Absolution (6 page)

“The hell it doesn’t! You’ll listen to me,
and you’ll listen well. I’m not going to repeat it again.
Everything started when I found out my friend from the war died.
The same one who saved my life in Iraq. So I, stupidly, went out to
get a drink with my—”

“I didn’t bring any men home,” she
blurted.

He sucked in a breath. “What?”

Confusion shot through her, followed by
anger. She didn’t know why she’d interrupted him. All she knew was
she sure as heck didn’t want to hear his stupid excuses.

“I’m trying to talk to you here, and you just
interrupt me with a random statement?” He choked on his words, eyes
widening. “Wait, you mean you didn’t move on? Didn’t sleep with
anyone else?”

“No one else seemed good enough to replace
you,” she whispered. His eyes widened, and his penis hardened
against her belly. “No one will ever be better than you.”

He groaned and leaned down to plunder her
mouth, his tongue sweeping inside without any resistance. His hands
still pressed hers to the mattress, and she fought to pull them
free, eager to touch him. But he tightened his grip and ripped his
mouth from hers. “No. I’m in charge tonight, pumpkin. You’re
mine.”

She couldn’t help but feel his statement held
two meanings, yet she chose to ignore the innuendo for the moment.
She instead focused on the hot trail his mouth traced down her
neck, knowing she should fight his embrace, knowing there must be
at least a dozen reasons why she should stop kissing him back. But
suddenly, she couldn’t remember them.

He kissed her nose before looking down at her
in determination. “You’re going to listen to me without
talking.”

“No! I don’t want to hear this.” She
squirmed, trying to break free. He’d planned his trap well, though.
She couldn’t even wiggle a freaking leg. “Let me go!”

“Eva. Listen. The night you found me, I went
out drinking with my old unit. We got carried away because we were
mourning David’s death. One of my buddies suggested we hit up a
strip club. Since we were all drunk, we thought it sounded
great.”

“I don’t want to hear anymore! I’m sorry your
friend died, but I’m failing to see how this excuses you cheating
on me.”

“Shh. Listen. We all got rowdy and came back
to our apartment. One of the guys brought a stripper along. I
started feeling really sick, so I went to lie down. I’d only had a
few drinks. Enough to get buzzed but not
that
trashed.” His
eyes beseeched hers to believe him. To trust him.

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. “So, I’m
supposed to believe you were so drunk you didn’t notice a stripper
crawling into your bed? Am I really so gullible?”

“I’m not done yet.” He closed his eyes,
seeming to search for the right words. “When I woke up, you were
yelling at me, screaming at me to get the hell out, and there was a
woman standing next to me. You threw my clothes at my face, and I
hauled ass out of there without even really knowing what the hell
had happened.”

“Gee, I wonder why I did that,” she snapped,
yanking on her wrists. How dare he hold her down and force her to
listen to his miserable reasons for cheating on her?
Asshole
. “I swear to God if you don’t let me up, I’ll kill
you.”

“When I stumbled out of the building carrying
my clothes since I wasn’t allowed to get
dressed
,” he
continued without hesitation, “I realized I’d lost my wallet and
watch. By the time I made it back to base, the puking started.”

“Shut the hell up!” she shouted. Tears came
to her eyes as she arched her back.

He finally released her, rolling to the other
side of the mattress. She lunged at him, knocking him off the
bed.

Tightening her fists, she leaned over the
side of the bed and snarled, “You’re lying!”

“No, I’m
not
.” He hopped back on his
feet, grabbing her shoulders. “I’m finally getting a chance to tell
you the truth. She didn’t fuck me—she robbed me.”

Against her wishes, images came into her
mind, hitting her in the gut full force. The stripper sitting next
to Joseph with his watch in her palm. The terrified look on her
face as she shoved something into her purse. All along, she’d
thought the woman panicked because she’d walked in on them. What if
it had been more? What if she’d caught the bitch robbing him—and
let her go?

He had looked gaunt on the bed, his breathing
shallow. She’d just assumed it was from the alcohol and sex.

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Her heart
raced at the possibility he could be innocent. Could she even begin
to imagine the scenario? “So you’re an innocent victim? You
never
touched her?”

“It’s true. I’ve been told the same story
from numerous witnesses. I never touched her. I shouldn’t have
allowed a stripper in our home, it’s true, but that’s
all
I’m guilty of.”

“So you’re telling me, after over a month of
me believing you slept with another woman, you were faithful? You
were simply mourning a man you cared for? Got carried away with
booze? That’s it?”

He nodded. “I didn’t touch her. I swear it.
Now, we can move on. We’ve been given a second chance.”

“Why didn’t you try harder?” she whispered.
All this time she’d been picturing him as this…this monster. And he
hadn’t bothered to tell her the truth? “You’ve had six weeks to
tell me the real story.”

“I tried. For three days, I was sick as hell.
Puking my guts out. I had a bad reaction to the drug she slipped
into my drink. I needed to be hospitalized for dehydration.”

“Wait a second,” she said slowly. Sitting up
on her haunches, she frowned. “That bitch drugged you?”

“
Yes
.” He grabbed her hands, squeezing
tight. “That’s why I wasn’t banging down your door right away. And
then, when I tried, your—”

“You didn’t try,” she said. Remembered pain
echoed through her heart, and she closed her eyes as tears escaped.
“You never tried. I waited. You didn’t come.”

“Yes, I did. Every time I got within three
feet of the place, or your school, your father had men waiting for
me. I tried to fight through them,” he shrugged, “but even I can’t
win a match against six guys. Especially not in those days right
after.”

“My father didn’t do anything like that!”

“Oh yeah?” he snapped, eyes flashing. “Ask
him.”

“What about the rest of the six weeks? What’s
your excuse for those?”

“Your
father
,” he said slowly, “pulled
some strings with his buddies in the US, and had me reassigned
overseas. With no warning. The only reason he brought me back was
because of—”

“Me. I don’t believe this,” she whispered. “I
can’t.”

“It’s true. I swear. I’ll make it up to you,
but I never cheated on you.” He ran a hand over his head and then
gestured at her. “Why would I? Look at you.”

She gritted her teeth. “I don’t really know
what to say here. To any of this.”

“Say nothing, then.” He sat beside her,
playing with her hair. His touch sent shivers down her spine. He
seemed to notice, for he tugged a little harder. “You know the
truth now. That’s all that matters.”

“Do I?” She scowled at him, leaning her cheek
on her raised knees. “I’m not sure.”

“You do. You know it, too. Why would I cheat
on you? Did I give you any signs I wasn’t completely happy with
you?”

She scowled deeper, but grudgingly shook her
head.

“I love you. You know it.”

“I don’t know who I’m more pissed at. You,
her, or my father,” she growled. “But it changes nothing.”

“Yes, it does. It changes
everything
.”
He picked her up, plopped her on his lap, and crushed her lips
beneath his. She put up a token resistance, but really, who did she
think she was kidding? Certainly not him. His tongue plunged into
her mouth, and she clung to his shirt, tugging him closer.

He tore his lips from hers, nibbling at the
base of her throat, and she groaned at the sensations assaulting
her. Fire, ice, and desire all warred within her, and her legs
itched to wrap around his waist.

He licked the skin above the neckline of her
T-shirt and nudged the top down with his chin, so he could caress
the swell of her breast. His chin brushed against her erect nipple,
and she arched her back, panting for more.

“Please, Joseph,” she begged. She writhed,
needing to feel him all over her, to have his skin on hers, his
flesh on her flesh.

“What do you want, Eva? Do you want me to
stop?” He lifted his head from her breasts and met her stare.

She inhaled at what she saw there, so pure
and open in his eyes.
He loves me
. She knew it to be true,
just as she knew she loved him still.

“I will, but you’d better tell me now. If I
wait another second, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

She nodded and rose to kiss him. He pulled
away, sitting on his haunches, and released her hands.

“Maybe this is a bad idea. You’re drunk. And
I’m on duty.”

She lurched up after him, grabbing his hair
to pull his face back to hers. “I am not drunk. I’m horny, and I
need you. Now.”

She crushed her lips to his and slipped her
tongue inside his mouth. With a groan, she arched against him and
ran her fingers over his shoulders, down to the small of his back
to jerk his shirt up. He rocked back on his heels, so she could
yank the garment over his head. Seconds later, he’d relieved her of
her blouse and tossed it to the side. She skimmed her fingers over
his taut torso, enjoying the feel of his crisp hair on her
fingertips. She circled his nipple with her nail, and he moaned,
flipping her onto her back.

This time, though, he nestled in between her
legs and rolled his hips until she forgot to breathe. With a smooth
motion, he reached under her, unclasped her bra, and threw it over
with her other clothes.

“Jesus Christ, I’ve missed you so.” he
muttered before cupping her breasts and burying his face in her
bosom. He nipped the side of her left globe and then took her
nipple in his mouth.

She cried out and squirmed, desire overcoming
her. Her body demanded more. Grabbing his ass, she pressed against
him and tugged at his jeans. “Off.”

He lifted his head from her breast and
grinned. “Okay.” Joseph hopped off the bed and unbuttoned his
pants. “But yours have to go, too.”

He peeled his jeans off inch by inch,
revealing the glorious body she’d missed more than she wanted to
admit. When he dropped them, kicking them to the side, only his
black boxers remained between her and her ultimate goal.

Her mouth watered. Eva bucked up, stripping
off her pants as quickly as she could manage. Bunched fabric
snagged her ankle, stopping her progress, and she struggled to free
herself. “Shit.”

“Hmm. Looks like you need some help.”

She bit her lip, nodding. Anything to get
naked faster and him inside her. Leaning down, he released her leg
only to nibble the sensitive spot behind her ankle while running
his fingers behind her knee. She quivered, placing her hands under
his arms to yank him up her body. Tearing at his boxers’ waistband,
she dug her nails into his lower back. God, she wanted him to kiss
her while thrusting into her in one swift movement, but he avoided
her clasping hands, instead licking her inner thigh—oh so close to
where she longed for him to be. She whimpered, jerking his hair as
she shifted toward his mouth.

He removed her panties and raised her hips.
His hot breath fanned her swollen flesh, and she whimpered,
grasping his shoulders. His gaze met hers in triumph before he
flicked his tongue over her. She cried out, striving to move closer
to him. He held her still with a firm grip and caressed her with
his tongue. Her senses heightened, and her entire body tensed with
need, demanding satisfaction. When at last he plunged a finger
inside her, a cry tore from the back of her throat, sounding
distant to her hazy mind. Pleasure tore through her body, all the
tension inside her releasing, leaving her legs shaking and her arms
weak. How in the hell had she survived without this—without him?
Could she go back to surviving it?

He flipped her onto her knees. As he opened
the condom, the crackle of the wrapper met her ears, and she wiggle
impatiently for him to take her. Kissing the nape of her neck, he
rose over her and plunged inside.

“Oh, Joseph!”

With each stroke, he increased their rhythm.
His hips jerked to the left, telling her he would come quickly, so
she reached between her legs to stroke his balls.

“Eva,” he yelled, thrusting once, twice, his
body tensing against hers, his fingers tightening on her hips as
they climaxed together. A moment later, he withdrew and collapsed
beside her, pulling her down with him, so she rested in his
embrace.

They stayed twined in each other’s arms until
their breathing calmed. He brushed her hair away from her face to
kiss her temple. Nothing could have broken her from her
pleasure-filled daze more so than that. She raised herself to an
elbow, staring down into his eyes. They glowed with happiness.

Shit
.

How had she let this happen? Nothing had
changed between them. He’d still broken her heart. Couldn’t be
trusted. Yet, he looked at her…as if they were a couple again. Why
did he have to look so damn satisfied?

And where did he get off assuming she would
be happy about this, too? She’d been in his company for mere hours,
and already she’d jumped back in bed with him.

Disgust rolled through her veins. How had she
let this happen? How could she let him back in, after all he’d put
her through? He came into her life, spouted a handful of excuses
about what had happened—lies, more than likely—and she’d smiled and
stripped naked without so much as a hesitant twitch. She had no
pride. No dignity. And, no self-control.