I guide the truck into the garage and put it in park before I turn in my seat. "That's fine, but I'm gonna make you one. You will never regret giving us a real shot." Even in the shadows, I can see the hesitation on her face.
"You can't know that."
"Yeah, I can."
Before she tries to argue further with me, I open the door, hop out, and come around to get her. She's already got her door open, but I pull her out of the truck with both arms wrapped around her waist. I carry her inside, never letting her feet touch the floor.
"You're late," the parrot shrieks from his cage, but I don't pause to tell him to zip it.
I walk us down the hallway to my bedroom. If I can't get Ripley to believe my words, then I'll prove it to her through my actions.
If I only have one night to convince her not to walk away, I'm going to make the most of it. I'm going to work myself so deep into her soul that she can't move without feeling me.
When I lower her ass to the bed, she reaches for my shirt, but I still her touch, holding her hands together above her head in one of mine while I draw her tank up her stomach.
"You're so goddamned beautiful."
I toss her shirt aside and press a hand to her chest, guiding her onto her back. I take care with her shoes and then her pants, peeling them down her legs, not wanting to jostle her ankle. I drop to my knees and press a kiss to the top of her foot where the bruising still remains.
"But you're also strong and capable. That's sexy as hell. You don't need me, Ripley. I know that for a fact. So I'm gonna make you want me instead."
Something soft passes over her features, and I hope I'm getting through to her.
I spread her legs, taking my time kissing my way up her thighs until I'm an inch away from her center, breathing her in.
"I've never wanted another woman the way I want you. I need you to know that's true. This isn't surface level. It goes deep, all the way to my bones."
My tongue darts out, stealing a taste of her as she inhales sharply.
"You're already wet for me, sugar. Totally soaked. Has this pussy been missing being filled up?"
Sliding both hands under her ass cheeks, I lift her higher against my face, finding her clit and dragging my teeth across it.
"Or have you been dreaming about what it'd be like to have this ass filled?" I press four fingers between her cheeks, finding her back entrance with one and giving it a nudge.
Another harsh breath from Ripley.
"If you don't answer me, I'm going to keep guessing."
"Yes! I missed you. Everywhere. I don't know what you do to me, but . . ."
"But you want more." It isn't a question, because her body is already trembling with need.
"Yes."
I release my hold on her and rise to toe off my boots, tear open my pearl-snap shirt, and shuck off my jeans.
"Then more is what you're gonna get."
17
Ripley
I'm in trouble.
Everything that comes out of Boone's mouth is wearing down my resolve to end this between us before it gets out of hand.
He knows it.
I know it.
And yet I can't stop myself from wanting whatever he's going to give me. He stands before me naked, his blue eyes drilling into mine.
"Right here, right now, it's just you and me. No bullshit. No media. No families. No past. Just us. This is what matters. If you can just give us a shot, a real one, this is all that matters. We make the rules. We decide what pieces everyone else gets. We control this, not anyone else."
He makes it sound so easy, even though I know it's not. For tonight, I'm willing to buy into the fantasy he paints. He says I don't need him, but maybe right now, I do.
"Show me," I tell him, and burning heat flares in his gaze.
"That's exactly what I plan to do. Lose the bra."
I push up on my elbows on the bed and reach behind me to unhook it. I've never been a seductress, but with Boone, I wish I were. I let the cups drop forward before slowly drawing the bra away from my skin.
His fingers tense and release with every inch of skin I uncover, like he's fighting back the urge to touch.
Don't fight it. I want your hands on me. I want to forget everything but how you make me feel. My head fills with all the things I can never bring myself to say out loud.
Boone's patience dangles by a thread as I slip the bra off and toss it aside. His voice takes on that gravelly tone in his songs when he speaks.
"Do you have any idea how fucking gorgeous you are?" He drops both palms to the bed and leans forward, capturing one nipple. With a tug, it's hard and aching, shooting darts of sensation to my clit, which is dying for the perfect friction only Boone seems to be able to deliver.