“Where?”
“To my house. Or yours. It doesn’t matter.”
Paisley looked over her shoulder as if anticipating that Julia would walk into the bar in a fit of rage. Or, more likely, whoever had jumped her earlier. Not a fucking chance. I wasn’t going to leave her alone again tonight.
“I don’t know, Hansen,” she said softly. I sat back down on her side of the booth and slid in until my arm touched hers.
“I would like your company,” I murmured. I brushed back a strand of her long brown hair and traced my fingers along her neckline. “Please?”
“Is this only because you’re worried about me?” she teased, but there was a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“It’s because I want to be near you. It’s all I’ve wanted since the first day I met you.”
She hesitantly smiled, leaning her head so it rested against my chest. She closed her eyes, and I brought one hand up to pull her into me while the other hand stroked her hair.
“Let me take care of you tonight,” I murmured, kissing the top of her head.
The car ride back to my house was quiet but comfortable. Paisley kept hold of my hand the whole way there. I didn’t poke her for answers; I hoped that when the time came, she’d be able to tell me. I got the feeling that she wasn’t too trusting of people, especially men, and if that meant having to sit back and let her come to me, I’d do it happily. I wasn’t about to screw it up before it even began.
My house was modest but cozy, and Paisley looked delighted as soon as we walked in. Julia had moved out the last of her things a couple days earlier, so it was emptier than usual but quiet and comfortable.
“I love it,” Paisley said, stepping into the living room with me. “I get so tired of apartment living. I’m jealous you don’t have to share the wall.” The large, leather sectional couch was placed in the middle of the floor, pointing at the big screen TV, and a few soft throw blankets were hung up around my old recliner. Paisley slipped her shoes off her feet and left them by the door, and I did the same. I grabbed one of the fuzzy throws from the chair and draped it around her shoulders, careful not to jostle her too much as she took a seat on the couch and tucked her legs beneath her, cozying down into the cushions. I sat next to her, taking her chin in my fingertips to check her swollen lip and bruised eye.
“Thank you for inviting me over,” she said and allowed me to lift her shirt just enough to see black and purple bruises forming on her abdomen.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, shaking my head, but Paisley ignored me.
“It looks worse than it is,” she assured me, but I wasn’t sure I believed it. As I started to stand to get her a drink, Paisley caught my hand in her own and pulled me back down onto the couch, meeting my eyes. She placed my hand on her cheek, smiling.
Her skin was soft for a woman who worked as hard as she did. I let my fingers trail down her face, cupping her chin, drinking her in. Her smile, the deep color of her chocolate chestnut eyes, her brows arched, and her nose wrinkled when she was trying to hold something back. There were callouses on her hands, just under the grooves of her fingers, but they made her who she was…a fighter. They made me want her more than I already did.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured. She reached one hand up and ran her fingers through my hair, sending a shiver of desire down my spine. The hairs on my neck stood up as she traced her fingers down the side of my face.
“I want you,” she breathed. “I want you now.”
“Are you sure?” I feared hurting her, but she didn’t seem to share my concern as she slipped into the couch’s cushion until she was underneath me, reaching for the button on my jeans.
I scooted Paisley down on the couch, sneaking my hand up her shirt to caress the nipples under her bra. They grew hard under my touch, and she groaned with anticipation, her body reacting to mine. Her hips rose to meet my own. The mere touch of her body against mine had me fighting not to lose control. I unbuttoned the jeans she wore and rested my lips just below her belly button, teasing her but careful not to hurt her. Paisley made a sound deep in her throat, her hands tightening the grip she had on my arm. I slipped the Levi’s from her body and tossed them aside, admiring how she looked lying half-naked below me. She watched me with anticipation, a flush rising to her cheeks, a lip pulled between her teeth as her eyes scanned my face.
Just looking at her was too much to resist. I pulled off her panties, and before Paisley could say anything, I slipped one finger into her and another. She gasped, caught off guard, but her hips shot up, pleading for more. My penis throbbed against her bare leg, and I wanted so badly to take her, hold her to me until she begged to never stop.
Paisley groaned as I slipped my fingers in and out of her, then she pulled my face down near her own, one hand on each of my cheeks.
“Take me,” she said. Her lips rose to meet mine, and I kissed her gently, running one finger over the top of her lip, teasing her. I reached for the emergency box of condoms stuffed in the bottom of the coffee table drawer and ripped one open with my teeth. Before I could slip it on, Paisley slowly took it and slid it over me so that every second she touched me pushed me deeper over the edge. “Take me now.”
I didn’t hesitate; I couldn’t. Paisley opened her legs wider for me, and I forced myself into her, a buzz of electricity traveling through my body. She felt so good wrapped around me, one hand tangled in my hair, the other one clutching my arm. I was careful not to jostle her too much, but the adrenaline overtaking her body seemed to keep her from feeling much pain, and she tightened around me, eyes closed, head thrown back. She moaned, panting, and the muscles in my body strained as the desire for release gripped me. A muscle in Paisley’s jaw twitched, and she tightened around me suddenly, gasping for breath as she released, falling slightly limp. Knowing it was time to let go, I released, pulling in the air as we lay tangled on the couch with a crocheted throw tossed over our semi-naked bodies. I rested my lips on Paisley’s forehead, and she closed her eyes, sighing, and we fell asleep holding each other until the new morning sun kissed the fleeting mountaintop hours later.
Chapter37
Paisley
“Fuck almighty, Hill, what happened to your face? Did you run into a wall again?”
I looked up from the paper I’d been reading, scowling at Korbin. He stooped down a bit to get a better view, squinting at me.
“It’s nothing,” I said, wishing suddenly that I’d prepared a better excuse to dodge questions from the men. “I bit my lip.”
“With what?” Korbin said. “Anail? Certainly, not with your teeth.”
