“Because. I mean. I’m sick and all. I sometimes have to take several days and just recuperate and it’s not fun. Most men…”
“That's part of your problem. You’re dating the wrong kinds of guys. I’m not them.” I lean over the table and hold her gaze as her cinnamon eyes widen and stare at me like I’m a lunatic. “I’m the kind of man that wants to help my woman. So if she needs time to recuperate then I cook and clean and take care of things so that she can. I would want her to be happy and healthy and I’d want to help her as much as I could to be that way. So if some guy was ditching you because you weren’t enough fun, then that guy was an asshole and he wasn’t worth the buckshot to shoot him in his lousy ass!”
She gasps and her lips make the prettiest “O”. I want to do the dirtiest things to those lips. To all of her.
“But, I mean, I’m not that pretty.”
I stand up and tower over her, stalking around the table to lean over her as she turns those gorgeous eyes up to me. “I don’t want to hear that kind of shit again.” My eyes raze down herbody and I can feel my cock thickening just from being inches away from her shivering body. I want to sink inside her and hold her tight as I devour her moans and cries.
I want to take care of her so that she never does what happened earlier. That scared the hell out of me.
“You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman and there’s no man worth his salt that wouldn’t see that.”
“I…I really need to go home.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want to say it in front of Casey. I actually didn’t want to say it at all. But the sheets are.” She stops and sighs, turning her head away and I swear I see a single tear trickling down her pale cheek. “That’s where the rash came from. When I have these damn flare-ups, my skin gets so touchy that anything can set it off.”
“Is it just a rash?” I ask, touching the pink skin on her hands gently.
“No, it’s like the nerves are raw and sensitive. It hurts.”
My whole body goes rigid and I can’t breathe. She hurts so bad that she can’t stand fabric touching her.
I hate that. Hate it so damn bad. I want to protect her, hold her and keep her safe. And the fabric on that bed hurt her. I want to burn it.
I close my eyes and groan to myself, standing tall and fisting my hair in my hands. “I’m so sorry, princess. I should have taken care of you better.”
“You didn’t know. And there’s nothing wrong with that fabric. It’s beautiful. It’s just.”
“It’s not good enough.”
“No!” She hollers and then clears her throat. Her cinnamon eyes darken. “I’m so sorry. I hurt you.”
“I hurt you physically. And I can take hearing that you can’t sleep in that bed. I just can’t take hearing that it hurt you.” I turnto the bedroom, growling under my breath. “I want to burn it. Rip it to shreds.”
She stands and comes up behind me, her hands gentle on my own. My breath stills in my chest. I can’t breathe. She’s so close. I can smell her, feel her warmth.
I look down at her slender fingers, barely pink and my heart thuds. I turn into her and lean down, brushing her lips gently with mine. So soft and sweet. Just like her.
Her soft lips cling to mine and a raw hunger burns in my gut. But I don’t give in.
She’s so fragile. I can’t hurt her. But I want to do so much to this fragile little body.
My fingers rest gently on her arm and they flex as the kiss goes on and on.
She mewls and my whole body goes taut, like a predator about to pounce
It takes so much self-control that I’m shaking but I pull back and study her glazed, slumberous eyes. Her lashes flutter and she stares up at me.
And I know that this woman is mine. She’s a dainty little fairy that needs me to take care of her and do naughty, naughty things to her.
And I’m all in for it.
But for tonight she needs to rest. I caress her cheek and smile. “I’ll call you a car. But I want to see you again, Lily. So write your number down and then get ready. Because you thought there wasn’t a man for you, but that was just because you hadn’t met me yet.”
And with those words, I walk away to get my phone, smirking when I see her pretty lips hanging open again.
