She tried to remember what she’d said exactly, something about a sinful voice. And here came the flush that would color her cheeks a deep crimson. How was she going to live this down?
“Well, to be honest, my brother’s a huge fan. I was spouting off stuff he would say to keep the conversation flowing. I was nervous to be alone with you.” She couldn’t help the corny line spilling from her lips. “Guess I’m just not that into you.”
“Bullshit!” He leaped out of his seat and knelt before her. Gently, he cupped her cheeks. “You’re very much into me.”
“I’m into Ash. Not sure about Blaze,” she teased.
His dark hair hung down over his face, shading the verdant green of his eyes. A fire burned there. He was going to kiss her, too, and if that happened…well, her eyes flicked to the closed door between them and the cockpit.
He breathed out. “Just one kiss, babe.” His infectious grin was back. He leaned his forehead to rest against hers. “Am I crazy, or do you feel this, too?”
“I don’t know what to feel. I was engaged a couple of days ago.” She tried to pull away, but Ash wouldn’t let her go.
A breath pulsed out of her lungs and into him. His shoulders lifted as he inhaled.
“I’ve been on the road since I was seventeen, over a decade now. I’ve never had a normal girlfriend. You have no idea?—”
“Oh, there’s nothing remotely normal about me.”
Their faces remained kissably close, their foreheads still pressed together.
“I don’t want to ruin this,” he said, “but, damn it, Skye. I don’t want to lose you. I know you’re not a believer, but fate brought us together for a reason.”
His lips brushed against hers, and an answering desire stirred within her core. Once again, he incited a reaction.But what would happen if he tried for more than a simple kiss? She was damaged beyond repair, her body’s responses not hers to control. She wished things might be different with him, but didn’t dare to hope.
The captivating glide of his lips demanded a response. She felt all of him, overwhelmed by the sensations he pulled from her troublesome body. She should be terrified, but she found herself swept away.
Beneath her excitement, fear lurked, a small niggling piece of doubt. Falling for Ash would add more complexity into a life full of difficulty. Rushing into something more wasn’t smart.
Ash wasn’t a starving artist. He was a rock star!
Instead of thinking about all the reasons she should keep her distance, she focused on his fingers digging into her arm and those twined in her hair. The heavy rasp of his breathing mirrored her soft sighs. They connected on a level where souls melded, and while that terrified her, she couldn’t stop her reckless rush toward to him.
And, as her heart rate accelerated, he deepened the kiss with a growl, pressing against her, as if he would lose her if he let her go. He licked and stroked and pushed his tongue deep, possessing her like a man on a mission.
Then, he pushed the seat back flat and crawled over her, staring down with need. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. Her fingers dug into his scalp as he stole her very breath with another mind-bending, heart-melting kiss.
His breathing changed, and his weight shifted. He grabbed her wrists, disentangling her fingers from his hair to pin her hands above her head. “Fuck, you drive me insane.”
Each time he ground his hips, a smoldering heat would flare between her legs. Adrenaline surged in her blood, pouring through her body, accelerating both her heart and the pace of her breaths.
While a flood of endorphins pumped in her veins, her body betrayed her with a familiar prickling sensation. She fought for air as the weight of childhood memories bore down with glacial surety.
Ash nibbled on the soft tissue of her neck. One hand on her wrists, holding them fast, while the other lifted the fabric of her shirt. His hand skimmed the swell of her breast as she battled with her mind.
Releasing her wrists, his hands moved down, gripping her hips. Then, his palm cupped between her legs, pressing hard and firm over the fabric of her jeans. His husky voice rasped, “I’m going to make you feel good.”
Her lips and fingers prickled with the spreading numbness as the memory vault released vileness into her mind. The fire in her belly dampened. The ache between her legs disappeared, and a chill settled in her body.
She froze beneath his touch.
His hands stopped. His kisses lifted off her skin. “What’s wrong?” He tilted his head back and stared into her eyes.
She couldn’t turn her head fast enough.
Ash lifted away.
She rolled to her side and curled into a ball, unable to hide her body’s revulsion. Images of her foster father flashed in her mind—touching, forcing…and worse.
