Promises (Blood Brothers #1) (20 page)

Jollie closed her eyes and allowed the warm, strong palms to work sore muscles in her lower back and shoulders, warming them as if they were putty instead of stiff tendons refusing to give to those magic fingers. Rafe gently pushed and pressed each pressure point until all she could do was groan as the knots gave way to a melting feeling of warmth and gentleness that she had never felt before. He continued down her back to her waist, working the tops of her hips where Jollie knew she still had light scars from her time at the cabin. A twinge on the right side made her flinch and Rafe stopped, working the knot out, and gently smoothing over the bruising instead of continuing. It was as if he were connected to her senses, able to feel each one of her muscles and pains, working them slowly until they actually melted away. Those same hands continued over her hips beneath the towel, making her skin tingle as he worked just under the edges to ensure her modesty but working muscles that needed attention. Jollie felt her core warming, an ache rising from her womb to start a slow burn as it began to smolder just under the surface, refusing to cool no matter what mind tricks she tried to use to push it down. The man was driving her insane with those fingers, her skin feeling like it was actually reaching out for him rather than relaxing. She squirmed, trying to relieve the ache.

“Be still, minx.” Jollie heard the command just as Rafe’s gentle slap on her butt made her jump. “If you want me to continue you need to be still.”

“I’m trying,” she whispered against her forearm, hiding a grin. Maybe the man wasn’t as immune as he wanted to appear. Testing that theory, Jollie tensed her legs where Rafe straddled them, allowing strong muscles to contract and relax to see if he noticed. Shocked at her own forwardness, Jollie wasn’t sure what made her want to test Rafe’s restraint but her body’s long denied demands were clamoring for human touch and for some reason this man’s touch called to her.

“You are trying my patience woman!” Rafe growled, but continued to work a particularly stubborn knot just under her left butt cheek, causing her to suck in a deep breath as he worked it out then soothed the burn. Those strong fingers continued down the inside of her thighs with such strong fingers she sucked in a deep breath, praying for - what? That he would stop - or continue, she wasn’t sure as they moved away. She ached and trembled, her body begging for Rafe’s touch in a way that no one had ever touched her before.

Gods, she needed - and Jollie’s body began to beg even as she fought to stay still under those demanding fingers. Her core heated, her juices flowed and it was impossible to keep still as Rafe’s fingers ventured just inside her knees and up the inner thighs once more as he rubbed knots out of muscles so abused and sore from long hours of training, which Jollie pushed through no matter the pain. Even six months later, it was still hard to gain back the muscle strength she had lost before her captivity.

“Are you comfortable?” Rafe asked, scooting back down her legs so he could continue to work on the lower gluts, his eyes locked on those perfect globes under his hands. He was and always had been an ass man, and there was no getting away from the fact that that Jollie Sanchez had one of the most delectable butts he had ever been around. Firm, high, and perfectly formed, Rafe just wanted to fit each cheek in his hands and rub them, taste them and bury his face in between them until she screamed. His breath hitched as he realized where his thoughts had taken him, causing his hands to stop.

“What’s wrong?” The delectable woman under him tensed, and Rafe mentally cursed himself. He had worked hard to get her to relax and in one stupid move he had caused it all to come undone.

“Nothing, Mi Corazon,” Rafe whispered so low he was sure Jollie couldn’t hear him. “Relax,” he said a little louder, trying to restore her former ease.

Instead of relaxing, Jollie pushed up with her hands and stomach and rolled to her back so she could look at the stunning man now seated over her knees. She wanted to look into his eyes and she couldn’t do that on her stomach. As soon as she laid back and their eyes connected, Jollie saw the lust Rafe was trying so hard to hide from her. He looked down almost as if he were embarrassed by what she might see and tried to continue to work on the tops of her thighs, but Jollie put a hand over his much larger one. At her touch, Rafe stopped.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, watching his face.

“I’m trying to relax you, not threaten you. I felt you tense up and knew that I had caused you fear.” His soft words hit directly at her heart. This strong man, so sure and fierce in battle, one who demanded and commanded others without question and with bravery yet here he was, worried he had caused her pain. The idea was so strange and unique in her world that Jollie could only stare at him. She watched as what could only be called a slight blush rose from the neck of a very tight t-shirt and spread up Rafe’s tanned neck and across cheeks that should have sported a slight shadow at this time of day but instead looked clear and manly, begging for her fingertips to caress. By their own volition she watched as her fingers reached up and brushed that cheek from just under his eye to the corner of soft lips.

“If you continue to touch me, Mi Corazon, I can’t continue with your massage,” Rafe growled. She watched his eyes, a hint of merriment and something else teasing her with his warning.

“What if I want you to continue,” she whispered, her fingertips touching his lips.

Rafe sucked her fingers into his mouth, his teeth gently biting the tips as he savored the unique taste on his tongue, a taste that belonged uniquely to her and Rafe knew he was truly lost. Her arousal was thick in the air around them, his heightened senses would be able to pick that singular scent out of crowd anywhere in the world. His fingers traveled down between her thighs and lingered just on the edge of the towel that barely covered her, and Rafe watched her eyes as he teased and tormented to see what she would do.

Chapter 27

Jollie’s breath was tight in her chest as she dared to tease the beast, her body screaming for release even while her mind tried to shy away from the demands it craved from this man who was so gentle with her. She could feel his need pressing against her knees where he sat and knew he was as hard as a stake as his fingers gently explored her body, yet he had taken no liberties she hadn’t granted him. Something no other human being before him had denied themselves. She continued to watch his face as she gently stroked his full lower lip, teasing his tongue to come out to play with her fingers and Jollie’s breath hitched as his nipped lightly at the intrusion.

“Be careful, little girl. You’re playing with fire,” he whispered, his fingers tightening on the inside of her legs.

Her bravo coming out to play, Jollie grinned wickedly and widened her legs, daring him to venture further with his fingers. An audacious act considering how terrified she had been earlier, but something in Rafe’s eyes told her that she could trust this male. When his fingers slipped beneath the edge of the terry towel to the smooth skins below, Jollie could only suck her breath and close her eyes.

“Look at me,” Rafe growled, his fingers stopping. Jollie’s eyes popped open, and Rafe grinned. “I want to see those pretty eyes when you come apart in my hands,” he growled, and then leaned forward and kissed her.

Rafe’s world came apart after the kiss. There was no other word for it, no other description for the soul shattering melding of what it was like to find out his soul was still alive and this tiny woman held it in her hands, had awaken what he had thought lost. For so long he had struggled to make sure his team was safe, the innocent rescued by whatever means at their disposal. He had accepted that leaving what was left of his soul encased in a cold shroud where few could access was a small price to pay for what he and the team accomplished so putting his needs by the wayside to ensure the others of his team were safe and cared for never bothered Rafe.

Kayne was his other half and deserved his mate who was his twin’s life. Rafe never considered there was another human being who could be his mate, a match who could save his mutilated and darkened soul, one who would bring light to a place so dark that it would be a cool breeze to a barren landscape.

He had been wrong - so wrong.

Jollie’s essence filled him, drugging his soul and calling to his spirit in a way that called to a dying man who was in desperate need of water He drank from her lips, his hands gentle on her body as he sank into her skin with care like it was a haven for lost souls only he could find. When he finally came up for air, her hands clutching his hair with strong legs wrapped around his waist Rafe knew his life was changed, forever.

“Please,” she begged, her eyes wide and pleading as Jollie carded her fingers through his short hair, touching anything and everything. Rafe could sense her emotions, the need to feel his skin, craving his touch on her as only a person starved for human contact could know after being denied for so long. Her very cells were screaming out for him as if her very existence depended on Rafe taking her, owning her and he knew no other woman would ever be enough for him from this day forward.

“Baby, are you sure?” Rafe licked full, pouty lips now swollen from his kisses as he pushed his cock into the nest of her thighs. He was still fully clothed in the lounge pants he had changed into while Chayle had sat with Jollie, but they were no barrier to the treasure his body craved. Rafe could smell her need, feel the juices where they spilled from the folds of her tight pussy and slipped to and dampened the knee of his pants wedged between her thighs. In answer, she pulled him back down to her lips.

“Oh yeah,” Jollie groaned, slipping her hand between them to pull the terry towel open and toss it from the bed.

Rafe rose up just enough to allow her to take the towel from over the side of the bed before she looked back at him, her breath hitching at the heated look she saw there. Blazing blue eyes filled with heated need so deep it hurt to watch it. Jollie could no more turn from it than she could breathe. One kiss and she
knew
this man was something more, more than all human, yet he was hers. He called to an elemental depth of her soul where no man had reached before, this warrior who held himself so solidly in check as he tried to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. Jollie craved him, ached for his touch like nothing in her life and it terrified her yet called to her. With a trembling smile, Jollie reached up and pulled him down to her.

It was like watching unleashed lightning within his eyes. They turned bright and then darkened as he gathered her to him. His huge hands so achingly gentle as he touched her, but his lips seared Jollie’s skin; they encased her left breast, suckling like a lost babe thirsting for its next meal. His tongue, slightly rough and warm, was like a lightning rod to her womb as he encircled the entire areola and drew it into his mouth. It brought her body off the bed at the ache shooting to her core. Rafe didn’t just lick the nipple’s tip until it was stiff and sensitive, he worshiped. He made sure each one received the same loving attention and care as the other as he slowly and carefully drove Jollie out of her ever-loving mind. When he began to travel down her stomach toward her belly button, she knew there was no way she would last long.

Rafe took his time, continuously watching her face as he worked to ensure he never caused her any discomfort. He wanted her to feel everything, but most of all he wanted to make sure Jollie never experienced fear again and especially not at his hands. He worked slowly and meticulously to taste and lick every inch of her skin as he pulled her unique scent deep into his senses. It called to him like catnip to a feline and Rafe devoured it as if his soul depended on it for his next breath. His body craved her like water to a dying man and there was no way he could deny either of them the fulfillment that would come, but he was determined to draw it out as long as possible and make it as wonderful as he could.

As he worked his way down, Rafe pulled his t-shirt the rest of the way over his head. His minx already pulled it up around his broad shoulders but now he tossed it to the corner, his chest rubbing against Jollie’s thighs. As he moved further down Rafe slid his fingers down to the tie of his cotton pants and pulled, making it easier to slip them off. Skin, he needed to be skin to skin with her now! Jollie’s skin never missed his touch as his hands stroked skin he had been dying to touch.

He kept a gentle grip on her hips as he moved down, skimming over slim legs down to the backs of her knees. Her Latino heritage gave Jollie’s skin tone a honey-gold hue while her muscles were sleek and firm under his fingers. Rafe let his mouth follow his fingers placing soft kisses on the smooth skin behind her knees, over her calves and down to the arch of each foot. Then he worked back up the right foot to the apex of her legs and blew softly on her mound before starting down the left leg and knee all over again. He could smell her need, feel her vibrate under his hands and he wanted to taste her so badly Rafe wasn’t sure he could be gentle if once he started. Spreading her legs wide to accommodate his larger frame, Rafe settled between her thighs and rested, taking a moment to look up into her warm dark eyes.

“Look at me, baby!” Rafe whispered, his warm breath fanning her heated flesh where he lay. When she was able to open her eyes and he knew he had her attention. “Make sure you want this, baby. Once we cross this line I will never be able to let you go, never give you up. You’ll be mine and no one else’s.” He waited, expecting an answer. When none came, he rose on his elbows with a scowl. “Do you understand?

“You really want to discuss this now?” she finally huffed, scowling at him.

“Yes, because if this is not what you wish, I will dress and walk out that door. Now.”

He could see her confusion at first and then total amazement that he actually meant what he said. Rafe would walk out the door even though it would most likely kill him to do so. He waited, praying that Jollie could trust him enough to know what was best for both of them. It surprised him when a cute, devilish smile crept across her lips and she wiggled her hips as much as she could under his strong hold