Blackstone Ranger Charmer - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,47

good looking.” She smiled sheepishly. “Is that silly? Or—”

“Not at all,” he said. “You’re my mate, Temperance. And I’m yours.”

“Gabriel,” she sighed. “I was so afraid if you found out Tony was here …” She swallowed audibly. “That you’d think I asked him back. And that I wanted him here. But I didn’t. I don’t.”

“What? Oh no … baby.” He held her tighter. “I would never think that. I told you, you’re my mate. Nothing you could do or say could make me think otherwise.” As he lowered his head, his heart drummed against his ribcage.

She opened up to him eagerly, leaning back as their mouths touched. Pure joy burst through him as they kissed, his lips moving over hers in an ardent caress. A gasped escaped her mouth as he delved his tongue into her mouth, tasting her sweetness. His entire body vibrated with need, and he pulled away. “Temperance. Come home with me tonight.”

Her pupils were blown with desire. “Yes,” she said in a husky voice that made his cock immediately harden.

Somehow, they both found their way to his Jeep. The engine was still running, which made it easier to maneuver out of the parking lot and into the highway. It was a miracle they didn’t get into an accident as his mind was on Temperance and taking her—all of her, finally. He kept biting the inside of his lip as he drove home, as he pulled into his parking spot and then led the way up to his condo. As soon as the door closed behind them, he turned around and caged her in his arms. “Temperance … I want you so bad.”

“No more talking,” she urged, nipping at his lips. “Please, Gabriel.”

Damn, his mate had bite. Bending down, he swooped her into his arms, fearing that if he even kissed her he would take her against the door. No, their first time would be in his bed, and he would make sure she would never forget it.

He carried her all the way to his room, laying her down on the bed gently. “Temperance, will you let me see you? Please?”

“I’m scared, Gabriel,” she said in a small voice.

“There’s nothing to be scared of,” he said, pressing soft kisses down the right side of her face. “I promise.”

She sucked in a breath, and then he felt her nod. Joining her on the bed, he positioned her so she was leaning back on his headboard and he knelt between her knees.

Crawling back, he started with her shoes, slipping them off and tossed them off the side of the bed. His fingers traced up her bare legs, over the skirt covering her hips and thighs until he reached the waistband and pulled that off too. The tiny lacy panties she wore covered up what he had already seen and tasted the other night, but damn if it didn’t make him harder, seeing the shadow of her dark pubic hair through the white fabric and the smell of her wetness teasing him. Though he wanted nothing more than to take her, he knew he had to be patient.

“Do you want me to—”

“May I?” He crawled back up, reaching for the front of her blouse. Slowly, he undid the buttons, one by one, baring her lace-covered breasts. He’d been dreaming about those sexy tits for two nights now, wondering how they would feel and taste. But again, he had to help Temperance get over her fear of being naked around him. So, he slipped the top off her shoulders, easing it down her arms, all the while keeping his eyes on hers. He could see the anxiety growing in those light hazel orbs. “Don’t be scared,” he said as he helped her remove her left arm from the sleeve. “There’s nothing to be worried about.

Her lower lip trembled. “I can’t help it.”

“Trust me, Temperance. I’m your mate. The other half of my soul. This body, in whatever shape or form, was made for me. Has always been.” He took her right hand, the sleeve still hanging off it and covering her to her wrist, and kissed the webbed skin behind her palm and nuzzled it. “You’re beautiful to me, no matter what.”

He heard the sharp intake of breath, and she sat up, tugging the shirt off. He held her hand so that she wouldn’t cover herself, then finally looked up at her, bared before him.

The scars did indeed cover her from fingers to cheek, a patchwork of discolored skin and latticework