Retribution(61)

She gives me strength to face the day.

Wherever she is, my heart will stay.

My love for her will never fail.

She has it forever,

my sweet angel.”





He took her hand and helped her strum the final chord. Then he waited for the note to stop echoing through the room before kissing her ear. Tingles slid down her neck to her throbbing heart, and her chest quaked as tears filled her eyes. “That was beautiful.”

“You're beautiful,” he whispered.

“I’m an emotional wreck,” she corrected.

He nibbled on her ear while sending the guitar to its base. Then he picked her up and turned her around, parting her legs around his waist. “You’re my emotional wreck, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I make you sad.”

“No. This situation makes me sad. You make my heart beat.” He slid one shoulder of her dress down, exposing the left side of her chest. Then he cupped her breast while drifting his thumb over her heart. “I know yours is sore right now, but I’ll fix it.”

She swallowed a lump while blinking back tears. “How? Because usually, when you touch me like this, the rest of the world slips away and I'm in heaven. It’s been that way from the beginning, but it’s not that way now, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

He flashed a grin and raised his eyebrows. “Good thing you got me.”

She gasped as he picked her up and practically tossed her onto the couch beside him. Then the room dimmed as shades fell over the windows. In the time it took her to glance around, he’d moved between her legs and leaned over her, but they still had clothes on, and only their thighs touched.

“I’m afraid it won’t be so simple this time,” she whispered, trying hard not to fidget, but she was tense and guilty and uncomfortable.

“I’m up to the challenge,” he returned, lowering his lips within inches of hers.

Usually this would catch her breath as she anticipated his kiss, but at the moment, she was doing her best not to squirm.

Bracing himself with one hand, he found the buttons running down the front of her dress and unfastened the top three. Her breasts spilled out, and as cool air rushed over them, she pulled her arms in to cover herself. He let her, and he still hadn’t kissed her.

She glanced between his face and aura, wondering if her rigidness upset him, but he seemed calm and patient and prepared for the challenge, just as he’d claimed. Layla didn’t want to be his challenge; she didn’t want to be chased. She got enough of that from the people hunting her. With Quin, she wanted it to be easy. She wanted to be putty in his hands, but she felt more like a rock weighing him down.

Her throat swelled as she squeezed her eyes shut, and he gently swept his fingers down her face before tilting her head to the side. His lips found her neck, and his magical warmth spread through her tense body.

The heat didn’t relax her, but it made her feel more comfortable with her exposed breasts, so she let her arms slide away.

“There you go,” he approved.

She tried not to flinch as she awaited his touch, but when he moved his hand from her jaw, he slid it to her heart instead of her breasts. His fingers stretched as his mouth found the pulse in her neck, and the tingles she’d been missing shot from his lips, zipping through her chest to his hand.

She jolted as her lungs hiccupped, and while her head still worried, he’d gotten her body’s attention. She sobbed with relief, so happy that, through all the darkness, she still had the ability to enjoy his touch.

He returned his hand to her chin, urging her to face him. Then he softly kissed away her tears. She slid her fingers into his hair to keep him close, and he blindly reached for her skirt, hiking it up her thighs while vanishing his shorts. Her bare legs found his hips, and the tingles stretched, simultaneously soothing and arousing her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He drifted his lips across the tip of her nose while shaking his head. “I’m not done.”

The pad of his thumb swept over her closed lids. Then his fingers trailed through her curls, sending chills across her scalp. Taking her by the thigh, he pulled her closer, intensifying their electric connection. Then he gave her a long kiss while sliding his hand up her leg. His knuckles skated over her hip. Then his palm covered her pubic bone as his thumb dipped between her thighs. She still wore her panties, and the satin stimulated sensitive areas as his thumb pressed and rubbed. Her breathing quickened, and she felt his lips curve into a smile, his thumb stroking her panties until they were wet.

Yes, her body had definitely forgotten their troubles. Now she just wished her head and heart could do the same.