He looked up, his whiskers scraping her needy clit. Sensation sliced through her, tightening every muscle. “You’ll take what I give you, Hope, and you’ll learn patience.”
The words should have pissed her off. Instead, a traitorous trembling rolled from the top of her body to the bottom of her feet, making her clit pound even harder as that shudderpassed through.
He moved down again, sucked her entire clit into his mouth, and then went at her like amale possessed.
He was tongue and teeth and lips and fingers.
She didn’t know which one was coming when they were all over her, and still it was not enough. He drove her up fast and then played with her on the edge until she was bucking and nearly crying in her need for relief.
When panic was hitting her, and desperation was making her plant her heels on his back and press against him, he finally let her fall over. She crashed hard, live wires uncoiled inside her, tossing her off that ledge to be broken into amillion pieces.
She cried out loudly, and she was pretty sure it was his name she shrieked. Her body rippled with something way too close to pain to be called mere pleasure, and yet she couldn’t stop shuddering wildly with the climax. She came down slowly, her heart thundering so loudly she was sure Libby could hear it on the other side of the house. Oh man. She covered her eyes. Had Libby heard that?
Hope came back to the cool air brushing her skin, lying there stunned, satiated, and vulnerable. Paxton stood and gazed down at her. The look in his eyes showed need and lust, desire and something deeper. Much deeper.
She blinked and slowly forced herself to sit up, dazed. She could have stopped him, and she had chosen not to. They both knew that.
His chin lifted, giving him the look of a warrior about to charge. “I’ll take your taste with me until the day I die.” He pulledoff his shirt.
She blinked at the raw play of natural strength. She could see the animal deep inside Pax—the warrior who’d taken on a squad of Kurjans by himself and hadn’t broken a sweat. His muscled torso was wide and tapered to ridged abs so tight it was shocking bullets didn’t bounce right off them. “Whatare you doing?”
“I’m not leaving you.” His jeans were next, and she tried to look away, but there was a lot to look at in those dark boxers.
“Paxton.” She should feel foolish. Instead, she felt satiated, stunned, and still aroused. She shook her head, torn between reaching to take what she wanted and being the responsible person she needed to be.
He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, pulled the covers back, tossed her in, and curled in behind her. “We’re just gonna sleep, baby. Weboth need it.”
Had Paxton Phoenix just called herbaby?She should not like that. Not at all. Yet pleasure unfolded inside her. Man, she was screwed up. She should make him leave. But as she settled into his magma-hot body, every muscle in her body relaxed and settled and submitted as if this was exactly whereshe should be.
She didn’t know what to say. What had just happened? She wanted to roll over, kiss him, and take care of the raging hard-on pressed against her butt. A shiver took her. His arm tightened like a band of iron beneath her breasts, and he pulled her closer to him, so much bigger and stronger thanshe’d ever be.
His lips wandered over the top of her head, and she felt that touch through her entire body. “Pax? I’ve never done that before.”
Hepaused. “Good.”
She shouldn’t care, but she did. “I’ve kissed people butnot much more.”
His body was a shield around her. “Why not?” There was curiosity in his tone as well as a definite growl ofpossessiveness.
She swallowed, feeling way too vulnerable. “I guess I figured it would be like cheating on someone.” On her future mate. On fate. “Plus, it’s not like I’ve had a lot of alone time in my life.” She was quiet, hermind spinning.
His thighs were solid heated rock behind hers. “Askthe question.”
How did he know her so well? It didn’t matter. They weren’t dating and never would. She’d agreed to Drake’s terms. “You were good at that. Have you been with a lot of females?” She told herself, again, that itdidn’t matter.
“No. Nobody.” His lips moved lazily down to her ear. “There’s only been you. My entire life.”
Her heart pretty much exploded—then ached. She wanted happiness, to be with him, but if she could save the world from another war, she had to do so. “Pax—”
“Go to sleep, Kyllwood. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” His voice was already drowsy, and then he dropped into sleep, still holding her as tightly as she could ever want.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Paxton came awake instantly, as he always did, keeping his eyes closed and scanning the surrounding area for any threats. He was in a warm bed, and the scent of Hope was all around him—orange spice and vanilla bean. How she smelled like that, he’d never figured out. There was no bodywash or lotion that came close.
While his body was relaxed, his cock ached and throbbed. To be so close to her, all night, was more than his body could take. He took a deep breath, feeling her snuggled against him. In the night, he had rolled onto his back, and she had curled into his side, one thigh over his leg, her hand splayed on his abdomen. Her face was tucked into his neck, and she was breathing softly. She had all but wrapped herself around him during the night, as if she didn’twant him to go.
He had no intention ofgoing anywhere.
