Inked in the Steel City Series(44)

When he pulled her into another embrace, she pressed kisses against the side of his neck as he undid her bra clasp. It came undone within a moment’s time and soon joined her top on the floor. Eric cupped her breasts in his palms, his breath rushing over the top of her head and causing a few strands of her hair to dance. Her nipples shrunk to tiny aching points as he trailed his thumbs over them. She wanted to lose herself in the sensation, but a little nervousness tinged her arousal, peppering her thoughts with imaginings of how he might react when the rest of her clothes came off. She pulled back and met his eyes – they were as blue as ever, hazy with desire.



He surprised her by sweeping her feet out from under her, scooping her up and lowering her onto the bed. He pressed himself on top of her, and soon they were so entwined that the narrow mattress left them room to spare. She closed her eyes and returned his hard kisses, letting her libido rise until it made her all but forget about her nervousness. That lasted for several glorious minutes as he ran his hands over her body, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples as his tongue delved deeper and deeper into her mouth. Then his hands found the button at the waist of her skirt, and she tensed beneath him.



He paused, ending their kiss and smoothing a few stray locks of hair out of her eyes as he searched out her gaze. “Is something wrong?”



“No.” She found his free hand and squeezed it. “I’m just nervous.” She considered telling him what had her on edge, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She knew he’d felt the thick line of scar tissue that spanned her right thigh during that late night at Hot Ink.



“Don’t be,” he said, squeezing back.



It was impossible to know whether he’d been thinking of her scar when he’d said it or whether he’d forgotten, but she couldn’t quell the butterflies in her stomach as he unbuttoned her skirt and pulled the zipper down. The thin lace of her panties showed beneath the parted fabric, peeking from between the zipper’s teeth. He pressed a kiss just above her bikini line, his lips hot against her skin, and pulled her skirt a little lower, baring her hips. Her lacy panties, which she’d bought in preparation for this night, left virtually nothing to the imagination. Still, she knew she’d feel much more exposed when he pulled her skirt just a few inches lower. When she felt the material gliding over her skin again, she closed her eyes, too nervous to watch.



Eric pulled her skirt smoothly over her ankles, the motion followed by the soft sound of crumpling fabric as he tossed it aside. The sheets caressed the backs of her legs, leaving the rest of her exposed to Eric. She could practically feel his gaze on her body. “Mina.”



She opened her eyes slowly and found herself locked in eye contact with Eric. He smoothed a hand over her thigh and she experienced the familiar lapse in sensation when his fingers glided over her scar. She was numb where her skin had once been torn.



“Were you really embarrassed for me to see this?”



She tensed. There was no derision in his voice, but there was a hint of concern that made her feel vaguely ridiculous. But she wasn’t going to lie. “Yes.” The scar was ugly – it twisted down the front surface of her thigh, an eight inch ridge of raised, white flesh. When it rained, she could still feel the tiny particles of glass that had once been ground into the open wound. It made her feel unattractive and old – what kind of twenty-four year old complained about her leg hurting when the weather was bad? That was something elderly characters always did in movies.



“It doesn’t matter to me at all,” he said. “Mina, you’re beautiful.”



“I know it’s just a scar and I should be glad that it wasn’t a lot worse, but I couldn’t help being nervous. I just really wanted you to like what you see.”



“I do.” He lay down next to her on the bed, grasping a breast and pressing his mouth into the hollow of her neck. “God, how could I not?”



She sighed as a little of the tension left her. Maybe it had been stupid of her to get so worked up about it. But he was so perfect that she hadn’t been able to help herself. She wanted him to feel the same way about her.



“You’re perfect,” he said, sending a sensual shiver down her spine. It was as if he’d read her thoughts. His fingers fluttered against her thigh. “How did it happen?”



She rolled onto her side, facing him. “Car accident. The same one that hurt Jess – that’s why she can’t walk.”



He was silent for a moment, listening, and – Mina assumed – thinking of the crash on a winter road that had robbed his sister of her life. She hated to make him think of it.