Reaching out with a wince as he jostled his leg, he skimmed his fingers lightly over her ruined skin. “It’s a fucking badge of bravery.” His voice was full of awe and anguish. “I only wish you’d never had to earn it.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. For fourteen years, she’d regarded her scar as the mark of her dad’s killer, a way for him to continue to intrude on her life. And more importantly, a mark of her failure. “I’ve never thought of it that way,” she said, beginning to see everything in a new light through Scott’s eyes. He never registered revulsion. Anger on her behalf, maybe. Or sorrow. But not disgust. “Thank you.”
Their eyes met. “Thank you for trusting me,” he said, his gaze flickering to her breasts and back to her face as she slid off the bed and stood next to him. He licked his lips and watched her, not bothering to hide his desire.
Heat shimmied through her and made her stomach tingle. “I showed you mine…”
He hesitated long enough that she thought she’d miscalculated. Then he said, “You just wanna get me naked.”
She gave him a coy look, “Maybe.”
His answering smile lit his gorgeous face, and her heart stuttered. He let his gaze roam over her body, cranking up her inner furnace as surely as if he’d touched her. “I don’t think I’m ready to bare all,” he said, leaning against the headboard ever so casually and putting his hands behind his head in a way that showcased his ripped biceps. “Not without some incentive.”
“Oh, yeah? How’s this for incentive?” She shucked her pants and underwear and carefully straddled his lap.
Scott’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest at the sight of Valerie naked. She was so fucking beautiful, scar and all. Except he wanted to hunt down and kill the bastard who’d hurt her—both physically and emotionally—so badly.
But now, right now was for getting his hands on all of her smooth skin and her fabulous curves.
She straddled him and he almost lost it. Mind. Blown.
“Christ, you’re hot,” he said, combing his hands into her hair and pulling her in for a kiss he’d been waiting hours to take.
Her lips were soft and warm and willing, and he plied her with soft brushes and nibbles and licks until she opened for him. He fell deeper under her magic with every sweep of her sweet tongue and stroke of her hands over his chest. She tasted like mint and joy and redemption and he couldn’t get enough. He wanted to tear off his boxers and bury himself so deep inside her that he forgot his name.
With a quick nip at his lips, she withdrew, putting enough space between them to look at him. Her gold-flecked brown eyes shone with mischief and heat and need. “You’re not holding up your end of the bargain.”
He spread his palms over her generous breasts, kneading their delicious softness and caressing the dark pink nipples with his palms. When her gaze turned slightly out of focus, he said, “I got distracted.”
“Hmmpf.”
Chuckling, he leaned forward and suckled her gently. She gasped and closed her eyes. He sucked harder and lightly scraped her rigid flesh with his teeth. She moaned and dropped her head back, grinding her pelvis onto his impossibly hard erection.
Holy shit, she was incredible. As much as he wanted her—right fucking now—he could no longer imagine the quick and dirty fuck he’d craved just minutes earlier. She wasn’t some meaningless lay, and he didn’t want to rush.
Her breath came faster as he continued to fondle and nuzzle and kiss her. “Take off your shirt,” she demanded.
“You do it.”
She tugged his T until he had to part from her to get his head and arms free, nearly ripping the seams in the process. God love her enthusiasm.
He dove toward her, impatient to bury his face in her soft bosom, but she pushed him away. “Let me ogle,” she said, narrowing her eyes in mock anger.
Scott couldn’t hold back a laugh. Who knew she’d be playful in bed? He freaking loved her like this.
His smile faltered.Don’t get attached.
But how could he not? The way she looked at him… Jesus. His heart fluttered like a wounded bird.
Growing up, he’d been short and scrawny. The Dick had called him a pencil neck, a bag of bones, a twig he could snap with his bare hands… The girls at school had thought he was “cute,” like their little brothers. Fucking demoralizing for a horny teenager. Scott couldn’t change his height—which at five-nine was statistically about average, but felt short nonetheless, especially at Steele where the other guys were built more like Dan—but he had hit the gym hard in juvie and packed on as much muscle as his body type would allow while in the Marines.
“You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met,” Valerie said, toying briefly with the HOG’s tooth strung around his neck before reaching out to trace his pecs. Her feather-light touch sent shivers down to his toes. Then she trailed her fingers slowly over the ridges of his abs leaving sparks in her wake. When she reached his boxers, her fingers slipped beneath the waistband and skated along the edge of the fabric as she held his gaze.
He forgot how to breathe as she tugged the only barrier between them lower.
Taking her hands in his, he stopped her progress and gave her a desperate, hungry kiss that stretched out far longer than he’d intended. “Hang tight,” he said, lifting her hips to move her off his lap.
She frowned, but scrambled aside. Once on his feet, he took a deep breath, drew his underwear down over the bandage, and let the boxers drop to the floor as he straightened.
