into more than just another beautiful woman. She was the life I craved, everything I couldn’t have and didn’t deserve.
Tonight, I’d finally get a taste of what I so desperately wanted.
I parked outside her apartment complex and got out to open the car door for her. She was already halfway on her feet by the time I got to her, but I took her hand again, as though she needed my help. A stupid, delusional part of me was enjoying playing the part of her white knight. I’d protected her from Stu.
I’d do my best to protect her from the darker parts of myself, too. I owed her at least that much.
She didn’t pull her hand from mine when I closed the car door behind her.
“I’ll walk you to your door.” I was going to see her safely into her apartment, and I would taste her lips before I left.
She glanced up at me and licked those lush, pink lips. My cock throbbed in response to the sign of desire.
“Okay,” she agreed softly. “My place is this way.”
She started walking toward the brick porch that lined the front of the fancy townhouses. I kept step beside her, still holding her hand in mine.
We arrived at one of the ten identical units, and she retrieved her keys from her purse. When she unlocked the door, I squeezed her fingers lightly, calling her full attention back to me. Her sapphire gaze caught mine, and her pouty lips parted on a little sigh.
“Thanks for bringing me home. You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did,” I interrupted her. I hadn’t had a choice. Not once Stu put his hands on her. I wouldn’t have been capable of working the rest of my shift at the bar. I wouldn’t have been capable of thinking about anything but branding her with my touch, erasing the taint where he’d grabbed her.
Unable to hold back, I reached out and caressed her cheek, relishing the softness of her skin beneath my fingertips. She didn’t flinch away from the intimate contact; she tilted her face into my hand, welcoming more. I slid my fingers into her dark, silken hair and hooked my thumb beneath her jaw, capturing her. Her soft intake of breath went straight to my cock, and I closed the distance between us with a hungry growl.
I didn’t take her lips with the tender care she deserved. I crushed my mouth to hers, and she opened for me on a sharp, shocked gasp.
She didn’t shrink from my sudden aggression. Her arms twined around the back of my neck, and she pulled me closer as she pressed her soft body against mine. Lust ignited my system, pulsing through me with visceral intensity I’d never known before. My fingers tightened in her hair, tugging the silky strands and tipping her head back so I could take her mouth more deeply. My tongue swept inside to glide against hers. She tasted like the fruity cocktail she’d sipped at the bar and something darker, more delicious. Her body melted into mine, softening and heating as she molded herself against me. I wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. She shivered in my hold, but it wasn’t the chilly night air that elicited the response. The heat between us was too intense for the cold to touch either of us.
When we were both desperate for air, I finally released her mouth. She stared up at me, breathing hard. Her pupils were dilated, the sapphire ring of her irises narrowing as her eyes darkened with lust.
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked breathlessly.
More than anything. Instead of making the intimate admission, I nodded.
She turned from me and fumbled at the doorknob, her hand trembling from the keen desire that tormented us both. I reached around her and closed my fingers over hers, firmly turning the knob and pushing the door open. Now that I’d held her in my arms, I couldn’t wait to feel her lush body pressed up against mine again.
When I closed the door behind us, she took my hand in hers and led me toward her bedroom. I hadn’t expected such boldness from her, but the raw need that drove both of us to a frenzy was stronger than the anxiety I’d sensed in her earlier.
I was curious to check out the way she chose to decorate her room—to understand her personality better. But in that moment, I was far more curious to learn other things about her.