Shadow of Sin(69)

Samantha shook her head, still trying to deny what he knew she felt.

“I love you.” He moved faster. “Jesus fuck. You’re mine, Samantha. Only mine,” he vowed.

Caleb couldn’t control the words that rolled from his tongue. He hadn’t meant to tell her. Not yet.

He’d fought for so long. This, what he’d found with Samantha, was what made him feel whole. From the moment they’d met, she’d turned his life upside down. She drove him crazy, irritated the living shit out of him sometimes. But, she made every part of his life worthwhile. Everything he’d been through—every triumph, every mistake, every scar—had brought him here. To this place.

To her.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you. Come for me.”

Her ass tightened around his sensitized cock in a grip that bordered on pain. She exploded in a wave of rippling muscles and he was done. Caleb roared out as his release shot from his body with a force that left him shattered. His hips jerked, wave after wave of pleasure washing through him as he filled her with his seed.

Exhausted, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to the bed, his cock still buried deep inside her. “I love you,” he whispered.

He’d already said it once. Might as well go for broke.



* * *



There was no way she’d heard him correctly.

Caleb didn’t love her. He loved fucking her. That’s what he’d meant. Had to be.

Caleb pulled from her and rolled off the bed, leaving her feeling empty, her body devoid of the warmth only he could provide.

She hadn’t been immune to whatever had just happened between them. Her thighs still shook and the sound of her heart thrummed a heavy beat in her ears. She’d never felt so close, so connected to a person before. He’d demanded everything and she’d willingly obliged.

Could he? Did he?

No.

He’d gotten caught up in the moment, in the pleasure they’d shared.

That. Was. All.

“Huh-uh. Don’t do that.”

Samantha glanced up. “Do what?”

Caleb crawled over her, his body moving like a predator about to catch its prey. He placed a kiss between her brows. “Analyze what just happened. Stop it. I can feel the gears turning, sweetheart.”

He dropped to his side and tugged until she was spooned against the hard planes of his naked body. His heat warmed her from her neck to her toes.

“I won’t let you pull away from me. Not again. Not ever.”

Not ever?

They didn’t have the greatest history. Far from it. The last week hadn’t been all sunshine and hot sex, either. Tonight, for example. This didn’t erase the fact that he’d kept his plans from her. Plans that were directly related to her life.

“Caleb, I —”

“Believe in what you felt, Samantha.” His voice was soft against her ear. “We’ll figure the rest out.”

Could she do it? Could she give herself to a man who’d demand every piece of her?

She’d lived in fear of it her entire life. Fear that had turned into a cynicism that made her sick.

Thank you, daddy dearest, for those parting gifts.

She didn’t want to be that girl. The one who lived without love because she’d been too afraid to believe. The one who grew old with bitter hatred and a heart of stone.

Caleb wasn’t her father, not even remotely close. He wouldn’t do again what he’d done tonight and leave her in the dark. He wouldn’t.

She hadn’t been the only one who’d given something in this bed tonight. She’d gotten part of him as well.

Caleb sighed and dropped a kiss on her neck. “Come on, counselor. Let’s get cleaned up and get some sleep. Maybe then you’ll stop thinkin’ so hard.”

She took a deep breath and succumbed to the overwhelming feeling of being surrounded by him. She loved him, so the decision wasn’t really hers to make, was it?

Like it or not, her heart had already decided.





Chapter 17

Caleb had almost dozed off when a loud knock sounded at the front door. He rarely had unexpected company. His family knew better than to surprise him, especially in the middle of the night. That left either emergency personnel or someone who’d bypassed his security and shouldn’t be here.

As if she’d sensed his tension, Samantha stirred in his arms.

“Seriously?” she complained. “What does a girl have to do to get some sleep around here?”

He felt a twinge of guilt over the fact she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in a week. He kissed her forehead. “Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.”

He got up and pulled on a pair of jeans.

“Where’re you going?”

The question in her sleepy gaze tore at him. She deserved a moment of peace. They both did.