protect her from the darker parts of myself, too. I owed her at least that much.
She didn’t pull her hand from mine when I closed the car door behind her.
“I’ll walk you to your door.” I was going to see her safely into her apartment, and I would taste her lips before I left.
She glanced up at me and licked those lush, pink lips. My cock throbbed in response to the sign of desire.
“Okay,” she agreed softly. “My place is this way.”
She started walking toward the brick porch that lined the front of the fancy townhouses. I kept step beside her, still holding her hand in mine.
We arrived at one of the ten identical units, and she retrieved her keys from her purse. When she unlocked the door, I squeezed her fingers lightly, calling her full attention back to me. Her sapphire gaze caught mine, and her pouty lips parted on a little sigh.
“Thanks for bringing me home. You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did,” I interrupted her. I hadn’t had a choice. Not once Stu put his hands on her. I wouldn’t have been capable of working the rest of my shift at the bar. I wouldn’t have been capable of thinking about anything but branding her with my touch, erasing the taint where he’d grabbed her.
Unable to hold back, I reached out and caressed her cheek, relishing the softness of her skin beneath my fingertips. She didn’t flinch away from the intimate contact; she tilted her face into my hand, welcoming more. I slid my fingers into her dark, silken hair and hooked my thumb beneath her jaw, capturing her. Her soft intake of breath went straight to my cock, and I closed the distance between us with a hungry growl.
I didn’t take her lips with the tender care she deserved. I crushed my mouth to hers, and she opened for me on a sharp, shocked gasp.
She didn’t shrink from my sudden aggression. Her arms twined around the back of my neck, and she pulled me closer as she pressed her soft body against mine. Lust ignited my system, pulsing through me with visceral intensity I’d never known before. My fingers tightened in her hair, tugging the silky strands and tipping her head back so I could take her mouth more deeply. My tongue swept inside to glide against hers. She tasted like the fruity cocktail she’d sipped at the bar and something darker, more delicious. Her body melted into mine, softening and heating as she molded herself against me. I wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. She shivered in my hold, but it wasn’t the chilly night air that elicited the response. The heat between us was too intense for the cold to touch either of us.
When we were both desperate for air, I finally released her mouth. She stared up at me, breathing hard. Her pupils were dilated, the sapphire ring of her irises narrowing as her eyes darkened with lust.
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked breathlessly.
More than anything. Instead of making the intimate admission, I nodded.
She turned from me and fumbled at the doorknob, her hand trembling from the keen desire that tormented us both. I reached around her and closed my fingers over hers, firmly turning the knob and pushing the door open. Now that I’d held her in my arms, I couldn’t wait to feel her lush body pressed up against mine again.
When I closed the door behind us, she took my hand in hers and led me toward her bedroom. I hadn’t expected such boldness from her, but the raw need that drove both of us to a frenzy was stronger than the anxiety I’d sensed in her earlier.
I was curious to check out the way she chose to decorate her room—to understand her personality better. But in that moment, I was far more curious to learn other things about her. Like the sounds she’d make when I kissed her neck and caressed her breasts.
I leaned in to take her lips again, but she pulled back slightly. In the dim lighting that illuminated the bedroom through the shades, I could see that she’d lowered her lashes in shyness.
“I, um, I don’t want to have sex. Not tonight,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
Even though it made my balls ache to hear it, I wasn’t surprised. I’d been right to think Ashlyn was innocent. She wasn’t the type to take a near-stranger home and fuck him. I’d never met a woman who didn’t eagerly fall into bed with me. The chase, the challenge, only deepened my fascination with her.
I curled two fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face to mine.
“No sex,” I agreed. “I wouldn’t have hoped for anything more than a goodnight kiss. Thank you for trusting me and inviting me in.”
Before her shyness could return, I captured her lips again. Her soft moan made my cock throb, and I savored the way the little sound vibrated against my tongue as I stroked into her mouth. Never releasing her, I moved toward the shadowed outline of her bed and guided her down onto her back. I settled my weight over her on instinct, craving to feel her small body pinned beneath mine.
She stiffened for a moment, and I knew she must feel overpowered, trapped.
My cock jerked again, but I pulled my lips from hers so I could reassure her.
“I’m not going to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” I promised her. “If you want me to stop—or even leave—just say the word. You’re in control here.”
Those last words felt wrong on my tongue. I wanted to dominate her, to hear her beg and whimper my name. But I would never violate an unwilling woman, and I certainly wouldn’t subject Ashlyn to those darker fantasies.
She licked her plush lips and gave me a little nod, letting me know she wanted me to continue.
“Good girl,” I rumbled without thinking. It felt right to praise her this way, to guide and encourage her to release the more sensual side of herself.
I leaned in and kissed her neck at the little hollow beneath her ear. She gasped and shuddered. I licked at her sensitive skin, tasting her sweet flavor and relishing her every panting breath. She arched up into me, her breasts pressing against my chest as her short fingernails bit into the back of my neck. She drew me closer, silently begging for more.