The Mech Who Loved Me(111)

"Liam," she whispered, and glanced down at him in shock.

Just one more night.

He closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against her bottom, cursing himself under his breath. He should have ended this last night. He should never have followed her in here.

But like a moth to the flame, he was drawn into her sphere, helpless against the look in her eyes.

Ava. It would always be Ava. And maybe the Kincaid curse would strike him down, but at least he'd know what it felt like to know love, just this once.

Ava turned, sliding a hand through his hair and tilting his head up so he could see her blushing. "What are you thinking?"

His gaze slid down over her small breasts and the smooth plane of her abdomen, toward the golden down between her thighs. "I'm thinking I don't want to waste another damned minute," he replied hoarsely, pressing his face into that hair and breathing in her sweet musk. Running his hands up the backs of her thighs, he cupped her ass and pushed his face against her.

Ava moaned, throwing her head back, and sliding her hand through his hair. "You are so wicked."

"And you love me for it."

The second the words were said, he wished he could take them back, but Ava merely looked down at him, her eyes wide and startled. "Yes," she whispered, "But that's not the only reason I love you." She dragged him up to her to kiss him before he could reply.

His ribs squeezed tight around his heart as Kincaid captured her mouth. He couldn't stop touching her, breathless with a feeling he didn't dare give name to.

I can't give you forever.

He crushed her close to him, capturing her slim form in his arms as he kissed her, pouring everything he couldn't find the courage to say into that kiss.

But I can give you my heart, poor, pathetic thing it is.

Taking her hand, he slid it through the gap in his shirt buttons, pressing her palm flat against his chest. His pulse hammered through his veins as he traced her tongue in a hot caress. It's beating for you. Then her hands were tugging at his buttons, her mouth breaking from his just long enough for him to see the determined look in her eye.

Nothing more needed to be said. Both of them could pretend last night never happened, and this was just pleasure between them.

"Off," Ava demanded, stripping his shirt from his broad shoulders and tugging his sleeves from his wrists, taking care not to rip it on the bare spars of his mech hand. 

"And these?" He slid a thumb behind his waistband, his cock pressing hard against his buttons.

"Off," Ava whispered, her eyes pure black with need as she took a step back toward the bath, and then another.

Kincaid watched her with lazy eyes as he stripped down to nothing, making short work of the leather straps that kept his braces in place. He'd never been naked in front of her before. Hell, he hadn't been naked in front of a woman for a long time. He saw her gaze slide down his body, taking in the jut of his erection, his strong thighs, his abnormally enlarged calves....

There was a lump in his throat as he waited for her to ask, but she merely held a hand out to him. "Come and love me, Liam. Just this once."

Ava stepped into the bath, sinking into the luxurious bubbles and capturing a handful of hair in a way that lifted her breasts. His mouth went dry. "We're not going to fit."

She went under, water pouring off her hair as she sat back up, rubbing her eyes. Then she smiled. "Yes, we are. Get in this bath with me right now, Liam Kincaid. I'm cold, and I just want to sink into your arms for a while and soak up all of that delicious heat."

The first step without his supportive braces always made him nervous. He managed to get into the bath, his cock rampant between them, as he settled in behind her. Ava surrendered herself back into his arms, as if she needed to be held. Water sloshed over the sides, and he was right: they barely fit. Yet somehow it was perfect.

"Today was horrible," she whispered. "And I thought I was going to become hysterical."

"But you didn't."

"It was close," she whispered, and rested her head on his chest. "I can never control whether it will take me over, but it was easier there, with you by my side. Just knowing you're there makes me feel safe, though I don't think that will ever stop it."

They stayed there for long moments, absorbing the heat of the bath. Kincaid kissed the top of her head. He liked being able to share the troubles of the day with her, to assuage hers. They were two broken souls who became infinitely stronger together. Maybe he'd never be whole; maybe she never would be. But when she was in his arms, he felt like all the ruined cracks in his psyche were patched.

He could be happy with her.

Ava turned in his arms, looking up at him, her wet lashes clumping together. "Thank you."