Deadly Charade - By Virna Depaul Page 0,61

reasonable in protecting herself and her life, it pissed him off.

“You’re letting the past skew your thinking, Linda. You’re one of the good guys. A prosecutor. A soon-to-be judge. You’re getting everything you wanted and you were right to think you wouldn’t get it if you had anything to do with me. I’m worthless and would have done nothing but drag you down. Why shouldn’t you believe I’ve done exactly what I’ve said?”

Her stare was blank. Inscrutable. Time ticked by, marked by croaks of frogs outside the window. The pulse in her neck kept up its furious beat. He waited. He could wait forever.

“You want to know why I can’t believe it? Because I loved you, Tony. And I still do. And you know what? I think you still love me, too.”

Before he could respond, she kissed him.

* * *

As they kissed, Linda was immediately aware of two things.

First, Tony didn’t even try to fight their connection this time. Despite the way he’d pushed her away with his words, he refrained from doing it with his body. His mouth opened readily underneath hers, and his arms wrapped around her tightly.

Second, she wasn’t going to settle for anything less than both of them naked this time. Her hands tore at his clothes, refusing to be denied. Buttons flew. Fabric ripped. And he seemed just as frantic to get her naked, too.

Thank you, she thought, when she was completely bare to him. He cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipples. Heat speared between her legs, causing an ache that made her whimper with need.

When he released her breasts, she moaned with disappointment until he replaced his hands with his mouth. He sucked on her strongly, working one nipple until it was red and engorged before moving on to the next. The whole time, her hands roved over his body, relishing the bulge of his muscles and the way they tightened with his need for her.

That was a start, but not good enough. She wanted him trembling. Shaking. Begging for her touch.

This time she pulled away and he moaned in protest. But when she fell to her knees, he tangled his fingers in her hair and urged, “Yes, Linda. Please. Take me in your mouth. I’ve missed this. Missed you.”

He didn’t have to ask her again. She didn’t reacquaint herself with his length slowly. Instead she drew him into her mouth greedily, as if by doing so she was filling up every empty, lonely spot inside her. She pulled back to flick her tongue over the tip of him, then swallowed him even deeper than before, until he touched the back of her throat.

“I’m going to come if you keep that up,” he gritted out.

“That’s what I want,” she said.

“Me, too. But first...” With a grimace, he pulled away from her and urged her to her feet. “First I want to come inside you again. Here,” he said as he cupped her. “It felt so wonderful taking you without a condom. Can we— Will you take me that way again?”

She took a shaky breath and considered his request.

She’d started this knowing where it was going and also knowing they didn’t have a condom. She knew she was taking a chance, but hadn’t she already risked everything for Tony?

Three and a half years ago she hadn’t trusted him enough to stay with him. Did she really trust him enough now to give him this? To give him everything?

She nodded.

He smiled, a big genuine smile that made her feel like she’d hung the moon.

She threw her arms around his neck as he cupped her butt and lifted her onto him. She felt his hard flesh searching between her folds before he sank inside, slowly. Slowly. And so thoroughly that she felt stretched to bursting. His scent enveloped her, as did something else.

His love. She felt it everywhere he touched her. She saw it in his eyes.

He didn’t have to say it for her to know.

This man still loved her. She loved him.

But even as she skyrocketed to pleasure, she was sadly aware that loving each other had never been the problem. And it had never been enough.

Chapter 23

Tony watched Linda as she slept. She lay next to him, her body shimmering with sweat, her nipples soft and relaxed. Over the past few days, she’d refused to give up on him. She’d visited him in lockup and then the infirmary, then tracked him to the house on Tortuga Boulevard. Finally, she’d brought him here, to her