“That’s not it.” She managed to keep from sniffling, but she couldn’t keep the tears from trailing down her cheeks.
“What is it, cher? Tell me, and I’ll fix it.” He brushed her tears away with the pad of his thumb, cupping her cheek with his palm and cradling her head against his chest.
“I love you,” she said, turning her face to press her lips to the center of his palm. “I love loving you.”
“I love you, too.”
Hooking his hand behind her knees, he shifted her until she sat across his lap. He slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her, his tongue tasting the salt of her tears, teasing the seam of her mouth until she opened for him. He held her face, his fingers sliding under her hair and anchoring her in place while he kissed her until she forgot everything but him.
“Better?” He pulled back far enough to look at her, his slate blue eyes searching her face.
“Yes. Everything’s better now,” she said with a nod. “Well, except I don’t have job, but I can figure that out.”
“Wait here.” He nudged her off his lap and stood.
She watched him walk to the kitchen island, loving the way his flannel pajama pants rode low on his hips and the soft cotton of his T-shirt stretched across his broad back. God, he was a gorgeous man and everything about his body called to hers. She caught herself unconsciously leaning toward him and forced herself to sit back. He opened a drawer and took out something small, purposefully hiding it so she couldn’t see what he was holding.
“Close your eyes.” He settled on the sofa beside her and waited until she squeezed her eyes shut tight. She felt him take her hand and then slip something cool around her wrist. “Okay, open.”
She blinked her eyes open and looked down to see her bracelet, the one he’d given her for Christmas, complete with all the missing fish she’d left as a bread crumb trail for him and Jackson to find.
“How did you do this?” They’d been together every minute since he carried her out of the filthy warehouse. She’d taken off the broken bracelet with its missing fish to bathe, but he hadn’t had time to take it anywhere himself.
“I had it fixed. Adam dropped it off while you were asleep.” He held her hand, turning it so the tiny jeweled fish caught the light, and she saw the single red fish that hadn’t been there before. She touched it with her finger, watching the orange and red stones wink at her. “If you don’t want to wear it, I’ll understand. I just didn’t want them to take it from you. I won’t let anyone take anything from you ever again.”
It was the kind of promise no one, not even Eric Auxtres, could keep, but she loved him for making it.
She launched herself into his arms, burying her face in his neck and breathing in the clean citrus scent of his soap. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.” She held his face in her hands, grinning when she saw the shine of the fish back in its place on her wrist.
She kissed him, and he met her, his lips firm and warm under hers. She nipped at his bottom lip, scraping it with her teeth and catching his growl with her mouth. He let her direct the kiss, matching her but not taking over. It didn’t matter. She could still feel the power in his touch, in his mouth, like a tiger pretending to be tame.
“I was thinking,” he said between kisses. “Maybe you don’t need to get a job. Hear me out.” And then he covered her mouth with his, swallowing the protest she’d been about to make. He kissed her, teasing her lips until she softened. “I’m not talking about making you a kept woman, although I’d gladly keep you.” He palmed her ass hauling her closer so she felt the long hard ridge of his cock against the backs of her thighs. “What about trying your aquaculture idea?”
The breath caught in her throat, and she had to wait a moment before she could answer him. Before Eric, no one had ever done more than mock her idea to start a fish farm. But something like that took a lot of capital to get started and even more to keep it running until the balance was exactly right, and it started to produce a viable product. Capital she didn’t have, and letting Eric front the money for her wasn’t a lot different than letting him keep her.
“Eric, I can’t…” She paused caught between her dream and needing to keep things between them on as even footing as she could possibly manage.
He kissed her again, distracting her and teasing the seam of her mouth while he shifted her to straddle his lap. “Easy,” he said, nipping her lip and soothing the hurt with the tip of his tongue. “Don’t panic. I’m not talking about putting the money up myself, at least not all of it. I’ll help you find legitimate investors. Although, you shouldn’t deny me a chance to get in on the action.” He pulled her closer, rocking her hips so his cock pressed against her aching clit. Suddenly her panties and his flannel were too much fabric between them.
“I get the feeling you’re not talking about the fish anymore.” She tipped her hips, sliding against him, and watched his eyes go dark.
“Not just the fish,” he said, surging up and flipping her under him before she even realized they were moving. He eased her underneath him, holding his body above hers. She laughed and gripped his arms, feeling the muscles bunch under her hands.
“I don’t intend to deny you anything. Ever.”
“Good girl. Now, put your hands above your head and don’t move them until we both come.”
Swallowing hard in delicious anticipation, she did as he commanded, reaching behind her to grip the armrest of the sofa. Eric raised his hips just enough to slide the drawstring pants down, freeing his hard thick cock. She watched him touch himself, biting her lip to keep from reaching for him. He was all strength and hunger. Glorious power coiled tight in an amazing man and she needed him to take her, to mark her as his. A needy whimper fell from her lips and she watched his eyes go dark. Wrapping his fist around his length, he pushed her panties to the side and rubbed the smooth head of his erection along the slick seam of her sex, testing her.
She spread her legs wide, making space for him and raised her hips, moving her sex closer. Positioning himself at her opening, he teased her until her breath came in shallow gasps, and she bucked up to meet him, trying anything she could think of to get him inside.
“Now, cher,” he said. “Take all of me, now.”
With one swift thrust he slid into her, angling his cock to drag across her swollen sensitive tissues, touching her where she needed him most. Arching her back, she held on with white-knuckled desperation as he thrust, driving them higher and higher with each stroke. Pressing her hips into the soft cushions, he moved over her body, hitting her aching clit with each stroke. She felt the familiar desire wind tight as he moved inside her with long punishing thrusts, forcing her body’s response to his relentless touch.
Her back bowed, and he bent claiming her nipple with his hot mouth, suckling her through the soft cotton of her T-shirt, his teeth scrapping over the tight peak. That was all it took to throw her over the edge, and she cried out as the climax rocketed through her. Her body tightened, pulsing in time with her release. He groaned and she felt the rumble of his mouth against her breast, but he didn’t slow or alter his rhythm. Holding off his own climax, he drove her on stretching one climax into two.
Only when her body clamped tight on him, spiraling into another orgasm, and she chanted his name with breathless cries did he let go, giving into his own climax. With his jaw clenched tight, he surged into her. She felt his cock thicken and swell moments before he collapsed in sweet surrender, filling her with hot pulsing jets, marking her with his release and claiming her as his own.
She brought her arms down to stroke his back as her legs wrapped around his hips, cradling him to her. Holding him like she’d never let him go.
