The Brothers Rule - Carolyn Faulkner Page 0,16

holding onto the front of his shirt for dear life and burying her face against his chest as she cried her eyes out.

He felt his heart swelling painfully in his chest—something he'd never felt with any other woman—as his arms held her tightly, keeping her close. He whispered soothing things to her, telling her what a good girl she was and how he would never be able to be so hard on her if he didn't care about her. As he was brushing the tear-dampened strands of hair back from her face, Jace bent down and kissed her forehead.

Then he said something she'd not expected to hear from him as he pressed his nose to hers, "I love you, Laurie. The truth is that I couldn't do what I just did for you if I didn't. I couldn't bear to lose you, or the thought of you putting yourself in danger like that."

As deep in sub-space as she was, she lifted her head, opening her mouth to say something, but he got there first, as if he wanted to pre-empt her saying something he might not want to hear. "I know it's early to say that, and I don't mean to make you feel as if you have to say it back to me, because you don't—"

"Oh, but I do—I love you, too, Jace," she said hesitantly, her eyes darting up to his then down again shyly.

As much as he wanted to continue comforting her, he also knew he was already halfway there at that, and, although he wanted to take her right there on the couch, he didn't want either of his younger brothers wandering through as he did so.

Seconds later, he stood with Laurie in his arms, and she was again amazed at his sheer strength as he carried her into his room. They didn't make it to the bed, though.

Jace closed the door behind them and let her down, but not very far, catching her legs and wrapping them around his waist. It was only a few seconds later when he released himself, that eager part of him immediately nudging up against her, knocking at that very private door and very nearly slipping into her.

"Damn, I love how being punished makes you so hot."

"No," she whispered automatically, wrapping her arms around his thick neck and holding on tightly as she could feel him beginning to enter her, stretching her open around him and making the breath catch in the back of her throat as he sank himself into her.

"Oh—God—Jace!" He pulled a word from her with each powerful thrust, but only mewls from that point on as he found, between those parted lips, just the right way to compliment how he was slamming into her, expertly flicking his fingertips over that eager bean of hers.

He watched with a tremendous sense of satisfaction as she leaned her head back against the door. Her lips were caught in an "o" of excitement, hands clutching at his broad shoulders until her head began to move frantically as she did, bucking against him and rubbing herself against his fingers at the same time she began to crest that wave.

It was more than enough to throw him into the fray, and he plunged into her as she hung on him, helplessly buffeted by his moves, subject to the pleasure he was giving her.

Even when he was done and shrinking out of her, he continued to rub his thumb over her, and she felt a bit selfish when he very deliberately pulled three more climaxes from her.

"Jace, you must be tired of holding me up. Take me to bed," she whispered.

But he just nuzzled her neck, whispering roughly, "Don't you worry about me, Miss Laurie. I could stand here and watch you do that for the rest of my life and never feel tired or bored in the least."

She blushed, and he made her come another two times once they were there—screaming, crying, peaks that had her clinging to him each time—which made him feel a thousand feet tall, until he finally tucked her up against him and the covers up over them, whispering in her ear, "Sleep."

It was a command that, unlike some others, she obeyed immediately.

But nothing prepared her for the embarrassment of waking up and going to the bathroom, before the alarm, and before he awoke. The sun was well up, and she was going to make breakfast for them, but then she realized with a mortified start that her