Authors: Nichole Matthews
She nearly sobbed when
he
moved back to her side, tipped
her chin up to pin her with a hard blue stare. “You are beautiful, Persephone,” he said, his voice deep, rough
, caressing her as his warm hands cupped her breasts
, stroking her nipples.
He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on one of the scars that covered her left breast.
And a moan broke from her.
H
is arms circled
her. He felt hot and hard and delicious against her damaged body. He
slid closer until
his thick erection rubbed against her
belly
, no question that he desired
her
even after what she had allowed him to see
and a sensual flush ran through her right down to her toes
.
“The way you are looking at me makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.”
She was overwhelmed with the
storm of emotions rolling
through her mind.
He desired her and wanted to take care of her
, please her.
B
efore it
had
all
been
about
how
power
ful it made
them
feel
and the ability to inflict
their
will on someone weaker.
They
did it because
they
could, not because
they
desired her.
Parker
sat back down
, legs spread,
his arms still around her waist
, pulling her towards him until her legs pressed against the edge of the bed.
She stepped eve
n closer until his body heat surrounded
her.
He
leaned forward his head pillowed
between the valley of h
er soft breasts. He relished t
he
closeness,
her scent, her soft skin, and
sent up a pray
er
of thankfulness.
He took slow measured steps to bring her closer
and draw her further into his sensual web
without causing her to be frightened.
He pulled her onto his lap and brought
his mouth down on hers.
C
aptur
ing
her mouth
in a deep, devastating kiss, giving her everything he had
.
His lips firm,
k
nowledgeable, teasing a response from her, making her forget her
scars and her
nakedness when his tongue stroked hers.
Gentle.
Ruthless.
Irresistible.
“You
have extraordinary breasts,
”
h
e
murmured against her mouth before bending
her backwards
, over his
sinewy forearm in a position of conquest
.
Sensitive nerve endings screamed in sensation
as the steel-hard muscles of his
arms lock
ed
her to
him
,
h
is hair-roughened ches
t rasping
against her nipples.
“Everything about you is beautiful to me. I stand in awe of your strength and bravery.”
The force of his words made her stomach quiver and her knees
shake
. She was grateful
she was already sitting down
or she would have surly melted into a puddle onto the floor
.
Her
peaks hardened almost painfully as the blood thundered to them and a gasp left her throat as their lips met in hunger and desperate need
as he devoured her
.
She was only barely aware of falling to the bed, but
she was very much aware of Parker’s
larger body covering hers
.
H
is
thick shaft
presse
d
against her belly
,
his lips still melded to hers, stinging kisses raging between them
full of passion and need
.
Q
uite s
uddenly
an irrational
fear overwhelmed her
as his heavy body fell upon her reminding her of the others who had done the same
and she
couldn’t breathe. She felt trapped
,
suffocat
ing
when the tightness settled into her chest
. She jerked against his body
and began
beat
ing on his back and shoulders. Frightened, h
er
breath c
ame
in hard pants
and shallow gulps
. “I can’t
…
breathe,” she wheezed
, tears gathering in her eyes.
Parker
quickly sat up
, kneeling between her spread legs,
his warm hands r
u
n
ning
up
and down
her arms in smooth even strokes
. H
is gaze steady on her face
as he brushed
wet tendrils of
her hair
back from her sweat dampened forehead
.
He knew why she panicked. It was all so very clear to him now
and he did no
t want to add to her fears.
Silently he watched her
and w
hen her breathing slowed, he reassured her
,
“
I won’t hurt you, Persephone.” Still running his hands soothingly up and down her arms as he patiently waited.
Persephone
worked at slowing her breathing. The deep
puffs of air
she finally managed to pull into her lungs helped her panic
to lesson
a little
. She concentrated on taking
deep, calming
breaths
and
focused
on the soothing sound of his voice
.
“Do you want me to stop?”
Parker
set
one finger under her chin, lifting
her face
.
“Persephone?”
He stroked her
jaw
. “Do you trust me not to hurt you, Persephone?”
She was surprised at how patiently he waited through her
hesitation
. The touch of his hand e
asing
her panic
, h
er heart
beat gradually slowed
and she nodded.
“Persephone?”
He
questioned again, trailing
fingers through her hair, stroking over and over.
She swallowed thickly at the sound of him saying her name the way he did. As if in a deep, reverent whisper.
“Don’t stop.”
She
smiled up at
him, her eyes soft and content
as she
pressed her palms to his broad chest and smoothed them upward to his
shoulders. She felt him trembling
at her touch. His breathing raw and
harsh
pushed from his chest in torturous spurts. His reaction surprised her
, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw a desperate need that matched the one unfurling inside her
and her smile turned dazzling, brilliant
.
Her fears rapidly fading.
Parker’s
arms tightened around her and he rolled to his back
,
pull
ing
her with him as he did, draping her over his chest
so that she would have more control and not feel
imprisoned
.
One
hand slid into the fall of her hair that cascaded over her shoulder, the other p
laying up and down her back, st
oking the fires burning inside her higher, hotter.
He leaned up,
his eyes blaz
ing
up at her and she smiled.
“Love me, Parker,
”
she whisper
ed
.
Parker slid his
mouth down the center of her neck ta
st
ing
and bit
ing
supple skin.
“I will, Persephone.”
I do.
Kissing
the hollo
w at the base of her throat,
he
put
his
mouth on her brea
st, sucking her ripe tip into his
heat
like a
sweet berry, suck
l
ing it until she release
d
a
deep throaty sigh a
nd
arche
d
her
back
as liquid heat pooled between her thighs
.
Her nails bit
ing
into his chest at the hard tingling pull on her breasts that reverberated low in her belly and made her
head drop
back.
Persephone felt as if she were
burning alive for him now. She needed him. Needed him inside her, wrapped around her, needed one last memory of his touch and his love to sustain her in the future.
Just in case.
Just in case he walked away once he learned everything about her.
She loved
the hot, firm feel of
his body
as
her
small hands flattened against his
hair-roughened c
hest. The hardness of it, the way the tough, lean muscles flexed and rippled beneath her touch. It made her feel as if she had a semblance of control. That she held some power in her fingertips. “I love touching you.” The breathless words whispered p
ast her lips without thought.
Each leisurely stroke an exquisite torture
to Parker’s will
.
“You can touch me as often as you would like, love.”
Hi
s hard, gravelly voice was like a stroke of pleasure over her sensitive nerves.
“So hard and powerful,” she continued. “Yet, so soft, so gentle.” Her voice held an almost
awed
tone. “I was afraid that all men were monsters. Cruel, heartless.”
Her voice broke, glancing
up into his eyes, hers watery pools. “You’ve proven me wrong.” She laid her head against his chest. “Thank you, Parker.”
H
e should feel ashamed at how h
is blood
bo
il
ed, she was baring her soul to him, but she
was
naked. Her body draped over
his and his
cock surged
, making him grind his
teeth at the pleasure
. S
he tremble
d
d
e
liciously in
his a
rms and he was a
wash in the feel of
her
being
agai
nst his body, straddling his
legs,
her feminine
cradle
nestled against him
moist with her desire
. She want
ed
him
.
He could
sense a rush of heat
starting
at the nape of her neck and spread
ing
through
out
her body
as she trembled
in his
arms
.
He rolled back over and pressed her into the mattress
, pausing,
waiting to see how she
would
react
before he continued.
When she tugged him down with her hand wrapped firmly around his neck he
continued his exploration, skimming
his
hands
over her thighs,
moving
his hand down between her legs, feeling
her hot
wetness as he trailed
his
fingers la
nguidly
through the
wet red curls
teas
ing
her swollen flesh
.
She wanted his touch; she widened her legs giving him better access as she placed her hands on h
is shoulders, clinging to him. Her body over sensitiz
ed by his languid exploration.