Damaged (8 page)

Monica curled onto the couch, tucking her legs under her bottom while she waited nervously for him to sit. She was intrigued by what he had to say, so when he began to speak, she was all ears.

“I grew up on the streets,” he started, sinking into the couch next to her. “I was abandoned by my mother when I was four, and spent many years in and out of orphanages and shelters. I took the wrong path, befriended the wrong people, and ended up in a lot of trouble.” Seth ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I started stealing at a young age. From stores, people, it didn’t matter. I took what I could get my hands on so I could trade it for things in the orphanage.”

Monica chewed her bottom lip as she listened.
His story was heartbreaking—not much different from her own. “What things did you trade for?”

Seth shrugged. “Food, toys,
candies…anything I wanted, I guess. But when I hit the streets alone at seventeen, the things I stole were bigger, riskier. I got caught one night breaking into a car and spent thirty days in juvie for it. It sounds fucked up, but I was actually relieved. In the detention center I didn’t have to worry about where I was sleeping that night, or if I would get to eat. I had stability for once.”

Tears stung at her eyes as she nodded. “I know how that goes,” she said softly.
“It sucks.”

Seth turned his he
ad, his expression solemn. “In the end, I met a man, Samuel, who took me under his wing, taught me to work on cars and gave me a job in his body shop. I eventually saved up enough to take some classes, and then enrolled in college. I came out of the academy with high marks. Had a job at the station within a week of graduating.”

The realization that he truly did understand what she had been through
chipped away at her distrust for him. “That’s amazing, Seth. You were very lucky to be given a second chance.”

Seth nodded before reaching across the couch to pull her into his lap. Without hesitation, Monica let him cradle her. He was so big, so warm…so safe. “When I saw you on the streets, I had to take a chance. There was something about you that pulled at me.” His breath was warm against her forehead
, and the way he stroked the exposed skin over her jeans where her shirt had ridden up sent tingles throughout her body. “I’m rambling,” he chuckled. The sound was a low rumble in her ear, amplified by the way she pressed against his chest.

“No you’re not,”
she assured him, raising her head to meet his gaze. “What you did for me and the kids shows what kind of a person you are. You’ve lived, you’ve made mistakes, and through it all, you didn’t let it destroy you. You’ve got it all now. A big house on a beautiful farm, vehicles, a paycheck. I’m envious.”

Monica’s heart stuttered as his gaze dropped to her lips. With the pad of his thumb, he tracked the line of her lower lip, and heat coiled in her belly.

“I don’t have it all. I have no one to share it with,” he said, his voice raspy. There was nothing more to say. Monica’s eyes fluttered closed as he cupped her cheek and lowered his head. Their lips met, and liquid fire surged through her veins. Seth broke the kiss, and looked her in the eye. “I want you, Monica. I want you so much I can barely breathe.”

Chapter Eight

She went still, staring back at him like he’d grown a second head. “You don’t want me, Seth. You deserve someone much better. I don’t have a damn thing to offer you,” she whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap.

His need for her was overwhelming. With her curled
up in his lap, he felt grounded, and her words made him sad. She thought she wasn’t good enough for him? He barely felt worthy to be in her presence. Brushing the hair from her face, he cocked his head to meet her gaze. “Why do you think so lowly of yourself, Monica? You’re a beautiful person. You’ve just been dealt a shitty hand at life, but that can be fixed.”

“I’m damaged,” she stated, shaking her head. “It would never work. Look, Seth, my past…it’s not a fairytale, and I’m still hiding from it. You don’t need that burden in your life.”

Seth watched her for a moment, gauging her emotions. She was tense, and the mention of her past had her on edge. Someone had hurt her, badly. “What happened?” he asked, unaware that he was practically speaking through clenched teeth.

“I don’t talk about it. To anyone, and I prefer to keep it that way,” she responded, making a move to climb from his lap.

Seth tightened his hold, pulling her right back down. “All right then, so we won’t talk about your past. We can just keep talking about us.”

“Seth…” she started, but he was done talking for the moment.

“Never mind. We can talk later,” he ground out, unable to fight the temptation any longer. Running his hand up her slender back, he cupped her neck before pulling her to him. Her lips were soft and warm pressing against his mouth. Her scent, her taste, it made his head swim in a clouded haze of lust. He initiated the kiss knowing full well he’d never be able to stop once it started.

She gradually relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck securely
as she slanted her mouth over his. That one simple act of trust made him groan with satisfaction. He was breaking through her walls. He let her take what she needed. No rushing, no coercing. Scaring her away was the last thing he wanted to do. Tentatively, her tongue licked at the seam of his mouth, exploring, becoming bolder by the moment.

Sensing her inexperience, Seth opened for her, allowing her to take her time. He swallowed her soft moan when their tongues met, rolling together in an erotic dance.
She was pressing closer, becoming more urgent by the moment as the kiss deepened. Sliding his hand under her shirt, he stroked her back, loving the way she responded to him. Her skin was like velvet under his rough hands, so feminine and sweet.

Little by little he took control, shifting them until he had her on her back under him. Her nails bit into his scalp, stinging with erotic pain. From her mouth, his lips moved to her jaw, her ear, down her neck. She arched from the couch into
him, as if she were seeking closer contact.

“Seth, oh God…” she sighed
quietly. “More.”

He chuckled against her flesh. “Slowly, baby. Let’s do this slowly, okay?”

Monica made a noise of disappointment that ended on a moan. When his hands had her shirt pushed up over her bra, he kissed lower, licking and nipping over her collar bone, and finally over the swell of her breast. His cock was so hard it was painful, pressing between her legs urgently, but he held back, savoring every second.

Holding her gaze, he unsnapped the front clasp of her bra. She looked nervous, swallowing hard as he pulled the cups away from her chest, but she didn’t stop him. Her breasts wer
e a perfect handful, tipped with pert, rosy nipples that begged for his attentions. Cupping them at the same time, Seth squeezed the firm mounds gently, eliciting a pretty gasp from her lips. God he was strung tight and he was rapidly losing control. She watched his every move with rapt attention, as if it were her first time.

Seth went still at the thought. What if it was her first time?
She’d propositioned him that first night when he’d had her pinned down, but that didn’t mean she would have followed through.

“Monica?” he asked. “You’ve done this before, right?”

“No…yes…I mean, not like this,” she stammered, her voice breathy, frustrated. “Please don’t stop.”

Seth nuzzled at her breast with his face, desperate for a taste. “What do you mean ‘not like this’?”

Monica whimpered, rolling her hips against him, making him suck in a breath. “Like, slowly. I’ve never…it’s never felt this good.” She blushed and the animal inside him roared to life at her show of innocence.

Oh he was going to make her feel good, all right. There was no doubt about that.

Letting his lips close gently around her nipple, he growled low at her little moan of pleasure. Every time she moved against him, he could feel the warmth of her pussy through her thin mesh shorts. Tracing the hard bud with his tongue, he licked and laved at the firm flesh until she was begging, before switching to the other.

“You’re driving me crazy,” she panted.

They’d both be fucking crazy before it was over.

Her soft cries drove him on. He couldn’t get enough
—probably never would. Kissing a path down her flat belly, Seth licked around her belly button, dipping his tongue in to tease. He was rewarded with a sharp jerk of her hips and a feminine growl that made his cock throb with ferocious intensity. She was like a livewire, sparking to life under him, little by little. She was relaxing, melting for him, and he couldn’t wait to taste her.

Nipping at her hip
bones, Seth hooked his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and panties before pulling them off slowly. Monica lifted her hips for him, watching him from above with a hooded gaze. She was stunning in the low light, face flushed, body exposed for him. God it had been too long since he’d had a beautiful woman naked under his roof. Having it be Monica made it well worth the wait.

Her fingers threaded in his hair and her hips rolled as he tossed her clothes aside. She was wet, he
r folds glistening invitingly. Pushing her legs apart, Seth growled at the scent of her arousal, nuzzling at the strip of dark curls there. Slowly, Seth spread her lips with his fingers, exposing the delicate pink flesh before licking up her slit, gathering her essence on his tongue.

Exotic and sweet, her taste invaded his senses, but that was nothing compared
to the animalistic moan that fell from her lips at the contact. Moving to his belly, Seth hooked his hands around her hips to hold her still, and suckled the firm bud of her clit between his lips in the most intimate of kisses.

“Yes,” she whispered, arching
her back from the couch. “Oh…yes, please!”

His mouth moved over her slick flesh, watching her face in awe as she gave in
to her passion. Her thick dark lashes rested against her cheeks and her mouth was parted slightly, her breaths coming in shallow pants. She was right on the edge, but he wanted to be with her when the time came. Seth shook his head before nipping at her inner thigh gently. “You’re so damn beautiful, Monica.”

Rising from his spot between her legs, he pulled his shirt off, loving the way her hungry gaze raked over his body. She looked wild, liberated. He wanted to take her higher than any man before him had ever taken her, and when it was all said and done, she would remember none but him. He wanted her to feel his touch at all times. He wanted her to see him loving her every time she looked in the mirror. He made it his personal goal to make sure he burned a place so deep in her soul, there would be no want for any other man again. Ever.

Her eyes tracked his every move, especially when his hands dropped to his belt. He loosened the buckle and slid the leather from the loops in one smooth movement. Before he could finish, her hands were on the button, popping it free before lowering the zipper. As if she were embarrassed by her own boldness, she lay back against the cushions, her lip captured between her teeth. It was very apparent that she’d never had a man make love to her properly before.

“Don’t be shy, sweetheart. You can touch all you want.” he crooned. He wanted her to come out of her shell, to be the feisty lover he knew she could be. She was there, just beneath the surface. He just needed to coax her out.

Monica hesitated slightly, but she rose to her knees in front of him, running the palms of her hands down his chest, over his taut abs. Her breath caught and her hands trembled, but she didn’t shy away. Letting her hands slide farther south, she cupped the bulge pushing at the front of his jeans, glancing up at him as if for approval. Seth sat back on the couch, lounging with an arm draped over the back, completely at ease. “Take your time. There’s no rush,” he assured her.

His cock didn’t agree with that piece of advice
, though. It flexed painfully within its denim confines. Every touch of her hot little hands had him wound so tight he feared he’d come before he even got inside her. Seth watched as her head lowered, placing the lightest of kisses on his chest. Her breath was hot, ramping up his desire a whole other notch. Clenching his fists at the onslaught of sensation, he groaned, letting his head fall back while she peppered his neck with open-mouth kisses. Fuck, she was amazing. When her kisses reached his bellybutton, it felt like lightening coursed through his veins. Just the thought of how warm and wet her little mouth would be had his dick twitching, pulsing with desperation, but he endured her sinful torture, not wanting it to ever end.

His breath sawed in and out, ragged from the restraint it took to not flip her over and fuck her senseless.
Monica’s fingertips hooked in the waistband of his jeans and tugged at them. Seth lifted, assisting her with the task, growling with relief when his cock finally sprang free. The swollen tip glistened with a perfect droplet of pre-cum, and when she wrapped her little hand around his length, he was certain that every brain cell in his head fried on contact.

Her gaze locked
with his as her head lowered. Pure lust shimmered in those honey brown eyes. Warmth enveloped his shaft and his eyes rolled back into his head. “Fuck, Monica,” he hissed, threading his hands in her hair. The way she used her tongue, swirling it over his hard flesh…he was going to lose his mind. She worked slowly, sliding her mouth up and down his length until he was fisting the couch cushions in a death grip over his head. The sensations were overwhelming, and if her mouth felt this good, getting inside her would be a true test of his resolve. He was already holding back as it was.

He endured her sensuous torture for as long as he could manage, but when that
familiar tingle started in his groin, he had to stop her. As much as it killed him, God, he had to stop her. Gritting his teeth, Seth lifted her head, sucking in a breath when she lashed at the underside one last time with her tongue. She was teasing him, the little minx. Reaching to his jeans, he pulled a condom from the pocket, hoping she didn’t see the slight tremble in his hands. Her nervousness seemed to return at the appearance of the condom, like she was having second thoughts about it, and he couldn’t really blame her. She’d obviously been through some shit in her life, and until he had any clue what that entailed, he was going to be very careful with her.

Seth handed it to her, taking hold of her hand briefly
until she met his gaze. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, Monica. We don’t have to do this, but I promise you…I’ll take it slow, and I’ll make you feel damn good. Do you trust me?”

Her eyes flickered to the foil packet in her hand and back to his face before she swallowed hard. “You can’t be on top. I have to be on top,” she said, her voice breathy.

Seth nodded slowly. He was proud of her for exerting her guidelines, but a slow simmer of rage began building within at the thought that someone in her past had hurt her to the point she no longer gave herself completely over. If he ever found out who it was, the confrontation wouldn’t be pretty. “You’re in control. Got it,” he said, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.

Monica nodded before ripping the foil wrapper open with her teeth and rolling it over his cock
slowly. His body was already on fire, and when she straddled his lap, it turned to an inferno. Cupping her ass in his hands, he held her poised over his erection. Her nails bit into his shoulders, and then she began to lower onto him. Seth clenched his jaw, blowing out a strained breath. She was hot, tight…perfect.

Her breathing picked up, and a soft whimper fell from her lips as she descended. Holding her gaze, Seth basked in every second of her pleasure.
“Fuck…you feel good,” he gritted out, sucking in a breath when he was fully seated inside her. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he held every muscle in his body taut with restraint. Monica made a throaty sound and began to move, rising and descending in a slow rhythm.

Holding her hips firmly, Seth watched where their bodies came together,
melding into one. With each thrust, she increased her pace, moaning as she threaded her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Tingles of sensation lingered where she stroked, shooting to his groin, making his cock twitch inside her.

Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open as she shook her head. “I…I can’t…” she panted, grinding her hips harder against his. She was close…very close.

Seth slid his hand around her hip, letting the pad of his thumb brush over swollen clit. Biting her lips, Monica sucked in a breath at the contact. “Let go, sweetheart,” he crooned. “Just let it go. I’ve got you.” Leaning forward, Seth sucked a nipple into his mouth, tugging on the tight bead gently with his teeth.