Up in Smoke - Tessa Bailey Page 0,78

but she could barely hear him.

“I trust you.” Her teeth chattered around the words. “I trust you. See?”

“Sweetheart…oh God. Stop. Let go. You’re making me hurt you. Please…please.”

Miraculously, the pain was starting to lessen. Instead of a spiked burn, it turned into a rounded throb…then it dimmed. And dimmed some more. She moved his hands down her throat, marveling at the new sensation. Every new inch encountered a distinct burn, but it eased quicker the farther she went. She focused on his agonized eyes as she dragged them down, down, over her shoulders. Underneath her shirt to caress her belly. Alive. She felt alive. Her nerve endings were singing. Connor. Only Connor could do this to her.

She must have said it out loud because he choked a curse. “Tell me what it feels like. Tell me I’m not causing you pain. I’m all fucked up right now, Erin. I can’t deal with any more.”

“Your hands…they’re making me real. They feel so perfect. So perfect. Take me home,” she whispered. “I’ll let you touch me everywhere.”

He dropped his head into the crook of her neck and groaned. “You feel so good. Your skin…” Erin sobbed a breath as he fell to his knees, wrapped his arms around her waist, and buried his face in her belly. “God, I missed you so much.” His hands smoothed up her back and she arched into his touch, needing to feel everything. Every single stroke of his hand. “Now that I’ve had this, touched you, don’t take it away from me. Please don’t take it away from me.”

“I won’t. I can’t.” His hands swept down her thighs and traced the backs of her knees. A gasp flew from her mouth. Who knew she was so sensitive there? She wanted to stand there all night and let him touch her, let him acquaint his hands with every inch of her body, but time was a limited resource. Luther could stir at any time, and if he walked outside, it would be over in seconds. Connor wouldn’t hesitate to act, and this beautiful moment would be lost to them.

Connor rose slowly to his feet, dragging his open mouth up the center of her body as he went. As soon as his face was even with hers, she captured his mouth with a kiss. She swayed into him with a moan and took. She’d seen him aroused before, but nothing compared to this. His erection dug into her belly, hard and demanding. Hands tunneled through her hair, making up for lost time as he seduced her with his tongue. Her primary goal of getting him away from the house blurred, but she snatched it back. She was fighting for their lives and needed to remember that.

Erin pulled away and sucked in a fortifying breath. “Let’s leave.” She smoothed a hand over one side of his perfect ass and tugged him against her, twisting her hips at the same time. “I need you.”

He closed his eyes and cursed. “I know what you’re doing. I know you’re using my goddamn need for you to keep me out of that house. Even knowing I’m being played, I still can’t fight it.”

Before she could form a single word of protest, he swung her up into his arms and started toward the street. Tears pushed against the back of her eyelids, scalding and heavy. His words hurt worse than the initial burn of his touch. He’d belittled what they’d just shared, disregarding it as a ploy. She wanted to curl up and live within the hurt because crawling out required too much effort. She knew hurt. They were old friends, whereas hope was a newcomer, twice as dangerous.

Connor stopped in front of his navy-blue SUV and flung open the door, placing her inside. He started to buckle her seat belt, but stopped when she tensed. He closed the door and rounded the back of the car. Her gaze followed him, noting that the destroyed back window had been covered with plastic. His silhouette halted at the back of the car, illuminated by the streetlight. Hands planted on hips, he hung his head a moment, body momentarily deflating of tension. For a moment, she thought he might leave her in the car and go back to the house, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he climbed into the driver’s side and started the engine.

He started to put on his seat belt, but stopped, letting it whoosh back into the strap holder, leaving