“Yes, of course,” I said without hesitation.
I felt Braxen grin against my ear. Then he nipped my earlobe. “I feel a lot for you.” He straightened and angled his head so we could look at each other. “Things I've never felt for anyone before. I want you.”
Braxen took my empty bowl and set it aside. With the same movement, he slid onto the floor before me. Holding my stare, he pushed my legs apart and eased between them. Broad palms coasted up my outer thighs, drawing my skirt up. Braxen leaned forward. I felt cocooned by him, ready for him to change me into a butterfly. And I knew he would. His body would do things to mine that would alter me forever. Maybe I'd even fly.
Hadn't I just balked at the possibility of having sex with Merrick? And yet, there I was, on the cusp of sleeping with Braxen. And it made perfect sense to me. To my libido, at least.
My breath caught when he pressed our chests together, his muscles flattening my breasts, then rubbing, teasing our nipples against each other. Hard little buds bursting with sensation. I groaned and spread my legs wider. It was a blatant invitation, and I knew I was going to fuck this man. All night, despite how tired I was. I decided.
Braxen braced his hands on the back of the couch and eased off me. He didn't leave, just gave us some space. He used that space to nuzzle my ear, then my throat. With light kisses, then flicks of his tongue, Braxen covered my neck, then made his way across my upper chest, grazing the tops of my breasts.I arched and tried to get him to go lower. Instead, he went up again.
Braxen whispered in my ear, “I want to fuck you, Lomasi. And I know you want it too. But this isn't about sex. I need you to see me first. See me as I see you.”
“I just told you how much I see,” I growled. “How many more compliments do you need?”
“That's just it. I don't mean my face. I want you to see past all that.”
“I said you lighten my heart.”
“I want to fill it too. Claim it.”
Braxen pushed back, putting his fists to the seat on either side of me. He looked like a gorilla about to pounce. Brutal. Terrifying. Beautiful. Wet and throbbing, I tried to squeeze my legs together to get some relief, but his body prevented that. I moaned and reached between my legs.
Braxen growled and bent to bite my wrist. I gaped down at him in shock. Had he really done that? Bit me? He rolled his eyes up to look at me, a warning in them. I nodded. He drew back, licking at the indents he'd left on my wrist before straightening.
“Tomorrow, I'll take you to the gallery. We can spend more time together. Until then, I want you wanting me.” He shot forward and claimed my mouth.
I grabbed at his shoulders, so turned on that I was ready to hold him in place with my nails and rub myself against the bulge in his pants if I had to. I knew it was too fast. Hadn't I said I wanted to take it slow? And yet, I couldn't stop myself.Braxen snarled into our kiss and grabbed my hips to shove me back. He nipped at my bottom lip in warning again, then slipped his tongue back into my mouth to lash at mine. Still, I fought for more, clawing at his back and arching into him.
Braxen grabbed my wrists and shoved them against the couch. He kissed me a few seconds longer, then pushed away from me, getting to his feet. It put my face in line with his crotch, and with his shirt disheveled from our kiss, I was able to see the top of his jeans. His cock peeked above it, the tip fully revealed, blushed pink and weeping. I moaned and leaned forward.
He jerked his shirt down. “Don't!” he said and backed away. “And don't touch yourself, Lora. I will know if you do, and I will be disappointed.”
With that, Braxen left the room. I watched him go, baffled that any man would walk away from sex. When the door clicked, it was like the snap of a hypnotist's fingers. I came back to myself with a jolt and gaped down at my rumpled clothes. Everything was skewed, my skirt hiked up, my top dragged down, and my legs spread wide.
“Holy shit,” I whispered and shuddered. “What am I doing? Fuck. I almost fucked him. Rune's brother. A man I barely know. I almost fucked him with Rune sleeping somewhere nearby. Fuck!” I rubbed a hand over my face. “Would he have been upset?” I thought about the way Rune had smiled when Braxen told him about our kiss. “Shit. He might have been thrilled.”
That realization turned things upside-down again. My sense of what was right and wrong got skewed. Between my legs was a serious ache, and as much as I was horrified to feel it, as much as I knew Rune was nearby and I should go to him to easethe ache, I couldn't stop myself from slipping my hand into my panties.
Rune couldn't help me with this. Braxen had brought me to the edge and only he could take me over. Well, him or my fantasy of him. I closed my eyes and imagined that things had gone differently. Braxen had pulled down my panties and lapped at my sex. Feasted with grunts and growls. His thick finger pumped into me, preparing me for his cock. He wouldn't even undress, just open his fly and shove himself into me. Join us with a single thrust.
I moaned as I imagined Braxen pumping wildly into me. My back arched, and I yanked my blouse open so I could massage my breasts. It was Braxen touching me. Braxen pinching my nipples. He'd suck hard on them. No mercy for his woman. Not when she needed to come. He'd hold me down when I trembled and keep fucking me through my orgasm. Rune was thrilling in bed. Strong and steady. But Braxen would be ruthless. He wouldn't ask what I needed, he'd simply know. And he would make sure I fucking got it.
Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I came. My body went into a violent spasm, everything shaking. The kind of blissful, ugly release you only get when no one was looking. When it was over, I felt a little ashamed but sated. I stood up on shaking legs and stumbled to the bed.
Braxen's words came back to me as I settled under the covers.“I will know, and I will be disappointed.”
I snorted. “How could he possibly know?”
Chapter Twenty
“I know what you did,” Braxen whispered in my ear.
I had woken up early that morning and showered. When I got downstairs, it was to find all three of the men waiting for me in the kitchen. They had made breakfast. We ate in the dining room, our conversation light until I mentioned going in to work. Evidently, Braxen hadn't shared his plan with the other two. Rune and Merrick had assumed I'd be taking some time off. I didn't want to do that and saw no reason to. They said they needed to hunt down Michael and couldn't do it if they were worried about me. The whole point of bringing me there in a rush the night before was to get me behind their ward—basically an invisible magic shield that only allows certain things or people through—and keep me there. No leaving until it was safe.
That's when Braxen finally announced that he'd be serving as my bodyguard.
When the other men balked, Braxen said they'd be rotating the duty. He also pointed out that it was a casual way for Merrick and him to get to know me, and for me to become accustomed to them. Rune and Merrick finally gave in. It had all gone smoothly after that. I collected my purse and keys, then left with Braxen. He was fine, even smiled at me a few times as he drove me to work in his blue truck. But then we parked, and hewent around to open my door. It was as he was helping me out that he whispered those words into my ear.
