Page 81 of Branded Betrayal

Blaze steps into the doorway, the door slamming against his boot. “That’s not why I came.”

I lift an eyebrow and stick a hand on my hip. “Oh really? Whyever would you come here again, then?” I say, sarcasm simmering on my tongue.

He doesn’t answer. Just stares at me with those haunted golden eyes.

“Say something, Blaze. Explain what happened between us at your house today and then why you couldn’t even look me in the eye at the hospital afterward. Explain anything.”

He shakes his head, grabbing onto the edge of the wooden door and forcing it back open. “I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” I shiver as a rush of night air whispers through my flimsy pajamas. Pulling the sides of my robe closed, I cock my head to one side, waiting for his usual answer or some cryptic bullshit that means absolutely nothing to me.

“Does it matter?” he asks.

“It does to me.” My mouth sets into a tight line. “So either say something, or I’m slamming this door in your face.”

“I shouldn’t be here.”

“That’s it? That’s what you have for me?” I press my fingertips to my temples, incredulous. “Of course you shouldn’t be here. And now that we’re on the same page, why don’t you tell me why you are here?”

He moves into the foyer and closes the door behind him. His tall, muscular form casts a long shadow on the floor, courtesy of the light of a full moon outside.

Screw you, full moon, for making me have all these crazy thoughts and feelings and desires. And screw you harder for sending him here.

“Because staying away is killing me.” His voice sends chills skittering down my spine.

I put my hands against his chest to keep him away. His heart rattles hard against my palms, a rush of heat sizzling my fingertips as I dig them into his shirt.

“Tell me to leave, Savvie.” He cups my face, tilting it up so I have no choice but to look at him and get lost in that melted-caramel gaze. “Mean it and I’ll go.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Blaze

Fire races through my veins as my words hang heavy between us. And I know that even if she says it, if she tells me to go, I won’t be able to walk out that door.

“I . . .” Her breath hitches, her blue eyes glittering with conflict. “I know I should. But I can’t.”

“Good, ’cause I’m not leaving.” Hot tingles dance over my skin. I grab her around the waist and pull her close, devouring her lips with my own hungry ones. My heart thrashes, my frenzied fingers tugging her robe open. It pools on the floor at her feet. I slide my palm over her ass and squeeze, the pink fabric of her pajamas soft against my skin.

She pulls open my shirt, buttons flying into the air, then clattering onto the floor.

“So impatient,” I murmur against her mouth.

A choked mewl escapes when my fingers slip under her shorts and into her panties. Her head falls back against the wall, her back arching into me.

“Fuck, Savvie, you’re so wet for me.” I slip my fingers inside of her slick heat, and she clenches tight, riding them, pulling them deep. “Were you thinking about me? Did you want me to come here tonight? To fuck you again?”

“Yes,” she whimpers. “My God, yes.”

My fingers tangle in her hair, drawing her head back so I can assault her neck with my tongue. Her nipples pop through the pajama top, hard as glass, beckoning my lips, begging me to taste. I dip my head, capturing one in my mouth while I toy with the other one.

She pulls open my jeans, reaching into my boxer briefs. Warmth floods me at her touch, her fingers gripping me tight, stroking me hard, making my ears explode with white noise. I can’t think straight, the rush of anticipation flooding my mind, drowning out all of the reasons why this is a horrible idea.

But for now, I’ll take everything she is willing to give, because tomorrow . . . or the next day . . . or maybe the one after that . . . I will lose her.

Forever.

My breath hitches, cock throbbing with the need to be inside of her. “I need to fuck you, Savvie. Now.”