I have none.
Not when he’s this talented at inciting arousal the way he incites anger. For every foot he puts forward, I take a step back, keeping pace as he leads me to the bed. He shoves me onto the mattress and crawls over me, his hand gripping me by the throat, neither gentle nor rough. Liam’s hold falls somewhere in between, shallowing my breath without completely stealing it.
For several seconds, I return his gaze—his beautiful eyes alight with sexual intoxication. That stare defies the darkness, cripples my courage, busts through the blockade of my will.
“You belong with me, my precious, sweet girl. Only me.”
“Eleven other men might disagree with you.”
“They don’t matter anymore.” His hand issues a warning squeeze. “You’re here with me, and there’s nothing they can do about it.” He lowers his head. “There’s nothing you can do about it, either.”
“You’re right.” Going against the circle of his hand, I swallow hard. “I can’t fight you. If you decide to force me, there’s no one here to help.”
The acknowledgement sounds so final, filled to the brim with acceptance. If he decides to take my ass—or do anything else, for that matter—all I can do is beg him to stop. Physically, he’s too strong to fight. At the very least, he’s too stubborn to hold off with pleas and platitudes.
“Relax,” he says, the sudden weight of his scrutiny crushing me. “I’m not going to take your backdoor tonight, but I am going to finish what I started in the dining room. After all, I promised you satisfaction by morning.”
Letting go of my neck, he glides down my body and buries his face in my pussy.
9
Satisfied doesn’t describe the level of sated lethargy this man rouses in me. As the sun peeks above the horizon, I resist opening my eyes—not as long as I’m wrapped in Liam’s fierce loyalty, his arms surrounding me in the warm bed.
I wish I could return the same kind of loyalty.
Absolute.
Without fail.
Unconditional.
The thought threatens to jerk me out of the lust-induced cocoon we’ve created. Sinking deeper into his embrace, I push thoughts of a certain wild-eyed lion into the vacant corners of my mind to deal with later.
My heart can’t be in two places at the same time, and right now, it’s fully present.
In this moment.
In this bedroom.
With this man.
“God, I could get used to waking up like this.” Liam’s gruff words drift across my shoulder, his morning erection a thrilling temptation between my butt cheeks. As he rocks his hips, he tightens his hold and locks me in the cage of his arms.
My breath stalls. My mind goes numb. Intense desire flares at the center of my sex as his cock gently probes, begging for acceptance.
“Did it feel good when he did it?”
“Liam, please. Can we not start the day like this?”
“It’s not my intention to start an argument. I honestly want to know how it was for you. I saw the two of you in the elevator, but I’m guessing that wasn’t the first time he took you.” He rocks against me once more. “Was he gentle? Did it hurt…were you scared?”
“He was gentle, and it did hurt at first.” A hard swallow makes me pause. “And no, I wasn’t scared.”
“Do I scare you?”
“Not…not in the physical sense.”
“Then what’s holding you back?” He shoves his fingers between my thighs, discovering the strength of my need for him. “Because I know you want it as much as I do.”
Closing my eyes, I let the truth tumble from my lips. “I want you so much. I have from the first day on the island, but…”
“But?”
“Being with him changed me.”
“Is that what scares you? That real intimacy with me will make you love him less?”
“Maybe.” Fear strangles my throat, making me croak out the admission.
“My sweet girl,” he says, pressing a firm kiss to my cheek. “Real intimacy already exists between us. Taking you anally won’t make you love either of us more or less. It’ll just be one of the most incredible experiences we’ll ever share.”
“I know.” Breaking free of his arms, I turn over to face him. “But I’m not ready yet.”
Concession weighs down his lids, obscuring those gorgeous dark eyes. He parts his mouth, about to say something, but the sudden opening of a door interrupts him. Liam jerks upright as footsteps make their way down the hall.
I clutch the blanket to my chest, failing to breathe, as if covering my nakedness will hide the fear.
Pax materializes in the doorway of the bedroom, his black-clad presence an utter defiance against the bright sunlight spilling through the window. The scene is too peaceful beyond that glass—like a serene beachscape from a castaway movie. The monster doesn’t belong in this picture, but he’s as real as the erratic beat of my heart.
“Get up,” he says, his slitted gray eyes stalling on me. He curls his lip in added warning. “Now.”