He brushed his knuckles against my cheek. “Poor baby. It’s all my fault.” He folded his arms around me and held my cheek to his chest. “Shall I run you a bath? Maybe a glass of wine? Or is this more of a Midol headache?” His hands were rubbing over my shoulders and down my back.
Oh lord, when did he become so wonderful? I half wished I was back with the intimidating stranger I’d met all those weeks ago. The one I could have left behind without ripping my heart out at the same time.
Surely, he’d understand if I told him? Surely, he’d know this wasn’t my fault? But then again, maybe he’d also want to know why I’d let things get this far without sharing this information. My family’s entanglement with a crime lord. The man demanding a million dollars for my brother’s safe return. More than a million now, it would seem – no doubt thanks to my good fortune. I couldn’t even imagine what he might want from me now.
Oh, God…what am I going to tell Prince?
Prince Walker
Walking on Sunshine
Icupped her cheek and ran my thumb over her lips. She was pale. But still so beautiful. I could drown in those wide eyes. The blue of her irises had tiny dark flecks in them. It’s amazing what you notice when you take the time to look.
And as I looked now, I could see something was wrong. Perhaps just a headache, as she’d said. But I’d learned quickly that when something was bugging Sasha, it was more than just a headache.
Her smile was loving, though. She curled her fingers over my hand and pressed my palm against her face.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” she said softly.
I chuckled. “Sweetness, I was just thinking the same thing myself.” I drew her deeper into the apartment, kicked the door shut behind us, and tugged her with me back toward the living room. “So, what’ll it be. Run you a bath? Or I could give you a backrub?”
She smiled. “You know that might lead to sex, right?”
I gave a mock pained expression. “What? My intentions are innocent. What do you take me for?”
“I take you for the most wonderful man in the world!” As if on impulse, she wrapped her arms around my waist, pulled me close, and buried her face in my neck.
“Well, I’m glad someone finally realized it,” I chuckled. And then stopped. She was shuddering against me. Something was definitely wrong. “Hey,” I said, gently pulling away. “Come on now. There’s something up. Tell me…”
She chewed on her lip, eyes lowered, and then back up to mine. “My life is so different from yours. You know that, right?”
“It was,” I replied, stroking stray hair from her face. “But we share a life now. Is that what’s bothering you? Leaving your old life behind?”
She shook her head vigorously. “Oh god, no!” she said. “It’s more than I ever dreamed of!” She paused for a second. “It’s just that I’m afraid…”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” I tried to reassure her.
“But what if I have more baggage than you bargained for?”
I smiled. “How bad could it be?” I kissed her forehead. “Stop worrying about it, okay? We’re in this together. We’ll figure it out.”
She drew in a breath, opening her mouth as if to say something, then stopped. “Yes… Yes, you’re right.” Her smile was tremulous but lovely. For a moment, it was hard not to feel a little twinge of guilt. I guess I came with a lot of baggage, too. The press, the constant high-profile exposure, the persistent old flames. My fucking father was certainly no angel, either. He’d really laid into her the last time we saw him. But she’d given back as good as she received.
“You’re tougher than you realize, Sasha,” I murmured, tilting her head up so I could look into her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and the tip of her tongue flicked over them. Again, as if she was about to say something. I lowered my head and brushed my mouth against hers. It was always so easy to melt into this sweet woman.
When her lips opened beneath mine, I deepened the kiss, my hands running down over her shoulders and then around her waist. As always, the feeling of her softness against my hard lines brought something out in me that was hard to resist. Just looking at her made me want her. Touching her took things to a whole new level of need.
I pulled her more firmly against me, and she made a small sound at the back of her throat. Her hands were running down my bare skin, exploring the planes of muscle that led from my back to my hips. If I’d been aroused before, I was aching for her now. Each time her fingertips trailed along the waistband of my pants, I was almost desperate for her to inch lower.
I pushed my hips forward against her, and she groaned low as my cock pressed up against her lower belly.
“God, you’re so hard,” she whispered, her nails grazing over my ribs as she pulled her touch further forward.
“Jesus…the things you do to me,” I groaned. I stepped away and tugged at the belt on her robe. My eyes moved hotly down the expanse of naked perfection revealed as the robe slipped open. I pushed it over her shoulders and onto the floor, then took a luxurious moment to simply gaze at her.
I flicked my eyes back to meet hers, and they were dark with arousal. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” There was a time I’d have been annoyed to feel my voice go rough with emotion. Now it simply felt right. “You’re like some kind of goddess….” I reached up to release her hair from where she’d bound it up behind her head. When it fell loose around her shoulders and onto her chest, the image was complete.
Venus emerging from the waves. I doubted that anyone in my world would believe I appreciated art. But I did. And Sasha Ramirez was a masterpiece. I lowered myself to my knees at her feet and pressed my face into the crimson curls over her pussy.
