By the time I’m wrapping her in a towel, her tears had subsided. I walk Evelyn to her room so she can get dressed, snatching a dry pair of boxers from my drawer on the way. She dresses quietly, and I motion her to the bed once she’s finished.
Once again, I turn to leave her to rest, but she calls me back, her voice small and unsure, “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”
I don’t bother responding because I would never refuse her. We make the short walk down the hall to my room. Evelyn slides into bed while I turn off the lights, following close behind her. She presses into my side, and I stroke her hair until her breathing gets heavy and I fall asleep alongside her.
Chapter 35
Parker
Soft lips pressing against my neck wake me up. The warm hand splayed across my chest starts to lower, and I release a low moan.
The digital clock on the bedside table reads midnight as my eyes adjust to the darkened room. It took me a minute to register what was going on. My mind was on a different wavelength than my body.
“Evelyn?”
Just a few hours ago, she was falling apart in my arms. I didn’t want her to regret anything between us.
“I want this. I want you.”
Evelyn’s face was hidden in the crook of my neck, I couldn’t trust her words, not after last night. She continued, her tongue made a path up my neck, making my dick twitch.
I pulled her face toward mine, needing to see her. She looked at me, her eyes filled with need, something a bit darker lying beneath it, making me think this was more than a need for connection, but a way to erase her memories.
Carefully, I rolled our bodies over until I was positioned on top. Her hair spread out like a halo on my pillow as the soft glow from the moonlight shone on her face.
She looked perfect. Her supple breasts were pushed close in the tank top she wore, and her shorts only covered so much.
Evelyn started to pull her top over her head, but I stopped her hands. “There’s no rush, baby girl, I want to take my time with you.”
She was trusting me with her body, and that meant something to me. Charles tried to crush her spirit, he tried to take something he wasn’t owed, and it broke her. The scars on her body told a story. They said she was a survivor—that Evelyn was here despite it all. She was choosing me, and I wouldn’t take that lightly.
I claimed her lips in a kiss, she whimpered as my fingers danced over her soft middle, trailing to the rounded curve of her hip. Her breath came out in tiny pants as I left kisses across her stomach.
Each scar was acknowledged with a kiss, a hitch in her breath every time my lips focused on a new one. Her eyes were closed, but I wanted them open. I didn’t want her drifting to that darker corner of her mind. I needed her here with me.
“Eyes on me, baby.”
Evelyn’s eyes fluttered open and focused on me.
“There’s my girl.” I held her gaze as I slowly lowered her underwear, making her completely bare to me. “It’s just us.”
Her eyes glistened, but she nodded. “Just us.” Her body relaxed underneath me.
Lying between her legs, I placed her luscious thighs on my shoulders, leaving kisses wherever I found a raised line or a jagged mark.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” I stopped to ask and admire as my mouth made its way to her slick heat. She gasped as my tongue rolled over her slit. I groaned as I felt her wetness pool on my tongue, lapping her sweet nectar up like a man starved.
Her hooded eyes watched me from above as my fingers pushed into her core, moving in and out as my mouth latched onto her swollen nub. I was lost to her scent, the taste of her, the warmth of her thick thighs wrapped around my head as she took her pleasure. Evelyn chanted my name like a prayer as her body shook and her legs quivered around me as she reached her peak.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she reached for me, and I met her with a kiss, pouring every ounce of my feelings into it. My body hummed with arousal as she licked the seam of my mouth, tasting herself, moaning her approval. We kissed, claiming each other, our hands slowly exploring one another like the night would last forever. I wanted to be familiar with every spot that elicited those little gasps, know every place to touch to see that shiver of pleasure take over her body.
Evelyn leaned her forehead into mine, closing her eyes before releasing a sigh. “I don’t want anything between us tonight—I want all of you. Don’t hold back. Please don’t treat me like I’m fragile.”
I found myself between her legs again, staring into the most bewitching hazel eyes.
“You’re the strongest woman I know. I just want you to be comfortable and feel safe.”
She laughed softly. “You’re the only one that makes me feel safe.”
